Michigan
Windy City Invitational
Rynda Continues Historic Streak on Day One in Chicago
2/11/2022 9:36:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
Site: Chicago, Ill. (Track and Field Center at Gately Park)
Event: Windy City Invitational (Day 1 of 2)
U-M Result: No team scoring
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 12 -- at Windy City Invitational - Day 2 (Chicago, Ill.), 11:30 a.m. CST
• Complete Results (PDF)
CHICAGO, Ill. -- For the second weekend in a row, Aurora Rynda made history at the school, collegiate and international levels Friday (Feb. 11) as she headlined the University of Michigan women's track and field team's opening day at the Wisconsin Windy City Invitational at the newly opened Track and Field Center at Gately Park.
Just six days after taking down the 800-meter school record in NCAA-leading fashion, she copied-and-pasted for the 600-meter distance, as she clocked a school-record, Canadian-record and world-leading 1:27.05 around Gately's hydraulically banked 200-meter overall.
Rynda's was chief among several impressive performances from the Wolverines, who are two weeks away from the start of the Big Ten Indoor Championships on Feb. 25. Ameia Wilson joined three-time Olympian Tiffany (Ofili) Porter as the only women in school history to long jump at least 20 feet and run faster than 7.45 at 60 meters, leading a strong corps of Wolverines in both events.
At 600 meters, Rynda took control of the race on the second of three laps, never looking back as she split 55.94 seconds for 400 meters and held on for one of the most impressive performances in collegiate history for the distance.
Though four other Big Ten women have run faster on oversized tracks, never before has anyone in conference history gone faster on an international-standard 200-meter oval. Only two women in all of collegiate history -- Olympic champion Athing Mu and Delisa Walton -- have ever run faster on a standard track.
The time leads the world, regardless of track size, for the 2022 winter season, and leads all NCAA runners by just shy of a full second.
Rynda is scheduled to return Saturday (Feb. 12) to close out the meet as a leg of the 4x400 relay as the Wolverines chase the school record in that event.
While Wilson did not set a school record in either the long jump or 60-meter dash, her combined performances in both events is matched in program history by only multiple-time NCAA champion and Olympian Porter.
Wilson claimed the long jump title at 6.19m (20 feet, 3.75 inches) and ran the 60 meters qualifying round's second-fastest time in 7.44 seconds. In program history, only Porter has ever jumped 20 feet and ran faster than 7.50 at 60 meters.
In the long jump, she led a 1-3 finish as Hannah Waller also leapt a career best for third.
Sitting in second and third heading into the penultimate fifth of six rounds, Wilson leapt a career-best 6.19m (20 feet, 3.75 inches), with Waller following immediately with a 6.00m (19-8.25) career best of her own. It marked the first time two or more Wolverines had surpassed six meters in the same competition since the trio of Bettie Wade, Ofili and Casey Taylor all did it en route to a 1-2-6 finish at the 2009 Big Ten Indoor Championships.
It was enough to boost them to first and second at the time, but Waller was eclipsed by a single centimeter for the runner-up spot and wound up third. Still, it was an impressive display by the Michigan duo, as Wilson leapt 19 feet on all five of her legal jumps -- including an additional 6.16m (20 feet, 2.5 inches).
She came back later in the evening to run the qualifying rounds of the 60 meters, where she clocked 7.44 seconds for the second-fastest time of the day, just ahead of the career-best-tying 7.45 for the No. 3 spot from BreeAna Bates.
Both women advanced to Saturday's semifinals, as did 10th-place Waller (7.56) and 12th-place Hanna Hearn (7.60). The Wolverines also advanced four women to the 60-meter hurdles semifinals, led by fourth-place Carlita Taylor in 8.72.
Bates returned to the track for the 200 meters, where she took 12th in 24.36 seconds, just ahead of 16th-place Ziyah Holman in 24.55.
Michigan will remain in Chicago on Saturday (Feb. 12) to finish the second day of their last big regular-season road trip of the winter. Day two begins at 11:30 a.m. CT.
Michigan Results by Event
Q = qualified for next round automatically
q = qualified for next round at-large
60 meter dash
Prelims
2. Ameia Wilson / 7.44q [New PR]
3. BreeAna Bates / 7.45q [New PR]
10. Hannah Waller / 7.56q
12. Hanna Hearn / 7.60q
200 meter dash
Final
12. BreeAna Bates / 24.36
16. Ziyah Holman / 24.55
24. Aasia Laurencin / 25.14
30. Chika Amene / 25.57
33. Simone Roberts / 26.14 [New PR]
34. Delaney Stersic / 26.40
35. Madison Eaton / 27.13
37. Paige Chapman / 27.30
600 meter run
Final
1. Aurora Rynda / 1:27.05 [U-M Record]
8. Lauren Fulcher / 1:33.23
5000 meter run
Final
--. Samantha Saenz / DNF
60 meter hurdles
Prelims
4. Carlita Taylor / 8.72q
7. Theresa Mayanja / 8.78q
10. Madison Eaton / 8.85q
11. Paige Chapman / 8.97q
Pole Vault
Unseeded
3. Cate Visscher / 3.80m (12-5.5)
8. Morgan Flynn / 3.55m (11-7.75) [New PR]
10. Bree Bredeweg / 3.55m (11-7.75)
Long Jump
Final
1. Ameia Wilson / 6.19m (20-3.75) [New PR]
3. Hannah Waller / 6.00m (19-8.25) [New PR]
16. Theresa Mayanja / 5.03m (16-6)
--. Clare McNamara / NM
Players Mentioned
