Michigan
NCAA East Preliminaries
Meier, Morrissey Advance on First Day of NCAA East Prelims
5/24/2018 11:46:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
Site: Tampa, Fla. (USF Track & Field Stadium)
Event: NCAA East Preliminary Rounds Day 1 of 3)
U-M Team Result: No Team Scoring
Next U-M Event: Friday, May 25 -- NCAA East Preliminary Rounds - Day 2 (Tampa, Fla.), 1:45 p.m.
TAMPA, Fla. -- Big Ten champions Haley Meier and Jamie Morrissey continued a legacy of mid-distance excellence for the University of Michigan women's track and field team in the early-session action on the first day of the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds on Thursday (May 24).
Indoor mile champ Meier and outdoor 800-meter winner Morrissey made it through to the quarterfinals of the 1,500 meters to mark the sixth time in the past seven seasons that Michigan advanced multiple quarterfinalists at the East Prelims.
The duo staked claims to Saturday's race -- which will determine who advances to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on June 6-9 -- under grueling hot and humid conditions as much of Thursday's schedule was moved forward to avoid the threat of tropical weather in the area.
Haley Meier went toe-to-toe with reigning NCAA indoor mile champion Elinor Purrier of New Hampshire in her heat of the 1,500 meters, clocking a season's best 4:16.82 for a runner-up finish to the Wildcat.
Of all the four sections, only Purrier would run faster on the day as Meier will enter Saturday's quarterfinal as the No. 2 seed.
While Meier and Purrier were nearly a full second clear of the rest of their heat, Morrissey claimed a heat win in a race in which the top six finishers were all within a second of one another.
Coming down the homestretch positioned in the back of a group of seven runners, Morrissey found her opportunity to move up to the lead as the pack swung wide around the turn onto the straightaway. With the group stretched wide, Morrissey was able to cut her way in between eventual runner-up Dillon McClintock of Michigan State and Memphis' Martina Rodriguez with 80 meters to go and would not look back.
She took the victory in 4:20.21, just .20 seconds ahead of McClintock and .30 seconds clear of Rodriguez. Overall, she clocked the 19th-fastest time of the day, but ultimately the goal was to advance, not run for time.
Hannah Meier would take ninth in the heat at 4:23.87 and 31st overall.
In the high jump -- Michigan's lone field event competition of the day -- Katt Miner closed out a breakthrough sophomore campaign and Aaron Howell capped off one of the most decorated careers in Michigan history. Miner was able to get over 1.70m (5 feet, 7 inches) on her second try and Howell cleared 1.65m (5-5) on her third, but neither was able to advance any farther.
Howell, who just missed making the NCAA Championships as a heptathlete as the 25th woman on the national list (only 24 advance), will finish her career as a two-time All-American and a Big Ten champion.
In her first of two events on the weekend, Jade Harrison clocked 53.93 in the first round of the 400 meters to take 38th overall. She still has the 200 meters left on her schedule, with that event's first round taking place Friday.
In the first round of the 400-meter hurdles, Chloe Foster concluded a strong first-year campaign for the Wolverines with a 60.11 finish for 39th overall. She wrapped up her first season at Michigan ranked No. 10 all-time in both the 400 meters and the 400-meter hurdles.
In the late session, Madeline Trevisan clocked 35:37.91 in the 10,000-meter semifinal to take 28th overall. The finish was an improvement on her pre-meet seeding at No. 40.
Though Hannah Meier, Miner, Harrison and Foster were unable to advance in their respective events, they still finished better than or equal to their pre-meet seeding.
When Harrison competes in the 200 meters on Friday, she will be doing so as part of an already altered schedule that was further changed as of Thursday afternoon. Below is the updated schedule for Friday's competition:
| Wolverines Competing This Weekend | |||
| FRIDAY, MAY 25 | |||
| Name | Event | Round | Time (ET) |
| Taylor McLaughlin | 400 meter hurdles | Quarterfinal | 2:30 PM |
| Jade Harrison | 200 meter dash | First Round | 3:25 PM |
| Connor Mora | Steeplechase | Quarterfinal | 8:00 PM |
| Claire Borchers | Steeplechase | Quarterfinal | 8:40 PM |
| Sarah Zieve | Steeplechase | Quarterfinal | 8:40 PM |
FULL MICHIGAN RESULTS BY EVENT
Q = Automatically advanced to NCAA East Prelims quarterfinals
q = Non-automatic qualifier to NCAA East Prelims quarterfinals
w = wind-aided (greater than 2.0 meter-per-second [m/s] wind
200 Meters (First Round)
To be contested Friday; Quarterfinals to be contested Saturday
400 Meters (First Round)
38. Jade Harrison / 53.93
1,500 Meters (First Round)
Quarterfinals to be contested Saturday
2. Haley Meier / 4:16.82Q
19. Jamie Morrissey / 4:20.21Q
31. Hannah Meier / 4:23.87
10,000 Meters (Semifinals)
To be contested Thursday night
400-Meter Hurdles (First Round)
39. Chloe Foster / 60.11
3,000-Meter Steeplechase (Quarterfinals)
To be contested Friday
High Jump (First Round)
27. Katt Miner / 1.70m (5-7)
45. Aaron Howell / 1.65m (5-5)
Hammer Throw (First Round)
To be contested Saturday
Players Mentioned
