Weekly Release #19

5/28/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field

Upcoming Schedule
Wed-Sun., May 30-June 2 -- at NCAA Outdoor Championships (Eugene, Ore.)

This Week: NCAA Outdoor Championships
The University of Michigan women's track and field team will send three athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Championships this Wednesday through Saturday, May 30-June 2 in Eugene, Ore. The University of Oregon will host the meet on Hayward Field (10,000 capacity).

Freshman Melissa Bickett (Akron, Ohio/Revere HS) will be the first Wolverine to compete at the national championships, as she will be in the finals of the discus on Wednesday (May 30) at 3 p.m. PDT. Senior Lisa Ouellet (Sudbury, Ontario/LaSalle SS) was the final competitor taken to race in the 1,500-meter run, which will have the semifinals on Thursday (May 31) at 6 p.m. PDT, with the finals on Saturday (June 2) at 6 p.m. PST. Junior Katie Jazwinksi (Grand Rapids, Mich./West Catholic HS) will run in the final individual race with the 5,000-meter run on Saturday at 7 p.m. PDT.

Tickets are available currently in four-day session packages only, through the University of Oregon Athletic Department Ticket Office at 1-800-WEB-FOOT (open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time). Reserved four-day tickets are $50. All remaining four-day general admission passes are $35 for adults and $22 for children (2 on up through high school, but not college) and seniors (age 62 on up).

Michigan at the NCAA Outdoor Championships
From 1988-99, Michigan had at least one NCAA outdoor All-American in eight of the 12 years. The Wolverines have never had an individual win an NCAA outdoor individual title, but have had four runner-up finishes:

Sue Schroeder	5,000-meter run	1985
Sue Schroeder	5,000-meter run	1986
Molly McClimon	5,000-meter run	1993
Katie McGregor	5,000-meter run	1998

Under coach James Henry Michigan has been to the NCAA Outdoor Championships 11 times since 1985. The Maize and Blue has been in the top 25 six of those 11 appearances. Michigan's best finish was 15th place (15 points) in 1998.

Last Year's NCAA Outdoor Championships
The Wolverines were represented by Brandi Bentley (1997-2000) and Katie (Clifford) Jazwinski at the 2000 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Durham, N.C. Bentley was 15th in the long jump competition with a distance of 20-0 1/4. Making her first NCAA appearance, Jazwinski took 14th in the 10,000-meter run, posting a time of 34:51.51.

Rankings Heading into NCAAs
Junior Katie Jazwinki is ranked 11th in the nation (as of May 23) 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 13th in the nation in the 1,500 with her time of 4:20.22 from running at the Duke Invitational (April 7). Senior teammate Lisa Ouellet is ranked 32nd in the country in the 1,500 with her time of 4:22.88 that she ran at the Stanford Invitational (May 4).

Freshman Melissa Bickett is ranked 13th in the nation (as of May 23) 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 32nd in the country in the hammer throw with her school-record toss of 186-3 at the Michigan Triangular (April 14) and is 24th in the shot put with her 50-4 mark at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships (May 19).

Sophomore Carly Knazze (Southfield, Mich./Southfield HS) is ranked 35th and 30th in the 200- and 400-meter dashes, respectively. Knazze provisionally qualified in both events at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships (May 20).

Last Meet: Big Ten Outdoor Championships
Michigan finished fourth with 99.25 points at the Big Ten Conference Outdoor Championships on May 18-20 in Bloomington, Ind. The Wolverines were paced by three individual conference champions: junior Nicole DeNamur (Algoma, Wis./Algoma HS) in the high jump (5-8 1/2), junior Katie Jazwinski in the 3,000-meter run (9:35.43) and sophomore Rachel Sturtz (Traverse, Mich./Traverse HS) in the 800 (2:07.76). Jazwinski also added U-M's only runner-up performance, as she came in second in the 1,500. Here is the full list of Wolverines who scored at this year's outdoor championships:

	Carly Knazze	4th, 200-meter dash (23.47)#*
	Carly Knazze	4th, 400-meter dash (53.46)#*
	Regine Caruthers	6th, 400-meter dash (54.33)
	Rachel Sturtz	1st, 800-meter run (2:07.76)$
	Adrienne Hunter	6th, 800-meter run (2:11.71)
	Katie Jazwinski	2nd, 1,500-meter run (4:26.04)
	Lisa Ouellet	7th, 1,500-meter run (4:39.25)
	Katie Jazwinski	1st, 3,000-meter run (9:35.43)$
	Jane Martineau	8th, 10,000-meter run (37:51.37)*
	Shalina Rankin	4th, 400-meter hurdles (1:00.86)*
	Vera Simms	7th, 400-meter hurdles (1:01.12)
	Nicole DeNamur	1st, High jump (5-8 1/2)$
	Anna Fisher	T8th, Pole vault (11-2 1/4)
	April Phillips	3rd, Shot put (50-4)#*
	Teyonna Simpson	3rd, Triple jump (40-1 1/4)
	Melissa Bickett	3rd, Discus (171-3)#
	April Phillips	4th, Hammer (174-0)
	Tasha Phillips	3rd, Heptathlon (4,807 points)*
	Breanne Tenclay	5th, Heptathlon (4,548 points)*
	# NCAA Provisional Time/Mark $ Big Ten Champion * Personal best

Sturtz Owns the 800
By winning the Big Ten outdoor 800-meter run (May 20), sophomore Rachel Sturtz swept the pair of 800s during the 2001 season. Sturtz also won the Big Ten indoor 800 (Feb. 25), posting a time of 2:11.07. Sturtz is the first Wolverine to win both the indoor and outdoor titles in the same event since Nicole Forrester (1996-99) won a pair of high jump crowns in 1999.

Balanced Attack Leading the Way
So far during the 2001 outdoor season, sophomore April Phillips leads the Maize and Blue with seven individual victories. Phillips added her last victory in the hammer throw at the Len Paddock Invitational (May 11). Freshman Vera Simms, junior Tasha Phillips and Katie Jazwinski are tied for second on the team with three individual wins. Simms won the 400-meter hurdles at the Toledo Invitational (May 5). April Phillips and Simms each won two events at the Michigan Triangular (April 14). April Phillips was victorious in the hammer throw and shot put, while Simms won the 400-meter low hurdles and the long jump. Tasha Phillips claimed the 100-meter hurdle titles at the Len Paddock Invitational, Toledo and the Michigan Triangular. Jazwinski won the 3,000-meter run at the Big Ten Championships (May 20), Michigan Triangular and the 800 at Stanford.

Three different athletes have won two individual events. 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. Sophomore Carly Knazze brought home the 400 title at Stanford, and won it again at the Michigan Triangular. Freshman Adrena Williams (Berkeley, Calif./James Logan HS) won the 100-meter dash at the Toledo Invitational and at the Michigan Triangular.

PRs Fall at Big Ten Outdoor Championships
There were 16 personal bests achieved over the weekend at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships (May 18-20). Here is the list:

	Carly Knazze	200-meter dash (23.47)#
	Carly Knazze	400-meter dash (53.46)#
	Regine Caruthers	400-meter dash (53.90)
	Mora Arnold	400-meter dash (56.87)
	Rachel Sturtz	800-meter run (2:07.76)$
	Katie Easton	1,500-meter run (4:37.46)
	Amy Hatfield	1,500-meter run (4:39.65)
	Jeanne Spink	1,500-meter run (4:45.65)
	Jane Martineau	10,000-meter run (37:51.37)
	Shalina Rankin	400-meter hurdles (1:00.86)
	April Phillips	Shot put (50-4)#
	Nicki Proulx	Discus (134-2)
	Melissa Bickett	Hammer (157-4)
	Nicki Proulx	Javelin (105-0)
	Tasha Phillips	Heptathlon (4,807 points)
	Breanne Tenclay	Heptathlon (4,548 points)
	# NCAA Provisional Time/Mark $ Big Ten Champion

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 (April 14). 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