Wolverines Claim Fourth at Wisconsin Invitational

Saturday, October 2

Madison, Wis.

11:00 AM

Michigan

Wisconsin adidas Invitational

10/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country

Oct. 2, 2010

Photo Gallery

Site: Madison, Wis. (Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course)
Meet: Wisconsin adidas Invitational (6,000 meters)
U-M Finish: 4th of 20 Teams (113 points)
Top U-M Individual: Danielle Tauro, 6th (20:24.1)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Oct. 16 -- at NCAA Pre Nationals (Terre Haute, Ind.), 11 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. -- The University of Michigan women's cross country team claimed fourth place (113 points) in its first scored meet of the 2010 season at the second annual Wisconsin adidas Invitational on Saturday (Oct. 2) at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course. Senior Danielle Tauro (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional HS) led the Wolverine squad to the finish line, clocking a personal-best time of 20:24.1 en route to sixth place -- her third top-10 showing of the season.

Tauro stayed among the frontrunners throughout the 6,000-meter race, running near the 10th spot until surging to pick up several positions in the final kick. The Wolverine senior shaved nearly 17 seconds off her previous personal best, which she registered just two weeks ago at the Spartan Invitational. In addition to Tauro, four other members of the Wolverines' top seven earned personal-best performances, including Michigan's first four across the line, while the Wolverines' scoring contingent posted a solid 31-second split between its first and fifth runners across the line.

Michigan's sophomore trio of Jillian Smith (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional HS), Rebecca Addison (Spring Lake, Mich./Grand Haven HS) and Kaitlyn Patterson (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac HS) followed Tauro to the finish line, claiming 17th, 21st and 34th place, respectively. Just two weeks after posting a at the Spartan Invitational, Smith trimmed 36 seconds from her best time with a 20:41. Addison registered 20:46.3 to improve 37 seconds on her previous best, while Patterson shaved 25 seconds from her best with a 20:55 finish.

Senior/junior Kaitlyn Peale (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington HS) rounded out the Wolverines' scorers, finishing just a step behind Patterson in 35th place and a time of 20:55.6.

The Wolverines will take a two-week break before returning to action on Saturday, Oct. 16, at the NCAA Pre Nationals in Terre Haute, Ind. Hosted by the Indiana State University, the women's 6,000-meter race is scheduled for an 11 a.m. CDT start at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country course at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center.

Team Standings (Top 10)

 1. Syracuse           89 2. North Carolina     98 3. Michigan State    109 4. MICHIGAN          113 5. Indiana           151 6. Harvard           157 7. Florida           195 8. San Francisco     205 9. Nebraska          24810. Texas A&M         256

Top 10 Individuals

  1. Charlotte Browning, Florida           20:13.4  2. Emily MacLeod, Michigan State         20:14.8  3. Katie Hursey, Syracuse                20:17.0  4. Kendra Schaaf, North Carolina         20:20.6  5. Lara Crofford, Nebraska               20:21.7  6. Danielle Tauro, U-M                   20:24.1  7. Sarah Pease, Indiana                  20:24.7  8. Carlie Green, Michigan State          20:26.7  9. Claire Richardson, Harvard            20:27.5 10. Courtney Calka, Eastern Michigan      20:30.2

Other Michigan Individuals

 17. Jillian Smith, U-M                    20:41.0 21. Rebecca Addison, U-M                  20:46.3 34. Kaitlyn Patterson, U-M                20:55.0 35. Kaitlyn Peale, U-M                    20:55.6 52. Mary Grace Pellegrini, U-M            21:17.8 61. Lindsey Hilton, U-M                   21:28.6 88. Alex Leptich, U-M                     21:52.3124. Courtney Clancy, U-M                  22:33.6131. Kourtney Moody, U-M                   22:38.7135. Jami Hill, U-M                        22:42.1160. Monica Barnes, U-M                    23:04.7

Q U O T E S

Michigan Head Coach Mike McGuire
On the team's performance ... "I thought we ran better than we did two weeks ago. That was a big PR for [Danielle] Tauro, and I thought she validated her first race of the year with an even better one today. We can still make some adjustments. [Kaitlyn] Peale was a little off form, but I think we just need to make some adjustments in the early part of the race for her. She's training well, and she'll be fine. I also thought we got a really good race out of Mary Grace Pellegrini. I guess collectively all 12 of them did a really nice job. We're moving forward. They're running with more confidence, and that's a byproduct of their racing so far and the way we're training."

U-M Senior Danielle Tauro
On her race ... "I didn't know if I went out too fast, but I just tried to stay strong the whole way. I went out with the top 10 and basically stayed there the entire time. I think I did a pretty good job of rallying every time I felt tired. I was counting the spots and realizing I was where I needed to be and telling myself to keep pushing because everyone felt tired. I kept thinking about my teammates; they were all pushing. I just wanted to help lead the team and get the least amount of points as I could. I did a good job at the end with finding a kick; Mike was screaming at me to start kicking -- that helped."

Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423