Michigan
Big Ten Indoor Championships
Wolverine Women Score in DMR, Pole Vault on Day One of Big Tens
2/22/2019 9:23:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Indoor Track Building)
Event: Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships (Day 1 of 2)
U-M Standing: 9th place of 13 teams (12.5 points) after Day 1
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 23 -- Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships (U-M Indoor Track Building), 12:25 p.m.
• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
• Saturday Heat Sheet (PDF) | Meet Central
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's track and field team posted two scoring performances on the first day of the 2019 Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday (Feb. 22) at the U-M Indoor Track Building.
In front of a sellout crowd of more than 3,500 spectators, the distance medley relay earned a silver medal and eight points for the Wolverines, and true freshman pole vaulter Jessica Mercier tied for fourth to add 4.5 more points to the Michigan total.
The Wolverines will enter day two on Saturday (Feb. 23) -- which begins at 12:25 p.m. -- with 12.5 points in ninth place. Only 12.5 points separate ninth-place Michigan from fourth-place Nebraska with much track and field action still to come.
From Friday's preliminary rounds in the seven events up through the mile, Michigan advanced six entrants into Saturday's finals -- including three in the mile and two at 600 meters. Those women join the Wolverine entrants in the day-two finals in the shot put, high jump, 5,000 meters and 4x400 relay.
Michigan's biggest point output of the day came by way of a runner-up finish by the distance medley relay team, which clocked 11:11.89. A week after all its record-breaking and nation-leading run at Notre Dame, the Wolverines were unable to hold off a strong effort from rival Michigan State.
But all four members of the squad -- Alice Hill, Chloe Foster, Aurora Rynda and Hannah Meier -- will be back in action on Saturday at least once after successfully navigating Friday's qualifying rounds in their respective individual events.
Meier and Hill will be joined by teammate Meg Darmofal in the mile final at 2:25 p.m. Meier was the fastest of the group with a 4:40.76 for second in her heat, while Hill and Darmofal emerged from a hotly contested heat in second and fourth place as the top five finishers were separated by less than a second-and-a-half. Hill clocked 4:48.56, while Darmofal crossed in 4:48.73.
Rynda and Foster advanced out of the 600-meter preliminaries with victories in their individual heats. Rynda won hers in 1:41.59 for the fourth-fastest time of the day, with Foster taking hers in 1:31.62 for the day's fifth-best performance. They will run in the two-section final starting at 3:25 p.m.
Rynda and Foster will also likely team up for Michigan's 4x400 relay to close out the championships at 4:15 p.m.
Michigan's other 4.5 points on the day came by way of Mercier, who vaulted a career-best 3.94m (12 feet, 11 inches) to tie for fourth. Since two competitors tied for the same place, the points that they would have scored as fourth- and fifth-place finishers -- five and four points, respectively -- were evenly split between the two.
The freshman was impressive through her first three heights, clearing all three on first attempts, including her career best that fell just a centimeter shy of the Michigan freshman record. A make at 4.04m (13-3) proved elusive as she came up short of three straight attempts at the height.
The performance was an unexpected boost for the Wolverines as she entered the meet seeded 10th in the conference.
Also serving as an unexpected boost was Michigan's remaining finals qualifier in Micaela DeGenero. Just as she did a year ago en route to a sixth-place finish, DeGenero came from being the No. 14 seed entering the meet to a finalist with a career-best 2:08.33 with a heat victory.
Teammate Lauren Biggs just missed the 800-meter final, to be run Saturday at 3:05 p.m., with a ninth-place finish.
Hers was one of several near-misses for the Wolverines, as Jade Harrison was ninth in the 400-meter prelims, Camille Davre was ninth in the 3,000-meter final, and 11th-place Anne Forsyth was the first runner out of the 10-woman mile final.
Weight throwers Bailey Baker and Kayla Deering were 11th and 12th in a competition that resembled a flight of the NCAA Championships, throwing 19.16m (62-10.5) and 18.80m (61-8.25), respectively.
Collegiate Career-Best Performances
Career debuts not included
Micaela DeGenero -- 2:08.33 / 800m (I)
Theresa Mayanja -- 8.89 / 60m Hurdles (I)
Theresa Mayanja -- 1.56m (5-1.25) / High Jump (I)
Theresa Mayanja -- 5.19m / Long Jump (I)
Theresa Mayanja -- 3408.00 / Pentathlon (I)
Jessica Mercier -- 3.94m (12-11) / Pole Vault (I)
Jena Metwalli -- 9:48.39 / 3000m (I)
Briana Nelson -- 18.21m (59-9) / Weight Throw (I)
Faith Reynolds -- 2:12.23 / 800m (I)
Julia Vanitvelt -- 2:12.86 / 800m (I)
Full Michigan Results by Event
Q = Automatic qualifier into final; q = non-automatic qualifier into final
200 Meters
PRELIMS
14. Jade Harrison / 24.51
400 Meters
PRELIMS
9. Jade Harrison / 55.69
16. Julia Hall / 56.57
20. Jenna Reid / 57.70
600 Meters
PRELIMS
4. Aurora Rynda / 1:31.59q
5. Chloe Foster / 1:31.62q
20. Carola Jansohn / 1:34.05
800 Meters
PRELIMS
3. Micaela DeGenero / 2:08.33Q
9. Lauren Biggs / 2:09.28
15. Faith Reynolds / 2:12.23
17. Julia Vanitvelt / 2:12.86
Mile
PRELIMS
3. Hannah Meier / 4:40.76q
4. Alice Hill / 4:48.56q
6. Meg Darmofal / 4:48.73q
11. Anne Forsyth / 4:49.08
3,000 Meters
9. Camille Davre / 9:33.12
12. Jena Metwalli / 9:48.39 (Unseeded section winner)
16. Rachel Coleman / 9:56.62
21. Audrey Belf / 10:11.36
5,000 Meters
(Contested Saturday)
60-Meter Hurdles
PRELIMS (Contested Friday)
13. Sydney McGinley / 8.80
14. Lauren Rodriguez / 8.84
15. Michaiah Thomas / 8.86
4x400 Relay
(Contested Saturday)
Distance Medley Relay
2. Hill, Foster, Rynda, Meier / 11:11.89
High Jump
(Contested Saturday)
Pole Vault
4. Jessica Mercier / 3.94m (12-11)
Long Jump
18. Jeryne Fish / 5.52m (18-1.50)
Shot Put
(Contested Saturday)
Weight Throw
11. Bailey Baker / 19.16m (62-10.5)
12. Kayla Deering / 18.80m (61-8.25)
15. Briana Nelson / 18.21m (59-9)
Pentathlon (Overall)
15. Theresa Mayanja / 3408
60 meter hurdles - 8.89 (8.89 points)
High Jump - 1.56m (5-1.25) (689 points)
Shot Put - 8.80m (588 points)
Long Jump - 5.19m (612 points)
800 meter run - 2:38.90 (586 points)
Players Mentioned
