Weekly Release #1
9/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Sept. 16 -- at Michigan State Invitational (East Lansing, Mich.), 2:00 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 23 -- at Notre Dame Invitational (South Bend, Ind.), 4:15 p.m. EST/CDT
This Week: Michigan State Invitational ...
The three-time defending Big Ten Conference champion University of Michigan women's cross country team travels to East Lansing, Mich. this Friday (Sept. 16) at 2p.m. in the Michigan State Invitational. The Maize and Blue placed nine harriers in the top 20 at last season's MSU Invitational, including a second-place finish by Rebecca Walter and a third-place finish from Sarah Pizzo.
Returning Champions ...
The Wolverines return 18 letterwinners out of 24 total returning runners from last year's roster, including Big Ten individual champion and NCAA All-American Rebecca Walter, and All-Big Ten second teamer Katie Erdman.
Still Going Strong ...
2004 Big Ten individual champion and NCAA All-American Rebecca Walter led the Maize and Blue to the finish line in seven meets last season, including all three postseason races. Walter placed second at the Big Ten Championhsips, first at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, first at the NCAA Regional Championships and 18th at the NCAA Championships. Along with these accomplishments, Walter earned both All-Big Tean first team and NCAA All-American honors, and WICCCA Great Lakes Regional Athlete of the Year. The 2002 Big Ten Freshman of Year, Walter led the Wolverines to the finish line in each of U-M's final three races in 2002, including a 51st-place showing at the NCAA Championships. At the 2002 Big Ten Championships, Walter helped the Wolverines to the conference crown as she crossed the line in fifth place, earning All-Big Ten first team honors.
2005 Team Captains Named ...
Head coach Mike McGuire has named senior/junior Katie Erdman and senior Rebecca Walter team captains for the 2005 season. This is the second year in a row the two runners have been named captains. Erdman earned Academic All-Big Ten Conference honors, All-Big Ten second team honors with an 11th-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, while placing 15th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional and 94th at the NCAA Championships.
2005 FinishLynx Preseason Poll (9/8/05)
Rank, Team (first-place votes) Points 1. Colorado (5) 379 2. Duke (6) 374 3. Notre Dame 356 4. Stanford (2) 344 5. MICHIGAN 325 6. Brigham Young 321 7. Providence 319 8. Arizona State 292 9. North Carolina State 283 10. Villanova 261 11. Columbia 243 12. Wake Forest 215 13. Michigan State 210 14. Illinois 201 15. UC Santa Barbara 191 16. Tennessee 181 17. Arkansas 180 18. Princeton 172 19. Missouri 133 20. Colorado State 112 21. Georgetown 109 22. Georgia 104 23. Indiana 99 24. Baylor 93 25. Virginia 74 26. North Carolina 69 27. Washington 60 28. Marquette 58 29. Yale 53 30. Butler 50
The Mike McGuire File ...
Mike McGuire is in his 14th season as a head coach for the Michigan women's cross country team. In 2004, Michigan won the Big Ten Championship under Coach McGuire, as well as the 2004 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship. For his accomplishments he has received the honors of being named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the sixth time. This will give Coach McGuire his third-straight honor, matching his own three-peat from 1992-94. McGuire led the Wolverines to their fifth Big Ten Conference team title in 2003 while earning his fifth Big Ten Coach of the Year award. In his first four seasons, McGuire won three consecutive Big Ten and NCAA District IV team championships, and the Wolverines finished as high as second (1994) at the NCAA Championships. McGuire's Michigan teams have 11 top-two finishes in 12 seasons 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 six times at the NCAA Championships. McGuire has helped 49 cross country and track athletes earn All-American honors and has coached five Big Ten individual champions and five Big Ten freshmen of the year.
Michigan Cross Country Olympian ...
Former Wolverine cross country standout Courtney Babcock (1992, '94, '96) represented Canada in the 5,000- and 1,500-meter runs at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Babcock was a seven-time All-American in track and cross country at Michigan and was a member of U-M's 1994 NCAA champion distance medley relay team. She still holds the U-M school record for the indoor mile (4:39.31) set in 1994.
Who's Next ...
The Wolverines travel to South Bend, Ind., for the Notre Dame Invitational on Friday (Sept. 30) at 4:15 p.m. Michigan will compete in at least four meets in Indiana this season, traveling to Bloomington for the NCAA Regionals and working for a chance at the NCAA Championships held in Terre Haute in November.
Contact: Joseph Conrad (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
