Women's Track & Field
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Phone:
- 764-5320
Head women's cross country coach and assistant track and field coach Mike McGuire enters his 37th season with the Michigan women's track and field program for the 2025-26 academic year. He has had a hand in 30 of the program's conference titles across track and field and cross country, including five straight cross country titles from 2002-06. McGuire was also named the USTFCCCA Track and Field Assistant Coach of the Year for the women's distance events in 2005 and 2007.
McGuire by the Numbers
• 12-time Big Ten Cross Country Coach of the Year (1992, '93, '94, 2002, '03, '04, '05, '06, '12, '16, '17, '18)
• 11-time Great Lakes Region Cross Country Coach of the Year (1992, '93, '94, 2004, '05, '11, '12, '13, '15, '16, '17, '18)
• Two-time USTFCCCA Division I Assistant Coach of the Year (women's distance) (2005, '07)
• Three-time NCAA Mideast Regional Assistant Coach of the Year (women's distance) (2005, '06, '07)
• Three-time Great Lakes Region Indoor Track Assistant Coach of the Year (2007, '08, '16) and two-time Outdoor Track Assistant Coach of the Year (2016)
• 12 Big Ten cross country team titles (1992, '93, '94, 2002, '03, '04, '05, '06, '12, '16, '17, '18)
• 12 NCAA Great Lakes Region cross country team titles (1993, '94, '95, 2004, '05, '08, '11, '12, '13, '16, '17, '18)
• One NCAA cross country individual champion (Katie McGregor, 1998)
• Six NCAA Great Lakes Region cross country individual champions
• Six cross country Big Ten individual champions totaling eight titles
• 14 cross country Big Ten Freshman of the Year recipients
• 140 All-America finishes
• 35 cross country, 104 track and field (85 individuals, 19 relays)
• Five track and field individual NCAA champions
• Four NCAA distance medley relay titles (1994, '98, 2005, '13)
• 17 Big Ten distance medley relay titles (2002, '04-'14, '16, '18, '20, 22), including 11 straight from 2004-2014
• 95 Big Ten individual titles
• 44 All-Big Ten first team citations (cross country)
• 49 All-Big Ten second team honorees (cross country)
• Five Penn Relays Championship of America relay titles
• Seven Drake Relays relay championships
• 16 Academic All-Americans (9 first team, 3 second team, 4 third team)
• Nine Big Ten Medal of Honor recipients
AT MICHIGAN
The 2025 track team placed 10th at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, with Samantha Hastie's seventh place finish in the 800m run with a personal best time of 2:05.65 leading the distance squad. At the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, the Wolverines finished ninth after three days of competition. Mary Caroline Heinen narrowly missed the podium in the 10,000m run with a ninth-place finish (33:53.50) while freshman Stephanie Bertram's eighth place finish earned her a spot on the the podium in the 800m run (2:06.72) in her championship debut. The pair advanced to the NCAA East First Round where Bertram finished 36th in the 800m run (2:07.47) and Heinen finished 42nd in the 10,000m run (35:19.19) and 32nd in the 5,000m run (16:10.49).
The 2024 cross country team finished ninth at the Big Ten Championships, with Penelopea Gordon's 23rd place finish (19:53.4) pacing the team. Mary Caroline Heinen finished 50th (20:17.8), Kayla Windemuller finished 61st (20:26.3), and Jadyn Zdanavage finished 68th (20:34.0). The squad finished sixth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, with Gordon's 10th place finish (19:49.9) leading the Wolverines once again and earning All-Region honors. Heinen finished just outside the top 25, coming in at No. 29 (29:22.4). Samantha Hastie finished 49th (20:40.8) and Zdanavage finished 50th (20:41.5). Gordon represented the Maize and Blue at the NCAA Cross Country Championships where she finished 169th (20:55.8).
The 2024 season saw the women's track and field team finish fifth at the Big Ten Indoor Championships and sixth at the Outdoor Championships. Samantha Saenz to a pair of top-eight finishes at the Big Ten Indoor Championships (3,000m, 9:21.62; 5,000m, 16:15.28) and Sam Tran to a top-eight finish in the mile (4:39.77) and a third-place finish in the 3,000-meter run with a personal best time of 9:19.06. Penelopea Gordon finished second in the 800-meter run (2:05.34) while Cassie Kearney finished fourth with a personal best 2:06.16. The DMR team earned a second-place finish at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. In the outdoor season, Saenz finished fourth in the 10,000-meter run (33:3584) to qualify for the NCAA East Preliminary where she finished 17th with a personal best 33:24.48 for the No. 4 mark on the program performers list. Gordon finished fifth in the 1,500-meter run (4:17.85) and Sam Hastie finished eighth in the 800-meter run (2:08.32), while Saenz and Tilly Simpson both made the podium in the 5,000-meter run at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Hastie, Gordon, and Kearney all advanced to the NCAA East Preliminary Round in the 1,500-meter run, with Hastie's 27th place finish leading the trio.
The 2023 cross country season saw the Wolverines finish third at the Big Ten Championships, with Kayla Windemuller and Lani Bloom pacing the team with top-15 finishes. Windemuller earned First Team All-Big Honors while Bloom was named Second Team All-Big Ten and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. The squad placed fourth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, led by Windemuller's eight place finish and Samantha Saenz's 17th place finish. Both garnered All-Region honors and Windemuller qualified for the NCAA Championships as an individual, logging her best NCAA Championship time (20:37.7) in a 92nd place finish.
During the 2023 track season, McGuire helped coach a women's team that swept the Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Aurora Rynda won the 800-meter Big Ten Indoor Title, advancing to the NCAA Championships and finishing in eighth place while earning First Team All-America Honors. At the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, McGuire coached seven Wolverines to top-5 finishes including the 800-meter title from Rynda. Rynda advanced to the NCAA Championships, placing seventh and earning First Team All-America honors.
In the 2022 cross country season, McGuire led the Wolverines to a 22nd consecutive NCAA Cross Country Championship, finishing 26th overall with two finishers in the top 100 in Erika Vanderlende (76th) and Sam Tran (100th). Michigan was second at the Big Ten Championships with Vanderlende and Tran earning Big Ten Honors. U-M finished third in the Great Lakes Regional with Vanderlende, Tran and Samantha Saenz earning All-Region honors.
During the 2022 track and field season, McGuire coached Aurora Rynda to one of the most prolific seasons in school history, as she earned a pair of All-America honors at 800 meters, won Big Ten titles indoors at 600 meters and outdoors at 800 meters, ran the fastest time in Big Ten history at 600 meters (1:26.50) and set a school record indoors at 800 meters (2:02.89). Rynda was also a member of the squad that claimed the distance medley relay title for Michigan at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. He also guided Kayla Windemuller to second-team All-America honors, a Big Ten silver medal and a USATF Championships berth in the steeplechase.
McGuire's Wolverines qualified for their 21st consecutive NCAA Cross Country Championships in the fall of 2021, finishing 22nd overall behind top-100 finishers Katelynne Hart (69th) and Kayla Windemuller (79th). Michigan was fourth at the Big Ten Championships with individual runner-up Ericka VanderLende, and took third at the Great Lakes Regional.
During the 2021 track and field season, McGuire's Wolverines combined for two All-America honors and a Big Ten title. Aurora Rynda was a second-team All-American outdoors at 800 meters, while the distance medley relay squad earned first-team All-America honors indoors.. He also had three additional qualifiers for the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Jessi Larson (10,000 meters), Ericka VanderLende (5,000 meters) and Alice Hill (steeplechase).
During the 2021 calendar year, McGuire twice led his Wolverine women to the NCAA Cross Country Championships to reach 20 consecutive appearances at the championships, first in March for the pandemic-delayed 2020 edition and later in November for the regularly scheduled 2021 edition. The Wolverines finished 17th in the spring meet behind three top-100 finishers in Ericka VanderLende (65th), Kathryn House (84th) and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Sam Tran (90th). In the fall the women finished 22nd as a team, with two top-100 finishers in 69th-place Katelynne Hart and 79th-place Kayla Windemuller. The Wolverines were fourth at the fall Big Ten Championships behind individual runner-up Ericka VanderLende.
In a 2020 track and field season that was cut short prematurely due to the novel coronavirus COVID-19 global pandemic, McGuire's student-athletes combined for an All-America honor, two Big Ten Indoor titles and medals in two more events. Despite the cancellation of the NCAA Indoor Championships, the distance medley relay team earned All-America honors for its qualification to the meet, two weeks after winning the Big Ten title. From that team, Aurora Rynda also claimed her second-straight conference title at 600 meters in school-record fashion, and Meg Darmofal claimed silver in the mile. Freshman Ericka VanderLende was the bronze medalist at 5,000 meters.
His 2019 cross country team advanced to its 18th-consecutive NCAA Championships meet, where true freshman Ericka VanderLende led the Wolverines to a 13th-place team finish. VanderLende also earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week honors and three different Big Ten Athlete of the Week citations. His squad finished third at the Big Ten Championships -- with VanderLende and Kathryn House earned all-conference honors -- and second at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional with six top-25 All-Region honorees.
In 2019, McGuire coached the distance medley relay to the nation's fastest time and the fastest time in Big Ten indoor history, en route to a fifth-place All-America finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. That team was joined as All-Americans by Hannah Meier in the indoor mile and Erin Finn in the outdoor 10,000 meters. At the conference level, he tutored Meier to the indoor mile title in a new school record and Aurora Rynda to the 600-meter victory as a first-year collegian.
McGuire led the Wolverine women to an NCAA Cross Country Championships podium finish in the fall of 2018, on the strength of one of the nation's deepest rosters. All-Americans Camille Davre and Avery Evenson, as well as Big Ten Freshman of the Year Anne Forsyth, were among seven Wolverines in the top-100 individually as Michigan earned a fourth-place showing in the team standings. That same depth propelled the Wolverines to their third-straight Big Ten team title and their fourth-straight Great Lakes Regional title as McGuire earned Coach of the Year honors for both meets.
In 2018, McGuire guided his women distance runners to great success at both the national and conference levels. From among his charges, Jamie Morrissey (cross country), Gina Sereno (cross country, indoor 3,000), Haley Meier (indoor mile), Claire Borchers (steeplechase), and Sarah Zieve (steeplechase) all earned All-America honors, with Big Ten titles coming by way of Meier (indoor mile), Morrissey (outdoor 800), Borchers (steeplechase), Erin Finn (10,000 meters) and the distance medley relay team. During the post-NCAA season, he guided rising sophomore Alice Hill to a seventh-place finish at the IAAF World U20 Championships in the steeplechase in just her third-ever race in the event.
During cross country, his Wolverines finished ninth in the country behind the All-American duo of Morrissey and Sereno. Their national result came after the Wolverines claimed their third-consecutive NCAA Great Lakes Regional title and their second-straight Big Ten team title. Morrissey and Sereno were also both First-Team All-Big Ten selections, and were joined by Maddy Trevisan and Claire Borchers as All-Region honorees.
McGuire's 2017 track and field season was filled with titles, both at the national and conference level. Highlighting his group's performance was Jaimie Phelan, who claimed the program's first-ever national title over 1,500 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, winning by .02 in one of the closest races in championships history after going from last to first on the final lap. Phelan also claimed the Big Ten title at that distance a month earlier, one of four conference crowns his athletes accumulated on the year. The other three belonged to Gina Sereno, who claimed the indoor 3,000-meter and outdoor 5,000- and 10,000-meter victories. Rounding out McGuire's elite corps of distance runners was Erin Finn, who finished runner-up indoors at 5,000 meters as the only woman in college history to run 15:30 or faster in consecutive NCAA Indoor Championships.
The fall's cross country season in 2016 set the tone for the rest of the year, as the Wolverines tied a program-best with a national runner-up finish by a single point to Oregon. Finn led the way with an individual runner-up finish in her final career cross country race, and was joined by Avery Evenson and Gina Sereno as All-Americans. The national finish for the Wolverines wrapped up a season that saw them also win the Big Ten and NCAA Great Lakes Regional titles, with Finn winning both of those events individually.
Under McGuire, Michigan's dominance in the distance medley relay has reached new heights. For 15 years running (each year since 2003), McGuire has coached U-M athletes to All-America honors in the DMR. Most recently in 2017 U-M took fifth to post its fifth-straight top-five finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships after taking runner-up at the Big Ten Championships. In 2016, U-M won its 12th Big Ten title in the last 13 seasons and ran to a fourth-place finish at the national meet one year after placing third at the NCAA Championships in 2015. The Wolverines captured their 11th straight Big Ten DMR title and placed fifth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2014.
During the 2015 outdoor season, McGuire helped guide sophomore Erin Finn to a successful defense of her 10,000m title at the Big Ten Championships, and at the NCAA Championships, Finn placed fifth in the 5,000m race, becoming the first-ever Wolverine to earn All-American honors at both the 5K and 10K distances. With Brook Handler finishing seventh in the 1,500m run, McGuire guided his senior co-captain to U-M's first back-to-back All-America honors in the event since 2006-07, when he helped Canadian Olympian Nicole (Edwards) Sifuentes accomplish the same feat. His guidance helped U-M to its best team finish at the NCAA meet since 2009.
In 2016, McGuire helped U-M to its best season since 2008, the most successful year in program history. He coached two athletes to All-American honors at 1,500 meters (Shannon Osika, Jaimie Phelan), extending the streak to four straight years with at least one U-M top-eight finisher. His Wolverines swept the Big Ten titles for the first time since the program's last triple crown (2003), totaling 109 points indoor and 106 outdoor for their best scoring efforts in seven years. U-M won outdoor titles at 800 and 1,500 meters, and in the 5K and 10K, scoring 80 total points in McGuire's areas of specialty, including 1-2 finishes in both of the middle-distance races. The program's indoor title came on the strength of event titles at 800, 3,000 and 5,000 meters, as well as the Mile Race and the DMR. Distance athletes totaled 86 of U-M's 109 points indoors, and 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 Championships. There, Cindy Ofili won the program's first individual title since 2009 (60-meter hurdles) and McGuire guided Finn to runner-up finishes in the 3K and 5K. She came in under the USATF 2016 Summer Olympic Qualifying Standard when she ran a program-best 15:23.16, the fastest runner-up time in NCAA Championships history.
As a freshman sensation, Finn also highlighted the 2013-14 season, winning individual Big Ten titles in cross country, as well as the indoor and outdoor 5,000-meter crowns and 10,000-meter title. She became a three-time All-American, including a first team honoree in cross country and outdoor track (10,000m). She garnered several athlete of the year honors, including Big Ten Cross Country Athlete and Freshman of the Year, Big Ten Indoor Track Freshman of the Year, and Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Athlete of the Championships. She was the first runner in Big Ten history to receive all three conference outdoor awards. McGuire also guided Brook Handler to First Team All-America honors as a member of the DMR and in the outdoor 1,500-meter run. Fifth-year senior Jillian Smith became McGuire's seventh student-athlete to be named Michigan's female Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient.
In 2013, McGuire helped the distance medley relay team to its 10th consecutive Big Ten title, as well as the program's fourth national championship in the DMR. The relay set a new school record (10:56.46) at the NCAA Indoor Championships and Big Ten meet record (11:11.41) at the indoor conference meet. Individually, he guided fifth-year senior transfer Amanda Eccleston to the indoor mile and outdoor 1,500-meter crowns -- the second Wolverine in three seasons to double in the mile and 1,500m (Rebecca Addison, 2011). Eccleston led a strong middle-distance corps that finished 1-4-5-6 in the mile at the Big Ten Indoor Championships and 1-3-4-5 in the 1,500-meter run at the outdoor conference meet. Under McGuire's guidance, Rebecca Addison and Jillian Smith led the distance medley relay to four straight Big Ten titles and NCAA Indoor Championship appearances in the DMR during their careers.
In 2010, Smith won the 800-meter run at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, en route to being named the Big Ten Indoor Freshman of the Year -- the second athlete McGuire has helped to the award (Katie Erdman, 2003). Smith repeated as the Big Ten indoor 800-meter champion in 2011, while Addison won the event in 2012, making it three straight victories for the Wolverines. Addison also won the 2011 Big Ten indoor mile and outdoor 1,500-meter run.
McGuire coached Geena Gall to her second consecutive national title in the outdoor 800-meter run in 2009, the first time he has coached a back-to-back national winner. He has coached the distance medley relay team to four national titles since his arrival, including the school-record setting relay team in 2013. McGuire has mentored four individual NCAA champions in Gall, Anna Willard (2007 - steeplechase) and Katie McGregor (1998 - indoor 3,000-meter run). Willard also held the American record in the steeplechase (9:27.59) and appeared in the 2008 Olympics. In addition to Willard, McGuire also guided Canadian Nicole (Edwards) Sifuentes to her first Olympic appearance in the 1,500-meter run at the 2012 London Games.
As associate head coach for U-M's track and field program, McGuire has had a hand in 14 Big Ten team championships, including a pair of Triple Crown wins in 1994 and 2003 (Big Ten cross country, indoor and outdoor track titles in the same academic year).
McGuire helped Michigan produce its first individual NCAA track and field national champion in 1998, when McGregor won the national indoor 3,000-meter run championship. McGuire also directed McGregor to Michigan's first individual NCAA cross country title in 1998. In addition to his NCAA champions, McGuire has manufactured 64 individual Big Ten champions (34 indoor and 30 outdoor), including 2005 ESPN The Magazine All-American Lindsey Gallo and 2002 Michigan Female Athlete of the Year Katie Jazwinski.
The 2007 season was magical for the middle distance and distance corps under the guidance of McGuire. His runners won every 2007 indoor event from the 600-meter through the 5,000-meter, including the distance medley. The middle distance and distance group produced Big Ten titles in the 800-meter, 1,500-meter, 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 5,000-meter with Willard winning the latter three. Willard, Katie Erdman and Edwards all won NCAA Mideast Region titles for Michigan. McGuire also led U-M to collegiate records in the 4 x 800-meter and 4 x 1,500-meter relay events at the Penn Relays in April. Willard was named the Michigan Female Athlete of the Year, marking McGuire's fourth student-athlete to earn the honor.
In 2006, Erdman became the first Big Ten athlete to capture a conference title three times (600 meter - 2003, '04 & '06). For the distance group, McGuire coached Alyson Kohlmeier, Rebecca Walter and Erin Webster all to Big Ten titles in the 3,000-meter, 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter, respectively. Walter also became the first U-M runner to capture the 10,000-meter Big Ten title and the first to win the 5,000-meter outdoor title since 2002.
McGuire's cross country teams have finished first or second in the Big Ten Championships in 22 of the last 27 seasons, winning it all in 1992, '93, '94, 2002, '03, '04, '05, '06, '12, '16 and '17. U-M captured the regional championships in 1993, '94, '95, 2004, '05, '08, '11, '12, '13, '15, '16, and '17 while posting 21 top-two finishes -- including a second-place finish or better in 13 of the last 16 seasons. U-M boasts 14 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships and has placed among the event's top 15 in all but seven times over McGuire's tenure, most notably second-place finishes at the 1994 and 2016 NCAA Championships, a third-place finish in 2006 and a fourth-place finish in 2013.
McGuire is one of only two coaches to earn cross country Big Ten Coach of the Year honors three consecutive seasons (1992, '93, '94, 2002, '03, '04, '05, '06, '12, '16 and '17). Under his guidance, U-M has posted its best individual and team NCAA cross country finishes. He helped guide three-time All-American Molly McClimon to program history as U-M's first women's cross country Big Ten and district champion.
As a Wolverine student-athlete (1976-79), McGuire was an All-American under legendary former U-M men's cross country coach Ron Warhurst. McGuire set the Big Ten three-mile record (now retired) in 1976 while competing with the Wolverine cross country and track teams. He competed on the U.S. cross country team at the World Cross Country Championships in Madrid, Spain, and won the 1981 Detroit Free Press Marathon.
Originally from Matawan, N.J., McGuire earned a degree in social studies and history from the University of Michigan in 1979. He currently resides in Ann Arbor.
Career Highlights
• Coached three collegiate record holders
• 4x1500m Relay, 17:15.62, 2007 Penn Relays (Katie Erdman, Geena Gall, Anna Willard, Nicole Edwards)
• 4x800m Relay, 8:18.78, 2007 Penn Relays (Nicole Edwards, Geena Gall, Anna Willard, Nicole Edwards)
• Anna Willard - 3,000m Steeplechase, 9:38.08, 2007 NCAA Outdoor Champion
• Coached one American record holder
• Anna Willard - 3,000m Steeplechase, 9:27.59, 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials
• Coached two Canadian record holders
• Nicole (Edwards) Sifuentes - 1,500m (4:07.61), 8/3/2014 in Sopot, Poland
• Aurora Rynda - indoor 600m (1:27.05), 2/11/2022
• Coached two Olympians
• Anna Willard - 2008, 3,000m Steeplechase, USA
• Nicole (Edwards) Sifuentes - 2012 and 2016, 1,500m, Canada
• Coached three IAAF World Championship participants
• Geena Gall - 2009, 800m, USA
• Nicole (Edwards) Sifuentes - 2013, 2015, 1,500m, Canada
