Weekly Release #8

Upcoming Schedule
Sunday, Oct. 31 -- at Big Ten Championships (Iowa City, Iowa), 10:45 a.m. CST
Saturday, Nov. 13 -- at NCAA Regionals (Ypsilanti, Mich.), 11:30 a.m.

This Week: At Big Ten Championships...
The Wolverines travel to Iowa City to try their hand at a three-peat at the Big Ten Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 10:45 a.m. on the Ashton Cross Country Course. Michigan has taken the Big Ten Championship in each of the last two seasons, finishing ahead of second-place Michigan State both seasons. Michigan finished ahead of MSU last year, scoring 31 points to the Spartans' 57 and in 2002, Michigan scored 70 points, while Michigan State came in close behind with 73 points. Junior Rebecca Walter led Michigan across the line in both championships, claiming the Big Ten crown in 2003 and finishing fifth in 2002.

Michigan will run nine harriers in the championship, led by Walter who placed fourth in the NCAA Pre-Nationals, first among all Big Ten competitors. For her efforts, Walter was named Big Ten Runner of the Week on October 20th. Joining Walter will be a combination of junior/sophomore Laura Brosius, freshman Lisa Canty, junior/sophomore Katie Erdman, senior/junior Theresa Feldkamp, junior/sophomore Arianne Field, freshman Alyson Kohlmeier, fifth-year senior Andrea Parker, senior Sarah Pizzo and junior/sophomore Jessie Stewart. Parker was 18th at the NCAA Pre-Nationals, while Kohlmeier took 21st, Pizzo placed 34th and Feldkamp finished 54th. Field took fourth in the NCAA Pre-Nationals open division, while Brosius placed 30th. Pizzo, Kohlmeier and Parker also placed in the top-20 at the Notre Dame Invitational against nationally ranked Stanford, Notre Dame, UCLA and Michigan State. Feldkamp placed 28th and Erdman finished 33rd in South Bend as well.

The Wolverines will compete against three other nationally ranked squads, including national No. 11 Michigan State, No. 21 Indiana and No. 27 Illinois. Penn State is receiving votes in the poll and could be a big factor in the race. MSU is led by freshman Danette Doetzel who placed sixth at the NCAA Pre-Nationals. Indiana sophomore Jessica Gall leads the Hoosiers, taking 15th at the pre-nats, while Illinois sophomore Cassie Hunt crossed seventh. Penn State senior Molly Landreth leads the Nittany Lions, taking 19th at the Roy Griak Invitational and winning Big Ten Runner of the Week honors twice this season.

Big Ten Runner of the Week ...
Junior Rebecca Walter was named Big Ten Conference Runner of the Week for October 20th for her fourth place finish at the NCAA Pre-Nationals, leading Michigan to a second place finish overall. Walter has now led the Wolverines in all three scoring meets she has competed in this season.

Maize and Blue Second at NCAA Pre-Nationals ...
Michigan placed second in the White Race of the NCAA Pre-Nationals, finishing behind Colorado. Junior Rebecca Walter led the Wolverines for the eighth-straight scoring meet (and third time this season) with a fourth place finish, while four other runners placed in the top 50. Andrea Parker placed 18th, Alyson Kohlmeier crossed 21st, Sarah Pizzo took 32nd and Katie Erdman placed 34th. In the Blue Race, No. 1 Stanford finished first ahead of second-place Notre Dame.

Fourth in the Nation ...
The Wolverines are ranked No. 4 in the nation in the FinishLynx NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country Poll with 349 points. Only Stanford, Providence and Colorado are ahead of the Wolverines in the polls.

Leaders and Best in Academics ...
The 2003 Michigan women's cross country team earned the 2003-04 Leaders and Best Award, given to the team with the highest grade point average. It was the second time in a row that coach McGuire's squad received the award, a $20,000 monetary award donated by football letterman Larry Johnson. Women's cross country is only the second team to win the award more than once.

Rebecca Walter Profiled by the Big Ten ...
Junior Rebecca Walter is featured on the Big Ten web site (bigten.org) on the women's cross country page this season. A Q&A with the defending Big Ten champion touches on her remarkable 2003 season, her thoughts on the sport and her interests other than running.

Walter is the Leader of the Pack ...
Junior Rebecca Walter led all U-M harriers at the Notre Dame Invitational, making it the seventh-straight time that Walter has been the first Wolverine across the finish line in a scoring event in which she has participated, dating back to 2003. Walter was Michigan's top finisher at the 2003 Michigan Intercollegiate, the NCAA Pre-Nationals, the Big Ten Championships, the NCAA Great Lakes Regional and the NCAA Championships en route to Big Ten Athlete of the Year and All-American honors. The last time Walter did not place first for the Wolverines was September 27, 2003 at the Roy Griak Invitational when Jessie Allen-Young took top spot (with Walter coming second).

Walter - Can't Stop Her ...
Junior Rebecca Walter has been U-M's top finisher in 12 scoring meets in her career so far, leading the two-time Big Ten champions in four events in 2002, five events in 2003 and three events so far this season. In Walter's career, she has competed in 17 scoring events for U-M, leading all U-M harriers in 71 percent of them.

The Killer Ps ...
Seniors Sarah Pizzo and Andrea Parker have helped Michigan become one of the most consistent cross country teams in the country this season. Pizzo has posted a top-5 and a top-20 finish each in scoring meets this season, while Parker has a top-5 and two top-20 finishes this year. Pizzo has been the second Wolverine across the finish in two scoring meets this season, taking third at the Indiana State Invite and 15th at the Notre Dame Invite, while Parker has been the third U-M harrier across the line, taking 4th at Indiana State, 18th at the NCAA Pre-Nationals and 19th at Notre Dame. Pizzo and Parker showed their mettle in the 2003 postseason, finishing among Michigan's top five harriers in the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. At the NCAA Championships, Pizzo was Michigan's third harrier across the line, while Parker was the sixth fastest.

Conquering Champions ...
The Wolverines return 16 letterwinners from last year's roster, including Big Ten individual champion and NCAA All-American Rebecca Walter, All-Big Ten first teamer Sarah Pizzo and All-Big Ten second teamer Katie Erdman.

Walter Walks on Water ...
2003 Big Ten individual champion and NCAA All-American Rebecca Walter led the Maize and Blue to the finish line in four meets last season, including all three postseason races. Walter placed first at the Big Ten Championhsips, third at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional and 18th at the NCAA Championships. The 2002 Big Ten Freshman of Year, Walter led the Wolverines to the finish line in each of U-M's final three races in 2002, including a 51st-place showing at the NCAA Championships. At the 2002 Big Ten Championships, Walter helped the Wolverines to the conference crown as she crossed the line in fifth place, earning All-Big Ten first team honors.

2004 Team Captains Named ...
Head coach Mike McGuire has named junior Rebecca Walter and junior/sophomore Katie Erdman team captains for the 2004 season. Erdman earned All-Big Ten second team honors with a 14th-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, while placing 24th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional and 120th at the NCAA Championships.

Preseason Number Seven ...
Michigan ranked seventh in the FinishLynx NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country Poll with 316 points. Stanford is No. 1 with ten first place votes, while Providence ranks No. 2 with three first place votes. Brigham Young, Notre Dame, North Carolina State and Colorado round out the top six.

The Mike McGuire File ...
Mike McGuire is in his 13th season as a head coach for the Michigan women's cross country team. McGuire led the Wolverines to their fifth Big Ten Conference team title in 2003 while earning his fifth Big Ten Coach of the Year award. In his first four seasons, McGuire won three consecutive Big Ten and NCAA District IV team championships, and the Wolverines finished as high as second (1994) at the NCAA Championships. McGuire's Michigan teams have 11 top-two finishes in 12 seasons at the Big Ten Championships and nine top-two finishes at the regional championships, winning the regional meet in 1993, '94 and '95. His teams have finished among the nation's top 10 six times at the NCAA Championships. McGuire has helped 49 cross country and track athletes earn All-American honors and has coached five Big Ten individual champions and five Big Ten freshmen of the year.

Michigan Cross Country Olympian ...
Former Wolverine cross country standout Courtney Babcock (1992, '94, '96) represented Canada in the 5,000- and 1,500-meter runs at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Babcock was a seven-time All-American in track and cross country at Michigan and was a member of U-M's 1994 NCAA champion distance medley relay team. She still holds the U-M school record for the indoor mile (4:39.31) set in 1994.

Who's Next ...
The Wolverines look to win the NCAA Regional on Saturday, November 13 at 11:30 a.m. in Ypsilanti, Mich. The Wolverines placed second in 2003, led by Rebecca Walter's third-place finish.

Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423