The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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M ichigan women's track and field head coach James Henry, who first took over the program in 1985, has been patiently building the program back up in the last several years. If the results at the Big Ten Indoor Championships (Feb. 28-March 1) are any indication, the Wolverines are on the verge of something special. Michigan took second at the event, with 104 points. Champion Penn State compiled 114.5 points. From 1998-2007, the Wolverines won 11 total Big Ten indoor and outdoor crowns. But the program dipped from 2010-12, finishing sev- enth or worse at five of the six Big Ten indoor and outdoor champion- ship meets in those three years. "We are getting back to our normal selves and that is being in a posi- tion to win a championship," Henry said. "We were in a position to win a championship and I was very proud of our ladies. "A few things didn't go our way, but it's exciting to know that we are back to being Michigan and back to being in a position of winning the championship. We did that and I would consider that a success." The Wolverines took the lead in the standings after the first day of competition, when senior Erin Bus- bee won the long jump (20-4.25) and the distance medley relay team of junior Brook Handler, sophomores Danielle Pfeifer and Maya Long, and freshman Jaimie Phelan placed first (11:12.51). Thanks to strong perfor- mances from sophomore sprinter Cindy Ofili and freshman distance runner Erin Finn, the team held onto that lead late into the final day. Ofili cruised to a Big Ten title in the 60-meter hurdles, setting a per- sonal best with a time of 8.08 sec- onds. It marked the fourth time in program history that a Wolverine has won the conference title in the 60-meter hurdles. Ofili's sister, Tif- fany, laid claim to the other three ti- tles (2007-09). Ofili also finished third OLYMPIC SPORTS Women's Track Surges To Second-Place Finish At Big Ten Championships Freshman Erin Finn captured the Big Ten title in the 5,000-meter run, posting a time of 15:52.11 to break a school record that had stood for 25 years. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS