Michigan
NCAA East Preliminaries
Larson Qualifies for NCAA Championships on Day 1 of East Prelims
5/27/2021 10:50:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
Site: Jacksonville, Fla.
Event: NCAA East Preliminary Rounds (Day 1 of 2)
U-M Result: No team scoring
Next U-M Event: Saturday, May 29 -- NCAA East Preliminary Rounds - Day 2, 1 p.m.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Distance runner Jessi Larson punched her ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and several others set themselves up for NCAA qualification as the University of Michigan women's track and field team opened its weekend at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds on Friday (May 27) at Jax Track at Hodges Stadium on the campus of North Florida.
Larson clinched U-M's first berth to the national meet -- to be held June 9-12 in Eugene, Ore. -- and her first individual NCAA Championships berth in what was just her second-ever race at the 10,000-meter distance.
Earlier in the meet, the Wolverines set themselves up for more berths as Kathryn House (1,500 meters), Ziyah Holman (400 meters) and Aurora Rynda (800 meters) advanced through to Saturday's quarterfinal competitions.
Larson set herself up well midway through the race and held on strong to finish 10th in the 10,000-meter final, crossing the line in 34:02.87 to secure her NCAA berth.
Halfway through the race, Larson had established herself among the 15-woman lead group, and moved up from there. Through 6,800 meters as the pace quickened and the pack started to really string out, Larson had moved up to sixth as part of a chase group behind three breakaway leaders.
She dropped back to 10th two laps later, where she held firm throughout the remaining quarter of the race.
Larson is the fourth Wolverine qualifier in the past seven years to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships 10,000-meter final, joining Erin Finn (2014, 2019) and Gina Sereno (2016).
Earlier in the evening, House was the first Wolverine woman to clinch a berth to Saturday's quarterfinal action, earning an at-large spot on time with her 4:19.76 for sixth in her heat -- just one spot out of automatic qualifying -- and 16th overall. Coming off the final turn in seventh and a few steps back from sixth, she charged hard down the straightaway and overtook an Ole Miss runner just meters before the finish line to help propel her into the quarterfinals.
House was one of three sixth-place heat finishers for the Wolverines, but neither Samantha Tran nor Lucy Petee were able to secure at-large berths based on their times. Peter looked to be in a good spot for fifth and an auto berth coming down the final straight, but was overtaken by an Indiana runner and bumped out of qualifying in a career-best 4:21.52. Tran also was in the mix for a top-five spot coming off the final curve, but could not keep pace with the lead group of five and crossed in 4:23.54.
Holman remained undefeated in what is now nine-straight 400-meter victories to begin her collegiate career, this latest one coming in a 52.28-second performance in her first race against non-Big Ten competition. She was pushed throughout by Olivia Bechtel of Miami (Ohio) as they rounded the final turn shoulder-to-shoulder, but Holman put more than a second on her in the final 100 meters and ended up winning the race by about three-quarters of a second. Her time was the fifth-fastest of the day overall.
Rynda ran middle of the pack through the first 300 meters before starting to ratchet down the speed with the leaders, joining a breakaway group of three as the bell rang. She moved up to second coming off the final turn, and cruised down the homestretch to a 2:04.25 performance and an automatic berth into the quarterfinals. Overall, she finished with the ninth-best time of the first round.
In the field events, the historic pole vault duo of Jessica Mercier and Mia Manson concluded their breakthrough seasons. Neither woman could match the form they showed in their school-record-tying second-place and fourth-place finishes, respectively, as both needed at least one third-attempt make to stay alive early. Mercier finished 32nd at 4.07m (13 feet, 4.25 inches), with Manson 39th clearing 3.92m (12-10.25).
Michigan returns to action Saturday (May 29) starting at 1 p.m.
Full Michigan Results by Event
Q = automatic qualifier to final; q = at-large qualifier to final
400 meter dash
First Round
5. Ziyah Holman / 52.28Q
800 meter run
First Round
9. Aurora Rynda / 2:04.25Q
1,500 meter run
First Round
16. Kathryn House / 4:19.76q
26. Lucy Petee / 4:21.52 [New PR]
32. Jena Metwalli / 4:23.32
33. Samantha Tran / 4:23.54
39. Meg Darmofal / 4:27.61
10,000 meter run
Semifinals
10. Jessi Larson / 34:02.87 [NCAA QUALIFIER]
Pole Vault
First Round
32. Jessica Mercier / 4.07m (13-4.25)
39. Mia Manson / 3.92m (12-10.25)
Shot Put
First Round
41. Amanda Schaare / 14.85m (48-8.75)
Players Mentioned
