Weekly Release #8
11/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, Nov. 11 -- at NCAA Great Lakes Regional (Bowling Green, Ohio), 11:00 a.m.
Monday, Nov. 20 -- at NCAA Championships (Terre Haute, Ind.), Noon
This Week: NCAA Great Lakes Regional
The No. 3-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team travels to Bowling Green, Ohio, attempting to capture its third straight NCAA Great Lakes Regional title on Saturday (Nov. 11). The 6,000-meter meet at will be held at the Forrest Creason Golf Course and is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m.
The Wolverines who will be running at the NCAA Regionals are: Freshman Eileen Creutz (Saline, Mich./Saline), junior/sophomore Nicole Edwards (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey), fifth-year senior Arianne Field (Kalamazoo, Mich./Hackett), senior/junior Laura Glynn (Farmington Hills, Mich./Harrison), junior Alyson Kohlmeier (Sarnia, Ontario/St. Patrick's), junior/sophomore Claire Otwell (Traverse City, Mich./Central) and senior/junior Erin Webster (Dearborn, Mich./Divine Child).
The top two teams automatically advance to the NCAA Championships, joining the top two finishers in each of the eight other regions. Thirteen of the remaining squads will receive at-large bids based on rankings and performances against teams outside of the region.
Last Time at the NCAA Regional
Last season, Michigan continued its streak of excellence, repeating as NCAA Great Lakes Regional champion at the IU Cross Country Course. The Wolverines finished with 52 points, 16 points better than second-place Notre Dame. U-M was successful in repeating as the Great Lakes Regional champion thanks to their ability to run in a tight pack. U-M had four runners in the top 14, with Alyson Kohlmeier taking fourth place with a time of 21:07.0, Rebecca Walter placed sixth (21:17.4), and Erin Webster came in ninth (21:20.8).
Last Meet: Wolverines Earn Fifth Consecutive Big Ten Championship
Michigan won its fifth consecutive Big Ten championship on Sunday (Oct. 29), at the Indiana Cross Country Championship Course. Erin Webster and Alyson Kohlmeier ran to a 1-2 finish, earning All-Big Ten first team citations for the second time in each of their careers. Nicole Edwards earned her second straight All-Big Ten second team honor for finishing ninth.
Erin Webster Wins Big Ten Individual Title, Big Ten Athlete of the Year
Erin Webster won the Big Ten individual title in a Big Ten 6,000-meter record time of 20:23. Michigan's sixth Big Ten champion crossed the finish line 10 seconds faster than the conference's previous top time of 20:33, set by Michigan State's Danette Doetzel in 2004.
Webster was named Big Ten Athlete of the Year for women's cross country after winning the Big Ten individual title, which capped an incredible season. Webster ran to victories in four of the five races she participated in this season.
Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree -- Arianne Field
Arianne Field was honored with the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, after the Big Ten Championship, for her ethical behavior and good sportsmanship during competition, as well as maintaining good academic standing and demonstrating good citizenship outside of the competition setting. She is now eligible for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, which is awarded to one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year.
Big Ten Coach of the Year
Head coach Mike McGuire was voted Big Ten Coach of the Year by his fellow conference coaches for leading Michigan to its fifth-straight Big Ten title. McGuire has earned the honor eight times in his career, including the last five seasons.
Big Ten Runners of the Week
Erin Webster was named Big Ten Conference Runner of the Week twice this season. Webster received the honors after her winning performance at the Indiana Open (Sept. 9) and for her fourth-place finish at the NCAA Pre-Nationals (Oct. 14). Junior/sophomore Natasha Luppov (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) also won the award after her performance at the EMU Classic (Oct. 20).
USTFCCCA Division I Women's Poll (10/31/06)
Rank, Team Points 1. Stanford 390 2. North Carolina State 367 3. Michigan 364 4. Arkansas 359 5. Wisconsin 338 6. Minnesota 325 7. UC Santa Barbara 306 8. Arizona State 289 9. Colorado 280 10. Providence 271 11. Michigan State 259 12. BYU 258 13. Illinois 237 14. Duke 206 15. Georgetown 185 16. Georgia 183 17. Texas Tech 181 18. Tennessee 148 19. Iona 143 20. Princeton 141 21. Florida State 127 22. Virginia 126 23. Iowa 125 24. Colorado State 109 25. Florida 74 26. Virginia Tech 59 27. Boston University 51 28. Butler 50 29. Washington 24 30. Weber State 19Leaders and Best in Academics
The 2005 Michigan women's cross country team earned the 2005-06 Leaders and Best Award, given to the U-M varsity team with the highest grade point average. It's the fourth year in a row that coach Mike McGuire's squad has received the honor.
The Mike McGuire File
Mike McGuire is in his 15th season as a head coach for the Michigan women's cross country team. Michigan has just won its fifth straight Big Ten championship under McGuire, as will be going for their third straight NCAA Great Lakes Regional championship. For his accomplishments, he received Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for the eighth time, his fifth straight (2002-06) following a three-peat from 1992-94. 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 teams have 14 top-two finishes in 15 seasons at the Big Ten Championships and 10 top-two finishes at the regional championships, winning the regional meet in 1993, '94, '95, 2004, and '05. His teams have finished among the nation's top 10 seven times at the NCAA Championships. McGuire has helped 49 cross country and track athletes earn All-America honors, and has coached six Big Ten individual champions and five Big Ten freshmen of the year.
What's Next
The Wolverines hope to continue their postseason run at the NCAA Championships on Monday, Nov. 20, in Terre Haute, Ind. The 6,000-meter women's race will start around Noon at the Lavern Gibson Championship Course.
Contact: Tim Trunzo (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
