Michigan
NCAA Pre-Nationals
Wolverines Win White Division at NCAA Pre-Nationals
10/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The second-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team claimed its fourth title of the season with a first-place finish in the 34-team White division at NCAA Pre-Nationals on Saturday (Oct. 15). The Wolverines' score of 86 points gave them a 10-point margin of victory over runner-up Arizona State at Indiana State's LaVern Gibson Championship Course.
The Wolverines had the opportunity to run in some beautiful weather, with a sunny day and a temperature of 67 degrees. For the fourth meet of the season, sophomore Alyson Kohlmeier (Sarnia, Ontario/St. Patrick's) was the first Wolverine to cross the finish line. Kohlmeier got off to a wonderful start, being one of five runners in the front pack and posting a 3K split of 10:07, and took fourth place with a time of 20:26.9.
The next wave of Wolverines was successful in running in a tightly woven pack, and they were within 1.3 seconds of each other at the finish line to place 19th through 22nd. Senior Rebecca Walter (Beverly Hills, Mich./Groves) made her first run of the season as she was the second Wolverine runner to cross the line, finishing 19th with a time of 21:08.0.
Following Walter across the line were, in order, redshirt freshman Nicole Edwards (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey) in 20th (21:08.5), fifth-year senior Ana Gjesdal (LaCrescenta, Calif./Crescenta Valley) in 21st (21:09.1) and junior/sophomore Erin Webster (Dearborn, Mich./Divine Child) in 22nd (21:09.3).
Michigan had five runners in the 6K Open division race, and all finished in the top 11, led by redshirt freshman Claire Otwell (Traverse City, Mich./Central) in second place with a time 21:33.1 and senior/junior Jessie Stewart (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix) in fourth (21:42.8).
The Wolverines run in the EMU Classic on Friday (Oct. 21, 4 p.m.) at Buhr Park in Ann Arbor.
Top 10 Teams (White Division)
1. MICHIGAN 86 2. Arizona State 96 3. Illinois 117 4. Colorado 170 5. Wake Forest 212 6. Boston College 223 7. Princeton 260 8. Oregon 273 9. Michigan State 273 10. Washington 299
Top 10 Individuals (White Division)
1. Christine Bolf, Colorado 20:12.3 2. Annie Bersagel, Wake Forest 20:15.6 3. Cack Ferrell, Princeton 20:24.3 4. Alyson Kohlmeier, U-M 20:26.9 5. Jenny Barringer, Colorado 20:33.6 6. Amy Hastings, Arizona State 20:40.1 7. Laura Bowerman, Florida State 20:40.3 8. Maria Cicero, Boston College 20:40.9 9. Melanie Schorr, Dartmouth 20:43.1 10. Anna Masinelli, Arizona State 20:44.0
Other Michigan Finishes (White Division)
19. Rebecca Walter 21:08.0 20. Nicole Edwards 21:08.5 21. Ana Gjesdal 21:09.1 22. Erin Webster 21:09.3 47. Katie Erdman 21:32.6 97. Arianne Field 22:07.0
Michigan Finishes (Women's Open 6K Division)
2. Claire Otwell 21:33.1 4. Jessie Stewart 21:42.8 8. Theresa Feldkamp 21:53.2 9. Laura Glynn 22:03.2 11. Chelsea Loomis 22:14.3
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Mike McGuire
On team's performance at NCAA Pre-Nationals ... "Ana Gjesdal and Nicole Edwards turned in good performances for us, and obviously the addition to Rebecca Walter in the lineup helps with speed. We just had an overall good day. I thought we fought hard and we had some good performances."
On the importance of winning their fourth title in the season, heading into the Big Ten Championships ... "Obviously we're continuing with our momentum, we keep doing well, and I thought overall we looked better than we did at Notre Dame and we just have to keep doing that and we'll have success at the Big Ten."
Contact: Joseph Conrad (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
