Weekly Release #9

Upcoming Schedule ...
Monday, Nov. 24 -- at NCAA Championships (Waterloo, Iowa), 12:30 p.m. CST

This Week: NCAA Championships ...
The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team looks to improve on its national ranking next Monday (Nov. 24), as head coach Mike McGuire will send seven harriers to Waterloo, Iowa, for the 2003 NCAA Championships. The 6,000-meter women's race will be held on the Irv Warren Golf Course and will begin at 12:30 p.m. CST. It marks the second consecutive year the Maize and Blue team will compete in the NCAA Championships.

At the Line for the Wolverines ...
Heading the Wolverines seven-member NCAA squad will be sophomore Rebecca Walter (Beverly Hills, Mich./Groves HS),  the 2003 Big Ten Conference Athlete of the Year. Joining Walter on the line are 2003 All-Big Ten first teamers Lindsey Gallo (Freehold, N.J./Howell HS), Jessie Allen-Young (Loveland, Colo./Thompson Valley HS) and Sarah Pizzo (Golden, Colo./Mullen HS). All-Big Ten second teamer Katie Erdman (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac HS), team captain Andrea Parker (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson HS) and Ana Gjesdal (LaCrescenta, Calif./Crescenta Valley HS) round out Michigan's representatives. Five of Michigan's seven representatives earned All-Great Lake Regional honors last weekend as Walter (3rd), Allen-Young (4th), Gallo (9th), Pizzo (18th) and Erdman (24th) all finished in the Top 25 of the 6,000-meter Great Lake Regional Championship race in Terre Haute, Ind.

The Field ...
Michigan will be one of five Big Ten Conference teams at the national championship meet next Monday (Nov. 24). The Wolverines earned their spot at the championships with a second-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional held last Saturday (Nov. 15) in Terre Haute, Ind. Rounding out the Big Ten participants are Indiana, Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin. The rest of the 31-team women's field includes Arizona State, Baylor, Brigham Young, Colorado, Colorado State, Columbia, Duke, Florida State, Georgetown, Marquette, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Northern Arizona, Notre Dame, Princeton, Providence, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, UC-Santa Barbara, UCLA, Villanova, Wake Forest and Washington.

Michigan in the NCAAs ...
This marks the 12th time in head coach Mike McGuire's tenure that the Wolverines will be represented at the NCAA Championships. Under McGuire the Wolverines have qualified to run at the championships as a team 11 times, only missing the meet in 1996 and 2000. Last year the Wolverines finished 15th overall with a total score of 430 points, led by then freshman Rebecca Walter, who crossed the finish line 51st. Though the Maize and Blue did not run in the meet as a team in 1996, Marcy Akard (1996-99) qualified individually and finished 51st. As a team the Wolverines have placed in the nation's top 10 five times, finishing runner-up in 1994, eighth in '92, sixth in '93 and seventh in both '95 and '97. Michigan was 11th in 1998.

Last Time on the Path: NCAA Great Lakes Regional ...
The Wolverines earned their 11th trip to the NCAA Championships under head coach Mike McGuire with a runner-up performance at the Great Lakes Regional meet held Saturday (Nov. 15) in Terre Haute, Ind. Michigan placed second with 58 points, 15 points behind champion Notre Dame, which totaled 43 points on Indiana State's 6,000-meter LaVern Gibson Championship Course. Rebecca Walter led the Maize and Blue harriers across the line, finishing third with a personal-best time of 20:38.6. Graduate/senior Jessie Allen-Young closed hard and finished one spot behind Walter for fourth place in 20:42.7, while senior Lindsey Gallo navigated the course in 20:58.3 for ninth place. Rounding out the Michigan scorers were junior Sarah Pizzo and Katie Erdman, who finished 18th (21:21.5) and 24th (21:31.0), respectively. U-M captain Andrea Parker crossed in 26th (21:42.0), while Chelsea Loomis (Traverse City, Mich./West HS) placed 73rd (22:36.2). Michigan's top five finishers all earned All-Great Lakes Region honors as they were among first 25 athletes to cross the finish line.

Championship Experience ...
Michigan has five athletes with NCAA Cross Country Championships experience as Jessie Allen-Young, Lindsey Gallo, Andrea Parker, Sarah Pizzo and Rebecca Walter have all competed in the 6,000-meter national championship race. Allen-Young competed in the 2001 national championship race as a member of Dartmouth College's cross country team. As a junior/sophomore, she finished 140th overall with a time of 22:29. Gallo has run in three NCAA Championships, with a best finish of 108th last year when she crossed the line in 21:22.4. Parker, Pizzo and Walter have each competed in one NCAA Championships meet, helping the Wolverines finish 15th last year in Terre Haute, Ind. Parker placed 159th (21:44.9), Pizzo was 214th (22:12.8) and Walter was 51st in 20:49.3. Katie Erdman and Ana Gjesdal are the only two harriers making the trip who have not run in the national championship race.

Best of the Best
Sophomore Rebecca Walter became the fourth harrier in Wolverine history to run to the Big Ten individual title, when she earned the gold medal at the 2003 Big Ten Championships Nov. 2 in East Lansing, Mich. Walter joins Molly McClimon (1989-93), Deanna Arnill (1994) and Katie McGregor (1995-98) on the list of Michigan women who hold the title of Big Ten Athlete of the Year. McClimon and Arnill won back-to-back Big Ten individual titles in 1993 and '94, while McGregor posted two straight Big Ten crowns in '97 and '98.

Big Ten Champions, Again
The Wolverines ran to their second consecutive Big Ten Conference team championship Nov. 2 as the Maize and Blue totaled a low score of 31 points to claim the league title by 26 points over runner-up and meet host Michigan State at Forest Akers Golf Course in East Lansing, Mich. Sophomore Rebecca Walter headed the Wolverines team effort as she completed the rain-soaked 6,000-meter circuit in a personal-best time of 20:40.5. Also earning All-Big Ten first team honors were seniors Jessie Allen-Young (3rd, 20:52.4), Lindsey Gallo (6th, 21:11.1) and junior Sarah Pizzo (7th, 21:16.1). Freshman Katie Erdman was the final scoring Wolverine to cross the finish line as earned All-Big Ten second team accolades with a 14th-place showing in 21:41.8. Team captain Andrea Parker finished 28th (22:03.4), and Chelsea Loomis, 29th (22:06.2), Theresa Feldkamp (Lorain, Ohio/Amherst Steele HS), 41st (22:17.4), and Chelsea Homan (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson HS), 65th (22:50.0) rounded out the Wolverine finishers. The Wolverines' 31 points were the lowest scored at the championships since 1999. It marked the fifth Big Ten team title in Michigan's 25-year history. In addition to its 2002 league team crown, the Wolverines posted three straight first-place finishes from 1992-94.

Leader of the Best ...
Michigan head coach Mike McGuire was honored as the Big Ten Coach of the Year after his Wolverines won their second consecutive conference title Nov. 2 ago in East Lansing, Mich. The honor was the fifth of McGuire's career and second in as many years as the head man at U-M. He earned three consecutive conference honors as he led the Maize and Blue to conference championships from 1992-94

A Look at Michigan's Top Seven ...
Graduate/senior Jessie Allen-Young ... Allen-Young led the Wolverines across the finish line in two races and was named Big Ten Athlete of the Week once this season. Allen-Young was the Wolverines' leader at the Miami Invitational (Sept. 13) and at the Roy Griak Invitational (Sept. 27). She earned All-Big Ten first team honors with a third-place finish at the conference championship (Nov. 2) and earned All-Great Lakes Region honors with a fourth-place showing last weekend (Nov. 15) at the regional championships. Allen-Young in 2003:

 EVENT DISTANCE PLACE TIME Miami Invitational 5,000m 1st 17:38.9 Roy Griak Invitational 6,000m 11th 21:13 Michigan Intercollegiate 4,000m 2nd 13:37 NCAA Pre-Nationals 6,000m 18th 20:49.9 Big Ten Championships 6,000m 3rd 20:52.2 Great Lakes Regional 6,000m 4th 20:42.7

Sophomore/freshman Katie Erdman ... Erdman earned All-Big Ten second team honors as she finished 14th, helping U-M to its second consecutive conference team title (Nov. 2). She also earned All-Great Lakes Regional honors with 24th-place showing at the NCAA Regional Championships last weekend (Nov. 15). Erdman in 2003:

 EVENT DISTANCE PLACE TIME Michigan Intercollegiate 4,000m 9th 14:25 NCAA Pre-Nationals (Open) 6,000m 19th 22:19.8 Big Ten Championships 6,000m 14th 21:41.8 Great Lakes Regional 6,000m 24th 21:31.0

Senior Lindsey Gallo ... Gallo became the first harrier in Michigan history to earn three career All-Big Ten first team honors. Gallo saved her best performance at the conference championships for her final race at the league meet when she placed sixth overall with a time of 21:11.1. Gallo also earned All-Great Lake Regional accolades by finishing ninth with a time of 20:58.3 at the regional championships last week (Nov. 15). Gallo in 2003:

 EVENT DISTANCE PLACE TIME Roy Griak Invitational 6,000m 49th 21:45 Michigan Intercollegiate 4,000m 3rd 13:47 NCAA Pre-Nationals 6,000m 25th 20:58.8 Big Ten Championships 6,000m 7th 21:16.1 Great Lakes Regional 6,000m 9th 20:58.3

Junior Ana Gjesdal ... Gjesdal will make her first appearance in the Michigan lineup since she ran for the Maize and Blue in the Open race at the NCAA Pre-Nationals (Oct. 18). Gjesdal in 2003:

 EVENT DISTANCE PLACE TIME Miami Invitational 5,000m 18th 18:51.0 Roy Griak Invitational 6,000m 135th 22:55 NCAA Pre-Nationals (Open) 6,000m 12th 22:05.1

Senior/junior Captain Andrea Parker ... Parker was named team captain prior to the season. She produced a personal-best finish at the Big Ten Championships, placing 28th with a time of 22:03.4. Parker also just missed out of All-Great Lakes Regional honors, placing 26th at the regional meet last week (Nov. 15). Parker in 2003:

 EVENT DISTANCE PLACE TIME Roy Griak Invitational 6,000m 117th 22:42 Michigan Intercollegiate 4,000m 5th 14:04 NCAA Pre-Nationals 6,000m 42nd 21:19.9 Big Ten Championships 6,000m 28th 22:03.4 Great Lakes Regional 6,000m 26th 21:42.0

Junior Sarah Pizzo ... Pizzo earned All-Big Ten first-team honors at the Big Ten Championships (Nov. 2) as she helped the team to its second consecutive league team title, placing seventh with a time of 21:16.1. Pizzo also earned All-Great Lakes Regional honors with an 18th-place showing in 21:21.5 at the regional championships (Nov. 15). Pizzo in 2003:

 EVENT DISTANCE PLACE TIME NCAA Pre-Nationals 6,000m 37th 21:15.5 Big Ten Championships 6,000m 7th 21:16.1 Great Lakes Regional 6,000m 18th 21:21.5

Freshman Rebecca Walter ... The 2003 Big Ten Athlete of Year ran to her first Big Ten individual title Nov. 2 as she crossed the finish line in a then personal-best time of 20:40.5 in East Lansing, Mich. Walter's first-place showing marked the second consecutive All-Big Ten first team honor of her career. Two weeks later, the sophomore earned All-Great Lakes Regional accolades when she finished third at the regional championships with a new personal-best clocking of 20:38.6. Walter in 2003:

 EVENT DISTANCE PLACE TIME Miami Invitational 5,000m 4th 17:53.1 Roy Griak Invitational 6,000m 15th 21:18 Michigan Intercollegiate 4,000m 1st 13:37 NCAA Pre-Nationals 6,000m 13th 20:42.4 Big Ten Championships 6,000m 1st 20:40.5 Great Lakes Regional 6,000m 3rd 20:38.6

In the National Spotlight
Following their second consecutive qualifying performance at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships, the Wolverines jumped another spot in the latest FinishLynx NCAA Division I Poll. The Maize and Blue currently holds the No. 6 slot in the national rankings released Monday (Nov. 17).

RANK, TEAM REGION PTS. LAST 1. Brigham Young (9) MT 386 2 2. Stanford (3) W 380 1 3. North Carolina SE 360 3 4. Notre Dame GL 349 4 5. North Carolina State SE 330 5 6. MICHIGAN GL 317 7 7. Colorado MT 314 6 8. Providence NE 305 8 9. Columbia NE 279 9 10. Georgetown MA 274 16 11. UCLA W 254 15 12. Michigan State GL 248 12 13. Wake Forest SE 242 13 14. Princeton MA 230 14 15. Villanova MA 189 21 16. Colorado State MT 181 22 17. Northern Arizona MT 170 10 18. Penn State MA 156 17 19. Nebraska MW 150 -- 20. Missouri MW 122 20 21. Texas SC 114 -- 22. Washington W 110 -- 23. Arizona State W 91 11 24. Indiana GL 80 -- 25. Baylor SC 76 18 26. Tennessee S 68 24 27. Duke SE 61 25 28. Marquette GL 53 19 29. Dartmouth NE 33 -- 30. Florida State S 30 28

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 fifth Big Ten Conference team title in 2003. 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 nine 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.

Contact: Gene Skidmore (734) 763-4423