Weekly Release #2

Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 8 -- at Miami Invitational (Oxford, Ohio), 10:30 a.m.
Saturday, Sept. 15 -- at Spiked Shoe Invitational (State College, Pa.), 10:30 a.m.

This Week: Miami Invitational
The Michigan women's cross country team will send its "A" team this weekend to the Miami Invitational on Saturday (Sept. 8, 10:30 a.m.) in Oxford, Ohio. This will be the first scored meet for the Wolverines this season.

Last Year at Miami
Led by individual winner Katie Jazwinski (1997-2000), Michigan won the team title at the 2000 Miami Invitational. The Wolverines posted a team score of 28 points to finish ahead of runner-up Ball State (52). Four Maize and Blue harriers were among the top 10, including three in the top five. Michigan has three athletes returning who were in the top 20. Lindsey Gallo (Freehold, N.J./Howell HS) posted an 11th-place finish, while Jane Martineau (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./Mt. Pleasant HS) was 12th. Rounding out the top 20 was Jeanne Spink (Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea HS), who finished the race in 17th place.

Strong Starts
Last year's win at the Miami Invitational marked the fifth year in a row that Michigan has won its first scored meet of the season. The Wolverines won the Spiked Shoe Invitational (1999), Sycamore Classic (1998), Spartan Invitational (1997) and Michigan State Dual Meet (1996).

Eastern Michigan Open
Michigan opened its 2001 season at the non-scoring Eastern Michigan Open on Saturday (Sept. 1) at Buhr Park in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines had two of their half-milers, Ursula Taylor (Edwardsburg, Mich./Edwardsburg HS) and Erika Flannery (Perry, Mich./Perry HS), represent the Maize and Blue in the meet. Taylor was the top Wolverine in the meet, taking 37th place with a time of 21:09, while Flannery posted a time of 22:55, which claimed the 50th spot.

Head of the Class
Michigan returns a trio of upper classmen who bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Wolverine squad. Leading the attack should be junior Jane Martineau, who finished up the championship part of the 2000 cross country season on a high note. Senior Katie Ryan (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) brings a wealth of experience as a three-year letterwinner and a fifth-year senior who has run in a lot of championship races. Senior Erin White (Battle Creek, Mich./Central HS) is capable of being a good contributor to the program, as another fifth-year senior whose experience should help Michigan.

Deep Impact
Sophomore Lindsey Gallo is coming off a fine freshman season, competing at both the Big Ten and NCAA championships. Sophomore Katie Easton (Fort Gratiot, Mich./Port Huron Northern HS) has made progress every year and can run anywhere from third to seventh in the lineup. Freshman Andrea Parker (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson HS) was redshirted last year in cross country but ran some good times in the outdoor track season.

Junior Jeanne Spink has also run in championship races and is expected to run at a higher level this season. Sophomore Rachel Sturtz (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) is someone who, on selective cross country courses, can help the Wolverines, as a very good middle-distance runner. Amy Hattefield (Saline, Mich./Saline HS) is a redshirt freshman who has made great strides in track and hopes to have a carry-over effect. Sophomore Anna Jones (Omaha, Neb./Marian HS) lettered as a freshman in 2000 and will also be right there in the middle of the pack.

Fresh Faces
The Wolverines have five freshmen who could find themselves challenging in the middle of the pack. Emily Anderson (Marquette, Mich./Marquette HS) won the Michigan Upper Peninsula Cross Country Championship back-to-back in 1998 and 1999. Chelsea Homan (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson HS) joins the Maize and Blue as the 1999 Division I Ohio state cross country champion, and she took third in 2000. She is also a 2000 Footlocker Finalist in cross country. Stephanie Hirtle (Salmon Arm, B.C./Salmon Arm SS) has represented Canada in the World Junior Cross Country Championships. Sarah Pizzo (Denver, Colo./Mullen HS) is an All-State runner in both cross country and track, and holds a 4:41 in the 1,500. Chelsea Loomis (Traverse City, Mich./West HS) is also looking to contribute to the program.