Weekly Release #17
5/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sun., May 13-15 -- at Big Ten Outdoor Championships (Columbus, Ohio)
Fri-Sat., May 27-28 -- at NCAA Mideast Regional (Bloomington, Ind.)
This Week: Triple Crown Season on the Brink
Michigan competes in the Big Ten Outdoor Championships at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on the campus of Ohio State University. Michigan is seeking its fourth outdoor title in a row and its seventh outdoor title in program history, while looking to achieve the program's fourth triple crown after winning the cross country and indoor titles this year.
The Wolverines look to score strongly in the middle-distance and distance events, with a number of athletes looking to put up good results in the sprints and field contests. Penn State, Illinois and Minnesota will also contend for the title, while Iowa and Purdue sport athletes that can make a splash and turn the tide of the championships. Penn State finished runner-up at the 2004 outdoor championships and placed fourth at the indoor conference meet this season, while Illinois took third at the 2004 outdoor meet and finished second at the 2005 Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Events begin on Friday with the heptathlon, pole vault, hammer throw and the 10,000-meter run. Competition carries through Saturday and culminates Sunday with the 4x400-meter relay.
Fifth-year senior Lindsey Gallo looks to defend her 800- and 1,500-meter run crowns in Columbus and head coach James Henry looks for his fourth straight coach of the year honor and his seventh career outdoor coach of the year honor.
Big Tens on CSTV
The 2005 Big Ten Outdoor Championships will be shown on tape delay on Tuesday, May 17 at 9 p.m. on CSTV. It will also air on Wednesday, May 18 at 8 a.m. and Thursday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m.
2004 Big Ten Outdoor Championships 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 60.5 9. Wisconsin 60.5 10. Iowa 42
U-M in the Last 10 Big Ten Outdoor Championships
Year Place Points Site 2004 1st 148 West Lafayette, Ind. 2003 1st 137 Minneapolis, Minn. 2002 1st 109 Madison, Wis. 2001 4th 99.25 Bloomington, Ind. 2000 6th 94.5 Iowa City, Iowa 1999 4th 107 West Lafayette, Ind. 1998 1st 129.5 Columbus, Ohio 1997 2nd 111 Champaign, Ill. 1996 3rd 95 University Park, Pa. 1995 5th 67.5 Minneapolis, Minn.
NCAA Regionals Explained
Four regional meets are held to determine the participants for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Athletes across the nation who qualify for the regional standard earn a trip to their respective regional championships. Michigan is in the Mideast Region and will compete in its regional meet on May 27-28 at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. In order for an athlete to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships, she must finish in the top five of an individual event or be a member of a top three relay at the regional championship. The track and field committee will also select a group of at-large athletes to round out the remainder of the Championships field in each event, similar to provisional-qualifying marks in the past.
Trackwire 25 and Dandy Dozen
Michigan remains unranked in the Trackwire 25. Fifth-year senior Lindsey Gallo ranks seventh in the 1,500-meter run, while junior/sophomore Katie Erdman is fourth in the 800-meter run.
Drake Relays Recap
Michigan defended two of its three relays at the Drake Relays and set two school records in a very productive weekend in Des Moines. U-M defending its 4x1,600-meter and distance medley relay crowns in the first and second day of competition but fell just short of the triumvirate after finishing second in the 4x800-meter relay. The silver lining was that the Wolverines' 4x800-meter relay set a new school record, clocking in at 8:33.36 - 3.29 seconds faster than the previous high water mark. Fifth-year senior Andrea Parker also set a school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, clocking in at 10:24.25 and shaving 9.09 seconds off the previous best -- set by Parker at the 2004 Big Ten Championships. Senior/junior Ana Gjesdal won the 10,000-meter run with a winning time of 34:50.42 -- the fastest winning time in the 10k since 2001 and a NCAA provisional qualifying standard.
Andrea Parker Named Big Ten Track and Field Athlete of the Week
Fifth-year senior Andrea Parker was named Big Ten Track and Field Athlete of the Week after her performances in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 4x1,600-meter relay at the Drake Relays. Parker snapped her own record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, shaving 9.09 seconds off the previous best, and ran the second leg of Michigan's title-winning 4x1,600-meter relay squad. The honor is the first of her career and the second for the Wolverines in the 2005 outdoor season. Junior/sophomore Katie Erdman earned Big Ten weekly honors last week after regionally qualifying in the 800-meter run in back-to-back meets, setting a personal best at the Pomona-Pitzer (April 15) in the process. Erdman clocking in at 2:05.94 at Pomona for her first regional-qualifying time and then ran the 800-meter run in 2:05.98 at the Mt. SAC Relays (April 17). The honor is the second of Erdman's career, following an indoor Big Ten weekly award in 2004.
NCAA Regional Qualifiers So Far...
Track
Nicole Edwards: 1,500-meter run: 4:24.66 at Blue Devil Invitational (4/8)
800-meter run: 2:07.34 at Pomona-Pitzer (4/15)
Katie Erdman: 800-meter run: 2:05.94 at Pomona-Pitzer (4/15)
Theresa Feldkamp: 1,500-meter run: 4:25.90 at Mt. SAC Relays (4/15)
Arianne Field: 3,000-meter steeplechase: 10:50.94 at Drake Relays (4/29)
Lindsey Gallo: 1,500-meter run: 4:19.97 at Blue Devil Invitational (4/8)
800-meter run: 2:07.12 at Pomona-Pitzer (4/15)
Ana Gjesdal: 3,000-meter steeplechase: 10:41.25 at Florida Relays (3/24)
5,000-meter run: 16:49.78 at Blue Devil Invitational (4/8)
10,000-meter run: 34:50.42 at Drake Relays (4/28) (provisional-qualifying time)
Sierra Hauser-Price: 100-meter dash: 11.67 at EMU Twilight (4/22)
200-meter dash: 23.76 at Pomona-Pitzer (4/15)
Andrea Parker: 5,000-meter run: 16:46.64 at Mt. SAC Relays (4/15)
3,000-meter steeplechase: 10:24.25 at Drake Relays (4/29)
1,500-meter run: 4:27.68 at Len Paddock (5/6)
Rebecca Walter: 5,000-meter run: 16:35.28 at Hillsdale Relays (4/30)
Field
Ashley Eckel: Hammer Throw: 178-10 (54.50m) at Len Paddock (5/6)
Bridgette Maynard: Discus: 164-5 (50.12m) at Len Paddock (5/7)
Jennifer Williams: High Jump: 5-10 1/2 (1.79m) at Hillsdale Relays (4/30)
Boyle Out With Injury
Defending Big Ten Outdoor pole vault champion Elizabeth Boyle will not compete in the 2005 outdoor season due to injury. Boyle broke the Big Ten Outdoor Championships record in 2004 with a clearance of 13-1 3/4 at Purdue.
Gallo Three-Peat at Indoors, So What's Next
Fifth-year senior Lindsey Gallo won the mile, 3,000- and 5,000-meter run at the 2004 Big Ten Indoor Championships, earning Athlete of the Championships and Athlete of the Year honors in guiding Michigan to the team title. So what's up for the outdoor championships Gallo is the defending 800 and 1,500-meter title-holder and may compete in another middle-distance event this championship.
Maynard Making Her Mark
Sophomore Bridgette Maynard recorded a throw of 164-5 in the discus at the Len Paddock Invitational, becoming the only Wolverine other than Melissa Bickett to clear 164-5 in the last six seasons. Bickett won the discus at the 2004 Big Ten Outdoor Championships with a throw of 170-10 and she owns the school record in the event with a toss of 186-5, recorded in her sophomore season in 2002.
NCAA Indoor Championships Recap
Michigan finished the indoor season as ther 13th-best program in the country, winning the national championship in the distance medley relay, placing fifth-year senior Lindsey Gallo third in the mile run and seeing senior/junior Stephanie Linz and freshman Alyson Kohlmeier compete in the high jump and mile respectively. Gallo anchored the Wolverines' DMR team to its first national title since 1998 with the help of freshman Nicole Edwards, senior Sierra Hauser-Price and senior/junior Theresa Feldkamp. Michigan's 13th-place finish was the third-best in school history, as was its 16-point team total.
Wolverines Win Big Ten Indoor Championships
Michigan captured its seventh indoor conference championship and its third in the last four seasons. The Wolverines are on the verge of capturing their third triple crown in program history with conferenct titles in cross country and indoor track this season.
Gallo Named Big Ten Indoor Athlete of the Championship
Fifth-year Lindsey Gallo won three individual titles, taking the mile, 3,000- and 5,000-meter events, leading Michigan to its seventh indoor title in school history.
Gallo Named Big Ten Indoor Athlete of the Year
Fifth-year Lindsey Gallo finished the indoor regular-season undefeated in the mile, 800-, 3,000- and 5,000-meter events, going on to win three titles at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, while running the fastest mile in the nation in 2005. Gallo is Michigan's first Big Ten athlete of the year since Nicole Forrester earned the honor in 1999.
Three Michigan Indoor Records Fall in February
Michigan's 60-meter dash, 200-meter dash and indoor mile records fell in the month of February. Fifth-year senior Lindsey Gallo broke the previous indoor mile record by 1.34 seconds when she clocked in at 4:37.97 at the Meyo Invitational (Feb. 5). Gallo holds three U-M records (indoor mile, outdoor 800m, 1,500m) and was a member of Michigan's record-setting outdoor 4x800-meter relay team in 2004. Senior Sierra Hauser-Price broke Michigan's 60- and 200-meter dash records on the final day of the Big Ten Indoor Championships (2/27), running the 60-meter dash in 7.42 seconds and clocking in at 24.00 in the 200-meter dash. Three of Hauser-Price's 60-meter dash times in 2005 tied or broke the previous school best.
Sierra Hauser-Price Gives up Hoops For Indoor Immortality
Senior Sierra Hauser-Price competed for three seasons with the Michigan women's basketball team but decided in her final year to give indoor track and field a chance. She began competing in the indoor season for the first time this January and made an immediate impact on the Wolverines. Hauser-Price owns Michigan's 60- and 200-meter dash records, won a Big Ten title (200m), finished runner-up (60m dash) and won a national title at the NCAA Indoor Championships with the DMR team.
Captains of the Ship
Head coach James Henry selected four captains to lead the 2005 Wolverines. Fifth-year seniors Lindsey Gallo and Lynn Gasparella, senior Keri Kirk and junior/sophomore Rebecca Walter will serve as co-captains for Michigan in 2005.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
