Michigan
NCAA Indoor Championships
Rynda Advances to 800m Final on Opening Day of NCAA Indoor Championships
3/11/2022 9:42:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
Site: Birmingham, Ala. (Birmingham CrossPlex)
Event: NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships (Day 1 of 2)
U-M Team Standing: No team score
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 12 -- at NCAA Indoor Championships (Birmingham, Ala.), 7:30 p.m. CST
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Already a four-time individual Big Ten Conference champion, Aurora Rynda of the University of Michigan women's track and field team earned the opportunity to go for her first national title on the first day of action at the NCAA Indoor Championships on Friday (March 11) at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
Rynda made a critical move in the closing meters of her 800-meter preliminary race to clinch an automatic berth to Saturday's final, as she finished sixth overall and third in her heat in 2:04.12 -- the fourth-fastest time ever by a Big Ten woman in NCAA Indoor Championships competition.
With two school records at 600 meters and 800 meters to her name this year, as well as the Big Ten title at 600 meters -- the third of her career -- and in the distance medley relay, Rynda will race the final Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CST with the chance to become Michigan's first indoor champion in the 800 meters.
Rynda was patient to make her moves in the race, coming through 200 meters and then 400 meters in sixth place. She started to move coming off the turn approaching 500 meters and decisively went to third with 300 meters left to go. In a battle for third at the bell with 200 meters to go, she dropped two spots as opponents in the field started their kicks.
Still in fifth as she came off the final turn, Rynda swung wide into lane three with 20 meters left, running a half step behind the third- and fourth-place runners. Over the next 10 meters she surged into third and just held off Arkansas' Shafiqua Maloney and Florida's Imogen Barrett for the third and final automatic qualifying spot.
Rynda is Michigan's first finalist since Rebeccca Addison in 2012, and she joins Katie Erdman as Michigan women who won Big Ten 600-meter titles and went on to run in the NCAA indoor final at 800 meters. Erdman was third in 2004, seventh in 2006, and fourth in 2007.
The kick ultimately ended up making the difference between qualifying and not qualifying. Maloney ultimately earned the second and final non-automatic finals berth, while Barrett was left out of qualifying.
School record-holder Jessica Mercier was unable to clear the opening bar of 4.16m (13-7.75) in the pole vault. Though she will not earn All-America honors, she was bestowed "honorable mention" status from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Michigan Results by Event
Q / q = qualified for final
800-meter run
Prelims
6. Aurora Rynda / 2:04.12q
Pole Vault
Final
--. Jessica Mercier / No Height
Players Mentioned
