'M' harriers cruise to team, individual titles at Sycamore Pride

If any Michigan team looks prepared to make a run for a national championship, the women's cross country team seems to be a leading candidate.

This past Saturday, senior Katie McGregor led the Wolverines to the Sycamore Pride title held at Indiana State. The Wolverines finished first with a team score of 19 points, 65 points better than runner-up Butler.

Overall, six of the top nine finishers were Wolverines, and all of Michigan's 11 entries finished in the top 50 in a field of 91 runners.

The All-America twosome of McGregor and Elizabeth Kampfe captured the top two spots. McGregor dominated the field, running the five- kilometer course in a time of 17:32.66, nearly 40 seconds faster than second-place finisher Kampfe (18:11.84).

"Personally, I'm not overly pleased with my performance," Kampfe said. "But I think this race was a good indicator as to where I am in my training."

LOUIS BROWN/Daily Katie McGregor (center) led the pack and teammate Elizabeth Kampfe (left) by nearly 40 seconds at the Sycamore Pride cross country meet Saturday.

McGregor looked dominant from the start. She immediately broke away from the pack and was able to sustain a large lead throughout the race.

"Katie is a phenomenal runner," Kampfe said. "I use her as a tool to key off of."

McGregor and Kampfe provided the Wolverines with their usual top finishes, but freshman transfer Katy Radkewich surprised many with an impressive third-place finish (18:28.83).

Radkewich "was a very accomplished high school runner," coach Mike McGuire said. A four-time All-American in high school, she attended Providence last year, but transferred after sitting out the year due to injury.

"She's a tough competitor and someone who can definitely make an impact up front," McGuire said in a released statement. "It's going to be a transition for her though, as it is with any transfer."

Radkewich's performance this past Saturday seems to be a clear indication that her transition will be a smooth one.

She finished in front of several upperclassman, a group which included sixth-place Michelle Slater (18:45.28), seventh-place Katie Clifford (18:49.06) and 16th-place Julie Froud (19:18.85).

"Katy has to adapt to college life as well as being an athlete," Kampfe said. "I think she did a great job Saturday adapting to the competition as well as the grueling pace, after being injured last year."

Some of the weaker performances can be attributed to last week's training camp in Glen Arbor. Both the men and women's cross country teams attended a week-long training camp consisting of long trail runs, full-team workouts and "a lot of bonding," Kampfe said.

The Wolverines hope to improve upon last year's impressive season, which produced runner-up finishes at the Big Ten Championships and NCAA Regionals. They concluded the season with a seventh-place finish at the NCAAs. All runners from last year's squad return.

"This weekend the team showed a lot of potential," Kampfe said. "We hope to improve our ability to stay together as a pack in the beginning of races. By staying tight as a pack we not only will place higher, but look intimidating as a group."

09-08-98