Weekly Release #16

Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sat., May 12-13 -- host Len Paddock Invitational (Ferry Field)
Fri-Sun., May 19-21 -- at Big Ten Conference Championships (Iowa City, Iowa)

Michigan to Host the Len Paddock Invitational
The Wolverines will host the Len Paddock Invitational this weekend at Ferry Field on Friday and Saturday (May 12-13). The event is the only outdoor meet hosted by Maize and Blue this season and is the final prep before the Big Ten Conference Championships (May 19-21) in Iowa City, Iowa. The Len Paddock will feature various teams throughout Michigan and the Midwest as well as unattached competitors and track clubs. The competition will be only the second time the entire team will be competing together at the same location -- the Ohio State Triangular (April 22) was the other.

More NCAA Provisional Qualifiers for the Maize and Blue
Katie Clifford (Grand Rapids, Mich./West Catholic HS) and Brandi Bentley (Detroit, Mich./Marian HS) headed the list of accomplishments last weekend for Michigan, earning NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the 5,000-meter run (16:33.52) and the long jump (20-11 3/4), respectively. Clifford earned her mark at the Cardinal Twilight in Palo Alto, Calif., on Friday (May 5) and Bentley's feat was at the Jesse Owens Classic in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday (May 7). The Maize and Blue also competed at the Chippewa Invitational in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., on Friday (May 5) and the Toledo Invitational on Saturday (May 6).

Clifford Heads Quartet at the Cardinal Twilight
Four Wolverines competed at the Cardinal Twilight. Clifford placed 22nd in the 5,000-meter run with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 16:32.52. Sarah Hamilton (Canton, Mich./Salem HS), Erica Murdock (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights HS) and Rachel Sturtz (Traverse, Mich./Traverse HS) competed in the 800-meter run.

White Takes 800-Meter Run at the Chippewa Invitational
Erin White (Battle Creek, Mich./Central HS) took first in the 800-meter run with a season-best time of 2:13.31 at the Chippewa Invitational hosted by Central Michigan. Erin Massengale (Pinckney, Mich./Pinckney HS) took second and sixth in the discus and shot put with season-best hurls of 161-10 and 41-0 1/2, respectively.

Michigan Pole Vault Record Broken
Candice Mullings (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights HS) broke her own record in the pole vault, claiming victory at the Toledo Invitational. Mullings bested her 1999 record of 11-0 by a foot, marking a 12-0. In other top performances, Tasha Phillips (Sarasota, Fla./Booker HS) won the heptathlon with 2,684 points and placed second in the 100-meter hurdles (14.02); Julie Presley (Claremont, Calif./Claremont HS) took the hammer throw (152-0); and the 4x100-meter relay team won with a season-best time of 46.37.

Bentley Produces NCAA Provisional in Long Jump
The Jesse Owens Classic in Columbus, Ohio, saw Brandi Bentley provisionally qualify for the NCAA Championships as she placed second in the long jump with a leap of 20-11 3/4. This will be the second year in a row Bentley will go on the NCAA meet, where she finished in 16th last year with a jump of 19-4 1/4. The winning jump in Columbus would have been a Michigan record, but will not be counted toward the books because it was wind-aided.

California Clifford
Katie Clifford has NCAA provisionally qualified for three events this season, with all three marks occurring in California. This past weekend she ran a 16:33.52 provisional in the 5,000-meter run at the Cardinal Twilight in Palo Alto, which is the same place she did it in the 3,000-meter run at the Stanford Invitational (March 25) with a time of 9:27.04. She also provisionally qualified for the 10,000-meter run when she placed second at the Mt. SAC Relays (April 15) in Walnut, Calif., with a time of 34:15.36.

A Trio of Victories for White
Erin White's 800-meter run win at the Chippewa Invitational this past weekend with a time of 2:13.31 was her third consecutive individual victory this outdoor season in different events. The other two came at the Ohio State Triangular (April 22) in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:14.7 and at the Hillsdale Relays (April 29) in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:36.15.

Season Improvements
The most significant improvements in times and distances last weekend:

100-Meter Dash -- Ashlie Wilbon (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) improved from 12.91 to 12.06 at the Toledo Invitational.

100-Meter Hurdles -- Robin Landfair (Okemos, Mich./Okemos HS) improved form 14.23 to 13.66 and Tanisha Williams from 14.95 to 13.76 at the Jesse Owens Classic.

800-Meter Run -- Sarah Hamilton bettered her season best from 2:14.81 to 2:08.16 and Erica Murdock from 2:15.14 to 2:10.45 at the Cardinal Twilight.

Triple Jump -- Tasha Phillips went from 38-6 3/4 to 40-11 3/4 at the Jesse Owens Classic.

Pole Vault -- Candice Mullings bettered a 10-6 to a school-record 12-0 at the Toledo Invitational.

Discus -- Erin Massengale improved from 143-9 to 161-10 at the Jesse Owens Classic.

Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423