SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Natalie Block is leaving UW-Milwaukee with 12 Horizon League Championships and five school records — and she is just getting started.
The hurdler's path to becoming one of the program's most decorated athletes was anything but a straight line. It began in fourth grade when she joined Girls on the Run.
"That was definitely something that brought me out of my shell," Block said.
Running sparked a passion, but hurdles didn't enter the picture until her junior year at Oak Creek High School. Even then, Block said she wasn't considered a standout recruit.
"I was definitely a late bloomer to the sport," Block said. "I did not come from like stardom. I was from humble marks, and the thing that I always had was a hard work ethic, and that was always something that worked for me."
That work ethic drove her to reach out to UWM directly — a move that caught the attention of track and field head coach Andrew Basler.
"Sometimes, as a coach, when you bring an athlete in from a recruiting standpoint, they just look the part. There was something about Natalie, how she carried herself, that told me that this girl was going to be special," Basler said.
Watch: UWM hurdler Natalie Block turns humble beginnings into record career
Block arrived as a heptathlete, winning the Horizon League Pentathlon in 2022. But despite that success, a change was on the horizon.
"We made the switch to just hurdling, which was the best call for us to do for body, mind and health," Block said.
The decision paid off. Block earned a spot at the Olympic Trials and the NCAA Track and Field Championships. She fell just short of a qualifying spot for this year's NCAA Championships in Eugene, despite posting a top-12 time.
"It was definitely heartbreaking, but on the other side of it, I was just kind of sitting there, and I'm just like, 'I don't know what God's doing, but I just know it's His doing,'" Block said.
Basler said Block's journey carries a message beyond the track.
"I think that goes a long way to the young girls watching her path, watching her career, knowing that hey, you can start from humble beginnings and still be extremely successful," Basler said.
Now, Block is turning the page to a professional career — with the USA Championships next month and bigger goals beyond that.
"Turning the page to being pro, it's definitely something new and something very uncomfortable… I mean, there's something exciting about it too, because I don't know what's to come from it, but it's something that I can build," Block said.
"LA28 is definitely on the mind for what we want to do," Block added.
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