Weekly Release #15
4/24/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Thu-Sat., April 26-28 -- at Penn Relays (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Fri-Sat., April 27-28 -- at Drake Relays (Des Moines, Iowa)
Friday, May 4 -- at Cardinal Twilight (Palo Alto, Calif.)
Fri-Sat., May 4-5 -- at Toledo Invitational (Toledo, Ohio)
Sunday, May 6 -- at Jesse Owens Classic (Columbus, Ohio)
This Week: Penn Relays and Drake Relays
The University of Michigan women's track and field team will send partial squads to two meets this weekend. One of those squads will compete at the world-renowned Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa., Thursday through Saturday (April 26-28) at historic Franklin Field. The 107th running of the Penn Relays will feature competition from over 100 colleges and universities as well as top athletes from around the world.
The Maize and Blue will also be represented at one of the oldest and most prominent events in the country -- the Drake Relays. The 92nd annual event hosted by Drake University will take place Friday and Saturday (April 27-28) in Des Moines, Iowa, at Drake Stadium. The Relays are expected to have a sellout crowd of 18,000 on Saturday. The Saturday program has been a sellout for the past 35 years, which is the longest in U.S. track history.
Last Year at Penn Relays
Michigan's lone entrant at the 2000 Penn Relays was junior distance ace Katie Ryan (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS), who competed in the 10,000-meter run championship of the collegiate division. Ryan placed ninth with a pace of 35:22.55, which was an NCAA provisional qualifying mark.
Last Year at Drake Relays
The Wolverines are bringing back to the Drake Relays several athletes who look to improve upon their marks from a year ago. Rachel Sturtz (Traverse, Mich./Traverse HS) placed seventh in the 800-meter run last year at the Drake Relays. Tasha Phillips (Sarasota, Fla./Booker HS) had a complete weekend last year, as she finished third in the 100-meter hurdles, 12th in the long jump and 17th in the triple jump. Tamika Craig (Inkster, Mich./Dearborn Robichaud HS) placed fifth in the 400-meter hurdles. Regine Caruthers (Inglewood, Calif./St. Bernard HS) also had a good performance as she was fifth in the 400. One of Michigan's record-setting performers this year, April Phillips (Fraser, Mich./Fraser HS), looks to improve upon a 19th-place finish in the shot put and 26th in the hammer.
California Good to Women Tracksters
Michigan spent the weekend competing at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational (April 20) in Claremont, Calif., and at the Mt. SAC Relays (April 20-22) in Walnut, Calif. Combined the Wolverines had one relay victory and six runner-up finishes over the three days. Junior Katie Jazwinski (Grand Rapids, Mich./West Catholic HS) and freshman Melissa Bickett (Akron, Ohio/Revere HS) highlighted the weekend with NCAA qualifying marks in their respective events. Jazwinski ran a personal best and NCAA automatic time in the 5,000-meter run at the Mt. SAC Relays for a 16th-place finish. Bickett threw a personal best and NCAA provisional mark in the discus with a heave of 171-9, good enough for second place.
Jazwinski Doubles Up With NCAA Times
Junior Katie Jazwinski ran a personal best and NCAA automatic time in the 5,000-meter run at the Mt. SAC Relays (April 20) with her run of 16:06.71. This makes her the first female or male Wolverine of the 2001 season to qualify for the NCAA Championships with an automatic time or mark. It also makes her the only Wolverine to qualify for two NCAA events, as she has a provisional qualifying time in the 1,500 (4:20.22), which she set at the Duke Invitational (April 7).
Bickett Gives U-M Another Provisional
Freshman Melissa Bickett joins sophomore April Phillips, junior Katie Jazwinski and sophomore Teyonna Simpson (Fremont, Calif./Mission San Jose HS) as Wolverines who have qualified with NCAA provisional times and marks in their respective events. Bickett was the latest Wolverine to achieve such a mark, with her runner-up performance in the discus at the Mt. SAC Relays (April 21), with a throw of 171-9. Phillips qualified with a Michigan- and Ferry Field-record throw of 186-3 in the hammer throw at the Michigan Triangular (April 14). Jazwinski has an automatic time in the 5,000-meter run (4:20.22) set at the Mt. SAC Relays, and ran a provisional time of 4:20.22 to a third-place finish in the 1,500-meter run at the Duke Invitational (April 7). Simpson leaped to a mark of 42-3 1/2 and took second in the triple jump at the Stanford Invitational (March 31). Simpson had an indoor NCAA provisional mark of 41-8 3/4 earlier this season, but that mark was not far enough to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Jazwinski Highly Ranked in Two Events
Junior Katie Jazwinski is ranked fourth in the nation (as of April 24) with her NCAA automatic time of 16:06.71 in the 5,000-meter run, which she achieved at the Mt. SAC Relays (April 20). She is also ranked fifth in the nation in the 1,500 with her time of 4:20.22 that she achieved at the Duke Invitational (April 7).
Field Athletes Listed Among Nation's Elite
Freshman Melissa Bickett is ranked seventh in the nation in the discus with her NCAA provisional throw of 171-9 that she achieved at the Mt. SAC Relays (April 21). Sophomore teammate April Phillips is 26th in the country in the hammer throw with her school-record toss of 186-3 at the Michigan Triangular (April 14).
Balanced Attack Leading the Way
So far during the 2001 outdoor season, five different athletes have won two individual events. Sophomore April Phillips and freshman Vera Simms each won two events at the Michigan Triangular (April 14). Phillips was victorious in the hammer throw and shot put, while Simms won the 400-meter low hurdles and the long jump. Junior Shalina Rankin (Ypsilanti, Mich./Lincoln HS) took first in the 400-meter hurdles on day one of the Stanford Invitational (March 31), and returned the next day to win the 400. Junior Katie Jazwinski won the 3,000-meter run at the Michigan Triangular and the 800 at Stanford. Sophomore Carly Knazze (Southfield, Mich./Southfield HS) brought home the 400 title at Stanford, and won it again at the Michigan Triangular.
Season-High PR's Fall Over Weekend
There were 15 personal bests achieved over the weekend at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational and Mt. SAC Relays (April 20-22). Here is the list:
| | Candice Mullings | 100-meter dash (12.03) |
| Tasha Phillips | 100-meter dash (12.68) | |
| Mora Arnold | 100-meter dash (12.71) | |
| Candice Mullings | 200-meter dash (25.18) | |
| Mora Arnold | 200-meter dash (25.51) | |
| Amy Hatfield | 800-meter run (2:16.68) | |
| Jane Martineau | 1,500-meter run (4:37.11) | |
| Rachel Sturtz | 1,500-meter run (4:39.69) | |
| Amy Hatfield | 1,500-meter run (4:47.14) | |
| Jane Martineau | 3,000-meter run (9:57.02) | |
| Jeanne Spink | 3,000-meter run (10:21.69) | |
| Katie Jazwinski | 5,000-meter run (16:06.71)@ | |
| Tasha Phillips | 400-meter hurdles (1:07.38) | |
| Melissa Bickett | Shot put (44-6 1/4) | |
| Melissa Bickett | Discus (171-9)# | |
@ NCAA automatic time/mark # NCAA provisional time/mark | ||
Phillips Goes Provisional with School Record
Sophomore April Phillips broke the Michigan hammer throw record with an NCAA provisional and Ferry Field-record toss of 186-3 at the Michigan Triangular (April 14). Phillips had set the record the two previous weeks with throws of 182-6 at the Duke Invitational (April 6) and 166-2 1/2 at the Raleigh Relays (March 31).
Bickett Sets Ferry Field Record in Discus
Freshman Melissa Bickett followed up April Phillips' record-setting day by establishing her own Ferry Field record. Bickett won the discus with a throw of 164-4, breaking the old facility record mark of 163-8, which was set in 1988 by Rachel Lewis of Minnesota.
Simpson Takes Down Triple Jump Record
Sophomore Teyonna Simpson highlighted the field events at the Stanford Invitational (April 1) for the Maize and Blue by breaking the six-year-old Michigan outdoor triple jump record. Simpson took second for the Wolverines with a personal-best and NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 42-3 1/2. The old record was set by Tania Longe (1995-98) in 1995 with a mark of 41-1 1/2.
Contact: Steve Grialou (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
