University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

Page 341 text:

A HEALTHY SURPRISE An injury -free women ' s track and field team surpised all with it ' s first ever Big 10 Outdoor Championship. b y Sam Garber JT or any athletic team the healtnof its I members can play a decisive role in the ouljome I of both a single competition and an entire sjson. An untimely injury to even one athlete could wreak havoc on the team ' s success. InjurieBiave Shad an unfortunate tendency to invacB the | women ' s track team and prevent it from reaching re hing Warn the end ! memers avoiaeiTiajor injuries, and the end result was the best season ever for a Michigan women ' s track and field team third place in the I Big 1 Indoor Championship topped only by a Big 10 Outdoor championship. Just like many other sports, the winner of | a track meet is the team that scores the most | points. With seventeen indoor events and twenty- three outdoor events, an easy way to score the I most points is to have finalists in as many events I as possible in order to maximize the team ' s scoring i capabilities. It is in this respect that the health factor can be crucial for a track team. As junior ! Molly McClimon said, Even one or two people hurt can really affect the team score. It is no surprise, then, that it would be I ideal for a team to be fully healthy heading into ( Conference Championship meets. Unlike previ- ous years, This year was the first time we had a full squad at the meet (Big 10 Outdoor Cham- pionship), said junior Laura Jerman. As a result, there was a great deal of depth in all events which provided scor- i n g opportunities in almost every event. It ' s not often that you can go to a very big competition and play every- body, but that ' s the way it worked for the Michigan (women ' s) track and field team, said Head Coach James Henry. Of course, each team will have strengt which it can rely on from meet to meet, and as has been the case before, the distance runners were this team ' s strength. As Henry said, We ' re always strong on distances; it ' s the backbone of our team. Indeed, McClimon and sophomore Courtney Babcock, both of whom specialize in distance, earned Indoor All-American honors while an- other distance runner, sophomore Karen Harvey, joined McClimon and Babcock as Outdoor Ail- Americans. Yet, while the distance runners provided their usual strong effort led by a Wolverine sweep of four of the top five spots in the 3,000 meter run, it was a full team effort diat allowed the team to capture the outdoor corWrence title. As Henry said, I think other memDOTs of our team contrib- uted more than what we nA lly have gotten (from them). Such strong conmcutions included senior Julie Victor ' s third-place fin fc the dis- cus, junior Richelle Webb ' s school record- performances as runner-up in both the 100 and 200 meter dash, and first-year student Linda Stuck ' s third in the high jump. Jerman, who was herself heptathlon champion, added, Everyone pulled their end. That ' s what made it a full team effort. After the first full day of competition, the team felt that it had a shot at winning the title. With finalists in almost every event, the team knew that it had the chance for valuable points to add to its score. Nonetheless, coaches were skep- tical that the team would be able to hold on knowing that heavily favored Illinois was close on its heels. As Henry said, I didn ' t think that we would hold on. As the points continued to come in, I was still a little skeptical as to when Illinois ' points would come in. Yet, Illinois ' points never came in, and when the dust settled, the Wolver- ines found themselves alone at the top with a total score of 150.5, a school conference championship record total as well as the third highest total ever in any Big 10 track Championship. Things just fell into place for us, said McClimon, winner of the 5,000 meter run, about the team ' s upset win. To say that the team was surprised that it had won was an understatement. Illinois had been heavily favored, so, as McClimon said, We maybe if we had a good meet we could j. The coaches even thought that was as s the team could go. However, there were some who a little more optimistic about the team ' s title hqPs. As Jerman said, A few of us thought, deep dowf kside, we could win it all. I was surprised that w von. It didn ' t quite hit me until the Illinois cMch said, ' con- gratulations, you did it; ' that ' s when it was starting to sink in, said Henry. Indeed, thShad done it. A fully healthy team had delivejp a healthy surprise it ' s first-ever Big 10 Outdoor Champi- onship. ;nitw iAh; eff utdoor Sports 339

Page 340 text:

Scoreboard Women ' s track and Afield 3rd Big 10 Indoor lst Meet ield tdoor As part of the total team effort, sophomore sprint specialist Tanya Clay, right, contributed as the team leader in the 400 meter run and as part of the team-best Sprint Medley Relay team. Billed her end with a third place finish in the discus at i photos courtesy of Sports Information. ement Michigan Relays Red Simmons Invitational Eastern Michigan Invite Michigan State Relays Meyo Invitational Penn St. Ohio St. MSU Eastern Michigan Classic Silverston Invitational Big 10 Indoor Championship Texas Relays Miami of Ohio Kansas Relays Penn Relays Drake Relays University of Toledo Penn St. Ohio St. MSU Len Paddock Invitational Big 10 Outdoor Championship NCAA Outdoor Championship I I I I NTS NTS NTS NTS NTS 1st NTS NTS 3rd NTS NTS NTS NTS NTS NTS NTS 1st NTS S MlJI here leading the pack is junior Molly McCIimon, the national runner up the 5000 meter (outdoor) run and an indoor and outdoor Ail-american selection. Photo courtesy of Sports Information. A few of us thought deep down inside that we could win it all, said junior Laura Jerman. The hurdles was only one of the events she participated in as the Big 10 heptathlon champion. Photo courtesy of Sports Information. 338 Sports

Page 342 text:

I A ALL PART OF BEING YOUNG Men ' s track and field team faced with the challenges caused by youthful inexpereince. by Sam Garber h, the innocence of youth. It is first competing against some of the best not hard to remember the care free days athletes in the country. However, you of youth when everything seemed simple have to get used to it, deal with it, and and easy. However, just think back as overcoml Many were indeed able to do so, first year student Scott as a kid trying to learn how to ride a bike and you can see that youth was not as easy as such it seemed, for it was often accompanied MacDonald who qualified for the NCAA by inexperience, |fithout practice, the Indoor National Championships in the 3000 first few rides werH treacherous as you meter run and was named both Indoor Big struggled to keep ymir balance but with 10 Freshman of the Year and All Big 10 experience, riding bike became almost Indoor. Fellow firs-year student Sean effortless. The meBs track team, com- Clancy joined MacDonald on the All Big prised mainly of first and second-year 10 Indoor team following a third place students , found () for itself just how finish in the pen- youth and inexperiHice can work hand- tathlon. Although With such a large number of young for thej NCAA members, the challenge was getting the Championships, team to work together in order to be- first-year student come competitive as a team. Yet, as Jon RoycBalso had Head Coach Jack Harvey said, It was a a succes ul first good group that worked together well. season letting the Much of this can be attributed to the team in he high (the upperclassmen) bvious Tiadt De me inooor and out- leaders. As soon a hey (the freshmen) door seasons, came in, we tried Birly to instill good highlighted by an work ethics, said unior pole vaulter outdoor team-best Toby Van Pelt. Moreover, the moral jump of 7 ft. 2 3 support from the apperclassmen pro- 4 in. javelin thrower Stan Johanning said, the inlperience The upperclassmen kept rooting for us did hurt the team in to try harder and for us not to give up. terms of lacing in The leadership and support paid the Big ll Champi- actually optimistic about the season. Though the team finished seventh in the Big 10 Outdoor Championship, it was a Johanning felt that there could be a long run advantage of having such a young team. As he said, (Being young) lets us stay together for a while and grow together so we can become a backup for one another. Their first year to- gether may have had its share of rough spots but, then again, so did that first bike ride. dividends as the younger members re- onships. As Harvey sponded well and improved as the season said, Bey went on. Much of this improvement alsocomplish4i came from their hard. As Van Pelt sa about working hard. out on your own and dedicated to going ou(on their own. Nonetheless, agement, competing fi M s |yo ne ofrhe i ac- a lot as team, but They were good they still didn ' t n you have to go know what it takes in, and they were to be successful on a national and con- pite the encour- ference level. Yet a national and Harvey was quick conference level wal intimidating for to add that with some at first. As Jonanning said, It all the inexperi- was intimidating as 4By un athlete at ence, we were One ofthe new members to find early success, first ' jear student Scott MacDonald earned both All Big 10 Indoor and Big 10 Indoor Freshman of the Year honors after winning the mile run at the Indoor Conference Championship Photo courtesy of Sports Information. 340 Sports