Michigan
NCAA Championships East First Round
Three Qualify for NCAA Championships; Green, Sutherland Advance to Quarterfinals
5/29/2025 10:07:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
Site: Jacksonville, Fla. (Hodges Stadium)
Event: NCAA East First Round (Day 1 of 2)
U-M Team Finish: No Team Scoring
Next U-M Event: Saturday, May 31 -- at NCAA East First Round - Day Two (Jacksonville, Fla.), 1 p.m.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The University of Michigan women's track and field team opened the NCAA East First Round at North Florida's Hodges Stadium on Thursday and Friday (May 29-30), with three Wolverines punching a ticket to the NCAA Championships and two advancing to quarterfinals.
The meet suffered delays due to severe weather, causing the pole vault and shot put to be moved to Friday morning, while the 400-meter hurdles and 10,000-meter run to be pushed back later Thursday.
In Friday's events, shot putters Elizabeth Tapper and Abigail Russell qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships after strong performances. Tapper finished fourth with a mark of 17.28 meters (56 feet, 8.5 inches), coming just 0.37m shy of her program-record and personal-best mark, while Russell finished ninth with a personal-best mark of 16.95m (55-7.5). Russell now sits at No. 4 on the program performers list. Trinity Franklin finished 33rd (15.06m, 49-5).
They will join Emma Yungeberg, who punched her ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the second straight year on Thursday after finishing seventh in the javelin throw. The junior started off with a solid 49.47m on her first attempt before improving to 51.70m on the second. Her final attempt of 52.97m (173-9) moved her up from 10th place, coming just 0.11m shot of her personal best and program record mark.
Savannah Sutherland finished first overall in the 400-meter hurdles first round with a time of 55.07 while Sidney Green finished third in her heat with a time of 57.56. The pair will both advance to Saturday's quarterfinals.
In the 10,000-meter run, Mary Caroline Heinen finished 42nd (35:19.19).
Payton Smith and Stephanie Bertram made their NCAA East First Round debuts on Thursday, with Smith finishing 44th (54.54 seconds) in the 400-meter dash and Bertram finishing 36th (2:07.47) in the 800-meter run. Kourtney Rathke and Iliiana Downing did the same on Friday in the pole vault. Rathke cleared 3.94m (12-11) to finish 17th, and Downing did not a clear a height.
Michigan will close out the NCAA East First Round on Saturday (May 31) beginning at 1 p.m. at Hodges Stadium with the discus throw.
Players Mentioned
