Michigan
NCAA Mideast Regional
Edwards, Erdman, Willard Claim Mideast Regional Titles
5/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan women's track and field team won three event titles Saturday (May 26) and completed the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships with a third-place finish, tallying 63 points at Audrey J. Walton Stadium. LSU captured the team title with 112 points, while Arkansas finished second (77).
U-M's regional event championships came from junior Nicole Edwards (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey HS) in the 1,500-meter run, fifth-year senior co-captain Katie Erdman (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac HS) in the 800-meter run, and graduate/senior Anna Willard (Greenwood, Maine/Telstar Regional HS) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
In her first-ever NCAA Mideast Regional Championships meet, Willard broke the meet, stadium and school records in the 3,000m steeplechase with a career-best time of 9:44.88. She smashed by 13.02 seconds her two-week-old U-M record, which was set at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Fifth-year senior co-captain Arianne Field (Kalamazoo, Mich./Hackett HS) also punched her ticket to nationals with a top-five finish, taking fifth place with a season-best time of 10:24.74.
Edwards repeated as the Mideast Regional 1,500m run champion, earning a spot at the NCAA Championships with a first-place, season-best time of 4:16.43. Edwards shaved off 0.04 seconds from her previous best and was 1.30 seconds faster than her 2006 Mideast Regional Championships time.
In the 800m run, Erdman claimed her first Mideast Regional crown in the event with a time of 2:01.99, just three-quarters of a second off her school-record 2:01.25 run in Friday's prelims. Sophomore Geena Gall (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc HS) also advanced to the NCAA Championships, taking second with a season-best time of 2:03.81.
In the 100m hurdles, sophomore Tiffany Ofili (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti) also automatically qualified to the NCAA Championships, clocking in at 13.03, good for second place. LSU's Jessica Ohanaja took the event title with a stadium- and meet-record time of 13.02.
The Maize and Blue took eighth place in the 4x400m relay with a season-best time of 3:38.41, while LSU captured the event title (3:30.40).
A total of eight Wolverines advanced to nationals during regional action, with Saturday's six qualifiers joining Friday qualifiers Bettie Wade (Northville, Mich./Farmington HS) and Erin Webster (Dearborn, Mich./Divine Child HS), who placed third in the high jump and 5,000-meter run, respectively.
The Wolverines travel to Sacramento, Calif., to compete in the NCAA Outdoor Championships, scheduled for Wednesday through Saturday, June 6-9, at Sacramento State University's Hornet Stadium.
Final Team Standings (Top 10)
1. LSU 112 2. Arkansas 77 3. MICHIGAN 63 4. Tennessee 43 5. Auburn 35 6. Purdue 32 7. Illinois 30 8. Tulane 28 9. Louisiana Tech 23 10. Mississippi 22
Event Winners/U-M Finishes (Day 2)
100-meter Hurdles 1. Jessica Ohanaja, LSU 13.02*S! 2. Tiffany Ofili, U-M 13.03* 800-meter Run 1. Katie Erdman, U-M 2:01.99* 2. Geena Gall, U-M 2:03.81* 1,500-meter Run 1. Nicole Edwards, U-M 4:16.43* 3,000-meter Steeplechase 1. Anna Willard, U-M 9:44.88*!@S 5. Arianne Field, U-M 10:24.74* 4x400-Meter Relay 1. LSU 3:30.40* 8. MICHIGAN 3:38.41 (Shana Vinson, Serita Williams, Geena Gall, Katie Erdman) Discus 1. Astin Steward, Purdue 174-7* (53.22m) 19. Bridgette Maynard, U-M 146-9 (44.73m) * Qualified for NCAA Championships @ U-M Outdoor Track Record S Stadium Record ! Mideast Regional meet record
Day 1 Results
Contact: Joseph Conrad (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
