Michigan
Big Ten Outdoor Championships
Mid-Distance Runners Advance on Day One at Big Tens
5/13/2022 9:23:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (University of Minnesota Track and Field Stadium)
Event: Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships
U-M Result: T10th of 13 teams (0 points)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, May 14 (Big Ten Championships Day Two)
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The University of Michigan women's track and field team opened its postseason run Friday (May 13) with the first of three days at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships hosted by Minnesota at its UM Track and Field Stadium.
The mid-distance runners took center stage on the first day – the lightest schedule of the three days – as both Sam Tran and Julia Vanitvelt advanced to Sunday's final at 1,500 meters.
Each woman took a very different route to the final. In the second of three heats, Tran ran at the front early and tamped down any attempt at an early hot pace. When the race got underway in earnest before two laps to go, Tran had the strength and speed to continue to run at the front. She came off the final turn in a battle with indoor mile champion Olivia Howell of Illinois, who she held off, along with a group of three other women behind them, for an automatic berth to the final. She crossed in 4:30.38, .08 ahead of Howell and with two other finishers within a second.
Vanitvelt, meanwhile, needed a two-and-a-half second career-best 4:23.44 in the final heat to secure her automatic berth. Coming off the final turn, she found herself fourth in a group of four women chasing three automatic berths. She moved into third place partway down the homestretch and would not relinquish the position. Moving into third proved crucial, as the fourth-place finisher in the race did not run fast enough to earn an at-large berth.
Michigan just missed out on two other qualifiers in other events, as Savannah Sutherland was 10th overall in the 400-meter hurdles in 58.99 and BreeAna Bates was 10th at 200 meters in 24.06 (+1.0m/s). Only nine women advanced to Sunday's finals for each event and Bates missed that cutoff by only .04 of a second.
Through the first four events of the two-day, seven-event heptathlon, Theresa Mayanja is sixth overall with 3,170 points, just six points back of fifth and 88 behind third. Clare McNamara is 11th overall, just over 100 points outside of top-eight team point-scoring territory.
Mayanja opened with a solid 14.04 (+1.8 meters per second [m/s] wind) to start the day in fourth, while McNamara avoided disaster in the final hurdle to clock 16.60 (+0.1m/s). McNamara tripped over the penultimate barrier, managed to get over the last hurdle on her feet and salvaged the rest of her day in the process.
McNamara led the way in the two successive field events. In the high jump, she cleared a career-best 1.62m (5-3.75), with Mayanja clearing the previous bar at 1.59m (5-2.5). Another career-best mark followed in the shot put as she led much of the competition with a 12.67m (41-7) and ultimately finished second. Mayanja was strong with a 12.07m (39-7.25) for fourth in the event.
Mayanja and McNamara closed out the day with 25.89 (+1.2m/s) and career-best 26.52 (+1.3m/s) performances, respectively.
In the only field event action of the day for the Wolverines, the pole vaulters were shut out of the awards podium and team scoring. Former Big Ten Champion Jessica Mercier finished tied for ninth overall at 4.08m (13-4.5). Though finishers as high as sixth place also topped out at that same bar, Mercier missed out on team points on tiebreak based on misses at previous heights.
The second day at the Big Ten Championships gets underway Saturday at 11 a.m. CT as Mayanja and McNamara resume action in the heptathlon. The first field event will be 1:20 p.m. with the long jump, and the track session is set to begin at 4 p.m.
Full Michigan results from the weekend can be found below.
Michigan Results by Event
Q/q = qualified for the next round
200 meter dash
Prelims
10. BreeAna Bates / 24.06 (+1.0m/s]
18. Chika Amene / 24.47 (+0.2m/s]
1500 meter run
Prelims
8. Julia Vanitvelt / 4:23.44Q [New PR]
11. Samantha Hastie / 4:27.54
15. Sam Tran / 4:30.38Q
16. Gabby Swider / 4:30.43
26. Eva Jansohn / 4:35.16
400 meter hurdles
Prelims
10. Savannah Sutherland / 58.99
15. Lauren Fulcher / 60.75
Pole Vault
Final
9. Jessica Mercier / 4.08m (13-4.75)
11. Mia Manson / 3.98m (13-0.75)
14. Brooke Tjerrild / 3.98m (13-0.75)
15. Cate Visscher / 3.83m (12-6.75)
Heptathlon
Through four of seven events
5. Theresa Mayanja / 3,170 points
100 meter hurdles / 14.04 [+1.2m/s] (973 pts) / Place: 4
High Jump / 1.59m (5-2.5) (724 pts) / Place: 10
Shot Put / 12.07m (39-7.25) (666 pts) / Place: 4
200 meter dash / 25.89 [+1.2m/s] (807 pts) / Place: 8
11. Clare McNamara / 2,859 points
100 meter hurdles / 16.60 [+0.1m/s] (642 pts) / Place: 11
High Jump / 1.62m (5-3.75) (759 pts) [New PR] / Place: 8
Shot Put / 12.67m (41-6.75) (706 pts) [New PR] / Place: 2
200 meter dash / 26.52 [+1.3m/s] (752 pts) [New PR] / Place: 11
Players Mentioned
