The Michigan women's track team entered the weekend with a clear mission: divide and conquer.
The Wolverines accomplished their goal, delivering solid performances all around at both this weekend's Husker and Cannon Invitationals.
Michigan coach James Henry took advantage of the fierce competition at both meets by splitting up the team, sending the distance crew out to Indianapolis for the Cannon meet and taking the sprint and field event squads to the fields of Nebraska. Bot
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h meets were unscored, putting an emphasis on individual improvement in preparation for the Big Ten Championships on Feb. 28 and Mar. 1.
All in all, Henry was pleased with the effort the Wolverines put forth.
"The purpose of the meets was to compete two days straight," Henry said, indicating he wanted his runners to experience competing with tired legs the second day.
Despite the element of fatigue, the Wolverines rose to the occasion at both meets, turning in some of their best performances of the year.
The distance medley relay stole the show at the Cannon Invite, setting the stage for the weekend with a smashing performance. The quartet of Lisa Ouellet, Adrienne Hunter, Sarah Hamilton and Katie McGregor grabbed the spotlight, winning the meet with a time of 11:13.
But that wasn't all. The relay team's performance also earned the Wolverines the distinction of holding the top time in the nation so far this season - and earned Michigan an automatic qualification for the NCAA Indoor Championships this spring.
"The distance medley ran excellent," distance runner Elizabeth Kampfe said. "It really helped us to get excited for Saturday's events."
Kampfe turned in a solid showing in the 5,000-meters, garnering a sixth-place finish with a time of 16:47.
The Wolverines found success in the 3,000 meters as well. McGregor crossed the line in 9:25, good for fifth-place overall. Tiffin Goodman and freshman Katie Ryan also ran personal bests in the 3,000.
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| MARGARET MYERS/Daily Katie McGregor and the distance corps spent their weekend at the Cannon Invitational, in Indianapolis, while the rest of the team traveled to Nebraska.
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Michelle Slater was only three seconds behind, and freshman Lena VanHaren chipped in with a 5:05.
Meanwhile, the sprint and field event squads enjoyed a successful day at the Husker Invitational on Friday.
High jumper Nicole Forrester garnered by far the best performance of the day, clearing the 6-foot-1 1/4 bar to tie for third place. Forrester's jump would have tied her with two others for first place, but she was bumped down to third after losing the tiebreaker.
To break a tie in the high jump, the athlete with the fewest misses is given the higher placing.
It was still a breakthrough for Forrester, however, who indicated that she wasn't pleased with her recent performances.
Forrester hoped to break into the 6-1 to 6-3 range, but she was unable to eclipse 6-0 until last week.
Tania Longe found the going a bit rougher than in her easy victories in the past few weeks, but she still captured two respectable sixth-place finishes in both the 55 and the long jump.
The mile relay team produced a season-best performance, earning a sixth-place finish with a time of 3:46. The Wolverines also tasted some Big Ten competition. Purdue's mile relay team won the race and earned an NCAA provisional qualification in the process.
But the Boilermakers might not dominate quite as much at Big Tens. Henry thinks Purdue might spread out its relay squad among many events.
The Wolverines will begin to taper for Big Tens as soon as next week. While they are scheduled to compete in the EMU Invitational next Saturday, many of the runners may forgo the trip, giving the second-tier athletes an opportunity to compete and contribute.
"A lot of us are taking the weekend off," Kampfe said. "We're going to cut back a little before Big Tens.
"We're going to do whatever it takes to win the Big Ten title."
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