Wolverines Look to Gain Experience at SVSU

Friday, January 26

University Center, Mich.

5:00 PM

Michigan

Jet's Pizza Invitational

Hannah Meier

1/25/2018 11:16:00 AM | Women's Track & Field

By: Kyle Terwillegar

» A select crew of distance runners and pole vaulters will compete Friday and Saturday at the Saginaw Valley State Jet's Pizza Invitational.
» Leading the way is Hannah Meier, who is on the cusp of becoming the 31st woman in U-M history to break 2:10 over 800 meters but will contest the mile on Saturday.
» The full team will be back in action next Friday and Saturday (Feb. 2-3) at home for the Power Five Invitational.

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THIS WEEK
Fri-Sat., Jan. 26-27 -- Saginaw Valley State Jet's Pizza Invitational (University Center, Mich. / SVSU Fieldhouse) 5 p.m. (Fri.) / 1 p.m. (Sat.)
Watch Live | Meet Schedule

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Much of the national No. 17-ranked University of Michigan women's track and field team will have the weekend off ahead of next week's regular-season crescendo at the Power Five Invitational, but select Wolverines will make the trip up to Saginaw on Friday and/or Saturday (Jan. 26-27) for some additional meet-day experience.

A dozen women -- 10 distance runners and a pair of pole vaulters -- will compete at the Saginaw Valley State Jet's Pizza Invitational as they hope to get more competition ahead of the Big Ten Championships in a month's time, or make their case for inclusion on the roster for the conference meet.

Leading the distance crew is Hannah Meier, who has impressed in her first season at full health for the Wolverines through her first two meets. With her career-best 2:10.34 over 800 meters this past weekend, she is closing in on becoming the 31st woman in Michigan history to run 2:10.00 or faster indoors in the event.

She will be joined by Sydney Badger, Rachel Coleman, Meg Darmofal, Micaela Degenero, Alice Hill, Ellie Leonard, Jena Metwalli, Kate Owens and Faith Reynolds.

The pole vault corps of Sarah Uhlian and Hanna Gelov will also be in action, starting at 5 p.m. on Friday.

Not until Saturday afternoon will the distance runners be in action, with running events starting at 1 p.m. The mile is third on the order events behind the 60-meter hurdles and 60 meters finals, and will feture Meier, Badger, Coleman, Darmofal, Degenero, Hill, Leonard, Metwalli and Reynolds.

Two events later Hill will double back for the 800 with Owens.

The group will also form a 4x400 relay to close out the day, tentatively scheduled to feature Badger, Degenero, Hill and Reynolds.

Live video will be available for the Jet's Pizza Invitational through SVSU Athletics.

NEWS AND NOTES

• The Wolverines checked in at No. 17 in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Team Rankings, down five spots from the preseason. Michigan is the fourth-highest ranked team of the seven top-25 squads from the Big Ten, just behind the likes of No. 11 Minnesota, No. 13 Wisconsin and No. 15 Ohio State. Only the SEC has more teams (11) appearing in the rankings than the Big Ten.

• Though she was beaten out for back-to-back Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors by a pair of nation leaders from Iowa and Penn State, that takes nothing from the fact that Erin Finn posted one of the finest races at 3,000 meters ever run by a collegian. Her 8:58.69 was not only a school record but also the fastest time ever run in the state of Michigan, the fastest time ever run by a Michigander, the third-fastest time in Big Ten history, the third-fastest time ever run by a collegian in the month of January (or December) and the 23rd-fastest time in collegiate history overall.

• Finn now boasts indoor career bests of 15:23.16 over 5,000 meters, 8:58.69 for 3,000 meters and 4:38.35 in the mile. Only four other women in collegiate history -- and none from the Big Ten -- have clocked sub-15:25, sub-9:00 and sub-4:40 in their careers: Jenny Barringer, Emily Sisson, Kim Smith and Christine McMiken.

• Finn rocketed to the top of the conference standings with her 3,000-meter run and her season-opening mile, leading several other Wolverines excelling at the Big Ten level through two meets:

Name	Event	Rank
Meghan Marias	60m	7
Jade Harrison	400m	9
Haley Meier	800m	4
Claire Borchers	800m	6
Hannah Meier	800m	7
Erin Finn	Mile	1
Gina Sereno	Mile	2
Claire Borchers	Mile	5
Erin Finn	3000m	1
Avery Evenson	3000m	4
Madeline Trevisan	3000m	5
Michaiah Thomas	60H	8
4 x 400m Relay		6
Claire Kieffer-Wright	High Jump	1

• At No. 2 nationally for 3,000 meters and No. 3 in the mile, Finn is back in the national title hunt in her final year at Michigan. Here's the full list of Wolverines who have logged top-50 performance among the full NCAA Division I ranks:

Name	Event	Rank
Jade Harrison	400m	31
Haley Meier	800m	15
Claire Borchers	800m	22
Hannah Meier	800m	31
Erin Finn	Mile	3
Gina Sereno	Mile	9
Claire Borchers	Mile	14
Haley Meier	Mile	44
Erin Finn	3000m	2
Avery Evenson	3000m	19
Madeline Trevisan	3000m	26
4 x 400m Relay		40
Claire Kieffer-Wright	High Jump	18