Michigan
NCAA Championships
Wolverine Women 13th at NCAAs
11/23/2019 4:38:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
Site: Terre Haute, Ind. (LaVern Gibson Championship Course)
Event: NCAA Championships
Distance: Six Kilometers (3.73 miles)
U-M Team Finish: 13th of 31 teams (395 points)
Top U-M Individual: Ericka VanderLende, 25th (20:32.8)
Next U-M Event: Season completed
• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team closed out its 2019 season with a 13th-place finish at its 18th consecutive NCAA Championships on Saturday (Nov. 23).
Led by All-American Ericka VanderLende in her national meet debut, the Wolverines finished 13th in the team standings with 395 points in the six-kilometer (3.73-mile) race over the grounds of the LaVern Gibson Championship Course.
This is just the fourth time in the past 10 years that Michigan has finished outside the top 10 in the national team standings. The result brings to a close a decade between 2010 and 2019 that included three top-four finishes and six top-10 finishes.
Rounding out Michigan's scoring lineup -- comprised of its top five runners -- were 97th-place Micaela DeGenero (21:14.6), 106th-place Anna West (21:17.0), 145th-place Maddy Trevisan (21:35.9) and 150th-place Emma Sloan (21:38.0).
The top spot in the team standings went to No. 1 Arkansas with 96 points.
Michigan was unable to position itself well in the early going of the race, and was unable to recover from the shaky start the rest of the way. The Wolverine women came through at 4,000 meters in 13th, which is where they ultimately finishes as they held off 14th-place Northern Arizona by 11 points.
As she has all season long, VanderLende -- who posted the third-best showing for a Michigan frosh in program history -- ran from the front of the race early. After coming through 4,000 meters in 13th, she held on to finish 25th overall in what was the most competitive race she has ever run.
DeGenero had arguably the most impressive day of anyone on the team, certainly relative to pre-race expectations. Also running in her first NCAA Championships, DeGenero was one of just two Wolverines who moved up in the field over the final two kilometers.
Her 23-spot improvement in the final split was surpassed by only 21 other runners in the 250-plus runner field over that span.
West closed out her Michigan cross country career with a 106th-place finish, moving up five spots in the last 2K.
With the cross country season now complete, the Wolverine distance runners will join their sprinter, jumper and thrower teammates in turning their attention toward the indoor track and field season. The 2020 campaign will kick off on Jan. 11 with the Wolverine Invitational in Ann Arbor.
Michigan Results
25. Ericka VanderLende -- 20:32.8
97. Micaela DeGenero -- 21:14.6
106. Anna West -- 21:17.0
145. Maddy Trevisan -- 21:35.9
150. Emma Sloan -- 21:38.0
173. Kathryn House -- 21:47.9
230. Alice Hill -- 22:34.8
Team Standings
1. No. 1 Arkansas -- 96 points
2. No. 3 BYU -- 102 points
3. No. 2 Stanford -- 123 points
4. No. 7 New Mexico -- 168 points
5. No. 6 NC State -- 190 points
6. No. 5 Michigan State -- 209 points
7. No. 11 Wisconsin -- 235 points
8. No. 12 Air Force -- 259 points
9. No. 15 Furman -- 290 points
10. No. 10 Colorado -- 293 points
11. No. 4 Washington -- 296 points
12. No. 9 Florida State -- 308 points
13. No. 8 Michigan -- 395 points
14. No. 20 Northern Arizona -- 406 points
15. No. 19 Notre Dame -- 415 points
16. No. 14 Utah -- 471 points
17. No. 13 Boise State -- 474 points
18. No. 16 Penn State -- 482 points
19. No. 26 Indiana -- 509 points
20. Boston College (RV) -- 517 points
21. No. 23 Ole Miss -- 540 points
22. No. 21 Illinois -- 549 points
23. No. 17 Ohio State -- 567 points
24. No. 22 Villanova -- 575 points
25. No. 24 Tulsa -- 583 points
26. No. 18 Oregon -- 618 points
27. No. 28 Columbia -- 624 points
28. No. 27 Minnesota -- 691 points
29. No. 30 Cornell -- 694 points
30. No. 29 Texas -- 714 points
31. No. 25 Harvard -- 787 points
Players Mentioned
