Coming off fifteen personal-best performances in both track and field events at the Duke Invitational, the Wolverines will host their first outdoor meet of the 2001 season this Saturday.
The University of Michigan Triangular will feature two local competitors in Central Michigan and Michigan State. Michigan women”s track coach James Henry expects this upcoming meet to simply be a tune-up for the more competitive races.
“(Central Michigan) has a really balanced program with good makeup,” Henry said. “(Michigan State) is not going to be as competitive because of a large number of unfortunate injuries.”
At this juncture of the season, the Wolverines have no major physical injuries. But the grueling travel schedule has been physically draining on the team, and as finals approach, mental fatigue can set in. Henry has taken all of these factors into consideration.
“This meet will be a time to take it easy and not put pressure on the team,” Henry said. “We will be training through this competition.”
Henry is optimistic about the rest of the season. Based on Michigan”s performance in previous meets, he feels the team is headed in the right direction.
“I am pleased with all phases of our team, ” Henry said. “I expect all our athletes, including the hurdlers, to do well. But don”t expect them to go all out especially if the weather is not the best.”
The fact that senior Katie Jazwinski and sophomore Teyonna Simpson have already qualified with NCAA provisional times and marks in their respective events is impressive. Jazwinski finished third in the 1,500-meter run last weekend at the Duke Invitational. In addition, Simpson captured second place in the triple jump, leaping to a mark of 43-3 1/2 at the Stanford Invitational.
Such individual performances signify that the Wolverines abilities are spread across the track spectrum from running to field events.
There are still some concerns about the depth in throwing and the middle distances.
With less than two months remaining in their outdoor season, Michigan realizes that this upcoming meet represents another building block toward the Big Ten Championships.
The completion of finals and the prospect of warmer weather should enhance the Wolverines” performance the next couple weeks.