Michigan
Meyo Invitational
Three Individuals, DMR Team Qualify for NCAAs at Meyo
2/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The University of Michigan women's track and field team pulled out four NCAA automatic-qualifying times and four provisional times Friday and Saturday (Feb. 3-4) in the Meyo Invitational at Notre Dame's Loftus Sports Center.
Earning NCAA automatic times were senior/junior Rebecca Walter (Beverly Hills, Mich./Groves) in the 5,000-meter run and Michigan's distance medley relay team on Friday, and senior/junior Katie Erdman (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) and freshman Geena Gall (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc) in the 800-meter run on Saturday.
In the 800m, Michigan had seven runners in the 50-person field. Erdman took first place with a blazing automatic-qualifying time of 2:04.21. Gall placed third, clocking in with an automatic-qualifying time of 2:05.23, and fifth-year senior Jennifer Williams (Burton, Mich./Atherton) was just shy of a provisional qualifying time by 1.2 seconds with her time of 2:10.38, good for 11th.
In the distance events, the Maize and Blue posted an automatic-qualifying time and four provisional qualifying times. Sophomore Nicole Edwards (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey) earned the first provisional time in the distance events for Michigan, with her second-place finish in the mile. Edwards finished 3.30 seconds behind winner Megan Brown of Toronto with a time of 4:41.21. The next provisional time for the Wolverines came in the 3,000m when junior Erin Webster (Dearborn, Mich./Divine Child) took seventh place with a time of 9:31.05.
In the 5,000m, Walter led the way with an automatic time of 16:08.91. Sophomore Alyson Kohlmeier (Sarnia, Ontario/St. Patrick's) placed runner-up with a provisional time of 16:13.65, just 2.5 seconds short of an automatic bid. Freshman Heather Sirko (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson) finished eighth with a provisional time of 16:44.72, and fifth-year senior Ana Gjesdal (La Crescenta, Calif./Crescenta Valley/Glendale CC) clocked in a personal-best time of 16:47.29 to finish 10th.
The final automatic time for the Wolverines was earned in the distance medley relay as the Michigan foursome clocked in a time of 11:06.10, the team's best time this season. Erdman led off, with Shavonne Maclin (University Heights, Ohio/Beaumont School) as the second leg, Gall was the third leg, and the final leg was Edwards. The 4x400 relay team came in third, behind Illinois by 2.14 seconds, with a time of 3:41.90.
The freshman class continued to make its mark, as freshman Tiffany Ofili (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti) took fourth place with a time of 8.46 in the 60m hurdles, which was 0.03 seconds shy of a provisional qualifying time. Also, freshman Casey Taylor (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic) took 13th in the long jump, behind freshman Bettie Wade (Northville, Mich./Farmington) taking ninth with a jump of 18-10. Wade also tied for fourth in the high jump, short of a provisional qualifying clearance by 0.08m, as she cleared 5-7.
In the high jump, Williams had a clearance of 5-7 to tie for sixth place in the event, while senior/juniors Kristin Pearson (Escanaba, Mich./Escanaba) and Kelly Catino (Traverse City, Mich./Central) tied for sixth in the pole vault with a clearance of 11-11 3/4.
Michigan hits the road again heading out to Fayetteville Ark., to participate in the Tyson Invitational on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 10-11).
Contact: Joseph Conrad (734)763-4423
Players Mentioned
