Women's Track & Field
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- jehenry@umich.edu
- Phone:
- 647-1266
James Henry retired on July 1, 2022 after a decorated coaching career at Michigan that spanned 42 years and saw him become the first Black head coach of any varsity team at Michigan.
He served as head coach for the women's team for 33 years before sharing head coach duties for the combined program for an additional four years. He closed his career as an assistant coach in the final year of his tenure at Michigan. Henry's teams have garnered 193 NCAA All-American citations, 220 Big Ten titles, 17 individual national championships and four national championship relay titles. In the classroom, Henry's athletes have earned 633 Academic All-Big Ten honors, 11 Big Ten Medals of Honor (awarded for the highest demonstration of scholarship and athletic ability), three NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships and 20 Capital One Academic All-America honors.
Henry By the Numbers
• Personally coached 3 athletes who became Olympians (Nicole Forrester, Tiffany (Ofili) Porter, Cindy Ofili)
• 17 NCAA Championships individual titles (8 indoor, 8 outdoor) as head coach, including six in his event areas
• 2 NCAA Championships podium team finishes (3rd outdoor in 2007, 3rd indoor in 2008) as head coach
• 8 NCAA Championships top-10 team finishes (5 indoor, 3 outdoor) as a head coach
• 193 All-America finishes* as a head coach
• 17 Big Ten Championships team titles (9 indoor, 8 outdoor) as head coach
• 219 Big Ten Championships individual titles as head coach
• 11 Big Ten Medal of Honor winners as head coach
• 11 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honorees as head coach
• 3 Academic All-Americans of the Year as head coach
• 20 Academic All-Americans as head coach
• 27 Academic All-District honorees as head coach
• 111 USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals as head coach
• 147 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honorees as head coach
• 633 Big Ten All-Academic honorees as head coach
* Relays count as one finish
AT MICHIGAN
• In 2021, Henry oversaw a combined-gender program that totaled 11 individual All-Americans, an All-America relay team, four additional NCAA Outdoor Championships qualifiers, and four individual Big Ten champions. In his women's program, Ziyah Holman became one of the most prolific sprinters in program history in just a single season, winning two Big Ten titles at 400 meters, breaking three school records, earning All-America honors as part of the distance medley relay, qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships and competing at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Michigan also got Big Ten titles from Jessica Mercier (indoor pole vault) and Aurora Rynda (outdoor 800 meters), and Rynda went on to earn second-team All-America honors outdoors. Ericka VanderLende also earned second-team honors indoors at 5,000 meters.
• In a 2020 season cut short by the novel coronavirus COVID-19 global pandemic, Henry oversaw a combined-gender program that totaled two individual All-Americans, an All-America relay team, two individual Big Ten champions and a conference-winning relay team. In his women's program, the distance medley relay team both won the Big Ten title and qualified to the NCAA Indoor Championships, which were ultimately cancelled. The team earned All-America honors for qualifying. At the conference level, Aurora Rynda won the 600 meters and his student-athletes racked up medals in the mile (Meg Darmofal, silver), high jump (Katt Miner, bronze), 5,000 meters (Ericka VanderLende, bronze) and 4x400 relay (Emma Lane, Jade Harrison, Julia Hall, Chloe Foster, bronze).
, Henry oversaw a combined-gender program that produced 10 All-America honors and claimed four Big Ten titles. In his women's program, the distance medley relay earned First-Team All-America honors and both Hannah Meier (indoor mile) and Erin Finn (outdoor 10,000 meters) claimed Second-Team All-America awards. Meier and Aurora Rynda (indoor 600 meters) claimed Big Ten titles, and Jessica Mercier was the Big Ten silver medalist in the outdoor pole vault.
• In 2019, Henry oversaw a combined-gender program that produced 10 All-America honors and claimed four Big Ten titles. In his women's program, the distance medley relay earned First-Team All-America honors and both Hannah Meier (indoor mile) and Erin Finn (outdoor 10,000 meters) claimed Second-Team All-America awards. Meier and Aurora Rynda (indoor 600 meters) claimed Big Ten titles, and Jessica Mercier was the Big Ten silver medalist in the outdoor pole vault.
• In 2019 among the sprinters and hurdlers he coaches, Chloe Foster excelled with an All-America honors on the distance medley relay to go along with scoring performances at the Big Ten Indoor Championships (600 meters) and Big Ten Outdoor Championships (400-meter hurdles).
• In 2018, Henry led the Wolverine women to six individual Big Ten titles and five All-America honors, resulting in a fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships and an eighth-place mark at Big Ten Indoors. Also sharing oversight duties for the men's program with Jerry Clayton, the Michigan men added a national title, seven All-America honors and four Big Ten titles with fourth-place outdoor and sixth-place indoor conference team finishes.
• In 2018, he saw high jumper Claire Kieffer-Wright, distance runners Erin Finn, Haley Meier, Jamie Morrissey and Claire Borchers, and the distance medley relay team all claim Big Ten titles. Borchers, Kieffer-Wright and Meier were joined as All-Americans by heptathlete Aaron Howell and distance runner Sarah Zieve.
• In 2017, the season culminated with an NCAA Outdoor Championships 1,500-meter national title for Jaimie Phelan -- the first title in that event in Michigan history -- for one of five All-America honors on the year. Gina Sereno earned three such awards -- two individually and one as a member of the distance medley relay -- while Erin Finn was the national runner-up indoors at 5,000 meters. On the strength of those efforts Michigan was top-25 nationally both indoors and outdoors: tied for 14th indoors and tied for 21st outdoors.
• In 2017, Phelan and Sereno were also among the six Big Ten individual titles won by the Wolverines in 2017. Sereno earned three crowns in the indoor 3,000 and the outdoor 5,000 and 10,000; Phelan won at 1,500 meters outdoors; Aaron Howell won the outdoor heptathlon; and Claire Kieffer-Wright took the outdoor high jump win. Behind the five outdoor individual titles, Michigan was fifth as a team, and took seventh indoors. Henry also guided freshman Jade Harrison to a school record indoors over 400 meters, and she just missed qualifying for the national meet by one spot on the descending order list.
• In 2016, Henry has helped coach the Maize and Blue to its best season since a program-best year in 2008 with a sweep of the indoor and outdoor Big Ten titles and a national title in the indoor 60m hurdles for Cindy Ofili. During the outdoor campaign, U-M totaled 106 points at the conference meet, its most since 2009, and won gold medals in the 100-meter hurdles, 800 and 1,500-meter runs and the 5 and 10K's. U-M went 1-2 in both middle-distance races and added bronze medals in the heptathlon and high jump to complete the program's first Big Ten sweep since its last triple crown season in 2003.
• In 2016, his Wolverines won the Big Ten Indoor title for the first time since 2006, totaling 109 points for their best scoring effort in seven years with five event and relay titles carrying the bulk of the scoring. The Maize and Blue also medaled at 600 meters and in the 60-meter hurdles before carrying that momentum into a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships -- third-best in program history. There, Henry helped guide Cindy Ofili to the program's first individual title since 2009 (60-meter hurdles) while Erin Finn and the Distance Medley Relay secured three more first team All-American honors. Ofili ran a record-shattering 7.89, ranked No. 5 in the world at the time and No. 6 in collegiate history.
• In 2015, Henry guided the Wolverines to their second consecutive runner-up finish at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. He coached Cindy Ofili to a national runner-up finish in the 100m hurdles during the outdoor season, and she broke the program's 100m dash (11.39) and 100m hurdles (12.60) records in the same weekend in Eugene while U-M had its best team finish since the 2009 season, finishing in 19th.
• In 2015, Henry coached Cindy Ofili to a successful defense of her 60m hurdles crown at the indoor conference meet, and also helped her repeat as the outdoor 100m hurdles champ. U-M's distance medley relay, along with Ofili, competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships, where DMR finished third, and during the outdoor season, Ofili qualified for the national meet in two events, joined by a pair of 1,500m runners and Erin Finn in the 10K race.
• In 2014, Henry produced the program's most Big Ten champions since 2009 (8), capturing six individual conference titles and the program's 11th straight distance medley relay crown. Cindy Ofili doubled as the indoor 60-meter hurdle and outdoor 100-meter hurdle champion, while freshman Erin Finn won the indoor and outdoor 5,000-meter run and outdoor 10,000-meter run and Erin Busbee took home the indoor long jump gold medal. Finn became the first athlete in Big Ten history to be named Big Ten Athlete of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Athlete of the Championships in the same season. Under Henry's guidance, U-M sent three individuals and the distance medley relay to the NCAA Indoor Championships and five athletes to the national outdoor meet. Ofili earned All-American first team honors in the 60-meter hurdles (6th) indoors, while Erin Finn (10,000m, 6th) and Brook Handler (1,500mm, 6th) also garnered First Team All-America recognition outdoors. Henry also helped U-M's first heptathlete reach the NCAA Outdoor Championships since 2009, as Aaron Howell recorded a 16th-place finish to earn All-America second team accolades. Fifth-year senior pole vaulter Kiley Tobel capped her career as a Capital One Academic All-American.
• In 2013, produced its best Big Ten team finishes since 2009, placing third at the indoor conference meet and fourth at the outdoor event. Fifth-year senior Amanda Eccleston captured the indoor mile and outdoor 1,500-meter run titles and also ran the anchor leg of Michigan's NCAA champion distance medley relay, which set a new school record (10:56.46). Rebecca Addison, Jillian Smith and freshman sprinter Maya Long joined Eccleston on the winning relay. The Big Ten DMR (Shannon Osika, Meg Bellino, Smith and Addison) captured the program's 10th-striaght conference crown. In addition to U-M's DMR winning the national title, junior multi-event athlete Erin Busbee finished sixth in the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships to propel the Wolverines to a tie for 15th place -- its best team result since 2009. Following the 2013 season, Addison and Smith were named to the Capital One Academic All-America first and second teams, respectively. Addison became the first Wolverine to earn a spot on the first team since 2006.
• At the 2012 London Olympic Games, three former Wolverines, as well as one U-M graduate student represented Michigan. Tiffany (Ofili) Porter (100 meter hurdles, Great Britain), Geena Gall (800 meters, USA) and Nicole (Edwards) Sifuentes (1,500 meters, Canada), as well as Uhunoma Osazuwa (Heptathlon, Nigeria), who currently trains with Henry, each competed for their respective countries.
• In 2012, Addison and Tobel spearheaded Michigan's success. Addison won the third straight Big Ten indoor 800-meter title for U-M, as Jillian Smith captured crowns in 2010 and 2011. Addison and Smith were also members of Michigan's ninth-straight Big Ten distance medley relay title. Addison and Tobel were each First Team All-Americans in their respective events at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Tobel set new school records in the indoor and outdoor pole vault, while Addison capped the season on the Academic All-America third team list.
• In 2011,Smith and Addison teamed up at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, winning the 800- and 1,500-meter titles, respectively, and were also members of the winning distance medley relay team, leading U-M to a fourth-place finish. That duo carried through to the NCAA Indoor Championships, as they were each All-Americans in the 800-meter run and DMR, helping U-M place 18th as a team.
• In 2010, Henry's newest recruit, freshman Erin Pendleton contributed immediately, winning the Big Ten outdoor discus title and was named conference freshman of the year for her efforts. Pendleton (discus) and Shana Vinson (indoor 400 meter) each set new Michigan records in 2010 that still stand today.
• In 2009, Henry enjoyed a banner year as he led the Wolverines to an 11th-place showing at the NCAA Indoor Championships and a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Tiffany Ofili capped her career with five national titles, winning the 60-meter hurdles (indoor) for the second consecutive season, while winning the 100-meter hurdles (outdoor) for the third year in a row. Geena Gall, a 10-time All-American, won her second consecutive national title in the 800-meter run (outdoor), as both seniors capped their career in grand fashion.
• The 2009 senior class left its mark on Michigan women's track and field, winning seven national championships with 23 All-America citations. The group accounted for 14 Big Ten championships, earning Athlete of the Year or Championships, six times. In addition to the class' athletic achievements, the group was recognized as Academic All-Big Ten honorees, 32 times.
• In 2008, Henry guided the Wolverines to a third-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships and a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Maize and Blue earned three national championships, as Ofili took the 60-meter hurdles (indoor) and 100-meter hurdles (outdoor) crowns, while Gall earned top honors in the outdoor 800-meter run. Under Henry's guidance, U-M also earned eight Big Ten titles in 2008. Following the completion of the 2008 collegiate season, 12 current or former Wolverines competed in their respective nation's Olympic trials. Nicole Forrester (1996-99) (Canada) and Anna Willard (2007) (USA) went onto compete in the 2008 Beijing Games.
• In 2007, Henry won the USTFCCCA Indoor Track & Field Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year. He led the Wolverines to second place at the Big Ten Indoor Championships and the program's fourth-best finish (ninth) -- at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Henry's team tied for first place with Illinois in the 2007 Big Ten Outdoor Championships and posted a program-best third place at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Five U-M records were broken in 2007 -- Nicole Edwards' indoor mile (4:36.08) and Tiffany Ofili's 60-meter indoor hurdles (7.43) set new marks as did Ofili's outdoor 100-meter hurdles (12.80), Anna Willard's outdoor 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:38.08) and Erdman's 800-meter run (1:59.35). Edwards and Ofili topped those records in 2008, while Erdman and Willard's record still stand today. Ofili and Willard each won NCAA outdoor titles in their respective events that year.
• Henry earned the 12th Big Ten Coach of the Year award of his career in 2006 and was named the USTFCCCA Indoor Great Lakes Regional Coach of the Year for the second year in a row, following U-M's 14th Big Ten title and its seventh title in the last nine chances. Henry's squad took the 2006 Big Ten indoor title -- the program's eighth -- while finishing second in the Big Ten Outdoor Championships as the Wolverines narrowly missed out on winning their fourth triple crown. Michigan posted its third-best finish in program history at the NCAA Indoor Championships (13th place) and the second best finish in program history at the NCAA Outdoor Championships (13th place).
• In 2004, Henry guided U-M to its third straight Big Ten outdoor championship -- the fourth in seven years (1998, 2002, '03), earning coach of the year honors along the way, while the Wolverines secured a second place finish in the Big Ten indoor championship. U-M captured seven Big Ten individual crowns and one relay title, as well as nine NCAA All-America honors, including three for Lindsey Gallo and two for Katie Erdman. Six U-M records were broken in 2004, including the 1,500-meter, which had stood for 21 years. Six U-M athletes competed in the Olympic Trials with 1996 graduate Courtney Babcock competing for Canada at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Off the track, Gallo was the 2004 and 2005 CoSIDA Women's Track & Field Academic All-American of the Year, while Melissa Bickett earned an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
• In 2002, Henry's squad swept the Big Ten indoor and outdoor championships for the third time during his tenure, earning him conference coach of the year honors. Henry guided the 2003 Wolverines to the third and fourth consecutive Big Ten team titles, as the Maize and Blue captured both the indoor and outdoor league crowns for the second straight year. He earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for the second straight year.
• Henry began his coaching career in 1981 as an assistant with the Michigan men's and women's track and field teams, working with U-M's first women's track coach, Red Simmons and then Francie Kraker Goodridge, who assumed the helm in 1982. Henry has been a part of every Michigan team that has won a Big Ten title since the Wolverines captured their first crown in 1982 -- an indoor championship. In 1985, legendary U-M Athletic Director Donald Canham hired Henry as the third head coach in the history of the program. Henry guided Michigan to seven top-30 finishes at the NCAA Championships in his first five years at the helm, adding 10 All-America honors to the resumes of his student-athletes in the process.
• The seed for Michigan's success in women's track and field was planted when Henry added Mike McGuire and Arnett Chisholm to his coaching staff in 1990. McGuire, who competed in cross country and track for the Wolverines, returned to Ann Arbor after two seasons as an assistant track and field coach at Kansas, while Chisholm moved to the women's side after working as a volunteer assistant with the Michigan men's track and field program.
• Henry's moves began to pay dividends in 1994 with the program's first Big Ten outdoor title, triggering a string of success that included the program's first triple crown in 1994, and another triple crown in 1998. Henry's 1998 Wolverine team captured both the indoor and outdoor Big Ten crowns as well, while also producing Michigan's first individual NCAA champion (Katie McGregor in the indoor 3,000-meter run) and its second national champion distance medley relay team.
• A 1980 Michigan graduate, Henry earned a bachelor's degree in education, while lettering four years on the Wolverine track and field team (1977-80), specializing in the long jump. Henry was the first U-M athlete to long jump 25 feet and his collegiate-best jumps still stand as Michigan's fourth-best indoor and third-best outdoor performances. He won the 1980 Big Ten long jump title, and helped U-M to the 1978 indoor, 1978 outdoor and 1980 outdoor Big Ten team championships. A three-time record holder at the Central Collegiate Championships, Henry qualified four times for the NCAA Championships.
• Active in a number of Washtenaw County community organizations, Henry resides in Ann Arbor with his wife, Michelle, daughter, Kamilah, and son, James II.
| Years | School | Position |
| 1981-84 | Michigan | Assistant Coach |
| 1985-2017 | Michigan | Women's Head Coach |
| 2018-2021 | Michigan | Head Coach (combined program) |
| 2022-Present | Michigan | Assistant Coach |
