Wolverines to Begin 2016 Season in Dexter
8/31/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Aug. 31, 2016
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THIS WEEK
Friday, Sept. 2 -- at Michigan Open (Dexter, Mich.), 10 a.m.
The ninth-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team will begin its 2016 season on Friday (Sept. 2), hosting the Michigan Open at Hudson Mills Meteropark in Dexter, Michigan. The non-scoring race will be contested at 5,000 meters and will begin at 10 a.m. preceding the men's race, which is set for a 10:30 a.m. gun.
For fans, admission to Hudson Mills Metropark is $10; price of parking included. The site opens at 7 a.m. daily. [ More Information ]
Top Returning Times at 5,000 meters
• Erin Finn -- 16:43.4
• Gina Sereno -- 17:11.07
• Sophie Linn -- 17:16.79
• Jaimie Phelan -- 17:18.84
• Claire Borchers -- 17:38.6
• Erika Fluehr -- 17:38.6
• Corinne Florie -- 17:41.6
THINGS TO KNOW
• After being run for 10 straight seasons from 2005 to 2014, the Michigan Open was not competed last fall, as the nearby squad from Eastern Michigan began the 2015 season with the EMU Celebration. This year, the Open is back, and the Wolverines are ready to run on their home course in Dexter.
• The Michigan 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 large lineup of runners in uniform and several more who will compete unattached.
• Under head coach Mike McGuire, U-M has won 10 Great Lakes Regional titles, including four of the last five. The Wolverines will look to regain their position atop the Big Ten Conference this fall, after four runner-up finishes in the last six seasons.
• U-M opened this week ranked second in the regional poll and ninth in the coaches' poll. It marks the second time in the last three seasons that the Maize and Blue has garnered top-10 positioning in the preseason rankings.
• The Wolverines return 33 athletes from the 2015 squad, including six women from the Big Ten runner-up team. That number includes the defending conference champion Erin Finn, who became the fifth woman in Big Ten history to earn multiple individual titles. She seeks her third such championship this fall.
• After graduating seven seniors last fall, the Maize and Blue will reload with a group of true freshman newcomers. For the third time in the last two seasons, an Ivy League transfer will also join the U-M ranks. This year, it is former Harvard athlete Kieran Gallagher joining 2015 additions Kira Garry (Yale) and Erika Fluehr (Princeton).
• The Michigan 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 raced 11 unattached at this meet in 2015.
• U-M spent the last eight-plus days at the U-M Biostation in Pellston, Michigan, preparing the annual tradition of preseason camp up north.
A LOOK AHEAD
Saturday, Sept. 10 -- at Indiana State Sycamore Invitational (Terre Haute, Ind.)
Saturday, Sept. 24 -- at Roy Griak Invitatoinal (Minneapolis, Minn.)
TWEET OF THE WEEK
The 2016 season kicks off soon, and U-M seeks to regain its place atop the B1G.
Preview » https://t.co/Wn5f5ol4rw pic.twitter.com/ucPVw721lk-- Michigan Track&Field (@UMichTrack) August 30, 2016
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard
Players Mentioned
