NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships Wrap Up - BIG TEN CONFERENCE Official Athletic Site

NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships Wrap Up

Michigan leads conference with ninth-place finish

	Michigan's Nicole Edwards placed third in the mile run at the 2007 NCAA Championships.

March 13, 2007

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Michigan recorded the first top-10 finish for a Big Ten squad since 2003 as it led the conference with a ninth-place standing at the 2007 NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 8-10 on the University of Arkansas campus.

The Wolverines scored points in six events and had three athletes make the finals in more than one event. Senior Erin Webster came in ninth and 11th in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters, respectively while Katie Erdman took fourth in the 800 meters, and Nicole Edwards finished third in the mile. Erdman and Edwards then teamed up to help the Wolverines to a third-place finish in the distance medley relay.

The best individual Big Ten finish of the meet came from Iowa's Kineke Alexander, the defending champion in the 400 meters, who finished second with a time of 51.48 at the 2007 event. Penn State's Shana Cox came in seventh while Ohio State's Jenna Harris finished eighth in the race.

Penn State and Iowa had the next-best finishes for the conference, tying for 21st. In addition to scoring in the 400 meters, the Nittany Lions also grabbed points in the 4x400-meter relay. Behind Alexander's strong performance in the 400 meters, the Hawkeyes also earned points in the mile.

Minnesota and Wisconsin both came in 34th with six team points each. The Gophers grabbed big team points off Heather Dorniden's third-place finish in the 800 meters and also placed finalists in the distance medley relay, the pentathlon and twice in the shot put. The Badgers earned their highest point total since 2001 off senior Melissa Talbot's third-place finish in the pentathlon.

Rounding out the conference finishers, Illinois and Ohio State tied at No. 56 with three team points each while Purdue came in at No. 67 with 1.50 total points.

Big Ten outdoor track and field begins this weekend as Iowa travels to San Diego, Calif., for the San Diego Invite on March 16-17, and Wisconsin heads to UNC-Charlotte for the 49er Relays, March 16-18.