Seniors and defending NCAA champions Tiffany Ofili and Geena Gall usually garner most of the recognition on the Michigan women's track and field team.

But at this weekend's NCAA Mideast Regional it was senior Bettie Wade's performances that led the Wolverines to a third-place finish (48) behind Tennessee (69) and LSU (85.50).

Wade placed third in the long jump with a career-best leap of 20-feet-8.5-inches to punch her ticket to the NCAA Championships. But the senior and co-captain wasn't done for the weekend. She posted a career-best mark of five-feet-10-inches in the high jump for a second place and another event to add to her nationals schedule.

"I was very pleased with that performance," Henry said. "It was a pleasant surprise and it was well overdue for her."

Michigan coach James Henry stressed the importance of qualifying individuals for the NCAAs opposed to focusing on the team rankings.

Superstar hurdler Ofili could have competed in the long jump and the 4x100-meter relay but she decided to focus primarily on the 100-meter hurdles. The decision paid off as Ofili dominated the field and captured a regional title in event (12.96). The mark was also good enough for a new stadium record.

One of the more anticipated events of the weekend was the 800-meter run. With four of the five best runners in the nation competing in the event final, the race provided a glimpse of the NCAA meet. The pace was fast from the start and Gall waited until the last 400 to make her move but it wasn’t enough. The senor was edged at the finish line by nine hundredths of a second to place second with new career best mark (2:02.29).

Sophomores Emily Pendleton and Danielle Tauro shared the seniors’ success. Pendleton continues to throw the discus farther and farther and Friday it helped secure her first NCAA Championships appearance. Pendleton’s throw of 180-feet-8-inches was a personal best and enough for fourth place. Tauro qualified for nationals with a strong outing in the 1,500-meter run. The sophomore crossed the finish line third (4:25.61).

Henry describes senior Casey Taylor as one of the Wolverines’ most consistent athletes. Taylor’s solid performances this year lead to an impressive showing this weekend in the triple jump. The senior’s jump of 42-feet-6-inches gave her fourth place and a trip down to Fayetteville, Ark.

"The girls are where I want them to be and that is that they are feeling fairly confident about themselves," Henry said. "But they also realize that there is another level of improvement that they now need to meet."