Weekly Release #8: Michigan to Compete in NCAA Championships
11/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
This Week
Monday, Nov. 24, 12:08 p.m. -- at NCAA Championships (Terre Haute, Ind.)
NCAA.com | Television: CBS College Sports
The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team heads to Terre Haute, Ind., on Monday (Nov. 24) to compete in the NCAA Championships for the seventh consecutive season. The 6,000-meter championship race will be broadcast live on CBS College Sports and will begin at 12:08 p.m. The race will be run on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center, hosted by Indiana State University.
The Wolverines enter the NCAA Championships fresh off winning the NCAA Great Lakes Regional at Purdue University (Nov. 15). Fifth-year senior Nicole Edwards(Winnipeg Manitoba/Vincent Massey) led the way for the Maize and Blue at the regional, finishing second in a time of 20:57.4.
Michigan will be making its second appearance on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course this season, with the team's first appearance coming at the NCAA Pre-Nationals (Oct. 18) when U-M finished third in the white division race. Edwards was the Maize and Blue's top finisher, taking second in 20:20.8.
U-M is making its 19th team appearance at the NCAA Championships in the past 21 seasons. The Wolverines best-ever finish came in 1994 when they finished second (108 points). U-M has finished in the top 10 in five of the past six championships, including a third-place finish in 2006.
A Look at the Field
The top two finishers in each of the nine regions earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships. They are joined by another 13 at-large selections to make up the 31-team field. The automatic qualifiers were: Arkansas (South Central Region), Florida (South Region), Florida State (South Region), Illinois (Midwest Region), Kentucky (Southeast Region), Michigan (Great Lakes Region), Minnesota (Midwest Region), New Mexico (Mountain Region), Oregon (West Region), Princeton (Mid-Atlantic Region), Providence (Northeast Region), Rice (South Central Region), Syracuse (Northeast Region), Texas Tech (Mountain Region), Virginia (Southeast Region), Washington (West Region), West Virginia (Mid-Atlantic Region) and Wisconsin (Great Lake Region).
The at-large selections were: Arizona State, Baylor, Boston College, Georgetown, Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northern Arizona, Notre Dame, SMU, Stanford, Stony Brook and Villanova.
Wolverine to Watch
| Sophomore Danielle Tauro(Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional) has been among the most consistent performers for the Wolverines this season. Tauro earned All-Big Ten second team honors at the Big Ten Championships (Nov. 2) with a 13th-place finish (21:19.9). Tauro then took 16th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional (21:44.7). Earlier this season on the NCAA Championships course, Tauro finished 35th in the white division race at NCAA Pre-Nationals (21:09.5). |
How They Rank
The Wolverines are ranked eighth in the latest USTFCCCA Women's Division I Cross Country National Poll. U-M is one of four schools in the Great Lakes Region ranked in the top 30.
| Ranking | Team (first place votes) | Region-Finish | Totals | Previous |
| 1 | Washington - (12) | West-1 | 360 | 1 |
| 2 | Oregon | West-2 | 343 | 2 |
| 3 | Florida State | South-1 | 337 | 3 |
| 4 | Princeton | Mid-Atlantic-1 | 324 | 4 |
| 5 | West Virginia | Mid-Atlantic-1 | 308 | 6 |
| 6 | Minnesota | Midwest-1 | 296 | 7 |
| 7 | Villanova | Mid-Atlantic-3 | 280 | 5 |
| 8 | Michigan | Great Lakes-1 | 265 | 17 |
| 9 | Texas Tech | Mountain-1 | 260 | 9 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | Great Lakes-2 | 243 | 8 |
| 11 | Arkansas | South Central-1 | 237 | 12 |
| 12 | Stanford | West-3 | 232 | 11 |
| 13 | Michigan State | Great Lakes-3 | 222 | 10 |
| 14 | Illinois | Midwest-2 | 212 | 14 |
| 15 | Arizona State | West-4 | 178 | 16 |
| 16 | Florida | South-2 | 176 | 15 |
| 17 | Georgetown | Mid-Atlantic-4 | 170 | 13 |
| 18 | Baylor | South Central-2 | 156 | 18 |
| 19 | Rice | South Central-2 | 153 | 22 |
| 20 | Providence | Northeast-1 | 144 | 24 |
| 21 | New Mexico | Mountain-2 | 115 | 21 |
| 22 | Nebraska | Midwest-3 | 101 | 29 |
| 23 | Iowa | Midwest-4 | 84 | 20 |
| 24 | SMU | South Central-4 | 79 | 19 |
| 25 | Syracuse | Northeast-2 | 72 | NR |
| 26 | Northern Arizona | Mountain-3 | 54 | 28 |
| 27 | Boston College | Northeast-3 | 48 | 27 |
| 28 | Virginia | Southeast-1 | 44 | NR |
| 29 | Stony Brook | Northeast-4 | 33 | 23 |
| 30 | Notre Dame | Great Lakes-4 | 23 | NR |
Morgan Saves Best for Last
Junior Jennifer Morgan(Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) had her best performance of the season at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. Morgan finished 11th, clocking in at 21:32.0 despite finishing the race without her shoes due to the muddy racing conditions. Morgan's previous season-best was a 23rd-place finish at the Big Ten Championships (Nov. 2).
Edwards Bounces Back at Great Lakes Regional
After finishing 24th at the Big Ten Championships (Nov.2), her first finish outside the top five all season, Nicole Edwards responded with a second-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. With her performance, Edwards earned All-Regional honors for the third straight year.
Tauro Earns All-Big Ten Honors
With a 13th-place finish at the Big Ten Championships (Nov. 2), Danielle Tauro earned All-Big Ten second team honors. The award was the first for Tauro in her career. Tauro is the 33rd Wolverine harrier all-time to earn All-Big Ten honors.
Current Wolverines at the NCAA Championships
Six current Maize and Blue harriers have past experience competing at the NCAA Championship. Fifth-year seniors Nicole Edwards and Alyson Kohlmeier (Sarnia, Ontario/St. Patrick's) have each made three previous appearances at the meet, while four additional Wolverines -- senior/juniors Geena Gall(Grand Blanc, Mich.), Kelly Sampson(Detroit, Mich./Renaissance) and Katie Williams(Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) and sophomore Danielle Tauro -- have competed once at the NCAA Championships. Edwards' top finish came in 2006 when she finished 12th, earning All-American honors, with a time of 21:07.2. Edwards has also placed 59th (2007) and 72nd (2005) in previous NCAA Championship appearances. Kohlmeier's top finish was 49th in 2006. She has also finished 50th (2004) and 59th (2005).
Tauro, Gall, Williams and Sampson each made their one NCAA appearance last season. Tauro finished 141st (22:12), Gall was 150th (22:16), Williams took 151st (22:17) and Sampson finished 185th (22:45).
Last Time Out: NCAA Great Lakes Regional
Michigan (72 points) won the NCAA Great Lakes Regional championship for the third time in five years, edging Big Ten rivals Wisconsin (80 points) and Michigan State (83 points). Nicole Edwards was the top-finishing Wolverine, placing second with a time of 20:57.4. Jennifer Morgan earned 11th in 21:32.0 and Danielle Tauro was 16th in 21:44.7.
Last Time at the NCAA Championship
Erin Webster (2004-07) earned All-America honors as the Wolverines finished 21st (462 points) at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. (Nov. 19, 2007). Stanford won the team championship (145 points) and Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech won the individual title (19:30).
Leaders and Best in Academics
The 2007 women's cross country teamwas recently recognizedwith the 2007-08 Leaders and Best Award for highest overall women's team grade-point average. This marked the sixth straight season the cross country team has been recognized with the Leaders and Best Award. As recipients of the award, the cross country program received a trophy and a $5,000 award, donated by former football letterman Larry Johnson.
The Mike McGuire File
Mike McGuire is in his 17th season as head coach of the Michigan women's cross country team. During his tenure, the Wolverines have won eight Big Ten titles and five NCAA Regional crowns. McGuire has been honored as the Big Ten Coach of the Year on eight occasions and has been named NCAA Regional Coach of the Year five times. Under McGuire, Michigan has posted 14 top-two finishes in 16 seasons at the Big Ten Championships, 11 top-two finishes at NCAA Regionals and eight top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships.
Contact: Jeremy Reid (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
