Michigan
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Hay, Wade Get All-America at NCAA Championships, Ofili Advances
6/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Site: Fayetteville, Ark. (John McDonnell Field)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 3)
U-M Team Standing: Tie-23rd Place of 53 Teams (eight points) After Day 3
Next U-M Event: Saturday, June 13 -- at NCAA Championships (Fayetteville, Ark.), 10:30 a.m.
Results | Quotes | Photo Gallery
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Seniors Bettie Wade(Northville, Mich./Farmington) and Amber Hay(Detroit, Mich./Renaissance) picked upAll-America honorsfor the No. 11-ranked University of Michigan women's track and field team on Friday night (June 12) at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at John McDonnell Field. Wade earned six points with a third-place finish in the heptathlon, while Hay claimed two points with a seventh-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles. Both performances broke school records.
Senior Tiffany Ofili(Ypsilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti) also advanced to the finals of the 100-meter hurdles during Friday's evening session.
With a career-best and school-record5,876 points, Wade earned third place in the heptathlon, matching her third-place performance at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Brianne Theisen of Oregon took the heptathlon title with 6,086 points.
Wade opened day two of heptathlon competition by posting the top score in the long jump, leaping 20-9 1/4 (6.33m) for 953 points on her second of three attempts. Wade's jump was two-and-a-quarter inches better than second-place Etieena Chaplin of Arkansas (20-7). Wade then scored 524 points in the javelin with a throw of 106-7 (32.49m) on her third throw of the competition.
Wade finished the heptathlon with a time of 2:21.90 in the 800-meter run, scoring 798 points. Erica Moore of Indiana State posted the fastest 800-meter time, running the half-mile in 2:10.23 to score 961 points.
Hay earned seventh place in the final of the 400-meter hurdles with a career-best time of 57.44, breaking the school record of 57.78 set in 2008 by senior Katie LaValley (Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Central). Running on the outside in lane nine, Hay ran a very strong race and was just edged out for sixth by Penn State's Fawn Dorr by one one-hundredth of a second. UCLA's Nicole Leach won the 400 hurdle crown in 55.39.
Meanwhile, Ofili advanced to the finals of the 100-meter hurdles with the second-fastest time in the semifinals. Ofili and Houston's Moriam-Seun Adigun went 1-2, well ahead of the rest of the pack in the second semifinal. Adigun was first to the line in 12.91 seconds and Ofili crossed the line in 13.02.
In the qualifying round of the triple jump, senior Casey Taylor(Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic) finished 13th, falling short of advancing to the finals by less than an inch. Taylor's top jump of the competition came on her third and final attempt as she measured 42-5 1/2 (12.94m). With the top 12 advancing to Saturday's (June 13) finals, Stanford's Whitney Liehr earned the final qualifying spot with a best jump of 42-6 1/4 (12.96m).
The Maize and Blue will have four athletes competing on Saturday's (June 13) final day of competition at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Sophomore Emily Pendleton(Lindsey, Ohio/Woodmore) will begin competition for U-M at noon CDT in the finals of the discus, senior Geena Gall(Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc) will look to defend her national title in the final of the 800-meter run at 12:19 p.m., Ofili will attempt to earn her third consecutive national championship in the 100-meter hurdles at 12:52 p.m., and sophomore Danielle Tauro(Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional) will run in the final of the 1,500 meters at 1:09 p.m.
Team Standings (Through 12 Events)
1. Oregon 39 2. Southern California 21 3t. Texas 20 Arizona State 20 Florida State 20 6. Texas A&M 19 7t. Illinois 18 Florida 18 9. UCLA 15 10. Washington 14 23t. Michigan 8
Event Winners/U-M Finishers (Day Three)
Heptathlon, Long Jump 1. Bettie Wade, U-M 20-9 1/4 (6.33m) (953 points) 2. Etienne Chaplin, Arkansas 20-7 (6.27m) (934 points) Heptathlon, Javelin 1. Annett Wichmann, Hawaii 152-11 (46.60m) (794 points) 17. Bettie Wade, U-M 106-7 (32.49m) (524 points) Heptathlon, 800-meter Run 1. Erica Moore, Indiana State 2:10.23 (961 points) 8. Bettie Wade, U-M 2:21.90 (798 points) Heptathlon, Final Standings 1. Brianne Theisen, Oregon 6,086 points 3. Bettie Wade, U-M 5,876 points Triple Jump (Qualifying Round) 1. Sarah Nambawa, Mid. Tenn. St. 45-3 (13.79m) q 13. Casey Taylor, U-M 42-5 1/2 (12.94m) 100-meter Hurdles (Semifinals) 1. Moriam-Seun Adigun, Houston 12.91 q 3. Tiffany Ofili, U-M 13.02 q 400-meter Hurdles (Final) 1. Nicole Leach, UCLA 55.39 7. Amber Hay, U-M 57.44
Previous Results: Day 1 | Day 2
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach James Henry
On Bettie Wade in the heptathlon... "She, like this whole (senior) class, she is a fighter and though she didn't win, I was very pleased. All you can do is your very best and if you walk away with a personal best, then you can't do anything more, and that is most important to me as a coach. She was disappointed because she felt she could do better in a couple of events, but she fought through a number of adverse circumstances and I was very pleased."
On Amber Hay in the 400-meter hurdles... "Her performance was probably the highlight right now. She got in through the backdoor, through attrition with others not entering the meet, perhaps due to injury. But she got in and I was especially pleased with what she did because she promised me in high school, when he was an incoming freshperson, that she was going to be my first All-American (in the 400-meter hurdles). When that initially didn't happen, she apologized and said that she was sorry. Then she got that second chance and she took advantage of it, broke the school record and became an All-American. It turned out to be a storybook ending for her and that is something that she can tell her kids and her kids' kids. You never give up, anything can happen, and I was very happy for her."
Contact: Jeremy Reid (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
