Mielke of Whitwater Named to 2016 UW-Whitewater Women's Cross Country

2016 Sep 14

Liz Mielke, a native of Whitwater, WI, and graduate of Whitewater High School, will compete for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's cross country team during the 2016 season.

Mielke, a sophomore at UW-Whitewater, is majoring in physical education .

The Warhawks open the 2016 season this Saturday, Sept. 17, with the second annual Tom Hoffman Invitational at the UW-Whitewater campus cross country trail. The women's race will begin at 10:45 a.m. and is followed by the men's competition at 11:45 a.m.

UW-Whitewater will compete in four more meets prior to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships, which are set for Oct. 29 at Wisconsin River Golf Club in Stevens Point. The NCAA Midwest Regional will take place two weeks later at Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne, with the NCAA Championships slated for Nov. 19 at the Tom Sawyer Course in Louisville, Kentucky.

Juniors Monica Sweet (Franklin, Wis./Franklin) and Mara Wiebke (Onalaska, Wis./Onalaska) return to lead the women's team, which will compete in 6-kilometer races.

Sweet and Wiebke were among the Warhawks' top seven finishers a year ago. Sweet posted a season-best 24:36 at the Brissman/Lundeen Invitational on Sept. 25th, while Wiebke's season-best came at the NCAA Midwest Regional with a time of 25:00 on Nov. 14. Both will look to finish among the top three of the varsity lineup.

Juniors Olivia Woyak (Onalaska, Wis./Onalaska) and Liz Mielke (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater), who each registered several varsity finishes a year ago, look to become consistent top seven finishers. Woyak's season-best finish came at the Open AAE Invitational with a time of 25:41, while Mielke had her personal best time of 24:33 at the Open AAE Invitational as well.

Other returners include seniors Katelyn Pena (Kenosha/Tremper), Leeana Liska (New Berlin/West), juniors Sara Fuller (Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield), Emma Knudtson (Aurora, Ill./Rosary), Ashley Paulick(Union Grove, Wis./Union Grove), sophomores Elizabeth Considine (Cary, Ill./Cary-Grove), Grace Drake(Elburn, Ill./Kaneland), Lauren Oleniczak (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek), Brittany Scott (Racine, Wis./Horlick), Manda Slaback (Janesville, Wis./Parker), Madison Wargowsky (Wentzville, Mo./Wentzville Holt) and Margaret Wehde (Grayslake, Ill./Grayslake Central).