Michigan
Simmons-Harvey Invitational
Wolverine Women Keep Simmons-Harvey Invite Trophy Home
1/15/2022 6:00:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Indoor Track Building)
Event: Simmons-Harvey Invitational
U-M Result: 1st of 4 teams (140 points)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 22 -- host, Michigan Invitational (U-M Indoor Track Building), 11 a.m.
• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
ANN ARBOR -- The University of Michigan women's track and field team racked up wins in nearly half of the events at the Simmons-Harvey Invitational on Saturday (Jan. 15) en route to winning the team title within the confines of the world-class U-M Indoor Track Building.
BreeAna Bates continued her sensational debut campaign with a repeat of the 60-meter and 200-meter titles from a week ago, while Amanda Schaare and Jessica Mercier reprised their roles as winners in the shot put and pole vault, respectively. Newcomers Aasia Laurencin in the 60-meter hurdles and Savannah Sutherland at 600 meters notched wins of their own, before Ziyah Holman anchored the 4x400 relay to the meet-finale victory.
Those performances led the way in giving the Wolverines 140 points on the day, well ahead of runner-up Notre Dame with 109, third-place Michigan State with 106 and fourth-place Indiana at 85.
Schaare continued her hot start to 2022 and kicked off the Wolverine winners with another victory and another career-best heave in the shot put. On her final attempt with the win and its nine team points already in hand, Schaare launched the shot 16.27m (53 feet, 4.5 inches) to bolster her top-10 national rank in the event entering the weekend. Corinne Jemison was third for six more team points.
Michigan took command on the track right from the gun of the first final, as Texas transfer Laurencin took the victory in her first final as Wolverine in the 60-meter hurdles. She pulled away from the field and crossed the line in 8.41 seconds, just off her personal best and good enough to put her top-15 nationally based on the descending order list entering the day. Laurencin also moved to No. 8 in school history with the effort.
Bates remained undefeated in finals in the first big test of her young collegiate career, running a career-best 7.45 seconds to edge out Indiana's Alyssa Robinson by .01 of a second and teammate Ameia Wilson at 7.47, as well as current Big Ten leader Brooke Bogan of Michigan State in fourth at 7.57.
The results from both Bates and Wilson put them top-30 nationally based on results entering the day, and top-five in the Big Ten. Wilson also added seven more points as the runner-up in the long jump at 5.71m (18 feet, 8.75 inches).
Bates and Laurencin added 15 more points to the Wolverines column later in the meet as Bates took the 200 meters in a career-best 24.52 and Laurencin finished third in 24.96.
Michigan got 11 points in the women's mile, where Ericka VanderLende won the first of two sections and finished third overall in a career-best 4:45.28 and Alice Hill was third in the faster section in 4:46.94 for fourth overall. Anne Forsyth (4:46.99) and Samantha Tran (4:48.85) were fifth and sixth with new college PRs.
The Wolverines put another sprints win on the board as Sutherland on the final lap of the 600 meters first lost the lead on the backstretch and gained it back in the closing meters to cross the line in 1:31.87.
As the track program was unfolding on the oval, a battle of Big Ten champions was underway on the pole vault runway. After the trio of reigning indoor champion Mercier, outdoor champion Sophia Franklin of Michigan State and Brooke Tjerrild all cleared 4.12m (13 feet, 6.25 inches), but a tiebreak came down to Mercier and Franklin. Midway through the tiebreak, Franklin retired, leaving Mercier as the champion for the second weekend in a row.
Mercier, Tjerrild and Mia Manson have all cleared 4.12m this season, giving the Wolverines one of the deepest pole vault crews in the entire country.
Michigan closed out the afternoon with its final victory in the 4x400 relay, as the quartet of Hannah Waller, Chika Amene, Nikki Stephens and Holman combined for a Big Ten-leading 3:42.55. Trailing in the third leg, Stephens brought the Wolverines back to Indiana with a strong leg, and two-time Big Ten champ and three-time school record-holder Holman completed the comeback by taking the lead with 200 meters to go and not looking back.
Michigan completes a three-meet homestand next Saturday (Jan. 22) with the Michigan Invitational at 11 a.m. before three consecutive weekends on the road at Indiana, Kentucky, Notre Dame and Chicago.
Michigan Results by Event
q = qualified for final
60 meter dash
Final
1. BreeAna Bates / 7.45 [9 pts] [New PR]
3. Ameia Wilson / 7.47 [6 pts] [New PR]
6. Hannah Waller / 7.68
7. Hanna Hearn / 7.68
Prelims
2. BreeAna Bates / 7.53q
3. Ameia Wilson / 7.56Q [New PR]
6. Hanna Hearn / 7.69q
7. Hannah Waller / 7.71q
9. Aasia Laurencin / 7.79 [New PR]
11. Carlita Taylor / 7.90 [New PR]
13. Madison Eaton / 8.09
15. Paige Chapman / 8.20
200 meter dash
Final
1. BreeAna Bates / 24.52 [9 pts] [New PR]
3. Aasia Laurencin / 24.96 [6 pts] [New PR]
4. Hanna Hearn / 25.38
5. Chika Amene / 25.51 [New PR]
6. Clare McNamara / 26.53
7. Simone Roberts / 27.13
9. Kennedy Johnson / 29.10
400 meter dash
Final
4. Delaney Stersic / 59.24 [5 pts]
8. Kennedy Johnson / 68.92 [1 pt]
600 meter run
Final
1. Savannah Sutherland / 1:31.87 [9 pts]
800 meter run
Final
5. Ziyah Holman / 2:11.63 [4 pts]
6. Lucy Petee / 2:13.04 [3 pts]
8. Eva Jansohn / 2:14.53
9. Gabby Swider / 2:14.65
10. Nikki Stephens / 2:15.60
Mile
Final
3. Ericka VanderLende / 4:45.28 [New PR]
4. Alice Hill / 4:46.94 [5 pts]
5. Anne Forsyth / 4:46.99 [6 pts] [New PR]
6. Samantha Tran / 4:48.85 [New PR]
3000 meter run
Final
3. Samantha Saenz / 9:44.80 [6 pts] [New PR]
4. Julia Vanitvelt / 9:53.17 [5 pts]
60 meter hurdles
Final
1. Aasia Laurencin / 8.41 [9 pts]
4. Carlita Taylor / 8.63 [5 pts]
6. Nikki Stephens / 8.70
7. Savannah Sutherland / 8.71
8. Theresa Mayanja / 8.95
Prelims
1. Aasia Laurencin / 8.48Q
3. Nikki Stephens / 8.65q
6. Savannah Sutherland / 8.75q
7. Carlita Taylor / 8.79q
8. Theresa Mayanja / 8.81q
10. Paige Chapman / 9.10
11. Madison Eaton / 9.34
4x400 relay
Final
1. Waller, Amene, Stephens, Holman / 3:42.55
Pole Vault
Final
1. Jessica Mercier / 4.12m (13-6.25)
3. Brooke Tjerrild / 4.12m (13-6.25)
4. Mia Manson / 3.97m (13-0.25)
6. Cate Visscher / 3.82m (12-6.5)
8. Morgan Flynn / 3.52m (11-6.5) [New PR]
Long Jump
Final
2. Ameia Wilson / 5.71m (18-8.75) [7 pts]
3. Nikki Stephens / 5.69m (18-8) [6 pts]
4. Hannah Waller / 5.66m (18-6.75) [New PR]
5. Clare McNamara / 5.58m (18-3.75)
9. Theresa Mayanja / 5.18m (17-0)
Shot Put
Final
1. Amanda Schaare / 16.27m (53-4.5) [9 pts] [New PR]
3. Corinne Jemison / 15.14m (49-8) [6 pts]
Players Mentioned
