Kampfe, McGregor finish 1-2 in region

BLOOMINGTON - The Michigan women's cross country team fought through bitter temperatures and muddy conditions in Bloomington on Saturday to earn a bid to next week's national championship in Greenville, S.C.

LOUIS BROWN/Daily Michigan harriers clinched an NCAA berth at regionals.

The temperature did not make it out of the low 30s during Saturday's District IV regional championships, and a blistering wind-chill created a hostile environment. The Wolverines ran with "monster spikes," according to fifth-place finisher Julie Froud, to compensate for the saturated ground.

Michigan finished second with 56 points, 12 behind Wisconsin. Michigan's Elizabeth Kampfe captured first place with a time of 17:45. Teammate Katie McGregor finished a close second in 17:47.

McGregor was concerned about the course before the race, but said, "In the beginning the course was a little slippery, but by the second half of the race, I was too cold and tired to even think about the muddy course."

From the start, McGregor dominated the front position - the closest runner was 50 yards behind. During the final 400 meters of the race, Kampfe's steady pace turned into a quicker sprint. She steadily gained ground on McGregor, and in the final 100 meters passed the Big Ten Champion.

"I was not disappointed that Kampfe won, since she is my teammate," McGregor said. "I didn't really know she was coming up so fast, and I did not run my best race today."

Kampfe was very pleased with her performance on Saturday, yet expressed concern about the team's overall performance.

"I paced myself very well throughout the whole race, and in the end I had more in me, so I took advantage of it," she said. "I was definitely happy with my individual performance, but was more concerned with the overall teams' performance and our bid to the national championship."

Not only did Kampfe and McGregor perform well, but Julie Froud ran one of her best races this year, finishing fifth with a time of 18:08. For the first seven minutes, Froud kept pace with Kampfe behind McGregor. But, the strain was evident on Froud's face and her speed gradually deteriorated.

"I don't know what my problem was," Froud said. "I'm not sure if my problem was mental or physical, but I have to work on my pacing in the early part of the race."

While Froud slipped back, her competitors continued to gain on her as she fell back to sixth place. Nevertheless, Froud picked up her pace during the final stretch and finished with an impressive time.

11-17-97