Weekly Release #5: U-M Concludes Regular Season at EMU
10/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
This Week
Friday, Oct. 24, 4 p.m. -- EMU Classic (Dexter, Mich.)
After an impressive third-place performance at the NCAA Pre-Nationals (Oct.18), the No. 8 University of Michigan women's cross country team concludes its 2008 regular season on Friday (Oct. 24) at the EMU Classic at Hudson Mills Metropark in Dexter, Mich., at 4 p.m.
Friday's meet will mark the second time the Wolverines have run at Hudson Mills Metropark in Dexter, Mich., this season. The Maize and Blue began the season at Hudson Mills with the Michigan Open on Aug. 29. Sophomore Danielle Tauro(Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional) claimed first place in that event, traversing the 5,000-meter course in 18:30.
Wolverine to Watch
| Last season at the EMU Classic, Junior/sophomore Rachel Severin(Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea)was the highest-finishing Michigan harrier, coming home fourth in a time of 18:12. Severin has competed twice this season for the Maize and Blue, taking 20th at the Detroit Titan Invitational on Sept. 6 with a time of 18:59 and 73rd last week in the open race at NCAA Pre-Nationals (Oct. 18) in 23:10.0. |
How they rank
The Wolverines are ranked eighth in the latest USTFCCCA Women's Division I Cross Country National Poll (Oct. 21), moving up three spots from 11th last week. U-M is one of seven Big Ten schools in this week's top 30.
| Ranking | Team (first place votes) | Region/Rank | Totals | Previous |
| 1 | Washington - (12) | West- | 360 | 1 |
| 2 | Oregon | West-2 | 347 | 2 |
| 3 | Florida State | South-1 | 334 | 3 |
| 4 | Princeton | Mid-Atlantic-1 | 324 | 5 |
| 5 | West Virginia | Mid-Atlantic-2 | 311 | 7 |
| 6 | Villanova | Mid-Atlantic-3 | 302 | 13 |
| 7 | Minnesota | Midwest-1 | 280 | 4 |
| 8 | MICHIGAN | GREAT LAKES-2 | 273 | 11 |
| 9 | Michigan State | Great Lakes-1 | 259 | 9 |
| 10 | Illinois | Midwest-2 | 245 | 17 |
| 11 | Georgetown | Mid-Atlantic-4 | 237 | 19 |
| 12 | Texas Tech | Mountain-1 | 231 | 29 |
| 13 | Arkansas | South Central-1 | 204 | 10 |
| 14 | Florida | South-2 | 202 | 15 |
| 15 | Arizona State | West-3 | 192 | 8 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | Great Lakes-3 | 183 | 16 |
| 17 | Baylor | South Central-2 | 173 | 14 |
| 18 | Stanford | West-4 | 165 | 6 |
| 19 | Penn State | Mid-Atlantic-5 | 153 | 20 |
| 20 | Rice | South Central- | 136 | 24 |
| 21 | Iowa | Midwest-3 | 112 | NR |
| 22 | Stony Brook | Northeast-1 | 107 | 12 |
| 23 | New Mexico | Mountain-2 | 95 | 27 |
| 24 | Providence | Northeast-2 | 69 | 21 |
| 25 | Wake Forest | Southeast-1 | 55 | 25 |
| 26 | Southern Methodist | South Central-4 | 53 | 23 |
| 27 | Nebraska | Midwest-4 | 52 | NR |
| 28 | BYU | Mountain-3 | 43 | 26 |
| 29 | Northern Arizona | Mountain-4 | 33 | 22 |
| 30 | Duke | Southeast-2 | 20 | 28 |
Leader of the Pack
Fifth-year senior Nicole Edwards(Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey) has run three times this fall for the Wolverines and three times has been the highest-placing Michigan harrier. Each of Edwards' three performances have also placed her in the top five overall at the respective meets, including a first-place, course-record (17:19) finish at the Detroit Titan Invitational on Sept. 6.
Tauro Continues to Run Up Front
Through four events this season, sophomore Danielle Tauro(Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional) has consistently found herself near the front of the pack. Tauro has been among the top-three finishing Wolverines in each of the four races and has posted two top-five overall finishes -- a first in the Michigan Open and a fifth at the Detroit Titan Invitational.
Last Time Out: NCAA Pre-Nationals
Nicole Edwards led the way for the Wolverines with a second-place individual performance (20:20.8) as Michigan took third in the white division at NCAA Pre-Nationals (168 points). No. 3 Florida State and No. 5 Princeton tied for the white-division victory with 89 points. Michigan's third-place finish bettered a number of highly-ranked foes, including No. 8 Arizona State, No. 12 Stony Brook, No. 14 Baylor and No. 17 Illinois.
Last Time at the EMU Classic
Rachel Severin(Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea) was the highest-placing Wolverine, crossing the line fourth in 18:12 at the non-scoring EMU Classic (Oct. 19, 2007). Three other Michigan runners -- Natasha Luppov(Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron)(fifth, 18:26), Alysha Valencia(Lawrence, Kan./Free State) (seventh, 18:35) and Lisa Montgomery(Livonia, Mich./Stevenson) (10th, 18:58) -- earned top-10 spots for the Maize and Blue.
Leaders and Best in Academics
The 2007 women's cross country team was recently recognized with the 2007-08 Leaders and Best Award for highest overall women's team grade-point average. This marked the sixth straight season the cross country team has been recognized with the Leaders and Best Award. As recipients of the award, the cross country program received a trophy and a $5,000 award, donated by former football letterman Larry Johnson.
The Mike McGuire File
Mike McGuire is in his 17th season as head coach of the Michigan women's cross country team. During his tenure, the Wolverines have won eight Big Ten titles and five NCAA Regional crowns. McGuire has been honored as the Big Ten Coach of the Year on eight occasions and has been named NCAA Regional Coach of the Year five times. Under McGuire, Michigan has posted 14 top-two finishes in 16 seasons at the Big Ten Championships, 11 top-two finishes at NCAA Regionals and eight top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships.
Up Next...
The Wolverines will host the Big Ten Cross Country Championships at the U-M Golf Course on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 10:45 a.m. Michigan will be hosting the event for the first time since 1998, when it finished second.
Contact: Jeremy Reid (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
