Michigan
Wolverine Invitational
Michigan's Season Opener Features Back-to-Back Weight Throw Records
1/12/2019 7:15:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Indoor Track Building)
Event: Wolverine Invitational
U-M Result: No team scoring
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 19 – host Simmons-Harvey Big Ten Invitational (U-M Indoor Track Building), 10 a.m.
• Photo Gallery | Complete Results (PDF)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Back-to-back school-record throws in the closing moments of the weight throw competition highlighted the University of Michigan women's track and field team's season-opener on Saturday (Jan. 12) at the home Wolverine Invitational.
Bailey Baker and then Kayla Deering broke the school's record in the weight throw in the span of mere moments to bring an emphatic end to the action in the field events, while the Wolverines' victorious 4x400 relay team -- one of three Michigan event titles on the day -- brought things home on the track.
Jade Harrison captured the 200-meter title to headline action in the sprints, while Michigan's distance corps was led by 3,000-meter winner Hannah Meier.
While the victories were exciting in their own right, very little on the day matched up with the drama in the final round of the weight throw. Sitting in fourth and fifth entering their sixth-and-final throws, the duo saved its best for last.
Baker heaved the 20-pound implement 19.28m (63 feet, 3.25 inches) to not only move into second place, but also to eke past April Phillips' 2003 school record of 19.23m (63-1.25).
Her reign atop the record books would be short-lived as Deering stepped into the ring on the very next throw and launched a 19.53m (64-1) bomb into the sector. The mark supplanted Baker both for second in the event and for No. 1 in Michigan history.
The improvement for Deering -- who missed all of last year with injury -- was vast, as her career best had previously been only 17.73m (58-2) from the 2017 season.
A close second in excitement was in the distance events, particularly a women's mile headlined by professional alumnae Shannon Osika and Amanda Eccleston, the latter being a volunteer assistant for the team. The two women -- ranked No. 16 and No. 19 in American history for the outdoor mile -- came down to the wire, with Osika just outleaning Eccleston for the win in a world-leading 4:33.41.
Both women recorded identical official times, with the difference between the two measured to only .007 of a second.
Eccleston would double back later to pace Meier to her victory in the 3,000-meter race, which came in a career-best and meet-record 9:20.34. The pack whittled down to just Meier and Eastern Michigan's Sydney Meyers in the final third of the race, but Meier was able to tighten the screws and put nearly 10 seconds on the Eagle over the final quarter-mile.
Harrison also notched a meet-record victory, claiming the 200 meters in 24.27. She also was Michigan's top finisher at 60 meters, taking ninth in 7.77. Michaiah Thomas also performed well for the Michigan sprinting corps, making the 60-meter hurdles final and finishing sixth in 8.64.
Michigan's third-and-final victory came in the meet-finale 4x400 relay. Trailing Eastern Michigan and Michigan State by nearly two seconds after the first two legs, Julia Hall brought the Wolverines ahead of MSU and just behind EMU with a strong run as she handed off to true freshman Aurora Rynda for the anchor leg.
Rynda, third in her 800-meter event earlier in the day, ran the fastest leg of any runner in the race -- a 55.6-second split -- to overtake Eastern Michigan early and pull away from them late.
The regular season ramps up in a big way next Saturday (Jan. 19) at 10 a.m., when the Wolverines will welcome conference foes Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Nebraska and Maryland to town for the Simmons-Harvey Big Ten Invitational. The meet, a mini-preview of February's Big Ten Championships, will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network from noon-3:30 p.m., with the non-televised program beginning at 10 a.m.
Michigan Results
COLLEGIATE CAREER-BEST PERFORMANCES AT TOLEDO
Bailey Baker -- 19.28m (63-3.25) / Weight Throw (I)
Courtney Bostic -- 8.10 / 60m (I)
Haley Click -- 2:24.84 / 800m (I)
Erin Connor -- 13.56m (44-6) / Shot Put (I)
Meg Darmofal -- 4:49.66 / Mile (I)
Kayla Deering -- 19.53m (64-1) / Weight Throw (I)
Hannah Meier -- 9:20.34 / 3000m (I)
Briana Nelson -- 13.85m (45-5.25) / Shot Put (I)
Julia Vanitvelt -- 5:01.32 / Mile (I)
FULL MICHIGAN RESULTS BY EVENT
60 Meters
9. Jade Harrison / 7.77
11. Akili Echols / 7.86
15. Miranda Goodson / 7.95
23. Courtney Bostic / 8.1
200 Meters
1. Jade Harrison / 24.27
13. Sydney McGinley / 25.56
800 Meters
3. Micaela Degenero / 2:11.00
5. Aurora Rynda / 2:12.09
7. Lauren Biggs / 2:14.07
8. Chloe Foster / 2:14.14
10. Julia Vanitvelt / 2:16.68
11. Jena Metwalli / 2:17.62
19. Rachel Coleman / 2:21.77
21. Haley Click / 2:24.84
Mile
6. Meg Darmofal / 4:49.66
8. Anna West / 4:51.60
11. Kathryn House / 4:54.10
12. Audrey Belf / 4:56.09
15. Julia Vanitvelt / 5:01.32
16. Lexi Munley / 5:02.58
17. Rachel Coleman / 5:03.04
20. Faith Reynolds / 5:06.07
21. Raquel Powers / 5:07.06
3,000 Meters
1. Hannah Meier / 9:20.34
3. Camille Davre / 9:35.48
7. Anne Forsyth / 9:45.31
60-Meter Hurdles
FINAL
6. Michaiah Thomas / 8.64
PRELIMS
6. Michaiah Thomas / 8.71q
9. Sydney McGinley / 8.78
14. Lauren Rodriguez / 9.09
16. Theresa Mayanja / 9.27
4x400 Relay
1. Jenna Reid, Micaela DeGenero, Julia Hall, Aurora Rynda / 3:47.38
6. Akili Echols, Lauren Rodriguez, Courtney Bostic, Mirando Goodson / 4:05.05
8. Lexi Munley, Audrey Belf, Theresa Mayanja, Lauren Biggs / 4:07.25
Pole Vault
6. Jessica Mercier / 3.55m (11-7.75)
9. Emma Bauer / 3.40m (11-1.75)
Long Jump
9. Jeryne Fish / 5.18m (17-0)
11. Theresa Mayanja / 4.94m (16-2.5)
Shot Put
7. Briana Nelson / 13.85m (45-5.25)
9. Erin Connor / 13.56m (44-6)
10. Maegan McCarthy / 13.34m (43-9.25)
Weight Throw
2. Kayla Deering / 19.53m (64-1)
3. Bailey Baker / 19.28m (63-3.25)
10. Briana Nelson / 16.13m (52-11)
Players Mentioned
