Weekly Release #7

Upcoming Schedule ...
Sunday, Nov. 2 -- at Big Ten Championships (East Lansing, Mich.), 10:45 a.m.
Saturday, Nov. 15 -- at NCAA Great Lakes Regional (Terre Haute, Ind.), 12:15 p.m.

This Week: Big Ten Conference Championships ...
The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team looks to defend its Big Ten Conference title this weekend as the Wolverines travel to East Lansing, Mich., for the Big Ten Championships held on the Forest Akers Golf Course on the campus of Michigan State University. Michigan claimed the 2002 league crown with a low point total of 70 points.

At the Line for the Wolverines ...
Head coach Mike McGuire will send nine harriers to the line at Forest Akers Golf Course to try and reclaim the Big Ten Conference team championship. Representing the Wolverines this Sunday (Nov. 2) will be 2002 All-Big Ten first teamers Lindsey Gallo (Freehold, N.J./Howell HS) and Rebecca Walter (Beverly Hills, Mich./Groves HS), 2003 Big Ten Athlete of the Week Jessie Allen-Young (Loveland, Colo./Thompson Valley HS), captain Andrea Parker (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson HS), Chelsea Loomis (Traverse City, Mich./West HS), Sara Pizzo (Golden, Colo./Mullen HS), Chelsea Homan (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson HS), Theresa Feldkamp (Lorain, Ohio/Amherst Steele HS) and Katie Erdman (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac HS).

Last Time on the Path ...
Sophomore/freshman Laura Brosius (Saline, Mich./Saline HS) paced a trio of runners for the Wolverines at the non-scoring Eastern Michigan Classic on Friday (Oct. 24) at Buhr Park. Brosius posted a time of 19:05 over the 5,000-meter course for 11th place in a field of 43. Senior/junior Anna Jones (Omaha, Neb./Marian HS) was the second Wolverine to finish, as she crossed the line just five seconds behind Brosius for 12th place with a clocking of 19:10. Junior/sophomore Jessica Wagner (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame HS) rounded out the Michigan field of three with a 14th-place finish in 19:32.

Championship Experience ...
The Maize and Blue will have five harriers running this Sunday (Nov. 2) who have Big Ten Championship experience. Senior Lindsey Gallo has run in the previous three conference championship meets. Gallo has earned All-Big Ten first team honors in both 2001 and 2002, finishing seventh in both races. Andrea Parker and Chelsea Loomis have also competed in the last two Big Ten Championships. Parker finished 31st and 17th in 2001 and 2002, respectively, while Loomis has turned in 51st- and 24th-place performances. Michigan's final two experienced runners are Sarah Pizzo and Rebecca Walter, both of whom competed at the 2002 league meet. In her first conference competition, Pizzo placed 23rd and Walter was the first Wolverine to cross the finish line, placing fifth overall. Her performance garnered her Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.

In the National Spotlight ...
Following their fourth-place finish at the NCAA Pre-Nationals Oct. 18 in Waterloo, Iowa, the Wolverines jumped 12 spots in the latest FinishLynx NCAA Division I Poll. The Maize and Blue currently hold the No. 10 slot in the national rankings released Monday, Oct. 20.

RANK, SCHOOL REGION PTS. PREV 1. Stanford (7) W 384 2 2. Brigham Young (6) MT 383 1 3. North Carolina State SE 355 6 4. Arizona State W 350 3 5. North Carolina SE 337 11 6. Michigan State GL 328 4 7. Notre Dame GL 308 5 8. Providence NE 298 10 9. Colorado MT 285 7 10. MICHIGAN GL 276 22 11. Northern Arizona MT 250 16 12. Columbia NE 246 9 13. Wake Forest SE 241 15 14. Princeton MA 227 23 15. UCLA W 215 12 16. Georgetown MA 195 8 17. Missouri MW 180 21 18. Wisconsin GL 165 17 19. Penn State MA 158 18 20. Nebraska MW 137 25 21. Marquette GL 127 26 22. Colorado State MT 118 20 23. UC Santa Barbara W 107 NR 24. Baylor SC 92 14 25. West Virginia MA 63 27 26. Tennessee S 52 28 27. Boston College NE 46 NR 28. Nevada MT 38 NR 29. Duke SE 29 NR 30. Florida State S 20 29

The Mike McGuire File ...
Mike McGuire is in his 12th season as a head coach for the Michigan women's cross country team. McGuire led the Wolverines to their fourth Big Ten Conference team title in 2002. In his first four seasons, McGuire won three consecutive Big Ten Conference and NCAA District IV team championships, and finished as high as second at the 1994 NCAA National Championship. All told, McGuire's Michigan teams have 10 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.

What's Next ...
The Wolverines has a week off of competition before they travel to Terre Haute, Ind., to try and earn and automatic berth in the NCAA Championships with a top-two finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships (Saturday, Nov. 15).

Contact: Gene Skidmore (734) 763-4423