MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee track & field's Anna Szepieniec and Natalie Block have qualified for the NCAA West First Round Qualifier, hosted by Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., May 27-30.
 
The West Regional is comprised of athletes with the top 48 marks in their respective events, competing for a chance to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships hosted by Oregon June 10-13. The top 12 athletes from each event will earn a spot at the Championship meet hosted at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Watch live on ESPN+, with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. CT each day.
 
Szepieniec, competing in the long jump, makes her first regional appearance for the Panthers after an impressive outdoor campaign. The 2026 Alfreeda Goff Women's Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year is riding a wave of momentum from the Horizon League Outdoor Championships where she won the triple jump (12.13 meters), and added runner-up finishes in the 100-meter hurdles (13.76), long jump (6.09 meters), and heptathlon (5130 points).
 
Her qualifying leap came from her efforts at Louisville's Jim Freeman/Clark Wood Open, where the junior cleared a career-best 6.35 meters to finish second. On the year, she has finished in the top-6 of the event in each of her five outings. Szepieniec currently ranks t-24th nationally in the long jump.
 
Making her fourth career appearance at the NCAA First Round Qualifier is Block, who has competed in the 400-meter hurdles at the regional meet during each outdoor season of her eligibility. The 2025 Second Team All-American placed 12th at the Championships last season after clocking a career-best 56.92. She now looks to punch her third career ticket to the NCAA Championships in the 400-meter hurdles.
 
In her first outing this season, Block set a new personal-best time of 56.27 at the Raleigh Relays, landing a spot on the podium and setting a new school record in the event. Her other appearance this season came at the Duke Invitational, where she secured runner-up honors with a 57.12 effort. Block currently sits 12th nationally in the event.