Michigan
Rod McCravy Memorial
Wolverine Women Start Strong at Kentucky, Indiana
1/28/2022 8:28:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
The University of Michigan women's track and field team opened competition Friday (Jan. 28) at both the Kentucky Rod McCravy Memorial and the Indiana Relays, with strong performances at both meets.
The sprinters, jumpers and multi-event athletes at Kentucky were headlined by the best pole-vault performance in school history, the best long-jumping duo the program has seen in more than a decade, and newcomers making an impact in the sprints.
Meanwhile at Indiana, the Michigan mid-distance crew established new personal bests in the unseeded mile before a scheduled return to the track Saturday for 800-meter action.
The Wolverine women will conclude their weekend with the final day at both Kentucky and Indiana on Saturday (Jan. 29).
Kentucky Rod McCravy Memorial
Site: Lexington, Ky. (Nutter Fieldhouse)
Event: Rod McCravy Memorial (Day 1 of 2)
U-M Result: No team scoring
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 29 -- at Rod McCravy Memorial - Day 2 (lexington, Ky.), 9:30 a.m.
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The Wolverine sprinters, jumpers and multi-event competitors set the tone for the weekend on the first day of the Rod McCravy Memorial with numerous career bests and historic performances.
The trio of Mia Manson, Brooke Tjerrild and Jessica Mercier put together the best team performance in Michigan women's pole-vault history as both Manson and Tjerrild converted crucial third-and-final attempts along the way to 4.21m (13 feet, 9.75 inches). The duo finished third and fourth, respectively, on a five-way tiebreak at that height, with Mercier topping out in seventh at 4.06m (13-3.75) on back-to-back third-attempt makes.
Manson and Tjerrild moved into a tie for No. 2 in school indoor history behind current volunteer coach Kiley (Tobel) Bastien at 4.25m (13 feet, 11.25 inches). It also marked the first time in school history, indoors or out, that two teammates cleared 4.20m in the same competition and three teammates cleared 4.00m.
Manson and Tjerrild likely will move firmly into the national top-30 by the close of the weekend.
Meanwhile in the best one-two Michigan long jump punch in more than a decade, Ameia Wilson finished runner-up at 6.09m (19 feet, 11.75 inches) with Hannah Waller close behind at 5.98m (19-7.5) in fifth. Wilson's best leap of the day came on her sixth-and-final attempt, with all five of her legal jumps farther than 19 feet. Waller impressed two jumps of 19 feet or farther.
It was the best long jumping by Michigan teammates since the trio of Bettie Wade, Tiffany Ofili and Casey Taylor all surpassed six meters en route to a 1-2-6 finish at the 2009 Big Ten Indoor Championships.
In the midst of the long jump competition, Waller ran a season's best 7.55 in the prelims of the 60 meters, but missed out on Saturday's noon semifinals by just .01 seconds. First-year standout BreeAna Bates made it through to Saturday with a 7.50-second run for 14th overall. Aasia Laurencin also made it through to the semifinals in the 60-meter hurdles.
Bates doubled back for an eighth-place finish at 200 meters in a big career-best 24.18 seconds, which moved her to No. 6 in school history indoors and No. 2 all-time among U-M first-year collegians.
Fellow first-year Savannah Sutherland also etched her name in the record books as her third-place 1:30.15 run over 600 meters put her at No. 8 in school history and No. 3 on the U-M first-year list behind teammates Ziyah Holman and Canadian compatriot Aurora Rynda.
Michigan also got a third-place finish in the heptathlon from Theresa Mayanja. She was at or near career-best pace right from the first event, when she ran 8.69 seconds for 976 points in the 60-meter hurdles to come within .09 of her best. Her indoor career-best 1.62m (5 feet, 3.75 inches) for 759 points in the high jump was not without drama, as she needed a pair of third-and-final attempt makes at 1.59m (5-2.5) and 1.62m. Those clearances netted her an additional 70 points toward her overall total.
Mayanja tossed a career-best 12.14m (39 feet, 10 inches) on her last attempt in the shot put for 670 points and followed that with a solid 4.92m (16-1.75) long jump, but faltered in the 800-meter finale in 2:31.79 to come up just short of her career best at 3,614 points.
Clare McNamara was strong in her collegiate pentathlon debut with 3,459 points for fifth, headlined by a 5.54m (18 feet, 2 inche) leap in the long jump.
Michigan Results by Event
q = qualified for next round
60 meter dash
Prelims
14. BreeAna Bates / 7.50q
21. Hannah Waller / 7.55
35. Hanna Hearn / 7.76
43. Aasia Laurencin / 7.80
200 meter dash
Final
8. BreeAna Bates / 24.18 [New PR]
20. Hanna Hearn / 24.71 [New PR]
31. Ameia Wilson / 25.24
600 meter run
Final
3. Savannah Sutherland / 1:30.15 [New PR]
60 meter hurdles
Prelims
12. Aasia Laurencin / 8.64q
Pole Vault
Final
3. Mia Manson / 4.21m (13-9.75) [New PR]
4. Brooke Tjerrild / 4.21m (13-9.75) [New PR]
7. Jessica Mercier / 4.06m (13-3.75)
14. Cate Visscher / 3.76m (12-4)
Long Jump
Final
2. Ameia Wilson / 6.09m (19-11.75) [New PR]
5. Hannah Waller / 5.98m (19-7.5) [New PR]
Pentathlon
Final
3. Theresa Mayanja / 3,614
5. Clare McNamara / 3,459
Theresa Mayanja
60 meter hurdles / 8.69 (976 pts) / Place: 2
Shot Put / 12.14m (39-10) (670 pts) [New PR] / Place: 2
800 meter run / 2:31.79 (671 pts) / Place: 3
High Jump / 1.62m (5-3.75) (759 pts) [New PR] / Place: 4
Long Jump / 4.92m (16-1.75) (538 pts) / Place: 6
Clara McNamara
800 meter run / 2:25.36 (752 pts) / Place: 2
Long Jump / 5.54m (18-2) (712 pts) / Place: 3
Shot Put / 10.79m (35-4.75) (581 pts) / Place: 4
High Jump / 1.56m (5-1.5) (689 pts) [New PR] / Place: 5
60 meter hurdles / 9.93 (725 pts) / Place: 7
Indiana Relays
Site: Bloomington, Ind. (Gladstein Fieldhouse)
Event: Indiana Relays (Day 1 of 2)
U-M Result: No team scoring
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 29 -- at Indiana Relays - Day 2 (Bloomington, Ind.), 12:35 p.m.
Bloomington, Ind. -- The Wolverines competed in just one event at Indiana on Friday, but made it count as Julia Vanitvelt took the win in the unseeded mile to lead a contingent of career-best efforts.
Vanitvelt took control late in the race en route to a 4:45.26 victory that slashed six seconds off her previous best, and was followed home in third through fifth by career-best runs from Kayla Windemuller (4:47.25), Lucy Petee (4:48.68) and Samantha Saenz (4:50.05). The quartet chopped a combined 13 seconds off their former personal records.
All four are scheduled to return Saturday for the 800-meter competition. Michigan also will have entries in the mile and at 3,000 meters.
Michigan Results by Event
q = qualified for final
Mile
Unseeded
1. Julia Vanitvelt / 4:45.26 [New PR]
3. Kayla Windemuller / 4:47.25 [New PR]
4. Lucy Petee / 4:48.68 [New PR]
5. Samantha Saenz / 4:50.05 [New PR]
15. Gabby Swider / 5:02.26
Players Mentioned
