BY
BY MATT VENEGONI
Daily Sports Writer
Published January 12, 2004
“Ninety percent.”
More like this
For the first test of the semester, that’s a fine way to
start.
That’s how satisfied women’s indoor track coach
James Henry was with the effort and results from his team’s
first meet, the non-scoring Jack Harvey Invitational.
Since the event was not a team-scored event, the main focus was
on individual times and scores, and Michigan did not disappoint,
winning six events.
Seniors Carly Knazze and Robin Landfair, juniors Lindsey Gallo,
Theresa Feldkamp and Jennifer Kulchar, and sophomore Katie Erdman,
headlined the event with victories in the first meet of 2004.
“Katie Erdman kicked some serious butt today,” one
teammate yelled out during the team huddle after the meet.
Henry agreed with that statement about the 2003 Big Ten
Conference Freshman of the Year.
“Erdman was definitely a standout today,” Henry
said.
Erdman destroyed the field in the 600-meter run, crossing the
finish line in 1:31.57, 2.5 seconds ahead of her nearest
competition, Janaule Bennett of Western Michigan.
“It’s hard to just mention one standout because
there were many good performances,” Henry said.
Henry noted that Knazze was the sprinter of the day. She posted
her first victory of the new year with a time of 7.73 in the
60-meter dash.
The team then went on to win the next two races, as Erdman and
Gallo posted wins in the 600- and 800-meter runs. Also impressive
was the 4-by-400 relay, which Henry said was at least two seconds
better then he was expecting.
Henry’s biggest concern was keeping his team healthy.
“People were sore and the reaction time wasn’t quite
there, but we are healthy,” Henry said.
Freshman thrower Bridgette Maynard agreed that, although there
was a lot of soreness coming off the long break from official
practices, the adjustment was not too difficult.
“Overall I think most of the girls handled the break
really well (in terms of training),” Maynard said.
Because it was the first meet, the team doesn’t put too
much stock into its impressive showing. There is a long way to go
and the team needs to continue to improve.
“(The season) is a marathon,” Henry said. “You
want a good start, but this is just the first mile.”
Michigan will travel to Bloomington next Saturday to take on
Indiana in a dual meet. Last season, the Hoosiers finished in a tie
for second behind Michigan at the Big Ten Outdoor
Championships.
