Crack.
This was the piercing sound of the starting gun Saturday as the Michigan women's track team competed against Indiana and Michigan State in the first meet of the indoor season.
It is also the drug you'd have to be taking if the ice-cold temperatures didn't give you second thoughts about hiking to a meet inside Michigan's well-ventilated indoor track facilities.
The Wolverines, however, were competing hotly enough to bring on an early spring thaw.
By thrashing the Hoosiers and Spartans, Michigan also proved that it melted away any ice left over from winter break.
The Wolverines consistently placed at or near the top in all of the field events. Freshmen Brandi Bentley and Kenise Brocage finished second and third in the long jump. Bentley also placed fourth in the triple jump, while sophomore Stephanie Wigness came in third in the shot put.
Perhaps the most impressive field performance, however, came from sophomore Nicole Forrester, who finished first in the high jump with a jump of 1.78 meters, good enough to qualify for the NCAA championships.
Michigan also dominated on the track. The Wolverines received the sprinting punch they seemed to lack last year from Brocage and fellow freshman Maria Brown, who tied for first in the 55-meter dash. Brocage seemed to be showing up everywhere as she also placed third in the 200-meter dash. Junior Tania Longe finished first in the 55-meter hurdles despite a back injury.
Sophomore Katie McGregor set the tone for the Michigan distance runners with two gutsy come-from-behind victories in the mile and the 800-meter run.
Following her example, freshmen Lisa Ouellet and Elizabeth Kampfe also placed first in their respective events, the 600- and 3,000-meter runs.
Their opening performance has marked the Wolverines as competitors who have the ability to win in impressive fashion, and head coach James Henry feels they have a chance to fulfill that potential.
"We're out of the block, we got a good start, but we have a ways to go," Henry said. "We've got to stay healthy. If we can still stay at full strength, we can be even better than we are now.
"I still expect us to overachieve. We're a better team than last year when we overachieved, so let's continue to overachieve and see what happens."
FILE PHOTO/Daily
The Michigan women's indoor track and field team rolled over Indiana and Michigan State on its way to a dominating victory in the Wolverines' first meet of the season.