Michigan
Big Ten Indoor Championships
Meier, Rynda Close Out Big Tens with Wins
2/23/2019 7:29:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Indoor Track Building)
Event: Big Ten Indoor Championships (Day 2 of 2)
U-M Result: Ninth Place of 13 Teams (51.5 points)
Next U-M Event: March 8-9 -- NCAA Indoor Championships (Birmingham, Ala.)
• Complete Results (PDF)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan distance runners Hannah Meier and Aurora Rynda claimed titles in their individual events as the women's track and field team finished ninth with 51.5 points on Saturday (Feb. 23), the final day of the 2019 Big Ten Indoor Championships -- the first held at the U-M Indoor Track Building.
The sixth-year senior Meier shattered a decade-old school record to win the mile and the true freshman Rynda is now one for one in her career in Big Ten 600-meter finals, headlining a day that saw seven Wolverine individuals or relay teams finish as top-eight scorers in front of a sellout crowd of more than 3,500.
Meier was joined as a scorer in the mile by fifth-place Meg Darmofal and sixth-place Alice Hill, and Rynda was followed by fourth-place Chloe Foster in the 600 meters; both would later team with Julia Hall and Jade Harrison in the fourth-place 4x400 relay. Micaela DeGenero also put points on the board on Saturday with a seventh-place finish at 800 meters.
Those performances came in addition to a silver medal in the distance medley relay -- featuring Hill, Foster, Rynda and Meier -- and fourth-place pole vaulter Jessica Mercier on Friday.
Ohio State claimed the team title with 112 points.
Meier held off a stiff challenge from Ohio State rival Julia Rizk, beating Meier to the line by just a third of a second in an effort that ultimately required a new school-record 4:32.46 to claim the crown. Her historic run nearly overtook a four-year-old championship record, coming within .17 of the meet record, and shattered Nicole Sifuentes' Michigan school record by nearly a full second. The two-time Olympian Sifuentes previously held the record at 4:33.23, set in 2008.
Meier ran hard from the gun, forcing the 10-woman field to facture early into two distinct packs -- the lead pack with Meier at the point and the chase pack led by Hill. With three laps to go, the lead pack had whittled to just three women
With three in at the bell, surges by Meier and Rizk made it a two-woman race. Meier was able to power home off the final curve and hold off the Buckeye for the win and defend the title her twin sister Haley won in this event a year ago. Hannah Meier's time ranks fourth in the country.
Darmofal and Hill were similarly strong over the closing laps, crossing the line in 4:43.38 and 4:43.73, respectively, to give Michigan 17 points in the event.
Rynda also made history as she joined Katie Erdman -- who later in the day presented her with the gold medal atop the podium -- as the only freshmen in Michigan history to claim a Big Ten title at 600 meters. Rynda is now one-quarter of the way to equaling Erdman's total of four conference titles in the event.
Rynda ran her winning time of 1:29.68 in the first of two sections in the final, topping section two winner Val Larson of Minnesota by less than half a second and section one runner-up Annie Ubbing of Ohio State by just over half a second.
The true freshman displayed no fear in her performance, running from the front without serious challenge throughout the entire duration of her heat.
Foster also ran from the front in the following heat, taking the bell in the lead. She was overtaken by Larson with 100 meters to go, but was able to hold off Indiana's Natalie Price for fourth with a career-best 1:30.49 to move to No. 6 in school history.
All told, the two combined for 15 points.
DeGenero rounded out the points in the individual events for the Wolverines, finishing seventh at 800 meters in 2:08.57. This marks the second consecutive year DeGenero put points on the board for Michigan in the indoor women's 800 meters. The seventh-place finish contributed two points to the total.
The Wolverines closed out the day with Hall, Harrison, Rynda and Foster combining to go 3:40.17 for the win in their section and fourth overall for five more points. After winning their section -- the third of four -- they had to wait to see where their performance would ultimately stack up in the overall standings. A dropped baton by Purdue in the final section very likely added another point to Michigan's total.
Notably in the field, Katt Miner finished 12th in the high jump and Briana Nelson cracked the all-time Michigan top-10 in the shot put with a mark of 14.62m (47 feet, 11.75 inches) for No. 8 in school history. She finished 15th overall.
Only the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 8-9 in BIrmingham, Alabama, remain on the Wolverines' winter-season schedule. Though entries have not yet been made official, Michigan will be sending its nation-leading distance medley relay team and national mile contender Meier to compete against the country's best.
Collegiate Career-Best Performances (Saturday)
Career debuts not included
Micaela DeGenero -- 2:08.33 / 800m (I)
Briana Nelson -- 14.62 / Shot Put (I)
Full Michigan Results by Event
Q = Automatic qualifier into final; q = non-automatic qualifier into final
200 Meters
PRELIMS (contested Friday)
14. Jade Harrison / 24.51
400 Meters
PRELIMS (contested Friday)
9. Jade Harrison / 55.69
16. Julia Hall / 56.57
20. Jenna Reid / 57.70
600 Meters
FINAL
1. Aurora Rynda / 1:29.68
4. Chloe Foster / 1:30.49
PRELIMS (contested Friday)
4. Aurora Rynda / 1:31.59q
5. Chloe Foster / 1:31.62q
20. Carola Jansohn / 1:34.05
800 Meters
FINAL
7. Micaela DeGenero / 2:08.57
PRELIMS (contested Friday)
3. Micaela DeGenero / 2:08.33Q
9. Lauren Biggs / 2:09.28
15. Faith Reynolds / 2:12.23
17. Julia Vanitvelt / 2:12.86
Mile
FINAL
1. Hannah Meier / 4:32.46
5. Meg Darmofal / 4:43.26
6. Alice Hill / 4:43.73
PRELIMS (contested Friday)
3. Hannah Meier / 4:40.76q
4. Alice Hill / 4:48.56q
6. Meg Darmofal / 4:48.73q
11. Anne Forsyth / 4:49.08
3,000 Meters
(contested Friday)
9. Camille Davre / 9:33.12
12. Jena Metwalli / 9:48.39 (Unseeded section winner)
16. Rachel Coleman / 9:56.62
21. Audrey Belf / 10:11.36
5,000 Meters
9. Kathryn House / 16:42.07
11. Madeline Trevisan / 16:43.65
12. Anna West / 16:44.15
60-Meter Hurdles
PRELIMS (Contested Friday)
13. Sydney McGinley / 8.80
14. Lauren Rodriguez / 8.84
15. Michaiah Thomas / 8.86
4x400 Relay
4. Hall, Harrison, Rynda, Foster / 3:40.17
Distance Medley Relay
(contested Friday)
2. Hill, Foster, Rynda, Meier / 11:11.89
High Jump
12. Katt Miner / 1.68m (5-06.00)
Pole Vault
(contested Friday)
4. Jessica Mercier / 3.94m (12-11)
Long Jump
(contested Friday)
18. Jeryne Fish / 5.52m (18-1.50)
Shot Put
15. Briana Nelson / 14.62m (47-11.75)
21. Erin Connor / 13.29m (43-7.25)
Weight Throw
(contested Friday)
11. Bailey Baker / 19.16m (62-10.5)
12. Kayla Deering / 18.80m (61-8.25)
15. Briana Nelson / 18.21m (59-9)
Pentathlon (Overall)
(contested Friday)
15. Theresa Mayanja / 3408
60 meter hurdles - 8.89 (8.89 points)
High Jump - 1.56m (5-1.25) (689 points)
Shot Put - 8.80m (588 points)
Long Jump - 5.19m (612 points)
800 meter run - 2:38.90 (586 points)
Players Mentioned
