The chilling temperatures in Milwaukee didn’t affect the student-athletes inside of the Klotsche Center as they prepared for their first Milwaukee meet of the 2025-26 indoor season. Marquette competed against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the UW Track Club.
“It’s nice we can do it here in Milwaukee so a lot of family, friends, classmates, and teachers can come out,” Golden Eagles head coach Bert Rogers said.
The John Tierney Invitational kicked off with the field events. Milwaukee’s Anna Szepieniec stole the show early. She didn’t just win the women’s long jump; she earned the No. 17 spot in the NCAA with a jump of 6.30m, while Milwaukee claimed the top three spots in the event.
Things turned around for Marquette in the women’s weight throw. Second year thrower Ally Broaddus recorded a PR while winning the event by over a meter with a throw of 17.57m, over a 2nd place finish from her teammate Megan White.
“Lot of personal best there today,” Rogers said. “Some good throws. There was a lot of good energy over there today.”
Women’s weight throw was the only women’s field event where Marquette had an athlete in the top three. Milwaukee took advantage of strength in numbers by having more athletes than Marquette in all six field events.
On the men’s side of things, the Golden Eagles found more success. Senior jumper John Pitta highlighted the field events for the men by placing 2nd in the men’s triple jump with a jump of 14.15 which is a new PR. Marquette took control in the men’s throwing events.
The Golden Eagles saw two of their names in the top three of men’s shot put with Charlie Smith and Josh Pirogovsky finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively. Smith recorded a PR with a throw of 14.63m while Pirogovsky recorded a season best of 14.09m. Marquette saw similar success in the men’s weight throw with Sam Crane and Sebastian Kubas both recording PRs and placing in the top three.
The running events began with the 60m hurdles prelims, an event dominated again by Milwaukee’s Szepieniec. By the end of the 60m hurdles finals, the Panthers controlled all three top spots with Szepieniec finishing second overall to teammate Tori Spagnola.
Marquette dominated the one mile run on both the men’s and women’s side. The Golden Eagles claimed the top six spots in the men’s mile with first-year distance runner Patrick Clune taking the crown with a time of 4:17. The dominance echoed on the women’s side when Marquette’s Sadie Kibelstis overtook Milwaukee’s Ally Schmitz on the final lap on her way to victory with a time of 5:16.
“A lot of that was just guts,” Rogers said. “Them working hard and seeing today as a step in the process of getting better as the season goes along.”
Milwaukee, however, did most of the damage in the running events as they went on to win 12 out of the 16 running events, four of which they controlled the podium. The story wasn’t all about the Panthers, though. Marquette’s first-year distance runner Taya Gummerson was victorious in the women’s 3000m by a 10-second gap, finishing with a time of 11:04.
“This is like the true start to the indoor season,” Rogers said. “Now we’re competing every week.”
Marquette track & field is back in action this Friday at the Bill Clinger Invitational in Allendale, Mich.
This article was written by Lukas Schulze. He can be reached at [email protected]
