Weekly Release #9
3/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sat., March 10-11 -- at NCAA Indoor Championships (Fayetteville, Ark.)
START OF THE OUTDOOR SEASON
Fri-Sat., March 24-25 -- at Cal Irvine Invitational (Irvine, Calif.)
Fri-Sat., March 31-1 -- at Stanford Invitational (Palo Alto, Calif.)
This Week: NCAA Indoor Championships
The NCAA Indoor Championships begin on Friday (Mar. 10) in Fayetteville, Ark., at the Randall Tyson Track Center on the campus of the University of Arkansas. The two-day competition concludes on Saturday (Mar. 11).
Eleven Wolverines will compete for Michigan at the NCAA Championships in six events. Sophomore Nicole Edwards (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey), a member of U of M's 2005 NCAA champion DMR, will be the lone Wolverine in the mile. Senior/junior All-American Katie Erdman (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) and freshman Geena Gall (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc) will compete in the 800m. Sophomore Alyson Kohlmeier (Sarnia, Ontario./St. Patrick's), senior/junior team captain Rebecca Walter (Beverly Hills, Mich./Groves), and junior Erin Webster (Dearborn, Mich./Divine Child) will represent the Maize and Blue in the 5,000m. In the field events, Michigan will send fifth-year seniors Stephanie Linz (Okemos, Mich./Okemos) and Jennifer Williams (Burton, Mich./Atherton) to compete in the high jump while freshman Bettie Wade (Northville, Mich./Farmington) and Williams will be in the pentathlon. The Wolverines will defend their NCAA title in the distance medley relay with Edwards, Erdman, Gall and freshman Amber Hay (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance), with Kohlmeier and senior Shavonne Maclin (University Heights, Ohio/Beaumont School) as alternates.
Below is a breakdown of each event:
Mile
U-M Competitors: Nicole Edwards
Time: Friday 7:05 p.m. (prelims) and Saturday 6:25 p.m. (finals)
Scouting Report: Edwards enters the NCAA's as the Big Ten champion in the mile with a time of 4:44.10. The sophomore also has Michigan's fastest time in the mile with a time of 4:41.21 posted at the Meyo Invitational (Feb. 3-4), which is also eighth in the nation. Last year Michigan was represented by Lindsey Gallo in this event as she finished third with a time of 4:41.52.
800m
U-M Competitors: Katie Erdman and Geena Gall
Time: Friday 4:45 p.m. (prelims) and Saturday 6:45 p.m. (finals)
Scouting Report: Erdman and Gall are first and sixth, respectively, amongst the nation's best. Erdman owns the nation's fastest time (2:04.21) which she posted at the Meyo Invitational (Feb. 3-4). Gall has claimed the sixth fastest time in the nation with a time of 2:05.23, also at the Meyo Invitational. In the Big Ten Championships, Erdman claimed her third-career 600m title, while Gall took second in the 800m. Last year, U-M was not represented in the 800m run.
5,000m
U-M Competitors: Alyson Kohlmeier, Rebecca Walter and Erin Webster
Time: Friday 8:30 p.m. (finals)
Scouting Report: U-M's tremendous trio is coming off of a huge Big Ten Championship performance after Kohlmeier took first place, while Webster and Walter took second and third, respectively. Their courageous performances helped edged Michigan past Illinois to claim its eighth Big Ten Indoor title. The trio is among the nation's top 15, as Kohlmeier ranks fifth, with Webster at ninth and Walter taking 12th. Last year there were no 5,000m competitors for Michigan.
High Jump
U-M Competitors: Stephanie Linz and Jennifer Williams
Time: Friday 2:30 p.m. (finals)
Scouting Report: In the high jump Linz and Williams were part of a three-way tie at the Big Ten Championships for second place. Linz's and Williams' season-bests were posted at the Red Simmons Invitational (Jan. 20-21) with clearances of 5-11 1/4. Last year Linz represented the Wolverines as she tied for 14th with a clearance of 5-7 3/4.
Pentathlon
U-M Competitors: Bettie Wade and Jennifer Williams
Time: Saturday 11:30 a.m. (final)
Scouting Report: Wade and Williams enter the national championships after taking second and tying for third, respectively, at the Big Ten Indoors. Williams earned a career-high 3,950 points at the Big Ten's. In Wade's debut as a Wolverine, she earned 4,047 points at the Red Simmons Invitational, which is the Nation's sixth-best point total. Last year Michigan did not have any competitors in the pentathlon. Wade and Williams look to become the first All-Americans in the pentathlon for Michigan.
Distance Medley Relay
U-M Competitors: Nicole Edwards, Katie Erdman, Geena Gall, Alyson Kohlmeier, Amber Hay (alternate) and Shavonne Maclin (alternate)
Time: Friday 9:35 p.m. (finals)
Scouting Report: The 2006 DMR squad has mirrored last year's relay up to this point by first claiming the Big Ten title in record-setting fashion and by heading into the NCAA's ranked amongst the nation's top three. This year the relay team is ranked third behind top ranked Villanova and second place North Carolina. Last year Edwards was part of the championship squad that gave Michigan its third all-time national title in the DMR.
Last Year: NCAA Indoor Championships
Last year the Wolverines finished in the top 15, taking 13th with a total of 16 points. They were led by Lindsey Gallo as she made history with the best-ever finish for a Wolverine in the women's mile, taking third in a time of 4:41.52. The Maize and Blue earned 10 points with a first place finish in the distance medley relay, claiming the third school title.
2005 Final Standings (Top 15 Teams)
1. Tennessee 46 2. Florida 36 3. Miami (Fla.) 32 4. Nebraska 29 5. South Carolina 28 6. Louisiana State 26 Brigham Young 26 8. Stanford 24 9. Texas 23 10. Auburn 20 11. North Carolina 17 12. Georgia 16.5 13. MICHIGAN 16 14. Kansas State 15.5 15. Texas Southern 15
History 101
At the Big Ten Indoor Championships (Feb.25-26) the University of Michigan women's track and field team set a new precedent within the Big Ten by winning its eighth conference crown. The Wolverines now lead the conference with the most team titles in Big Ten history, with Wisconsin following in second with seven. In the past five indoor championships the Maize and Blue have been crowned victorious four out of five times (2002, '03, '05 and '06), and have won the team title back-to-back. Michigan has also won 11 of the last 13 Big Ten cross country and track and field titles (four straight cross country titles, three of the last four outdoor titles, and four of five indoor titles). Michigan's distance medley relay squad has also won the Big Ten title four out of the last five championships (did not win in 2003). This year, the DMR team beat last year's time of 1:33.88, by 8.38 seconds, both squads set indoor facility records (2005: U-M Indoor Track Building and 2006: Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center). The 2006 team also set a new indoor Big Ten Championship meet record with its winning time of 11:25.50.
Erdman's Excellence
Senior/junior Katie Erdman (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) became the first athlete to win the 600m Big Ten crown three times. She won back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004 before redshirting the 2005 indoor season, and regaining the crown in 2006.
Titles, Titles and More Titles
With four individual titles (600- 3,000- and 5,000-meter events and the mile) from the 2006 indoor Big Ten championships the Wolverines now have 30 individual track titles in program history. Combined with U-M's 12 field titles, the Wolverines have a total of 42 individual indoor Big Ten titles. Along with the 42 individual Big Ten titles, the Maize and Blue have won six relay titles (two-mile, 3,2000-meter and four distance medley relays).
Point Winners
The Wolverines sent 32 athletes to the Big Ten Indoor Championships (Feb. 25-26), with 12 of them scoring, allowing Michigan to earn a total of 126.67 points. The Maize and Blue scored 50 of the 126.67 points with five first place finishes (DMR, mile, 600-, 3,000-, and 5,000-meters). Leading the Wolverines in points was junior Erin Webster (Dearborn, Mich./Divine Child) with 18 points, from a first place and second place finish in the 3,000- and 5,000-meters, respectively. Tying for second was sophomore Nicole Edwards (Winnepeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey) and senior/junior Rebecca Walter (Beverly Hills, Mich./Groves) with 14 points apiece.
Nation's Best Middle Distance
Katie Erdman holds the nation's fastest time in the 800m (2:04.21) with her performance at the Meyo Invitational (Feb.3). In the mile, Erdman is ranked 13th nationally with a time of 4:44.34 which she posted at the Tyson Invitational (Feb. 10).
Geena Gall is also making her mark in the nation as she ranks fifth nationally in the 800m with a time of 2:05.23 which she also posted at the Meyo Invitational.
Dominating Distance Runners
Nicole Edwards is the nation's sixth best runner in the mile, with a time of 4:41.21 from the Meyo Invitational. Erin Webster, Rebecca Walter, and Alyson Kohlmeier hold the eighth, ninth and 10th spots in the nation in the 5,000m, respectfully.
Just a Few Big Ten Records
The Wolverines won their Big Ten title in record setting fashion, as they set three new records at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. The first record of the meet came from freshman Tiffany Ofili (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti) when she set a Camp Randall facility record in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.48.
The second record came from the DMR team as they set a new facility record as well as a new Big Ten Championships meet record with a time of 11:25.50. The record-setting team consisted of sophomore Alyson Kohlmeier (Sarnia, Ontario/St. Patrick's), freshman Amber Hay (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance), freshman Geena Gall (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc) and senior/junior Katie Erdman (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac).
On the second day, Kohlmeier set a new 5,000m facility record with an NCAA qualifying time of 15:58.61.
Two More Records for the Books
At the Michigan Intercollegiate meet on Jan. 28, Michigan set two new meet records. The first record came from the distance medley relay breaking last year's record with a winning time of 11:41.93, which was 5.15 seconds faster than the 2005 Michigan Intercollegiate DMR record, also set by Michigan. The second record was set in the 60-meter hurdles by freshman Tiffany Ofili (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti), she earned eight points with a second-place finish with a meet-record time of 8.45. Ofili beat the 2005 record of 8.51, which was set by Central Michigan's Tamera Thomas.
Same Ol' Katie, New Record
Senior Katie Erdman (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) continued to leave her mark in the Michigan record books, setting a new 600m record with a time of 1:29.99. The first-place finish broke the old record of 1:30.64 which was set in 1994 by former Michigan athlete Kristine Westerby.
Webster Sets Kentucky Indoor Record
Junior distance runner Erin Webster (Dearborn, Mich./Divine Child) set a Nutter Field House indoor record at the Kentucky Invitational clocking in at 9:19.37, breaking the six-year old facility record by nearly two seconds (set by Donna Garcia in 1999).
2006 Captains
Head coach James Henry selected four captains to lead the 2006 Wolverines. Seniors Shavonne Maclin (University Heights, Ohio/Beaumont School) and Jennifer Williams (Burton, Mich./Atherton) join senior/junior Katie Erdman (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) and junior/sophomore Rebecca Walter (Beverly Hills, Mich./Groves) as the leaders for Michigan. Each of the captains are coming off of a strong 2005 outing, with Erdman and Walter assisting the cross country team in winning its seventh Big Ten title and fifth Great Lakes regional title. The two middle distance runners also scored in the Big Ten outdoor track championship, with Erdman taking the 800m title and Walter finishing as the runner-up in the 5,000m. Williams and Maclin were able to produce very important scores for Michigan in the indoor and outdoor Big Ten championships. In the indoor championships Williams took fourth place in the pentathlon and the high jump. For the outdoor championships Williams and Maclin each finished in sixth place in the heptathlon and 400m, respectively.
Looking Ahead
The Wolverines will get two weeks of rest, then they will continue with the 2006 Outdoor season, as they head to Irvine, Calif., to compete in the Cal Irvine Invitational on Mar. 24-25.
Contact: Joseph Conrad (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
