Michigan
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Michigan Advances Middle-Distance Duo to NCAA Finals
6/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- On the second day of competition at the NCAA Outdoor Championships Thursday (June 8), the University of Michigan women's track and field advanced sophomore Nicole Edwards (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey) and freshman Geena Gall (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc) at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex. Edwards and Gall qualified for finals in the 1,500- and 800-meter runs, respectively.
Edwards posted the second-fastest time in the first heat of the 1,500m run prelims with a time of 4:17.08. The owner of the Big Ten 1,500m crown was able to advance to the finals after starting off at the end of the pack and making her move between the 800m mark and the 1200m mark to automatically qualify for Saturday's final.
Gall positioned herself to be an automatic qualifier during the second lap of the race as she finished with the third-quickest time in the 800m run, posting a time of 2:05.78, passing Lavera Morris of Kentucky by 0.09 seconds. Gall is the first U-M freshman to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships finals since senior/junior quad-captain Rebecca Walter (Beverly Hills, Mich./Groves) advanced in the 5,000m run in 2003.
This year, Walter did not compete in the 5,000m, instead she ran in the 10,000m for the first time at the NCAA Championships and finished 14th with a time of 34:27.40. The Beverly Hills, Mich., native took first place in the event at the Big Ten Championships (May 12-14), earning All-Big Ten first team honors for the first time in her career.
In her final collegiate race, fifth-year senior Ana Gjesdal (La Crescenta, Calif./Crescenta Valley HS) took 20th place with a time of 35:09.64 in her first NCAA 10,000m final. She finishes her final season with the second-fastest time on the team, a career-best, automatic-qualifying time of 33:49.65 at Big Tens, earning All-Big Ten second team honors for the first time in her career.
The Maize and Blue get back on the track Friday (June 9) for the third day of competition at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex. Bettie Wade (Northville, Mich./Farmington) will open competition in the heptathlon starting with the 100m hurdles at 10 a.m. PDT, while Arianne Field (Kalamazoo, Mich./Hackett) will run in the 3,000-meter steeplechase final at 6:45 p.m. and Alyson Kohlmeier (Sarnia, Ontario/St. Patrick's) and Erin Webster (Dearborn, Mich./Divine Child) will compete in the 5,000m final at 7 p.m.
Top 5 Teams (After Day 2)
1. Arizona State 15 2. Duke 9 3. Oklahoma State 6 4. Auburn 4 5. Missouri 3
Event Winners/U-M Finishers (Day 2)
800-Meter Run (Semifinals) Heat 1 1. Alysia Johnson, Cal 2:04.76Q 3. Geena Gall, U-M 2:05.78Q 1,500-Meter Run (Prelims) Heat 1 1. Marina Muncan, Villanova 4:16.17Q 2. Nicole Edwards, U-M 4:17.08Q 10,000-Meter Run (Final) 1. Victoria Jackson, Arizona State 32:54.72 14. Rebecca Walter, U-M 34:27.40 20. Ana Gjesdal, U-M 35:09.64 Q qualified for the next round
Day 1 Results
Q U O T E S
U-M Associate Head Coach Mike McGuire
On Geena Gall's performance ... "It's definitely a tremendous accomplishment for a freshman to advance to the finals in an individual event at the national meet. It hasn't been done very often in our program and is not all that common in other programs. It's quite a feat and a start for bigger and better things to come."
On Nicole Edwards' performance ... "It's a process, and she has gone from not making the final last year to being in the hunt to win the race. It's a byproduct of a lot of hard and help that her teammates have given her."
On the team's morale after the 10,000m race ... "I don't think we're down, but we feel badly for both the girls, but it doesn't diminish what they've done all year. For Rebecca (Walter) she has the opportunity to atone next year when we come back out here. For Ana (Gjesdal) her race was indicative of her season, she had a heck of a season. To see where she's come from after her first season with Michigan to where she's at now, we're really, really proud of her."
Contact: Joseph Conrad (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
