|
Minnesota leads the way at end of day one competition in Big Ten Championships
Feb. 25, 2006
MADISON, Wis. - The defending champion Michigan Wolverines entered the 2006 Big Ten Women's Track and Field Championships with with a promising quest for the program's record eighth conference title, but it was the other U-M, Minnesota, that took control form the beginning of the first day of competition. The Gophers will lead the field heading into Sunday's session with 51 points. The Wolverines are in second with 41.5 followed by the hosting Wisconsin Badgers with 32.5 for third. Purdue turned in 27 points for fourth while Illinois tallied 20 for fifth. Rounding out the team standings are Ohio State (17), Penn State (16), Michigan State (11), Indiana (10) and Iowa (8). The Gophers' track to the top started early with Liz Roehrigs' title performance in the pentathlon. Roehrig, the reigning pentathlon champion, beat Michigan freshman Bettie Wade by six points. The two battled the entire competition, finishing nearly neck-in-neck in every event, but Roehrig distanced herself with a first-place finish in the long jump to win 3,983-3,977. Wisconsin's Melissa Talbot scored 3,950 to tie for third with Michigan's Jennifer Williams. The five-event competition kicked of the championships, starting with the 60-meter hurdles. In the pentathlon edition of the 60-meter hurdles, Wisconsin junior Melissa Talbot took control of the standings early with a time of 8.56. Her first-place finish earned her 1004 points and a 37-point lead over the field. Michigan's Samantha Smith clocked in second at 8.73 followed by Michigan State's Etienne Chaplin, last year's runner-up, at 8.85 for third. Roehrig turned in an eighth-place time of 8.98 while Wade came in at 11th with a time of 9.09. In the pentathlon high jump, Williams jumped in front in the standings with a gold-medal leap of 1.78 meters. She edged teammate Wade by .03 meters, while Roerigh climbed the leaderboard with a third-place jump of 1.72 meters. Another Gopher, junior Jacenta Spandl claimed the pentathlon shot put title with a winning toss of 12.17 meters. Roehrig's performance fell right behind hers in a 12.16-meter throw for second. Talbot scored third place with an 11.85-meter toss, and Wade finished fourth with one of her own at 11.43 meters. Roehrig's momentum carried her to a gold-medal performance in the penathlon long jump, where she led the pack with a 5.90-meter jump. Wade follwed in second with a 5.84-meter jump, and Talbo jumped 5.68 meters for third. With a 55-point lead heading into the final pentathlon event, the 800-meter run, Roehrig's second-straight penathlon title was not completely secure. After trailing Wade and the other leaders significantly early, Roehrig raced to an 11th-place finish at 2:29.63. With 699 points for the run, Roehrig sealed her win against Wade's 748 for finishing sixth (2:25.65). In the pole vault competition, Wisconsin's Blair Luethmers used the home-crowd's energy to her advantage and sailed to a 4.01-meter jump for the title. Her jump matched the conference championships record set by Purdue's Ebbie Metzinger in 2002. Minnesota's Andrea Smith nailed a 3.86-meter vault to take home second. Purdue dominated the rest of the scoring finalists with two tying for third and another finishing fifth. The Boilermakers' Mallory Peck and Jocelyn Lindsey both leaped to 3.86 meters for third followed by teammate Brianna Nueman. Illinois' Cassie Hunt secured the top seed in Sunday's mile-run final with a first-place finish of 4:55.51. Wisconsin's Linsey Smith crossed the line next at 4:56.37, narrowly edging Purdue's Corrie Whisner who claimed third at 4:56.45. Minnesota sent two runners to the finals in fourth-place finisher Jamie Cheever (4:50.67) and eighth-place Emily Brown (4:47.67). Michigan's No. 1-ranked Nicole Edwards will run in Sunday's final as the No. 5 seed after finishing at 4:51.57. Penn State's Shana Cox punched her first ticket to the finals in the 400-meter dash trials. She clocked in first at 55.80. Her teammate Dominique Blake came in next at 56.25 followed closely by Indiana's Stacy Clausing at 56.33. Only four of the 10 schools will be represented in the final with Indiana dominating the finals field with three runners. Iowa, Illinois and Penn State all advanced two runners. Illinois' Yvonne Mensah claimed the top spot in the long jump finals with a 6.13-meter jump. Minnesota was again well-represented among the scoring finalists. Finishing second, Christine Kingsley marked a 6.01-meter jump while teammate Sarah Nelson finished sixth with 5.89. Indiana's Candace Perry jumped to third with a 5.95-meter performance. Mensah sprinted to her second first-place finish of the day in the 60-meter dash trials. With a time of 7.41, Mensah missed the Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center record by .02 seconds. Wisconsin's Shuntia Lucas clocked in next at 7.44 followed by Minnesota's Kadian Douglas at 7.49. Ohio State's Jenna Harris came in fifth with a time of 7.51 and Iowa's Peaches Roaches crossed the line right behind her at 7.55. Illinois also sends Tiara Armstrong to the finals with a seed performance of 7.59, while the Buckeyes' second runner in the final event is Ayrizanna Favours (7.62). Minnesota's Heather Dorniden led the way in the 800-meter trials, notching a 2:11.61-finish for first. The battle for second came down to the finish line with Penn State's Briene Simmons (2:11.86) edging Michigan's Geena Gall by .04 seconds. Michigan also advanced Nicole Edwards, who finished fifth with a time of 2:12.31. Purdue sends two to the finals with Brooke Woodruff's fourth-place finish (2:12.18) and Laura Farley's eighth-place time (2:13.25). Penn State's Katie Willow makes two for the Nittany Lions (2:13.83). The Nittany Lions claimed the top spot in the 60-meter hurdles final with Aleesha Barber's record-breaking run. Barber set a new track record with her 8.40 finish, eclipsing the record of 8.68 previously held by Iowa State's Rebecca Williams. Iowa's Tiffany Johnson edged Purdue's Leah Kincaid and Michigan's Tiffany Ofili for second, crossing the line at 8:46. Kincaid and Ofili shared third with a time of 8.48. The trials run at 600-meters was decided at the finish line when Michgian's Katie Erdman pulled ahead of Illinos' Pam Wolf for first. Erdman finished at 1:31.92 while Wolf clocked in at 1:31.98. Another Illini athlete, Carlene Robinson crossed the line next with a third-place time of 1:32.61. In the 200-meter dash, Iowa's Kineke Alexander cruised to a first-place finish of 24.05. Penn State's Cox will lineup as the No. 2 seed in the final with a time of 24.21 followed by Wisconsin's Lucas. Mensah and Favours each score another finals run with their third-place tie at 24.44. Minnesota's Douglas finished a hair behind them at 24.45 for fifth. Michigan picked up speed in climbing the team standings in the last two events of the day. The Wolverines' Erin Webster claimed gold in the 3,000-meter run with a 9:20.42 finish. Her teammate Rebecca Walter clocked in second at 9:20.54. Third place honors went to Illinois' Hunt (9:25.28) while Michigan State's Nicole Bush marked a 9:27.14 run for fourth. Wisconsin scored behind sixth- and seventh-place finishers Katrina Rundhaug (9.27.76) and Maggie Grabow (9.30.60). Feb. 25, 2006
MADISON, Wis. - The defending champion Michigan Wolverines entered the 2006 Big Ten Women's Track and Field Championships with with a promising quest for the program's record eighth conference title, but it was the other U-M, Minnesota, that took control form the beginning of the first day of competition. The Gophers will lead the field heading into Sunday's session with 51 points. The Wolverines are in second with 41.5 followed by the hosting Wisconsin Badgers with 32.5 for third. Purdue turned in 27 points for fourth while Illinois tallied 20 for fifth. Rounding out the team standings are Ohio State (17), Penn State (16), Michigan State (11), Indiana (10) and Iowa (8). The Gophers' track to the top started early with Liz Roehrigs' title performance in the pentathlon. Roehrig, the reigning pentathlon champion, beat Michigan freshman Bettie Wade by six points. The two battled the entire competition, finishing nearly neck-in-neck in every event, but Roehrig distanced herself with a first-place finish in the long jump to win 3,983-3,977. Wisconsin's Melissa Talbot scored 3,950 to tie for third with Michigan's Jennifer Williams. The five-event competition kicked of the championships, starting with the 60-meter hurdles. In the pentathlon edition of the 60-meter hurdles, Wisconsin junior Melissa Talbot took control of the standings early with a time of 8.56. Her first-place finish earned her 1004 points and a 37-point lead over the field. Michigan's Samantha Smith clocked in second at 8.73 followed by Michigan State's Etienne Chaplin, last year's runner-up, at 8.85 for third. Roehrig turned in an eighth-place time of 8.98 while Wade came in at 11th with a time of 9.09. In the pentathlon high jump, Williams jumped in front in the standings with a gold-medal leap of 1.78 meters. She edged teammate Wade by .03 meters, while Roerigh climbed the leaderboard with a third-place jump of 1.72 meters. Another Gopher, junior Jacenta Spandl claimed the pentathlon shot put title with a winning toss of 12.17 meters. Roehrig's performance fell right behind hers in a 12.16-meter throw for second. Talbot scored third place with an 11.85-meter toss, and Wade finished fourth with one of her own at 11.43 meters. Roehrig's momentum carried her to a gold-medal performance in the penathlon long jump, where she led the pack with a 5.90-meter jump. Wade follwed in second with a 5.84-meter jump, and Talbo jumped 5.68 meters for third. With a 55-point lead heading into the final pentathlon event, the 800-meter run, Roehrig's second-straight penathlon title was not completely secure. After trailing Wade and the other leaders significantly early, Roehrig raced to an 11th-place finish at 2:29.63. With 699 points for the run, Roehrig sealed her win against Wade's 748 for finishing sixth (2:25.65). In the pole vault competition, Wisconsin's Blair Luethmers used the home-crowd's energy to her advantage and sailed to a 4.01-meter jump for the title. Her jump matched the conference championships record set by Purdue's Ebbie Metzinger in 2002. Minnesota's Andrea Smith nailed a 3.86-meter vault to take home second. Purdue dominated the rest of the scoring finalists with two tying for third and another finishing fifth. The Boilermakers' Mallory Peck and Jocelyn Lindsey both leaped to 3.86 meters for third followed by teammate Brianna Nueman. Illinois' Cassie Hunt secured the top seed in Sunday's mile-run final with a first-place finish of 4:55.51. Wisconsin's Linsey Smith crossed the line next at 4:56.37, narrowly edging Purdue's Corrie Whisner who claimed third at 4:56.45. Minnesota sent two runners to the finals in fourth-place finisher Jamie Cheever (4:50.67) and eighth-place Emily Brown (4:47.67). Michigan's No. 1-ranked Nicole Edwards will run in Sunday's final as the No. 5 seed after finishing at 4:51.57. Penn State's Shana Cox punched her first ticket to the finals in the 400-meter dash trials. She clocked in first at 55.80. Her teammate Dominique Blake came in next at 56.25 followed closely by Indiana's Stacy Clausing at 56.33. Only four of the 10 schools will be represented in the final with Indiana dominating the finals field with three runners. Iowa, Illinois and Penn State all advanced two runners. Illinois' Yvonne Mensah claimed the top spot in the long jump finals with a 6.13-meter jump. Minnesota was again well-represented among the scoring finalists. Finishing second, Christine Kingsley marked a 6.01-meter jump while teammate Sarah Nelson finished sixth with 5.89. Indiana's Candace Perry jumped to third with a 5.95-meter performance. Mensah sprinted to her second first-place finish of the day in the 60-meter dash trials. With a time of 7.41, Mensah missed the Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center record by .02 seconds. Wisconsin's Shuntia Lucas clocked in next at 7.44 followed by Minnesota's Kadian Douglas at 7.49. Ohio State's Jenna Harris came in fifth with a time of 7.51 and Iowa's Peaches Roaches crossed the line right behind her at 7.55. Illinois also sends Tiara Armstrong to the finals with a seed performance of 7.59, while the Buckeyes' second runner in the final event is Ayrizanna Favours (7.62). Minnesota's Heather Dorniden led the way in the 800-meter trials, notching a 2:11.61-finish for first. The battle for second came down to the finish line with Penn State's Briene Simmons (2:11.86) edging Michigan's Geena Gall by .04 seconds. Michigan also advanced Nicole Edwards, who finished fifth with a time of 2:12.31. Purdue sends two to the finals with Brooke Woodruff's fourth-place finish (2:12.18) and Laura Farley's eighth-place time (2:13.25). Penn State's Katie Willow makes two for the Nittany Lions (2:13.83). The Nittany Lions claimed the top spot in the 60-meter hurdles final with Aleesha Barber's record-breaking run. Barber set a new track record with her 8.40 finish, eclipsing the record of 8.68 previously held by Iowa State's Rebecca Williams. Iowa's Tiffany Johnson edged Purdue's Leah Kincaid and Michigan's Tiffany Ofili for second, crossing the line at 8:46. Kincaid and Ofili shared third with a time of 8.48. The trials run at 600-meters was decided at the finish line when Michgian's Katie Erdman pulled ahead of Illinos' Pam Wolf for first. Erdman finished at 1:31.92 while Wolf clocked in at 1:31.98. Another Illini athlete, Carlene Robinson crossed the line next with a third-place time of 1:32.61. In the 200-meter dash, Iowa's Kineke Alexander cruised to a first-place finish of 24.05. Penn State's Cox will lineup as the No. 2 seed in the final with a time of 24.21 followed by Wisconsin's Lucas. Mensah and Favours each score another finals run with their third-place tie at 24.44. Minnesota's Douglas finished a hair behind them at 24.45 for fifth. Michigan picked up speed in climbing the team standings in the last two events of the day. The Wolverines' Erin Webster claimed gold in the 3,000-meter run with a 9:20.42 finish. Her teammate Rebecca Walter clocked in second at 9:20.54. Third place honors went to Illinois' Hunt (9:25.28) while Michigan State's Nicole Bush marked a 9:27.14 run for fourth. Wisconsin scored behind sixth- and seventh-place finishers Katrina Rundhaug (9.27.76) and Maggie Grabow (9.30.60). The second and final day of championships competition begins Sunday with the weight throw competition at 9:30 a.m. Twelve individual champions, the 4x400-meter relay winner and team champion will be crowned during Sunday's session.
|
|
