A dress rehearsal is the last chance to work out kinks before
the big show. This past weekend’s Sykes-Sabok Challenge Cup
was a dress rehearsal for the women’s indoor track team
before the Big Ten Championships.
- Mira Levitan
- Katie Erdman finished first in the 600-meters this weekend. (RYAN WEINER/Daily)
Michigan’s third-place finish shows that there are still
are a few things for the team to work on before the championships
in two weeks. Michigan ended the two-day meet with 74 points. Host
Penn State captured the team title with a score of 158.33, and
showed they will be a team to be reckoned with at the Big Ten
Tournament. Ohio State took second with 105.33 points.
“This was a chance for the team to get any butterflies or
kinks out of their system before the Big Ten’s,” coach
John Henry said. “There were substantial performances on the
positive side and on the negative side, but for the most part it
was positives.”
Once again, sophomore Katie Erdman paced the Wolverines with a
first- place finish in the 600-meter run, setting her second school
record in two weeks when she posted a blazing 1:29.70. The
Wolverines earned 21 of their 74 points in the 600, as senior
quad-captain Vera Simms and redshirt junior Mora Arnold placed
third and fourth, respectively.
“I was happy with my race. We have been logging some high
miles and running some tough workouts, and my race reflected a bit
of fatigue,” Erdman said. “Fortunately, I know those
tough days are going to pay off in a couple of weeks at Big
Ten’s.”
Redshirt junior Lindsay Gallo also contributed for the
Wolverines this weekend, as she took first place in the 3,000-meter
run. Gallo’s time earned her NCAA-provisional-qualifying
status and marked the fastest time in the Big Ten this season.
“Gallo’s NCAA-provisional-qualifying time in the
3,000 impressed me the most,” senior Robin Landfair said.
Senior Robin Landfair led the Wolverines on Friday as she took
second place in the 60-meter hurdles with a season-best time of
8.55.
While the Wolverines are happy with the solid scores this
weekend, they also know that they need to do more if they want to
repeat as Big Ten Champions.
“After the meet, I do not think anyone is satisfied with
where they currently are — now we have some more motivation
to work hard until Big Ten’s,” Erdman said.
Finishing third behind two Big Ten teams should be ample
motivation for the team.
“We saw what are probably the two toughest teams, and they
did not disappoint,” Erdman said. “We will have our
work cut out for us.”
One thing the team does know is that, to beat Penn State, it
will have to log the best times of the season.
“It’s going to take a substantial majority of
positive performances to beat Penn State,” Henry said.
A concern the team has is being prepared mentally for the Big
Ten Championships.
“One thing to work on is making sure we still perform well
under pressure,” Landfair said.
Next week’s Harold Silverston Invitational is not team
scored, but individuals have one last chance to improve their times
before the main show at the Big Ten Championships.