FORT WAYNE, Ind. – It was once again a record-setting day for the Milwaukee track & field program, as the Panthers took on day one of the Horizon League Championships hosted by Purdue Fort Wayne at the Lutheran Health Fieldhouse.
 
Through six completed events for the women, the Panthers are currently standing in first place with a total of 80 points, 25 points ahead of second-place Youngstown State. Host Purdue Fort Wayne is in third with 33 points.
 
The men's team has 45 points through five completed events thus far and trail conference-leading Youngstown State, who finished day one with 97 points. The Panthers are 31 points better than third-place Purdue Fort Wayne.
 
Women's Update
Milwaukee won three events highlighted by a record-setting performance by Kate Watson, who cleared 4.05 meters in the pole vault to set a new Horizon League Championship record, in addition to breaking her own program record in the event.
 
Lauren Lietzke won the weight throw at 16.96 to secure another 10 team points for the Panthers. The women's distance medley also registered 10 team points for the Panthers as Alayna Franson, Ally Schmitz, Rachel Helm and Brittany Helm recorded a time of 12:23.08, edging out Northern Kentucky, who was just behind at 12:23.10.
 
In the pentathlon, newly minted Athlete of the Year Natalie Block was second as she totaled 3669 points for a second-place finish. Kortnie Volk was fourth with a personal-best 3330 points as she added five team points.
 
Behind Watson at the pole vault, freshmen Ella Laughbaum and Isabel Roloff ended the day tied for fourth with identical 3.60-meter clearances, as the pair added 4.5 points each to Milwaukee's total. Cynthia Hernandez, Samantha Sattefield and Tabitha Wechlo all added points for the Panthers in the weight throw.
 
Meg Swietlik ran in the 5000m run and took fourth for five team points, while Nadia Vo and Maddy Troy secured more key points for MKE in the long jump. Aubrie Gorski set a new personal-best in the long jump at 5.45 meters.
 
Women's Sunday Qualifiers
60m Dash – Dominique Thomas (7.54)
60m Hurdles – Natalie Block (8.50), Cloey Fare (8.60*)
400m Dash – Natalie Block (57.81), Leah Handshoe (58.55)
800m Run – Anelise Egge (2:16.47*), Aubrey Anderson (2:18.61)
* - Indicates Personal Best
 
Men's Update
The Panther men won two events on the opening day of the Horizon League Championships as Austin Wallace led the field in the long jump, while Caleb Rogalski picked up the win in the weight throw.
 
Rogalski set a new program record and cruised to a Horizon League Championship with a throw of 19.22 meters. His previous career-best was an 18.29-meter throw, while the program record was an 18.83 meter throw back in 2015 by Alex Chollet. The next closest throw to Rogalski on Saturday was 18.15 meters.
 
Wallace led the field in the long jump at 7.52 meters, while Anthony Campbell was second with a new personal-best of 7.51 meters as the pair collected 18 points for Milwaukee.
 
The Panther recorded 10 team points in the pole vault as Dylan Sieloff was third at a height of 4.96 meters, while Evan Bartelsen was fifth at a new personal-best vault of 4.86 meters.
 
Also adding points for Milwaukee was Trevor Wenzel with a fifth-place finish in the 5000 meter run, while Gracien Jules with a in the weight throw with an eighth-place finish. The distance medley added a pair of points as Aidan Sodemann, Zac Schmidt, Gavin Czarnecki and Carter Eckhoff were seventh with a 10:34.12.
 
Bishop Bufford set a new personal-best in the long jump at 6.20 meters,
 
Through the opening four events of the heptathlon, Tony Bretall heads into day two with 2603 points in second place, while Jack Misky is in fourth place with 2521 points. Misky led in the men's heptathlon shot put at 13.41 meters, while Bretall was second at 12.63 meters.
 
Men's Sunday Qualifiers
60m Dash – Anthony Kessler (6.98)
60m Hurdles – Chris Hudnall (8.17), Dane Nelson (8.26)
200m Dash – Golden Cotton (22.19), Dane Nelson (22.51)
400m Dash – Caleb Henry (49.44), Caleb Anderson (50.32)
800m Run – Nate Griepentrog (1:59.77)