Weekly Release #6

Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, Oct. 19 -- at NCAA Pre-Nationals (Terre Haute, Ind.), 11 a.m. EST/CDT
Friday, Oct. 25 -- at EMU Classic (Ypsilanti, Mich.), 4 p.m.

This Week: NCAA Pre-Nationals ...
The University of Michigan women's cross country team returns to Terre Haute, Ind., this Saturday (Oct. 19) for the NCAA Pre-Nationals. The Wolverines join 97 other teams with NCAA Championship hopes at the 6,000-meter LaVern Gibson Championship Course. Due to the large number of teams competing in the race, two races will be run. The teams find out Wednesday (Oct. 16) which race they will be running in.

Last Time on the Path: Michigan Intercollegiate ...
In preparation for the NCAA Pre-Nationals head coach Mike McGuire rested a number of his top harriers for the 4,000-meter Michigan Intercollegiate held last Friday (Oct. 11) in Milford, Mich., at the Kensington Metro park. With six runners competing in the race, the No. 19 Wolverines placed third out of 15 teams with 58 points. Michigan was paced by redshirt freshman Theresa Feldkamp (Lorain, Ohio/Amherst Steele HS), who crossed the line in a personal-best eighth place at 15:35.2.

Michigan in Terre Haute ...
It marks the second time this season the Wolverines will venture to Terre Haute, Ind., for a 6,000-meter race. The Maize and Blue posted a second-place finish two weeks ago at the Indiana State Invitational (Sept. 28) on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course with 74 points. Lindsey Gallo (Freehold, N.J./Howell HS) led Michigan across the line with a personal-best 21:41.1 for eighth place. The Wolverines have found success in Terre Haute since 1998. Running in the 1998 Great Lakes Regional, then senior Katie McGregor crossed the line in first place, solidifying both an individual and team appearance at the NCAA Championships. McGregor went on to win the program's first national championship at the NCAA meet in Lawrence, Kan. Michigan and the Great Lakes Regional returned to Terre Haute in 1999 and placed third as a team. Katie Jazwinski was the first Wolverine harrier across the line when she finished fifth. The Maize and Blue again returned with the Great Lakes Regional last season and placed seventh as team. Michigan has another opportunity to make the trip to Terre Haute this season, if the team qualifies for the NCAA Championships (Nov. 25).

Returning to the Scene ...
When the Wolverines last ran on the LaVern Gibson Course, nine Wolverines set personal bests on the 6,000-meter course. At the Indiana State Invitational (Oct. 5) junior/sophomore Andrea Parker (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson HS) shaved 25.1 seconds of her previous personal-best time set at the 2001 Great Lakes Regional, stopping the clock at 21:59.8. Junior Lindsey Gallo clocked in at 21:42.1 knocking 14.4 seconds off her previous best from last year's regional meet. Here is a list of the other personal-best times.

Jane Martineau 21:46.9 Rebecca Walter 21:47.3 Stephanie Hirtle 22:06.7 Sarah Pizzo 22:17.8 Chelsea Loomis 22:17.9 Ana Gjesdal 22:35.5 Theresa Feldkamp 22:42.8

Gaining National Recognition (Update) ...
After a third-place finish at the Michigan Intercollegiate (Oct. 11) the Wolverines jumped one spot to No. 18 in the weekly FinishLynx NCAA Division I Poll. It marks the fourth consecutive week the Wolverines has climbed in the national rankings. U-M entered the nation's top 30 in the Sept. 24 poll at No. 25.

No. Team Region Pts. Prev. 1. Brigham Young (13) MT 390 1 2. Stanford W 376 3 3. Michigan State GL 350 5 4. Colorado MT 337 4 5. Georgetown MA 319 7 6. North Carolina State SE 307 9 7. Providence NE 304 8 8. Arizona State W 297 6 9. Wisconsin GL 285 10 10. Arkansas SC 270 13 11. Duke SE 269 11 12. Columbia NE 266 14 13. Notre Dame GL 254 12 14. North Carolina SE 234 15 15. Boston College NE 189 5 16. Virginia SE 178 16 17. UCLA W 162 18 18. MICHIGAN GL 160 19 19. Villanova MA 158 21 20. Missouri MW 149 20 21. Northern Arizona MT 148 17 22. Penn State MA 122 25 23. Marquette GL 99 23 24. William & Mary SE 89 22 25. Colorado State MT 73 24 26. Wake Forest SE 57 26 27. Southwest Missouri State MW 53 27 28. Washington W 43 28 29. Dartmouth NE 41 29 30. Yale NE 17 --

The Mike McGuire File ...
Mike McGuire is in his 11th season as a head coach for the Michigan women's cross country team. McGuire has led the Wolverines to three straight victories in 2002, with wins at the Running Fit Detroit Mercy Invitational (Sept. 7), Mel Brodt Invitational (Sept. 14) and the Sundodger Invitational (Sept. 21). In his first four seasons, McGuire won three consecutive Big Ten Conference and NCAA District IV championships, and finished as high as second at the 1994 NCAA National Championship. All told, McGuire's Michigan teams have nine top-two finishes at the Big Ten Championships and eight top-two finishes at the regional championships, winning the regional meet in 1993, '94 and '95. His teams have finished among the nation's top 10 five times at the NCAA Championships.

Up Next ...
The Wolverines make the 15-minute trek down Washtenaw, Ave. next Friday (Oct. 25) when the Maize and Blue crew competes in the EMU Classic in Ypsilanti, Mich. The 6,000-meter race is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. on the Eagle Crest Golf Course.

Contact: Gene Skidmore, 734-647-4237