Michigan
NCAA Mideast Regional (Day 2)
Gallo, Stephenson Win Event Titles at Mideast Regional
5/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
BATON ROUGE, La. -- The University of Michigan women's track and field team was well represented on Saturday (May 29) as the 2004 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships concluded with senior/junior Lindsey Gallo (Freehold, N.J./Howell HS) and graduate/senior Lindsey Stephenson (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg HS) punching tickets to Austin, Texas, for the NCAA Championships as the duo won their signature events, in addition senior quad-captain Carly Knazze (Southfield, Mich./Southfield HS) will make her first appearance at the NCAAs as she placed fifth in the 200-meter dash. Michigan finished the meet in third place with a team score of 53 points. Host Louisiana State walked away with the team trophy scoring 111 points.
Gallo earned her spot at the NCAA Championships with a personal best showing in the 1,500-meter run as she completed her tactical race in 4:11.27, a time just 0.06 seconds shy of the school record. Gallo who two weeks ago won both the 800- and 1,500-meter runs at the Big Ten Championships, shadowed Mississippi State's Tiffany McWillams for a majority of the race, but with 150 meters to go, the Michigan mid-distance specialist took off and sprinted around McWilliams turning over very nicely into the finish line for the event title.
The victory sends Gallo to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the second consecutive year. Her time shattered her previous personal best in the event as her old mark stood at 4:16.35, which she set last year at the Cardinal Invitational (5/2/03). The time was also just 0.04 seconds shy of Sue Foster's (1980-83) school record 4:11.23 set back in 1983. Gallo did set the a new meet record in the event however, as McWilliams held the old mark with a 4:14.36 set last year in Columbus, Ohio.
Stephenson will be making her second appearance at the NCAA Championships as she earned a spot in Austin, Texas, with a victory in her signature event, the javelin throw. The graduate/senior from Columbia accomplished the win with a throw of 162-0. It marks the fourth straight meet in which she has won the event. Two weeks ago at the Big Ten Championships, Stephenson marked a personal-best distance of 165-9 to win the gold medal and help U-M to it third straight team title at the meet. It marks the first time a Michigan javelin throw has advanced to the NCAA Championships in coach Anne Takacs-Grieb's eight years as the throwing coach for the Wolverines.
Knazze will make her first ever appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships as the senior quad-captain edged out fellow teammate Sierra Hauser-Price (Van Nuys, Calif./Notre Dame HS) for fifth place in the 200-meter dash with a season-best clocking of 23.52. The time was just 0.05 seconds from her personal-best of 23.47 which she set as a freshman in 2001. The finish allowed her to make her second trip to the NCAA Championships this season, as she ran the 400-meter leg of Michigan's distance medley relay that earned All-American status during the indoor season. This will mark the first time she will compete as an individual.
The Wolverines have a week off before the three wolverines who qualified today along with Elizabeth Boyle (Northbrook, Ill./New Trier HS) and Melissa Bickett (Akron, Ohio/Revere HS) compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas. Competition runs from Wednesday through Saturday (June 9-12) in Myers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas.
Final Team Standings (Top 10)
1. Louisiana State 111 2. Tennessee 65 3. MICHIGAN 53 4. Arkansas 51 5. Auburn 47 6. Alabama 35 7. Ohio State 34 8. Michigan State 32 9. Missouri 23 10. Louisiana Tech 22
Event Winners/U-M Finishers (Day 2)
100-meter Dash (Finals) 1. Muna Lee, LSU 11.00* 6. Sierra Hauser-Price, U-M 11.56 200-meter Dash (Finals) 1. Muna Lee, LSU 22.22*! 5. Carly Knazze, U-M 23.52* 6. Sierra Hauser-Price, U-M 23.66 1,500-meter Run (Finals) 1. Lindsey Gallo, U-M 4:11.27* 10. Jessie Allen-Young, U-M 4:32.65 3,000-meter Steeplechase (Finals) 1. Brianne Schook, Toledo 9:55.98* 9. Andrea Parker, U-M 10:41.07 16. Ana Gjesdal, U-M 10:56.50 4x100-meter Relay (Finals) 1. Arkansas 44.91* 8. Michigan 45.75 (Robin Landfair, Chanelle Campbell, Carly Knazze, Sierra Hauser-Price) 4x400-meter Relay (Finals) 1. Tennessee 3:29.60* 5. Michigan 3:38.40 (Carly Knazze, Shavonne Maclin, Mora Arnold, Sierra Hauser-Price) High Jump 1. Josie Hahn, Vanderbilt 5-10 1/2* (1.79m) 9. Jennifer Kulchar, U-M 5-8 1/2 (1.74m) Javelin Throw 1. Lindsey Stephenson, U-M 162-0* (49.38m) 18. Janelle Jaha, U-M 121-7 (37.05m) Shot Put 1. Janae Strickland, Missouri 55-1 1/2* (16.80m) 18. Melissa Bickett, U-M 47-6 1/2 (14.49m) 21. Ashley Eckel, U-M 46-2 (14.07m) * Qualified for NCAA Championships ! Bernie Moore Track Stadium record
Contact: Gene Skidmore (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
