Havener, Nearman Pace Panthers To Day One Lead At League Meet
KENT, Ohio (March 1, 2008) - Sophomore Erin Havener won her third-straight league pole vault championship and broke her own league record in the process in leading the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's track and field team to the day-one lead at the 2008 Horizon League Indoor Championships Saturday. The Panthers tallied 69 points on Saturday to hold a seven-point advantage over host Youngstown State (62 points). Butler sits a distant third with 20, while Loyola is the only other school in double-figures with 17. Detroit sits fifth with nine points, Wright State and UIC are tied with four and Wright State has one to round out the field. Havener, who won the 2007 indoor and outdoor league pole vault titles, cleared 11-11 ¾ to snag her third-straight crown in the event. She topped the league record she set last season of 11-9 ¾. Junior Jes Weyandt was all-league second team in the event for the second-straight season, clearing 11-5 ¾. Junior Holly Nearman won the 5000m after runner-up finishes in the event at both the indoor and outdoor meets last season. She crossed the line in 17:24.46 for her first league championship. Milwaukee also got second-place finishes in the long jump, pentathlon and distance medley relay. Junior Beth Zimmerman was an all-league second-team honoree for the second-straight league meet (2007 outdoor), leaping 18-4 ½ to pace four Panther scorers in the event. Junior Jenni Saarinen was third with a jump of 18-1 ½, while sophomore Reigna Pierce took fifth (17-5 ½) and sophomore Emily Budde took sixth (17-2).
In the pentathlon, UWM posted three more scorers, led by all-league second-teamer sophomore Kory Olson. Olson tallied 3,269 points, ahead of Budde in third with 3,074. Freshman Stacey Trzcinski took fifth in the multi-event with 2,496 points. Sisters Danielle and Erin Magargee, sophomore Laura Ring and freshman Tanaiya Fisher all earned second-team accolades in the distance medley relay with a time of 12:20.15 for second place. Nine Panthers qualified for finals of the shorter running events Saturday, led by two qualifiers in the 200m, 400m and 800m. Sophomore Kelsey Conrad took second in the 200m prelims in 25.37 and was fourth in the 400m in 59.74. Zimmerman, meanwhile, qualified seventh in the 200m (25.89), while freshman Angie Kaufmann also qualified in the 400m, running third in 59.05. In the 800m, senior Shannon Buttchen ran a prelim time of 2:16.82 to qualify fourth and slightly ahead of Ring in fifth with a time of 2:16.90. Budde (sixth, 9.27) and Olson (eighth, 9.39) were qualifiers in the 60m hurdles and freshman Marquisha Bradley took fourth to qualify for the finals of the 60m (7.88). The 2008 League Championships continue on Sunday. |
