Weekly Release #1
8/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Sept. 1 -- Wolverine Open (Hudson Mills Metropark, Dexter, Mich.), 4 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 9 -- at Indiana Open (Bloomington, Ind.), 11 a.m.
Saturday, Sept. 16 -- at Sundodger Invitational (Seattle, Wash.), 10 a.m. PDT
This Week: The Wolverine Open ...
The four-time defending Big Ten Conference champion and two-time defending Great Lakes Regional champion University of Michigan women's cross country team will open up its season in nearby Dexter, Mich., with the Wolverine Open on Friday (Sept. 1). The non-scoring meet will be held at Hudson Mills Metropark just north of the Dexter and will include the Eastern Michigan women's cross country team. The women's 5,000-meter race will start at approximately 4 p.m. following the men's 10,000-meter event, which is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Returning Champions ...
The Wolverines return 12 letterwinners from last year's roster, including first team All-Big Ten runners junior Alyson Kohlmeier (Sarnia, Ontario/St. Patricks HS) and senior/junior Erin Webster (Dearborn, Mich./Divine Child), in addition to second team All-Big Ten runners junior/sophomore Nicole Edwards (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey HS) and fifth-year senior Arianne Field (Kalamazoo, Mich./Hackett Catholic Central).
Still Going Strong ...
Alyson Kohlmeier led the Maize and Blue to the finish line in six meets last season, including the Big Ten Championships and the Great Lakes Regional Championships. Kohlmeier placed second at the conference championship, which earned her first team All-Big Ten, and fourth at the regional championship.
The Mike McGuire File ...
Mike McGuire is in his 15th season as a head coach for the Michigan women's cross country team. In 2005, Michigan won the Big Ten championship under McGuire, as well as the 2005 NCAA Great Lakes Regional championship. For his accomplishments, he received Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for the seventh time, with four straight (2002-05) following a three-peat from 1992-94. 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 12 top-two finishes in 13 seasons at the Big Ten Championships and 10 top-two finishes at the regional championships, winning the regional meet in 1993, '94, '95, 2004, and '05. His teams have finished among the nation's top 10 seven times at the NCAA Championships. McGuire has helped 49 cross country and track athletes earn All-America honors and has coached five Big Ten individual champions and five Big Ten freshmen of the year.
What's Next ...
The Wolverines travel to Bloomington, Ind., for the Indiana Open (Saturday, Sept. 9) at 10 a.m. Michigan will compete in at least four meets in Indiana this season, traveling to Bloomington again for the Big Ten Championships, South Bend for the Notre Dame Invitational, and Terre Haute for the NCAA Pre-Nationals. Michigan will be working to get to Indiana for a fifth time this year for a chance at the NCAA Championships, also held in Terre Haute, in November.
Contact: Tim Trunzo (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
