Michigan
Big Ten Outdoor Championships (Day 3)
Big Ten Outdoor Title Completes Michigan Triple Crown
5/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The University of Michigan women's track and field team captured its third consecutive Big Ten Conference team title of the 2002-03 academic year, as the Wolverines totaled 137 points over the three-day outdoor conference championships concluded today (Sunday, May 18) at Bierman Field. It marks the second triple crown -- titles in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field -- for the Michigan women's program, with the first coming during the 1993-94 school year.
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Heading into the final two events -- the high jump and 4x400-meter relay -- three points separated the top three teams, with Indiana (120) holding a one-point cushion on Penn State (119) and Michigan resting in third with 117.
Sophomores Stephanie Linz (Okemos, Mich./Okemos HS) and Jennifer Kulchar (Burton, Mich./Atherton HS) took it upon themselves to make sure the Wolverines would take home the triple crown hardware as they went 2-3 in the high jump with NCAA Regional qualifying clears of 5-10 1/2 and 5-8, respectively. It marked a season best for each jumper and earned U-M a much-needed 14 points, pushing them into sole possession of the team points lead with a 10-point cushion with one event remaining.
It was scene much like the 2002 outdoor conference championships: all the Wolverines needed to do was finish the final race, the 4x400-meter relay, with no baton faults and they would again be hoisting the hardware. Michigan did more than that though as the foursome of Shavonne Maclin (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Beaumont School), Sturtz, sophomore Sierra Hauser-Price (Van Nuys, Calif./Notre Dame HS) and Simms finished ahead of both Indiana and Penn State (sixth and seventh respectively), crossing in third place with a time of 3:40.58. The third-place finish improved U-M's three-day total to 137, 13 points bettern than the Hoosiers and Nittany Lions, who finished tied for second with 124.
Landfair obliterated her school record in the 100-meter hurdles and earned the Wolverines five points, finishing fourth with in an NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 13.42. Prior today's run, Landfair's personal best stood at 13.65, which she ran at the Sea Ray Relays (April 10). It marked Landfair's best finish at the outdoor championships, topping her sixth-place effort last year (13.87).
Senior tri-captain Teyonna Simpson holds the hardware. | |
Junior Lindsey Gallo (Freehold, N.J./Howell HS) and sophomore/freshman Chelsea Homan (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson HS) gave the Maize and Blue a boost as the duo finished third and seventh, respectively, in the 1,500-meter run. In very a tactical race, Gallo hung back in the fifth position until the final 300 meters when she began to chip away at the gap between her and the leaders. By the final 200 meters Gallo had pulled to the fourth spot and with 30 meters to go she had overtaken Wisconsin's Sarah Koplin for third place, clocking in at 4:27.44.
Junior Melissa Bickett (Akron, Ohio/Revere HS) pushed the Wolverines to second place in the team standings through 12 events with a fourth-place showing in the discus with an NCAA Regional qualifying toss of 168-11. Bickett scored in three of the four throwing events at the championships, earning a total of 16 points (eight in shot put, three in the javelin and five in the discus) for the Maize and Blue.
Knazze edged Michigan closer to Penn State's team lead through 13 events as the senior/junior earned All-Big Ten second team honors, placing runner-up in the 400-meter dash with a season-best and NCAA regional qualifying time of 54.61. Running in lane four for the entirety of the race, Knazze came out of the final turn with a strong kick that allowed her to pass and hold off Kou Luogno of Minnesota with less than 70 meters to go.
Hauser-Price turned in a fourth-place performance in the 100-meter dash, however, the Wolverines fell to third in the team standings as the Nittany Lions increased their total to 97 points with the Hooisers jumping to second with 85. The sophomore sprint specialist missed the podium stand by .01 seconds as Indiana's Rachel Boone crossed the finish line in 11.51 to Hauser-Price's 11.52.
Following the 100, Sturtz spurred a Michigan charge when she claimed her fifth Big Ten 800-meter title, crossing the finish line with an outdoor personal-best and NCAA regional qualifying time of 2:06.17. Sturtz, the 2002 outdoor champion in the event, wasted little energy battling in the pack as she pulled into the lead 150 yards into the race. From that point it was all Sturtz. By the 500-meter mark she had opened a full second lead and as she made the final turn for home there was no one within 15 meters of the leader.
Sophomore Theresa Feldkamp (Lorain, Ohio/Amherest Steele HS) finished eighth in the race with a time of 2:15.00.
The Wolverines received their second straight Big Ten individual crown as Simms defended her 2002 400-meter hurdles victory, crossing the finish line in an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 58.78. As the third seed after the event's prelims, Simms took to her blocks in lane four. As the gun sounded Simms had a clean start out of blocks and began to make her move on the field around the first turn. Along the back straightaway, the junior school record holder made a push toward the front and came out of the final turn with a slight advantage over home-crowd favorite Shani Marks of Minnesota. Simms was able to hold off Marks' late charge and cross the finish line for her third career conference crown.
Simms victory pulled the Maize and Blue even with Penn State through 17 events as each squad had earned 105 points.
With only four events remaining in the competition, Michigan fell to third once again even though Hauser-Price posted a Big Ten career-best third-place finish in the 200-meter run as she clocked in with an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 23.80. Hauser-Price came into final as the third seed and had to battle hard to maintain her position in the final.
With 100 meters to go she was stride for stride with Indiana's Danielle Carruthers, but with 20 meters left she pulled slightly ahead, finishing .05 seconds ahead of the Hoosier, who finished fourth at 23.85.
Through 18 events team standings were as follows: Indiana 117, Penn State 113, Michigan 111. Though points would change the teams remained in that order following the 5,000-meter run. Freshman Rebecca Walter (Beverly Hills, Mich./Groves HS), the runner-up in the 10,000-meter run on the first day of action, earned an additional six points in the 5,000-meter run, crossing the line with an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 16:53.06 to set up Michigan's final push in the last two events.
Following a week off, the 18 Wolverines who have qualified will head to the NCAA Mideast Regional on Friday and Saturday (May 30-31) in Columbus, Ohio.
Final Team Standings
1. MICHIGAN 137 2. Indiana 124 Penn State 124 4. Ohio State 83 5. Wisconsin 74 6. Iowa 70 7. Illinois 66 8. Purdue 49 9. Minnesota 47 10. Michigan State 45
Event Winners/U-M Finishers (Day 3)
100-meter Dash 1. Connie Moore, Penn State 11.37#!% 4. Sierra Hauser-Price, U-M 11.52#% 200-meter Dash 1. Rachelle Boone, Indiana 22.87#% 3. Sierra Hauser-Price, U-M 23.80# 9. Carly Knazze, U-M 24.64 400-meter Dash 1. Shellene Williams, Iowa 53.58# 2. Carly Knazze, U-M 54.61# 800-meter Run 1. Rachel Sturtz, U-M 2:06.17# 8. Theresa Feldkamp, U-M 2:15.00 1,500-meter Run 1. Bethany Brewster, Wis. 4:23.94# 3. Lindsey Gallo, U-M 4:27.44# 8. Chelsea Homan, U-M 4:32.58 5,000-meter Run 1. Bethany Brewster, Wis. 16:39.21# 3. Rebecca Walter, U-M 16:53.06# 11. Chelsea Loomis, U-M 17:30.46 13. Lindsey Gallo, U-M 17:37.16 100-meter Hurdles 1. Perdita Felicien, Illinois 12.88w 4. Robin Landfair, U-M 13.42w 400-meter Hurdles 1. Vera Simms, U-M 58.78# 4x100-meter Relay 1. Indiana 44.06# (Rose Richmond, Rachelle Boone, Ara Towns, Danielle Carruthers) 6. Michigan 45.93# (Robin Landfair, Carly Knazze, Vera Simms, Sierra Hauser-Price) 4x400-meter Relay 1. Iowa 3:38.95# (Aisha Hume, Nicole Charles, Sarah Steffen, Shellene Williams) 3. Michigan 3:40.58 (Shavonne Maclin, Rachel Sturtz, Sierra Hauser-Price, Vera Simms) High Jump 1. Tamara Smith, OSU 5-11 1/4# (1.81m) 2. Stephanie Linz, U-M 5-10 1/2# (1.79m) 3. Jennifer Kulchar, U-M 5-8 (1.73m) 9. Porsha Ellis, U-M 5-5 (1.65m) 21. Beth Vinckier, U-M 5-1 (1.55m) Triple Jump 1. Shani Marks, Minnesota 44-11w (13.69m) 11. Teyonna Simpson, U-M 39-2 1/2 (11.95m) Discus 1. Amarachi Ukabam, OSU 170-11# (52.09m) 4. Melissa Bickett, U-M 168-11# (51.48m) 16. Tara Kennedy, U-M 136-5 (41.59m) # NCAA Regional qualifier @ Big Ten Outdoor Championships record ! Bierman Field record % U.S. Championships qualifier
Previous Results: Day 1 | Day 2
Q U O T E S
Senior Rachel Sturtz
On giving Michigan a much-need boost with her victory in the 800-meter run ... "I always just run scared in this event. Our one goal coming into this race was to pull out a victory and give our team the full 10 points we need to win the triple crown. I did not care if I had to run a slow time, as long as I got the victory. That was all that mattered today."
On having the team build around her win ... "We know it is going to be an intense finish to see who will be this year's champion. I always hate it when these things go down to the end, but if we come out on top it will be great. Just like every Big Ten Championship you never know what is going to happen."
On winning both the indoor and outdoor Big Ten 800-meter titles as a senior ... "It makes for a great ending to my senior year. That is one of the things that I was thinking about, I didn't want to end my career with a sour taste in my mouth. To end on that note was the best thing I could ask for."
N O T E S
It marks the first time Michigan has won the Big Ten Conference triple crown since the 1993-94 academic year. The only other school to accomplish the feat is Wisconsin, which has done so on four occasions, most recently in 1996-97.
The Wolverines have now won the last five combined Big Ten titles in track and field and cross country dating back to the 2002 indoor conference championships.
It marks the sixth Big Ten Conference team title won by head coach James Henry.
Rachel Sturtz became only the third Wolverine ever to win five or more Big Ten individual titles. She won her first conference crown as a sophomore in 2001. The senior tri-captain has now won the last three outdoor 800-meter conference crowns as well as the last three 800-meter races overall.
The four individual titles won at the 2003 Big Ten Outdoor Championships -- April Phillips (Fraser, Mich./Fraser HS) in the hammer throw and shot put, Rachel Sturtz in the 800-meter run and Vera Simms in the 400-meter hurdles -- match Michigan's total from 2002, with Phillips (shot put), Sturtz and Simms all repeating as winners.
Contact: Gene Skidmore (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
