Michigan
Sykes-Sabok Challenge Cup (Day 2)
Phillips Leads U-M to Sykes-Sabok Challenge Cup Title
2/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The University of Michigan women's track and field team earned its third meet title of 2003 with a first-place team score of 172 points at the Sykes-Sabok Challenge Cup Friday and Saturday (Feb. 14-15) at Penn State University. The Wolverines posted one NCAA automatic mark and eight NCAA provisional qualifying efforts and broke four school records during the two days of competition in the Ashenfelter Track Building.
| | Phillips | | Sturtz |
| | | ||
During competition late Friday evening Phillips provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships when she posted a winning throw of 63-1 1/4 in the weight throw, a mark that surpassed her own school record by more than a foot. Phillips had a previous personal best of 61-9 set last year at the Big Ten Conference Indoor Championships.
Fellow senior tri-captain Rachel Sturtz (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) set the school record with an NCAA provisional time of 2:06.79 to win the 800-meter run on the second day of competition. Sturtz bettered Kristine Westerby's 1994 time of 2:07.88 to etch her name in Michigan's record books. According to the most recent top times list on NCAAChampionships.com (Feb. 13) Sturtz's time ranks as the sixth fastest time in the nation. Defending 800-meter national champion, Marian Burnett of LSU leads the nation with a time of 2:04.57.
U-M's other school-record effort came Friday when freshman Elizabeth Boyle (Northbrook, Ill./New Trier HS) cleared 12-11 1/2 to win the pole vault and break her own mark by 5 1/2.
Freshman Katie Erdman (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac HS) nearly set a new school record with her win in the 600-meter run as she clocked at 1:30.91, just 0.27 off Westerby's 1994 time of 1:30.64. Erdman's winning time ranks as the fastest this season in the Big Ten according to the latest top performance list (Feb. 15).
Also earning NCAA provisional times/marks on Saturday were junior/sophomore Lindsey Gallo (Freehold, N.J./Howell HS), who clocked in at 9:35.05 to win the 3,000-meter run; sophomore Theresa Feldkamp (Lorain, Ohio/Amherst Steele HS), who posted a runner-up time of 2:08.55 in the 800 meters; and sophomore Stephanie Linz (Okemos, Mich./Okemos HS), who cleared a runner-up height of 5-10 3/4 in the high jump. All three marks were personal bests.
The Wolverines return Ann Arbor to host their final home meet of the indoor season as they welcome six teams -- Detroit, Calvin College, Eastern Michigan, Hillsdale, Waterloo and Windsor -- to the U-M Indoor Track Building next Saturday (Feb. 22) for the Harold Silverton Invitational. Competition begins with field events at 9:30 a.m., while running events get started at noon.
Final Team Standings
1. MICHIGAN 172 2. Penn State 122 3. Ohio State 85 4. West Virginia 77.50 5. Pittsburgh 68 6. Cornell 50 7. Kent State 37 8. Central Michigan 32.50 9. East Carolina 11 10. Toronto 5
Event Winners/U-M Finishes (Day 2)
Weight Throw (Late Friday) 1. April Phillips, U-M 63-1 1/4#@ 7. Melissa Bickett, U-M 56-0 1/2 12. Ashley Eckel, U-M 51-3 3/4 20. Amy Bicknell, U-M 47-7 200-meter Dash 1. Consuella Moore, PSU 23.62# 5. Carly Knazze, U-M 24.60 20. Shavonne Maclin, U-M 25.52 29. Robin Landfair, U-M 26.11 33. Keri Kirk, U-M 26.40 400-meter Dash 1. Trenace Elliott, Pittsburgh 55.48 4. Carly Knazze, U-M 56.02 5. Shavonne Maclin, U-M 56.50 19. Keri Kirk, U-M 59.09 600-meter Run 1. Katie Erdman, U-M 1:30.91% 2. Jennifer Kulchar, U-M 1:32.68 3. Vera Simms, U-M 1:32.76 4. Jennifer Wendling, U-M 1:34.54 800-meter Run 1. Rachel Sturtz, U-M 2:06.79#@ 2. Theresa Feldkamp, U-M 2:08.55# 4. Stephanie Hirtle, U-M 2:09.99 Mile Run 1. Megan Metcalfe, WVU 4:42.97# 3. Sarah Pizzo, U-M 4:58.08 8. Jessica Wagner, U-M 5:02.47 12. Edna Kollarits, U-M 5:07.63 3,000-meter Run 1. Lindsey Gallo, U-M 9:30.05# 7. Sarah Pizzo, U-M 10:03.67 13. Lauren Weddell, U-M 10:12.26 15. Amy Baker, U-M 10:13.36 4x400-meter Relay 1. Pittsburgh 3:44.11 4. Michigan 3:45.61 (Katie Erdman, Carly Knazze, Shavonne Maclin, Vera Simms) High Jump 1. Alex Church, Akron 5-10 3/4# 2. Stephanie Linz, U-M 5-10 3/4# 5. Jennifer Kulchar, U-M 5-6 1/2 13. Porsha Ellis, U-M 5-2 1/2 -- Beth Vinckier, U-M NH Triple Jump 1. Melanie Carter, Pittsburgh 44-0 1/2 5. Teyonna Simpson, U-M 40-7 1/2 Shot Put 1. Krista Keir, OSU 55-3 1/2*% 2. April Phillips, U-M 54-7 3/4*@ 5. Melissa Bickett, U-M 49-3 3/4 14. Ashley Eckel, U-M 42-1 1/2 * NCAA automatic qualifying mark # NCAA provisional qualifying mark @ U-M indoor school record % Ashenfelter Track Building record
Day 1 Results
Q U O T E S
Head Coach James Henry
On the team's performance ... "We came into this meet very focused. We got on a nice roll and the team just fed off each other and turned in many great performances. I told the team last week that that was their best performance of the season, but this is clearly their best effort in 2003. I don't think that we have had this many kids qualify for nationals in 10 years. This team is still focused and knows that the job is not done until that final curtain falls on the final day of the Big Ten Championships."
Throwing Coach Anne Takacs-Greib
On April Phillips' performance ... "She made a decision that she was going to raise her game and take the next step into the national picture. She wanted to break the school record and automatically qualify for nationals and she didn't want to wait for Big Tens to do it. She had the best week of practice I think she has ever had and it paid off for her."
Contact: Gene Skidmore (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
