Smith Finishes Runner-Up in 800 at NCAA Championships

Saturday, March 12

College Station, Texas

6:00 PM CT

Michigan

NCAA Indoor Championships

Smith Finishes Runner-Up in 800 at NCAA Championships

3/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field

March 12, 2011

• Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery

Site: College Station, Texas (Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium)
Event: NCAA Indoor Championships (Day 2 of 2)
U-M Team Standing: 18th Place (12 points)
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 18 -- at Bulls Invitational (Tampa, Fla.), 9 a.m.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Sophomore Jillian Smith (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional) used a surge on the last lap of the 800-meter run to move from fifth place to finish runner-up to lead the No. 17-ranked University of Michigan women's track and field team on the final day of competition at the NCAA Indoor Championships (Saturday, March 12) at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium.

Smith and fellow sophomore Rebecca Addison (Spring Lake, Mich./Grand Haven) were near the back of the pack on the bell lap, before Smith made her move, kicking it into high gear on the final lap and overtaking Mississippi's Sofie Persson down the final straightway to stop the clock in 2:04.78 for runner-up honors in her first NCAA individual final. Addison placed eighth (2:07.68) as the duo combined for nine points in the event and earned All-America honors.

Michigan finished with 12 team points at the NCAA Championships, earning three points yesterday (March 11) with a sixth-place finish in the distance medley relay.

The Wolverines will now transition to the outdoor season, traveling to Florida for a pair of meets next weekend. First up is the Bulls Invitational on Friday (March 18) at South Florida, followed by the UCF Challenge on Saturday (March 14) at Central Florida.

Final Team Standings

 1. Oregon            67 2. Texas             38 3. LSU               37 4. Arkansas          35 5. Texas A&M         32 6. Oklahoma          25 7. Arizona           24    Tennessee         24 9. Florida State     22------------------------18. MICHIGAN          12

Event Winners/U-M Finishers (Day Two)

800-meter run 1. Lacey Bleazard, BYU   2:04.092. Jillian Smith, U-M    2:04.788. Rebecca Addison, U-M  2:07.68

• Previous Results: Day One

N O T E S

• Rebecca Addison and Jillian Smith both picked up the first individual All-America honors of their careers by contributing to the team score. They each earned All-America yesterday as part of the six-place DMR team.

• It was the first appearance for both Wolverines in an NCAA individual final.

• Rebecca Addison and Jillian Smith were the only two underclassmen in the race. Every other participant was a junior or senior.

• Michigan was the only school with two finalists in the 800-meter run.

• Rebecca Addison started on the inside, while Jillian Smith started on the outside. The two sides converged after two turns.

• The top eight places score: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1.

Q U O T E S

Michigan Associate Head Coach Mike McGuire
On the race today ... "I think that both Becca (Addison) and Jill (Smith) competed really hard. We thought Becca might have finished a little higher, but her body of work over the course of the season and making the finals was great. It is definitely something to hang your hat on. Jill just stepped it up in probably the most competitive race of her career. That was a great field, and she showed that she belonged. She closed really well that final 100 meters, overtaking quite a few people."

On the duo's future ... "It is a process. Just to make the finals is a feat in itself. I think that their best running is ahead of them. They are both much better athletes than they were last year. This is the highest stage for our sport, and they both came here and ran well. The margin for error on an indoor track with an equal amount of talent is quite small. I thought they did just a great job competing over the course of the weekend and representing the University of Michigan."

On where they go from here ... "Everyone here is going to get a few weekends off from competing as we transition to the outdoor season. All four of them, along with our alternates, deserve a break. The four that competed here were a big part of what we did this year as a team. They will continue to be a big part of our team as we move forward to outdoors. The alternates (Taylor Pogue and Alexandria Williams) had a chance to see what NCAAs are about, which always helps moving forward. I want us to get back on a national stage, whether it is this year in outdoors or next year at indoors again."

Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423