Toeing the Line #1: at EMU Celebration
9/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Sept. 2, 2015
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• 2015 Season Preview
THIS WEEK
Saturday, Sept. 5 -- at EMU Celebration (Ypsilanti, Mich.), 10:30 a.m.
• Race Information: Event Information
For the first time since 2005, the 12th-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team will not begin its season by hosting the Michigan Open, which had been hosted by the Maize and Blue at nearby Dexter Mills Metropark. Instead, the Wolverines will have a deeper field of competition to go up against, as Eastern Michigan University welcomes 15 schools in total for the EMU Celebration at the Eagle Crest Golf Resort in Ypsilanti. It will be U-M's first trip across town for the event since 2004.
The 5,000-meter race is run on a repeating 2,500m loop and features athletes from: Albion, Eastern Michigan, Jackson CC, Lansing CC, Lawrence Tech, Madonna, UM-Dearborn, Mott CC, Northwood, Oakland CC, Siena Heights, Spring Arbor, Wayne State, and Western Michigan.
The weekend is highlighted by the "Tribute to a Legacy" event hosted by Eastern Michigan Athletics, designed to recognize that EMU's track and field and cross country squads are marquee programs recognized nationally for its historic success. [ More Information ]
THINGS TO KNOW
• The team has been at camp in Pellston, Michigan, at the U-M Bio Station since last Wednesday (Aug. 26), returning just in time for the start of the season.
• The EMU Open will provide an opportunity for many of U-M's younger runners to gain valuable race experience. Several Wolverines will make their collegiate debut in the 5K race, as U-M plans to race a number of runners in uniform and several more unattached.
• U-M opened the USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll at No. 12 this week, in the preseason edition. This marks the fourth season in the last five in which U-M has been ranked in the nation's top 13, including the program's first-ever No. 1 ranking last fall.
• Both senior Shannon Osika and junior Erin Finn are historically strong starters. Finn was the top-finishing Wolverine in three of her four races a year ago; in fact, she only has one finish outside the top five in seven career regular-season races.
• The Maize and Blue returns two of its top three runners in Osika and Finn, but they are not the only experienced returners. Overall, five athletes who scored in the 2014 postseason will run again for the Wolverines this fall.
• U-M welcomes 13 freshmen, along with fifth-year transfer Erika Fleuhr (Princeton), to the program this fall.
Top Returning Times at 5,000m from 2014 season
| Athlete | Time |
| Erin Finn | 16:51 |
| Shannon Osika | 17:01.5 |
| Jaimie Phelan | 17:39.9 |
| Anna Pasternak | 17:51.9 |
| Olivia Brackett | 17:59.3 |
| Jamie Morrissey | 18:03.4 |
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Women's cross country team picture on the lake from camp. Having a great time at the @UMBS as always! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/L5VIdEAWJn
-- Michigan Track&Field (@umichtrack) August 31, 2015
UP NEXT
Saturday, Sept. 19 -- at Commodore Classic (Nashville, Tenn.), 10 a.m. EST
Saturday, Oct. 3 -- at Greater Louisville Classic (Louisville, Ky.)
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard
Players Mentioned
