Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Michigan Claims Fourth Straight Big Ten Championship
10/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. -- Sophomore Alyson Kohlmeier (Sarnia, Ontario/St. Patrick's) led the No. 3-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team to its fourth consecutive Big Ten Conference title at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday (Oct. 30) on Les Bolstad Golf Course. The Wolverines tallied a total of 42 points, giving them an 18-point margin of victory over second-place Illinois.
With a brisk morning air in 50-degree weather, the Wolverines placed two harriers on the All-Big Ten first team and three runners on the All-Big Ten second team. Michigan was successful due to its tightly woven pack of runners, with the five top-14 finishers crossing the finish line within 40 seconds of each other.
Leading the Wolverine harriers for the fifth time of the season was Kohlmeier, as she crossed the finish line at 21:02.74, just 2.54 seconds from first place. The second U-M runner to cross the line was sophomore Erin Webster (Dearborn, Mich./Divine Child), coming in seventh with a time of 21:22.04.
Also assisting Michigan in earning its 42 points were redshirt freshman Nicole Edwards (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey), who took eighth place at 21:24.79; senior Rebecca Walter (Beverly Hills, Mich./Groves), who in her second race of the season finished 11th exactly eight seconds behind Edwards; and junior Arianne Field (Kalamazoo, Mich./Hackett), who was the final runner to earn All-Big Ten honors, as she took 14th place with a time of 21:38.94.
The Wolverines travel to Bloomington, Ind., in two weeks as they seek their second straight NCAA Great Lakes Regional title on Saturday, Nov. 12, at noon.
Team Standings
1. MICHIGAN 42 2. Illinois 60 3. Minnesota 82 4. Indiana 128 5. Michigan State 145 6. Wisconsin 146 7. Iowa 170 8. Purdue 180 9. Ohio State 257 10. Penn State 258
Top 14 Individuals
(All-Big Ten: Top seven finishers are first team, next seven are second team)
1. Cassie Hunt, Illinois 21:00.54 2. Alyson Kohlmeier, U-M 21:02.74 3. Emily Brown, Minnesota 21:11.74 4. Stephanie Simms, Illinois 21:11.84 5. Lauren Williams, Minnesota 21:12.99 6. Ladia Albertson-Junkans, Minnesota 21:13.19 7. Erin Webster, U-M 21:22.04 8. Nicole Edwards, U-M 21:24.79 9. Jessica Gall, Indiana 21:30.14 10. Lindsay Hattendorf, Indiana 21:30.89 11. Rebecca Walter, U-M 21:32.79 12. Lindsay Zinn, Purdue 21:33.54 13. Katie Engel, Illinois 21:37.19 14. Arianne Field, U-M 21:38.94
Other Michigan Individuals
17. Ana Gjesdal, U-M 21:44.14 19. Jessie Stewart, U-M 21:52.04 28. Katie Erdman, U-M 22:07.49 30. Chelsea Loomis, U-M 22:13.24
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Mike McGuire
On winning the fourth consecutive Big Ten title ... "Obviously I'm extremely happy and proud of how we raced. I'm especially happy for our seniors that are finishing up, in particular Rebecca Walter, who has a durable distinction of running on four Big Ten championship teams. That's only something that some athletes from Wisconsin can lay claim to, because they're the only other school that's won four titles in a row. I thought we competed really well. (Alyson) Kohlmeier had a shot. It was a little bit tactical race from Aly. She's been spearheading the attack all year. She did a great job."
On he expects at the Great Lakes Regional ... "Well, we've got to get out a little bit better. We actually were a little bit further back than I wanted to be with one big wave of our athletes, so we have to focus on getting out a little bit better. We still managed to keep our composure; at the same time it's only so many you can pass when we're as far back as we were with a few of them. But I thought all nine of them did a great job. It's been a team effort all year, and this was just a continuation of what we've been doing all year."
On any surprises on the team ... "No, not really. I was really proud of Erin Webster. That was her first Big Ten meet. For her to make first team All-Big Ten, I thought that was a fitting reward for the tremendous work she's done all year for us. Nicole Edwards should be the Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten because she was the first freshman throughout the lot. We're obviously proud of that also. It's about nine people that got out there today and raced hard and got the job done, so I'm proud of all of them."
On the team's success with young runners ... "I wasn't surprised at all. I thought if we could keep doing what we've been doing all year long, that we would be okay. We knew that Illinois would present a challenge to us. They're definitely a program that's not only on the rise but that's there, they've arrived. So I'm proud of the fact that we were equal to the challenge that was presented to us."
N O T E S
• Michigan earned its fourth consecutive Big Ten title, joining Wisconsin as the only schools to accomplish the four-peat. The Badgers twice won six straight (1983-88, 1995-2000).
• Michigan's seven all-time Big Ten titles rank second in Big Ten history behind Wisconsin's (13). The Wolverines have earned titles in 1992, '93, '94, 2002, '03, '04 and '05.
• Sophomore Alyson Kohlmeier earned All-Big Ten first team honors for the second straight year.
• Earning All-Big Ten honors for the first time were sophomore Erin Webster (first team), senior/junior Arianne Field (second team) and redshirt freshman Nicole Edwards (second team).
• With All-Big Ten second team honors, senior Rebecca Walter earned her fourth consecutive All-Big Ten award. She was on the All-Big Ten first team in 2002, '03 and '04.
• This year marks the first time Michigan has won all its regular-season scored meets along with Big Ten title. In 1998 Michigan swept the regular season but took second place at the Big Ten Championships.
Contact: Joseph Conrad (734)763-4423
Players Mentioned
