Wolverines Claim Fifth Big Ten Indoor Championship

Sunday, February 24

State College, Pa.

Michigan

Big Ten Indoor Championships (Day 2)

2/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Following a strong showing Saturday (Feb. 23) on the first day of Big Ten Conference Indoor Championships, the University of Michigan women's track and field team was in first place with 43 points. Seventy-three points and one day later the Wolverines remained on top as Michigan won its first Big Ten indoor title in three years, outpointing second-place Indiana 116-114.5 in the closest finish in the event's 21-year history.

Jazwinski

Katie Jazwinski (Grand Rapids, Mich./West Catholic HS) led the way for the Wolverines as she added a first-place finish in the mile run and a second-place effort in the 5,000 meters to her runner-up showing in the 3,000 meters the day before. Jazwinski's outstanding individual performances at the championships earned her Athlete of the Meet honors as she collected 26 points in three events.

Also earning Big Ten honors was head coach James Henry, who was named Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year for the third time in his 18-year career at U-M. Ursula Taylor (Edwardsburg, Mich./Edwardsburg HS) did her part, winning the 600 meters, and Rachel Sturtz (Traverse City, Mich./Traverse City HS) placed second in the 800 meters.

Jazwinski opened the running events with a bang when she edged out Elaine Canchola of Wisconsin (4:49.99) for mile run title, crossing the line in an NCAA provisional time of 4:48.46. The provisional time, her second of the meet, is the fastest turned in this season by a Big Ten runner. The win was the third of her career in Big Ten Conference Championship competition as she won the 5,000 meters in both the indoor and outdoor events last season. Jane Martineau (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./Mt. Pleasant HS) added three points with her sixth-place showing in 4:57.01.

Following Jazwinski's example, Taylor took the 600-meter crown when she crossed the finish line in heat one of the event finals with a first-place time of 1:31.49. Taylor had to wait and see if her time would hold up because Swanne Gordon of Michigan State, who posted the fastest time in the preliminaries, was running in the second heat. Taylor's mark withstood the challenge as Gordon finished in 1:31.93, half a second behind Taylor.

In her second event final of the day, Jazwinski turned in her third NCAA provisional time of the meet with a runner-up time of 16:43.09 in the 5,000 meters. She finished just three seconds behind event champion Jamie Krzyminski of Michigan State (16:40.34). Finishing in fourth place was Katie Ryan (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS), who ran a personal-best and NCAA provisional time of 16:46.23 to give the Maize and Blue five points.

Adding to the Wolverines' point total were Sturtz, Stephanie Hirtle (Salmon Arm, B.C./Salmon Arm HS) and Theresa Feldkamp (Lorain, Ohio/Amherest Steele HS), who finished 2-4-5, respectively, and combined for 17 total points in the 800 meters. Sturtz, running a season-best 2:09.24, came within one second from defending her 800 meter as she placed second behind Purdue's Kim Jordan (2:08.28). Hirtle beat out Feldkamp by 0.3 of second for fourth place as the duo ran 2:11.38 and 2:11.70, respectively.

In the sand, Teyonna Simpson (Fremont, Calif./Mission San Jose HS) earned the Wolverines a third-place finish in the triple jump as she jumped a personal-best 40-4 1/4. Simpson's record jump beat her old mark of 40-1 1/4 by three inches as she broke the 40-foot barrier for the first time this season. The third-place finish tied a career best for Simpson in Big Ten Championship competition. At the 2001 outdoor championships she placed third when she set her previous best 40-1 1/4.

Other point winners for the Wolverines were April Phillips (Fraser, Mich./Fraser HS), who finished fifth in the weight throw with a U-M school record and NCAA provisional toss of 61-9, breaking her week-old record by 15 inches. Nicole DeNamur (Algoma, Wis./Algoma HS) placed sixth in the high jump when she cleared 5-7.

Clinching the championship for the Maize and Blue was the fourth-place finish in the 4x400 meter relay. Vera Simms (Mililani, Hawaii/Mililani HS), Taylor, Sturtz and Mora Arnold (Gregory, Mich./Chelsea HS) completed the mile relay in an NCAA provisional time of 3:44.97. Even though Indiana won the race, the Wolverines' five point-performance put the championship out of reach.

The Wolverines will travel South Bend, Ind., next Friday and Saturday, (March 1-2) for the two-day Alex Wilson Invitational. Events are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Friday night and 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

Final Team Standings

 1. MICHIGAN 116 2. Indiana 114.5 3. Illinois 106 4. Purdue 82.5 5. Ohio State 75 6. Wisconsin 59.5 7. Penn State 55.5 8. Minnesota 51 9. Iowa 22 10. Michigan State 18

Event Winners/U-M Finishers (Day 2)

Mile Run (Final) 1. Katie Jazwinski, U-M 4:48.46# 6. Jane Martineau, U-M 4:57.01 400-Meter Dash (Final) 1. Tia Trent, Indiana 54.48 9. Mora Arnold, U-M DQ 60-Meter Dash (Final) 1. Danielle Carruthers, Indiana 7.26@ 800-Meter Dash (Final) 1. Kim Jordan, Purdue 2:08.28# 2. Rachel Sturtz, U-M 2:09.24 4. Stephanie Hirtle, U-M 2:11.38 5. Theresa Feldkamp, U-M 2:11.70 60-Meter Hurdles (Final) 1. Perdita Felicien, Illinois 8.01@ 600-Meter Dash (Final) 1. Ursula Taylor, U-M 1:31.49 200-Meter Dash (Final) 1. Rachelle Boone, Indiana 23.47@ 5,000-Meter Run (Final) 1. Jamie Krzyminski, MSU 16:40.34# 2. Katie Jazwinski, U-M 16:43.09# 4. Katie Ryan, U-M 16:46.23# 9. Andrea Parker, U-M 17:06.65 17. Jeanne Spink, U-M 17:37.99 4x400 Meter Relay (Final) 1. Indiana 3:40.44# 4. Michigan 3:44.97# (Vera Simms, Ursula Taylor, Rachel Sturtz, Mora Arnold) Weight Throw (Preliminaries) Heat 2 1. Serene Ross, Purdue 63-9 3/4q# (19.45m) 8. Melissa Bickett, U-M 52-4 (15.95m) Heat 3 1. April Phillips, U-M 61-9q# (18.82m) Weight Throw (Final) 1. Kathy Craig, Ohio State 69-3 1/4@ (21.11m) 5. April Phillips, U-M 61-9# (18.82m) Triple Jump (Preliminaries) Heat 2 1. Teyonna Simpson, U-M 40-4 1/4q (12.30m) Triple Jump (Final) 1. Nicole Whitman, Illinois 41-9 3/4 (12.74m) 3. Teyonna Simpson, U-M 40-4 1/4 (12.30m) High Jump (Final) 1. Tamara Smith, Ohio State 5-10# (1.78m) 6. Nicole DeNamur, U-M 5-7 (1.70m) 17. Rachel Igbawua, U-M 5-3 3/4 (1.62m) 21. Breanne Tenclay, U-M NH @ NCAA automatic mark # NCAA provisional mark

Day 1 Results

N O T E S

With five Big Ten indoor championships now (1983, '94, '98, '99, 2002), the Wolverines are tied with Illinois for the second most indoor team titles in league history. Wisconsin has won the event seven times.

Katie Jazwinski is the third Wolverine to win Athlete of the Championship honors, joining Molly McClimon (1994) and Tania Longe (1998).

Michigan's 1.5-point margin of victory marks the closest finish in the Big Ten indoor meet's 21-year history. The previous closest meet was in 1984, when Wisconsin (104) edged Indiana (99.5) by 4.5 points.

Contact: Gene Skidmore (734) 763-4423