Michigan
NCAA Outdoor Championships (Day 3)
Parker Takes 13th in Steeplechase Final at NCAA Meet
6/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Fifth-year senior Andrea Parker (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson) -- the lone University of Michigan women's track and field representative of the day -- collected a 13th-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on the third day of competition at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Friday (June 10). U-M has yet to score in the team competition as Texas leads with 31 points.
Battling much warmer conditions than Wednesday's preliminary, Parker went straight to the back of the 14-person pack at the gun as the field came through the first 400 meters at a quick 74-second pace. The U-M senior stayed off the early pace but remained on the heels of the tight pack through through the opening three laps until falling off the back as the field began to string out. The pace had settled but started to pick up again at the halfway point, and Parker drifted farther away from the lead group, forcing the Wolverine to run much of the race on her own. Running near Brigham Young's Lisa Pratt in the closing laps, she used her kick to stay ahead of the Cougar runner and net a time of 10:35.85.
The Wolverines will wrap up competition at the NCAA Outdoor Championships Saturday (June 11) as three finalists take to the track at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex. Fifth-year senior Lindsey Gallo (Freehold, N.J./Howell) opens with the 1,500-meter run at 6:30 p.m. PDT, followed by junior/sophomore Katie Erdman (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) in the 800 meters at 7:40 p.m. and junior/sophomore Rebecca Walter (Beverly Hills, Mich./Groves) in the 5,000 meters at 8:10 p.m.
Top 10 Teams (After Day 3)
1. Texas 31 2. Tennessee 28 3. Soutern Cal 18 4. UCLA 16 5. Colorado 14 6. Alabama 13 7. Florida 11 Brigham Young 11 9. Butler 10 10. Providence 9 Auburn 9 LSU 9 South Carolina 9
Event Winners/U-M Finishes (Day 3)
3,000-meter Steeplechase (Final) 1. Victoria Mitchell, Butler 9:54.42 13. Andrea Parker, U-M 10:35.85
Previous Results: Day 1 | Day 2
Q U O T E S
Fifth-Year Senior Andrea Parker
On her 3,000-meter steeplechase race ... "The top couple girls were ready to perform in the heat; it wasn't getting to them, and they were pretty much recovered from the prelim. I clearly was not. They were ready to go. Mentally, I was ready to go, but my legs had no lift. The heat was incredibly draining. I felt really sluggish when I was warming up, and I didn't feel as sharp as I did on Wednesday, and I think that was evident on the track. I'm still really excited about my run on Wednesday. My personal goal coming into nationals was just to PR and go out on a high note. I don't even think of tonight as a low note, just because I made it to nationals. I made it to finals when I wasn't even expected to. I'm pretty pumped up about that. The heat was brutal. I wish we could have run it later in the night. It was tough. I wanted to go, but my legs just wouldn't let me. It turned into a race where I'm not even mixed in with anyone, and I'm not competing anymore. It's just about finishing as hard as you possible can. I was happy that I wasn't last."
On ending her U-M career ... "I'm running at nationals in a few weeks, but as far as competing in a team atmosphere with my teammates in uniform, I'm done. It's strange to verbalize, because I haven't really thought about it. It's not over just yet, so I don't quite have to face it. When I don't have to go to practice every day, that's going to be very strange. For five years, I've been on autopilot with my daily routine. I can't think of a better way to go out. Since freshman year, the goal has always been to make it to nationals individually. For cross country, I had some success this year, but it was a team-oriented goal. In track, it's your own means. You have to get there yourself, or you won't. You don't have teammates to pull you along. I was so happy to just have finally made it. That was enough to just get me excited to be here and not put pressure on myself."
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
