Tracking the Wolverines at NCAAs: Thursday
6/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
With the first event for the Wolverines beginning at 10:30 a.m. PDT, the girls got to the track at 8:15, taking time to "soak everything in." The Wolverines were also able to soak in the sun, as the temperatures got up to the 90s by the start of competition. Bettie Wade stated that the Wolverines were provided with umbrellas, which provided some much needed shade. Jokingly, Wade stated that it was so hot that she wanted to drink the ice water out of the ice tub! Thankfully, she thought better of it.
Despite the heat the show must go on and, for Bettie Wade, it most definitely did. With the heptathlon starting today, Wade was able to put herself into good position, tallying 3,568 points through the first four events. According to Wade the events of the day were a little different than normal. She said her warm-ups felt great, but the actual race or competition was not so good for the 100m hurdles and high jump. However, for the shot put, her warm-up didn't fair well but her final toss was just shy of her personal-best of 42-1 1/4. Despite the early disappointment, Wade said she relied on her faith in God and hit a career-best in the 200m dash (24.62).
In the 800m run, Katie Erdman and Geena Gall were able to remain consistent, each advancing to the finals with top-10 finishes. For Nicole Edwards -- who ran for the first time this week -- her 1,500m run was more about strategy. Coach McGuire stated that most 1,500m races are not as strategy-driven as today's race, but Edwards did a great job adjusting and finishing strong to qualify.
With such a long day for such an important stage, everyone stepped up their participation, including the trainer (Roxann) and the masseuse (Earl). Roxann went beyond the call of duty by taking a group of girls to grab some lunch from Panera Bread in between the 800m run and 1,500m run. For Earl, one can only imagine how much time he's putting in, seeing as how Nicole Edwards got a massage before going to sleep yesterday and Bettie Wade was set up for an 8 p.m. rub down (just to name a few). All the hard work has paid off for everyone, as the athletes have been able to advance to the finals with full stomachs and loose muscles.
Players Mentioned
