Sutherland, Rynda Advance to Finals on Day One at NCAA Championships

Sutherland, Rynda Advance to Finals on Day One at NCAA Championships

Site: Albuquerque, New Mexico (Albuquerque Convention Center)

Event: NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships (Day 1 of 2)

U-M Result:No Team Score

Next U-M Event: Friday, March 11 — at NCAA Indoor Championships – Day Two (Albuquerque, N.M.), 10:30 a.m. MT

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of Michigan women’s track and field team kicked off action at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday (March 10), with four athletes competing in three events at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Ziyah Holman and Savannah Sutherland took on the 400-meter preliminary to kick of the day for Michigan, running in the second and third heats, respectively. Holman fought hard, using a final kick in the home stretch to take second in 52.12 second. However, that time did not advance her to the finals, as she finished 11th to earn second-team All-America honors.

Sutherland was involved in a competitive heat, running against 400-meter collegiate record holder Talitha Diggs from Florida. The strong-starter rose to the occasion, fighting for a third-place finish in the heat. Sutherland’s 51.75 finish landed her the eighth and final qualifying spot for the event final. The finish improved her showing in this event over last year when she finished 14th in the prelims. The sophomore will take on the event final Saturday (March 11) at 4:20 p.m. MT looking to secure All-America status.

Aurora Rynda also advanced to Saturday’s finals, after an eighth place finish in the 800-meter preliminaries. With a mark of 2:04.54, she finished second in her heat, running a strategic and steady race. The fifth-year split 31.13 on the fourth split — the fastest of any runner in the event. Rynda will compete in the event final Saturday at 4:30 p.m. MT, looking to improve on her seventh-place finish from last year’s championships.

Sophomore Aasia Laurencin represented the Michigan women in the 60-meter hurdles, coming into the event off a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. She fought hard in the event, but ultimately fell short of qualifying for the final. Her 8.16-second mark put the hurdler in 11th place…