Michigan
NCAA Mideast Regional
Gall Wins 800-Meter Run Title at NCAA Mideast Regional
5/31/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Site: Fayetteville, Ark. (John McDonnell Field)
Event: NCAA Mideast Regional Championships (Day 2)
U-M Team Finish: 4th Place (41 Points)
Next U-M Event: Wed-Sat., June 11-14 -- at NCAA Oudoor Championships (Des Moines, Iowa)
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Paced by 800-meter run champion Geena Gall (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc), the University of Michigan women's track team qualified three more individuals for the NCAA Outdoor Championships on the final day (Saturday, May 31) of the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships at Arkansas' John McDonnell Field. Seven individuals and one relay team scored points Saturday to help the Wolverines finish fourth in the final team standings with 41 points.
Gall, a junior who was the Mideast Regional runner-up in the 800 meters her first two seasons, took the 800 title with a season-best time of 2:03.64, edging out Louisiana State's Latavia Thomas (2:04.06) and Western Michigan's Becky Horn (2:04.75).
In addition to Gall, junior co-captain Tiffany Ofili (Ypstilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti) and senior co-captain Nicole Edwards (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey) automatically qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships with top-five individual finishes at the regional meet. Ofili took second in the 100-meter hurdles (12.83), 0.20 behind LSU's Nickiesha Wilson(12.63). Edwards could not complete her bid for back-to-back regional crowns in the 1,500-meter run, but she advanced to nationals by placing third in the event with a time of 4:18.78.
Junior Casey Taylor (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic), who placed runner-up in the long jump Friday, missed qualifying for nationals in a second event by one place, finishing sixth in the triple jump (42-1 1/2) to score three points for the Wolverines.
Other U-M scoring performances Saturday came from juniors Amber Hay (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance) and Katie LaValley (Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Central), who finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 400-meter hurdles; sophomore Charnee Lumbus (Cleveland, Ohio/Collinwood), who placed eighth in the 100-meter hurdles; and the seventh-place 4x400-meter relay team of junior/sophomore Shana Vinson (Detroit, Mich./Mumford), Gall, Hay and senior Serita Williams (Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee).
Gall, Ofili, Edwards and Taylor join junior co-captain Bettie Wade (Northville, Mich./Farmington), an NCAA automatic qualifier in the heptathlon, as Wolverines who have qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which are scheduled for Wednesday through Saturday, June 11-14, at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Other individuals may be added as at-large selections.
Final Team Standings (Top 10)
1. LSU 119 2. Tennessee 66 3. Mississippi 49 4. MICHIGAN 41 5. Illinois 40 6. Purdue 32 7. Arkansas 27 8. Louisville 26 9. Alabama 23 10. Ohio State 22
Event Winners/U-M Finishers (Day 2)
Shot Put 1. Susan King, Memphis 57-9* (17.60m) 25. Allison Liske, U-M 46-4 (14.12m) Triple Jump 1. Sarah Nambawa, Middle Tenn. 44-5 1/2* (13.55m) 6. Casey Taylor, U-M 42-1 1/2 (12.84m) 1,500-meter Run 1. Dacia Barr, Arkansas 4:13.16* 3. Nicole Edwards, U-M 4:18.78* 100-meter Hurdles 1. Nickiesha Wilson, LSU 12.63* 2. Tiffany Ofili, U-M 12.84* 8. Charnee Lumbus, U-M 13.52 800-meter Run 1. Geena Gall, U-M 2:03.64* 400-meter Hurdles 1. Nickiesha Wilson, LSU 55.71* 7. Amber Hay, U-M 58.94 8. Katie LaValley, U-M 59.21 4x400-meter Relay 1. Louisiana State 3:32.22* 7. Michigan 3:35.95 (Shana Vinson, Geena Gall, Amber Hay, Serita Williams) * Qualified for NCAA Outdoor Championships
Q U O T E S
Michigan Junior Geena Gall
On her victory in the 800-meter run... "It pretty much went the way I wanted. I knew it would go out fast because there were 400-meter girls. I played it smart and waited to the last 100 meters to make my move. I had enough at the end."
Players Mentioned
