MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee track & field teams started their weekend of action at the Duke Invitational and Marquette Invitational on Thursday.
 
DUKE INVITATIONAL
 
Action in Durham started with Liam Richards competing in the first five events of the decathlon. Richards currently leads the group through the first day of action with 3,782 points while winning four events.
 
Richards collected victories in the 100m dash (10.93), 400m dash (50.30), long jump (6.96m), and high jump (1.87m), he also managed fourth place in the shot put (12.13m).
 
"Our multis at Duke had a great day," said head coach Andrew Basler. "Liam had a big personal-best time in the 100m dash and should be able to eclipse 7,000 points."
 
Anna Szepieniec and Kallie Volk were also in action at Duke and competed in the first four events of the heptathlon.


Volk leads her group after day one, scoring 2,997 points and picking up a first-place finish in the high jump after clearing 1.69m. She also ran to a runner-up finish in the 200m dash (25.94) and placed fifth in the 100m hurdles (15.06), as well as sixth in the shot put (9.84m).
 
Szepieniec sits in ninth place of the group after collecting 3,082 points on the first day of competition. She earned a fifth-place finish in both the 100m hurdles (14.04), and 200m dash (25.14) and rounded out her day taking 11th place in the shot put (10.64m) and 12th in the high jump (1.54m).
 
"Both Anna and Kallie are off to great starts and on pace to break the school heptathlon record," Basler added.
Both the decathlon and heptathlon will conclude tomorrow, with the decathlon picking up at 2:00 p.m. (CT) and the heptathlon starting at 2:30 p.m. (CT). Field events will begin at 8:30 a.m. (CT), and action on the track is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. (CT).
 
MARQUETTE INVITATIONAL
 
The first events of the Marquette Invitational were held Thursday afternoon, as the Panthers competed in the javelin and hammer throw at Raabe Stadium in Wauwatosa.
 
Highlighting the men in the hammer throw was Jeremiah Johnson with a big-time toss of 48.45m to take the top spot.
 
Jack Misky registered a throw of 40.64m and finished third in the javelin.
 
Jane Kautz led the women in the Javelin, her final attempt traveling 31.28m to slot her fourth. Trailing Kautz in fifth was Mercedes Herrera, rifling a throw of 29.39m.
 
Herrera also competed in the hammer throw and finished fifth with a distance of 39.82m. Tayler Liesch finished sixth for the Panthers with a toss of 37.40m.
 
"It was nice seeing Jeremiah get the victory in the hammer throw," Basler finished. "Mercedes threw in the javelin for the first time and showed real promise in the event"
 
The remainder of the Marquette Invitational will be completed tomorrow with field events getting underway at 1:00 p.m. and running events starting at 5:00 p.m. at the Shimek Track & Field on Canal Street in Milwaukee.