Weekly Release #13
4/18/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Saturday, April 22 -- at Ohio State Triangular (Columbus, Ohio), 10 a.m.
Fri-Sat., April 28-29 -- at Drake Relays (Des Moines, Iowa)
Wolverines to Face Ohio State, Seton Hall
The University of Michigan women's track and field team will head to Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday (April 22) to compete against the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Seton Hall Pirates. Ohio State is ranked 11th by Trackwire and boasts two of the nation's top sprinters in Dominque Calloway and Donica Merriman. Calloway has run automatic qualfiers in the 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles. Merrimen has provisional qualified for the 200-meter dash and automatically qualified for the 100-meter hurdles with an NCAA second-best time of 12.97. Seton Hall also has a top sprinter in Nolle Graham, who has provisionally qualified for the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.47.
Clifford Provisionally Qualifies for Second Event
Katie Clifford (Grand Rapids, Mich./West Catholic HS) placed second in the 10,000-meter run at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays (April 14) in Walnut, Calif. Her time of 34:15.36 was 26-hundredths of a second off the winning time and provisionally qualified her for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Clifford has already provisionally qualified for the 3,000-meter run with a time of 9:27.04, which she ran at the Stanford Invitational (March 25). Clifford and Julie Pressley (Claremont, Calif./Claremont HS) were the only woman competitors for the Maize and Blue at the Mt. SAC Relays, joining the U-M men's squad at the event.
Michigan Competes at the Sea Ray Relays
The Wolverines produced four top-eight finishes at the 34th annual Sea Ray Relays, hosted by the University of Tennessee on April 13-15 in Knoxville, Tenn. Julie Froud (St. Marys, Ontario/St. Marys D.C.V.I.) was the top performer, placing third in the 5,000-meter run (open division) with a time of 17:45.49. Other top eight-finishes included Brandi Bentley (Detroit, Mich./Marian HS), who came in fifth in the long jump (20-3); Tamika Craig (Inkster, Mich./Inkster HS), who was sixth in the 400-meter hurdles (1:01.24); and Erin White (Battle Creek, Mich./Central HS), who came in seventh in the 3,000-meter run (10:12.58).
Bentley Close to Qualifier
Brandi Bentley came within of 0.03 meters of provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the long jump with her leap of 6.17m (6.20m is the provisional mark). Bentley placed 16th at the NCAA outdoor meet last season.
Outdoor Progress
Several of the Wolverines put forth their best efforts of the outdoor season at the Sea Ray Relays on April 13-15. Katie Ryan (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) ran her season-best time in the 5,000-meter run (17:28.43); Carly Knazze (Southfield, Mich./Southfield HS) ran a 54.78 in the 400-meter dash; Adrienne Hunter (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) had a time of 2:18.21 in the 800-meter run; Sarah Hamilton (Canton, Mich./Salem HS) and Nicole Johnson (Bancroft, Mich./Corunna HS) ran their season's best in the 1,500-meter run with times of 4:32.54 and 4:46.50, respectively; and Brandi Bentley had her best leap of the season in the long jump (20-3).
A Bevy of Long Distance Runners
The Maize and Blue has had a total of 19 student-athletes compete in the middle distance and distance races this season. The 1,500-meter run has had 13 different Wolverines compete, which is the most of all the events during the outdoor season.
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
