Women strive to qualify

Katie McGregor hates to lose. But when she wins, she says she feels like she's done what she was supposed to do.

Hand the good conduct ribbon her way. The 1998 indoor national champion in the 3,000 meters just might have a chance to do it outdoors, too. Her 9:28.46 finish in the 3,000 at the Cardinal Twilight in Palo Alto, Calif., provisionally qualified her to race in the 3,000 at the NCAA Championships from June 3-6 in Buffalo, N.Y. McGregor had already automatically qualified in the 5,000.

Also qualifying provisionally, albeit 2,000 miles closer to home, was Nicole Forrester. Her high jump of six feet at the Phil Diamond Invitational was a Ferry Field and Michigan record. The victory was Forrester's sixth in seven attempts this season.

MARGARET MYERS/Daily Katie McGregor qualified provisionally for the NCAA Championships in the 3,000 meters with a time of 9:28.46 at the Cardinal Twilight this past weekend.

McGregor's victory was the only one the distance runners pulled out at Stanford, but two other Wolverines struck gold at home.

Sarah Clauw's heave of 44.42 meters was good enough for her first victory of 1998, and freshman Regine Caruthers took first, too. Caruthers' first was on the track, as her finish of 55.68 in the 400 outpaced the rest of the field.

Michigan added a flurry of second-place finishes to its three chart-toppers at the Diamond, which, like the Twilight, was scored individuals-only.

Olive Ikeh finished second in the 400 hurdles with a time of 59.90. Also finishing second was Maria Brown in the 100 at 11.71. Both sprint relays, the 400 and the 100, finished in the silver spot as well.

Ikeh also placed eighth in the javelin - throwing 86 feet. She finished behind teammates Tiffany Hodge, at seventh with a heave of 93-6, and top Michigan finisher Amy Johnson at 113-4 - good enough for fifth overall.

Nicole Proulx finished eighth in the discus at 37.40.

The distance squad placed four of their own in the top 10 in California. Elizabeth Kampfe, an All-American in the indoor season, took seventh in the 5,000 with a time of 17:06.95, ahead of Allison Noe's ninth-place effort.

05-11-98