Michigan
Michigan Open
VanderLende Wins NCAA Debut at Michigan Open
8/30/2019 1:33:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
Site: Dexter, Mich. (Hudson Mills Metropark)
Event: Michigan Open
Distance: Five Kilometers (3.11 miles)
U-M Team Finish: No Team Scoring
Top U-M Individual: Ericka VanderLende, 1st (16:57.3)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Sep. 21 -- at John McNichols Invitational (Terre Haute, Ind.), 9:45 a.m.
• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
DEXTER, Mich. -- In its first step toward defending its three-straight Big Ten titles, the No. 4 University of Michigan women's cross country team began its 2019 campaign under sunny skies and mild temperatures on Friday (Aug. 30) at the Michigan Open, its lone home meet of the season.
Ericka VanderLende delivered on her status as one of the nation's top first-year collegians, leading the way for the Wolverines in victory as she covered the five-kilometer (3.11-mile) Hudson Mills Metropark course in 16:57.3.
VanderLende's time is just the second sub-17-minute performance at the Michigan Open dating back to 2010, the first year the meet was held in Dexter. The only superior time during that span was a 16:44.6 run by former Wolverine Erin Finn in 2016,
Rounding out Michigan's top five were second-place Anna West (17:19.5), third-place Maddy Trevisan (17:23.3), fourth-place Kayla Keane (17:37.8) and sixth-place Camille Davre (17:40.6). Those five were joined by eighth-place Alice Hill (17:49.5) under 18 minutes, with Brown transfer Emma Sloan just missing that club in 10th at 18:00.2.
Davre and West were members of last year's fourth-place NCAA Championships team, while Trevisan scored for the Wolverines on their NCAA runner-up squad in 2016.
The field was comprised entirely of in-uniform Michigan runners and other Wolverines who competed "unattached" to preserve their eligibility for a redshirt season.
VanderLende -- coming off a summer during which she ran the sixth-fastest two-mile time in U.S. high school history -- established herself as the woman to beat from the outset of the race. Just a quarter-mile into the race she already had started to create separation between herself and the field, and it only grew from there.
"I'm definitely excited for the season," VanderLende said after the race. "I'm excited to see how our team can do and to achieve some big goals this year."
With VanderLende running point, the full Wolverine squad had a strong day.
"Normally we're upper 17s or closer to 18 minutes, but we had quite a few in the low-to-mid-17-minute range today so I think that's a positive sign," head coach Mike McGuire said. "Overall I'm really pleased."
West improved her time from a year ago by 35 seconds in her runner-up finish, an early sign that she may return to the All-America form she showed at Baylor two seasons ago and improve on her 92nd-place finish at NCAAs in 2018.
Trevisan bounced back from missing the 2018 season with a six-second improvement on her time from the 2017 season, while Keane had the biggest breakthrough of anyone on the roster in her fourth-place effort.
In what was her first in-uniform Michigan cross country race since 2015 -- after missing several seasons with injury -- the fifth-year senior approached her 17:14.67 outdoor 5,000-meter personal record on terrain much less suited for fast times than a flat, firm track.
Full results for the Wolverines who ran in uniform on Friday are listed below.
Full Michigan Results
1. Ericka VanderLende -- 16:57.3
2. Anna West -- 17:19.5
3. Maddy Trevisan -- 17:23.3
4. Kayla Keane -- 17:37.8
6. Camille Davre -- 17:40.6
8. Alice Hill -- 17:49.5
10. Emma Sloan -- 18:00.2
11. Faith Reynolds -- 18:08.7
12. Raquel Powers -- 18:15.3
13. Jena Metwalli -- 18:23.7
14. Micaela Degenero -- 18:36.2
15. Audrey Belf -- 18:40.4
16. Meghan Worrel -- 18:42.1
17. Alexis Munley -- 18:46.9
18. Charlotte Cochrane -- 18:54.0
19. Hannah Palomino -- 18:59.6
20. Julia Vanitvelt -- 19:29.4
22. Samantha Saenz -- 19:37.6
23. Meghan Monaghan -- 20:00.0
Up Next
After two weekends off, the Wolverines will be back in action at the Indiana State John McNichols Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 21. The competition will be the first of two regular-season fixtures for the Wolverines at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course, the site of the NCAA Championships in November.
Players Mentioned
