MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee track & field teams are back in action this week, having added the UW-La Crosse Final Qualifier to their schedule for Thursday, May 15.
 
The meet will be held at Veterans Memorial Field in La Crosse, Wis., with events scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.
 
The competition will be the final opportunity for athletes to punch their ticket to the NCAA West Regional Preliminary Rounds, set for May 28-31 in College Station, Texas. The top 48 athletes in each individual event in the region will earn a bid to the competition.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Panthers are coming off a strong showing at the Horizon League Championships, where both the men's and women's teams finished as runners-up. The men claimed six individual conference titles, while the women brought home five.
 
Jaelyn Reeves-Lile earned the ARI Accelerator Men's Field Performer of the meet after winning championships in the 100m and 200m dashes, breaking both the school and meet records. He clocked a 10.24 in the 100m (24th in the West Region) and 20.51 in the 200m, ranking him 9th in the region and 22nd nationally.
 
On the women's side, Anna Szepieniec was named Women's Field Performer of the Meet after earning two titles. She scored 5,226 points in the heptathlon, breaking the previous school and meet record of 5,084 points set in 2013. She added a second victory with a 5.80m jump in the long jump.
 
Anthony Buford capped off an impressive freshman campaign, sweeping the Indoor and Outdoor Freshman of the Year Awards. He claimed the first league title in the long jump, with a winning mark of 7.39m. His season-best of 7.51m ranks 46th in the West Region.
 
Natalie Block secured two individual wins on the track. She broke her own meet record in the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.16, which ranks her 13th in the region and 29th nationally. In the 400m hurdles, she crossed first in 57.86, her season-best of 57.71 ranks 18th in the west and 37th in the nation.
 
Liam Richards continued his dominance in the decathlon, scoring a personal-best 7,037 points to win by over 900 points.
 
Olivia VanZeeland won the high jump, clearing 1.75m. Her season-best of 1.80m ties her for 18th in the region and places her 25th nationally.
 
Divine Aniamaka dominated the triple jump, winning by over 1.6 meters with a mark of 15.39m, currently 34th in the West Region.
 
Josh Cygan made a strong debut at the League Championships, winning the discus with a throw of 51.13m.
 
UP NEXT
 
The NCAA will release its official list of regional qualifiers next week. Athletes selected will move on to the NCAA West Regional Preliminary Rounds, held from May 28-31at Texas A&M's E.B Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas.