FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Milwaukee men's track and field pole vault crew led on the final day of the Horizon League Indoor Championships, totaling 21.5 points. The Panthers closed the gap on the final day, finishing as runner-up with 180.5 points.
 
It marks the second consecutive runner-up finish for the Panthers, who finished with 154 points a season ago. Across the four days, the Milwaukee men totaled four individual titles, five runner-up performances, and nine third place finishes.
 
Youngstown State took the team title for the sixth straight season with 218 points.
 
"As far as today's events, pole vault went really well," head coach Andrew Basler commented. "Those were some big points for us and I'm really proud of our vaulters. In the 4x400, we showed a lot of grit and performed well to get on the podium. Definitely a strong finish for us today."
 
"Overall, obviously, our goal is to get this program to winning championships," Basler continued. "We fell short of that goal, but I feel like we are making really big strides. Last year, we had four indoor champions and we doubled it this year. I'm happy to hear about our athletes talk about the momentum we have. They want to make necessary changes with how they attack decisions and practice, and they want to be in a position to bring a title back home to Milwaukee."
 
The Panthers were well-represented in the pole vault as four different people scored led by Jack Browne and Jack Johnson who reached the podium in second and third place, respectively. Browne recorded a 4.50-meter mark while Johnson hit at 4.40 meters.
 
Dylan Sieloff and Tony Bretall also tallied points for Milwaukee. Sieloff finished in fourth at 4.40 meters while Bretall matched a career-best with a 4.05-meter mark.
 
Michael Gorman ran a solid 200-meter dash, leading Milwaukee with a third-place finish in a personal-record time of 22.14.
 
Teammate Golden Cotton crossed in 22.44 to earn four points with a fifth-place finish for the Panthers.
 
Danny Browne led Milwaukee in the 3,000-meter race, finishing sixth to pull in three team points. The junior recorded a time of 8:49.10. Corey Thornton was just 1.52 seconds away from scoring as well as he placed ninth in 8:51.86.
 
The Panthers 4x400-meter relay team of Luke Rapisarda, Ben Marano, Michael Gorman, and Michael Sippy ran a season-best 3:24.93 and earned third on Monday afternoon to earn six points.
 
The Panthers will now shift their focus to the outdoor season. The schedule has not yet been revealed but will be available on MKEPanthers.com soon.