Wolverines Capture Third Straight Big Ten Outdoor Title

Sunday, May 16

West Lafayette, Ind.

Michigan

Big Ten Outdoor Championships (Day 3)

Wolverines Capture Third Straight Big Ten Outdoor Title

5/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The University of Michigan women's track and field team used a total team effort to claim its third consecutive Big Ten Conference outdoor team title today (Sunday, May 16), as 23 Wolverines combined to score 148 points over three days of action at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships at Purdue University's Rankin Track.

Gallo became only the fourth individual in Big Ten history to turn the 800-1,500 double.

Highlighting the final day's competition were senior/junior Lindsey Gallo (Freehold, N.J./Howell HS), who became the first Wolverine to capture both the 800- and 1,500-meter run crowns, and senior quad-captain Melissa Bickett (Akron, Ohio/Revere HS), who earned her first Big Ten individual title with a victory in her signature event, the discus throw.

Penn State placed second in the team standings with 126.5 points, while Illinois was third with 90 points. U-M's 21.5-point margin of victory is the biggest at the outdoor meet since 1995, when Illinois scored 169 points and won by 58.

Gallo captured her first of two event victories when she clocked in with a time of 4:24.37 in the 1,500-meter run. Heading into the final as the No. 2 seed behind Wisconsin's Hilary Edmondson, Gallo began the race in the middle of the pack through the first lap. She positioned herself third through the second lap, but as she passed the finish line, she kicked it into another gear and began to pull away from the field.

Edmondson went with her and stayed on her heels as the two continued to open ground between themselves and the rest of the 10-member field. Heading into turn three of the final lap, Gallo held a slight advantage, but Edmondson was soon on her shoulder and eventually pulled ahead coming into the final 100 meters.

Gallo would not be denied though and with 50 meters remaining she found yet another gear and sprinted past the Wisconsin senior for her first Big Ten individual title. Though Gallo and Edmondson were neck and neck coming down the stretch, Michigan's mid-distance specialist won by 0.86 seconds, 4:24.37 to 4:25.23. The victory ended Wisconsin's 17-year stranglehold in the event as the Badgers have won the race every year dating back to Suzy Favor Hamilton's first of four straight wins in 1987 in Iowa City, Iowa.

Graduate/senior Jessie Allen-Young (Loveland, Colo./Thompson Valley HS) continued her strong season as she finished third in the 1,500 with an NCAA regional-qualifying time of 4:29.07.

On the infield of Rankin's Track, Bickett won in the same dramatic fashion. The senior quad-captain opened the event with a toss of 153-11, which put her in fifth position overall in the event. However, she fouled on her next two throws, while Ohio State's Amarachi Ukabam, the 2003 champion, and Illinois' Marie Hilmersson bettered their marks to push Bickett into seventh place heading into finals.

On her first toss in the finals, Michigan's throwing leader moved all the way up to the top of the standings with a pitch of 169-3. Throwing in the second position in the finals she had to wait as six other competitors tried to beat her mark, so, on her final throw of the day, she pushed the bar even further when she sent the discus 170-10 feet away from the throwing circle.

Following her throw, she went out into the field and sat by herself to watch the proceedings. After every throw she waited to see what the screen read, and it was only after Penn State's Christen Clemson threw 155-3 on her final throw, that Bickett could celebrate her first Big Ten event crown.

It was then time for Gallo's second race of the day, the 800-meter run, an event in which Michigan has a strong tradition, as it has won the last five at the outdoor championships. The first lap played to Gallo's favor as the lead pack came through in 66.5. The paced soon quickened and Gallo made her move coming into the back straightaway when she opened into a sprint and pulled away from the field. Illinois' Carlene Robinson tried to keep up, but Gallo kept up the pace, eventually crossing the finish line in an NCAA regional-qualifying time of 2:07.02.

With the victory Gallo etched her name in a few record books, as she became the first Wolverine to accomplish the 800-1,500 double and just the fourth runner in Big Ten Conference history to achieve the feat. In addition to breaking Wisconsin's streak of 17 straight titles in the 1,500, she also extended Michigan's streak to six consecutive years in which a U-M runner finished first in the outdoor 800.

Michigan had many other major contributors Sunday. In the first event of the day, the foursome of Robin Landfair (Okemos, Mich./Okemos HS), Chanelle Campbell (Round Rock, Texas/Round Rock HS), Carly Knazze (Southfield, Mich./Southfield HS) and Sierra Hauser-Price (Van Nuys, Calif./Norte Dame HS) combined to finish third in the 4x100-meter relay with a season-best and NCAA regional-qualifying time of 45.67.

Landfair returned to the track after Gallo's first win to finish third in the 100-meter hurdles in 13.63. It marks Landfair's best finish at the outdoor championships, as she previously had a best showing of fourth place at the 2003 league meet. Senior/junior Candice Wilkey (Elmvale, Ontario/Elmvale District HS) added to her point total at this year's meet when she finished seventh with a time of 14.18. Heading into this year's meet, Wilkey had never scored at the Big Ten Championships.

Hauser-Price then posted her best individual showing at Big Tens when she placed second in the 100-meter dash with an NCAA regional-qualifying 11.73. Junior Keri Kirk (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) followed that up with a personal-best time of 59.50 for third place in the 400-meter hurdles. Kirk had a previous best time of 1:00.72, which she set during prelims of the event a day earlier.

Back on the infield, junior Jennifer Kulchar (Burton, Mich./Atherton HS) tied for fifth in the high jump as she cleared 5-6. The final individual running event of the championships provided Allen-Young a second opportunity to score some points in her first and final Big Ten meet. Allen-Young used it to her advantage and finished fifth with a time of 17:02.07. Gallo also participated in the race, placing ninth in 17:05.07.

With the team trophy already clinched, Michigan added to its team total, as the foursome of Knazze, Shavonne Maclin (University Heights, Ohio/Beaumont School), Mora Arnold (Gregory, Mich./Chelsea HS) and Hauser-Price combined to finish second in the 4x400-meter relay with an NCAA regional-qualifying time of 3:42.80.

The Wolverines have a week off before several Maize and Blue athletes travel to Baton Rouge, La., Friday and Saturday (May 28-29) for the second annual NCAA Mideast Regional Championships. Each day's action begin at noon, with Friday's action getting underway with the javelin, while Saturday's competition is scheduled to begin with the hammer throw.

Final Team Standings

 1. MICHIGAN 148 2. Penn State 126.5 3. Illinois 90 4. Ohio State 86 5. Michigan State 75 6. Purdue 64.5 7. Indiana 63.5 8. Minnesota 63 9. Wisconsin 60.5 10. Iowa 42

Event Winners/U-M Finishers (Day 3)

100-meter Dash  1. Connie Moore, Penn State 11.40!# 2. Sierra Hauser-Price, U-M 11.73# 200-meter Dash 1. Connie Moore, Penn State 22.74!# 5. Sierra Hauser-Price, U-M 23.76# 8. Carly Knazze, U-M 24.00 400-meter Dash 1. Shellene Williams, Iowa 52.97# 3. Carly Knazze, U-M 54.73 7. Shavonne Maclin, U-M 55.94 800-meter Run 1. Lindsey Gallo, U-M 2:07.04# 7. Anna Jones, U-M 2:11.20 1,500-meter Run 1. Lindsey Gallo, U-M 4:24.37# 3. Jessie Allen-Young, U-M 4:29.07# 9. Chelsea Homan, U-M 4:39.51 100-meter Hurdles 1. Molly Logan, Ohio State 13.36# 3. Robin Landfair, U-M 13.63# 7. Candice Wilkey, U-M 14.18 400-meter Hurdles 1. Camile Robinson, Illinois 57.52!# 3. Keri Kirk, U-M 59.50#
 8. Kiana Stringfield, U-M 1:02.66 5,000-meter Run 1. Jamie Krzyminski, MSU 16:40.58# 5. Jessie Allen-Young, U-M 17:02.07 9. Lindsey Gallo, U-M 17:09.59 -- Ana Gjesdal, U-M DNF -- Andrea Parker, U-M DNF 4x100-meter Relay 1. Penn State 44.55!# 3. Michigan 45.67# (Robin Landfair, Chanelle Campbell, Carly Knazze, Sierra Hauser-Price) 4x400-meter Relay 1. Illinois 3:38.76!# 2. Michigan 3:42.80# (Carly Knazze, Shavonne Maclin, Mora Arnold, Sierra Hauser-Price) High Jump 1. Peaches Roach, Iowa 5-11 1/4!# (1.81m) T5. Jennifer Kulchar, U-M 5-6 (1.68m) 18. Porsha Ellis, U-M 5-4 1/4 (1.63m) -- Annessa Schnur, U-M NH Triple Jump 1. Rosalind Goodwin, OSU 43-2 1/2# (13.27m) Discus 1. Melissa Bickett, U-M 170-10# (52.08m) 14. Bridgette Maynard, U-M 141-6 (43.12m) 15. Tara Kennedy, U-M 140-8 (42.89m) 18. Jamie Barbour, U-M 133-9 (40.76m) # NCAA Regional qualifier ! Rankin Track record