2016 Season Previews -- Michigan Track & Field
12/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | General
Dec. 22, 2015
MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
• Social Media: Twitter (@umichtrack) | Facebook
2016 OUTLOOK
Coming off the team's most successful track season since 2009 and the best cross country season since 1998, U-M is poised for a strong season on the track and in the circle. Michigan returns nine scorers from the indoor Big Ten Championships last winter, where a fifth-place finish marked the new best under head coach Jerry Clayton. That performance sparked a pair of All-America finishes from fifth-year senior Derek Sievers (shot put) and senior/junior Steven Bastien (heptathlon).
In addition to that pair of returning Wolverines, U-M brings back nearly all of its sprinting talent. Assistant coach Steven Rajewsky guided current seniors Chris Maye and Codie Nolan to a one-two conference finish in the 60-meter dash last year, and coached Codie Nolan to qualify for 100-meter dash in the NCAA Outdoor Regional, along with John Spooney and returner Khoury Crenshaw. Highly touted freshman Taylor McLaughlin, who head coach Clayton called the "standout" of the 2015 recruiting class, provides an exciting addition to the roster, and there is no question the sprinting group will be a key scoring component for the Wolverines this year.
The Wolverines' balanced roster is bolstered by the historically strong middle-distance and distance event groups. Under the guidance of Sullivan, U-M was the only school to score in all of the middle-distance and distance events and has the depth to do that again thanks to two-time conference champion Mason Ferlic and 2015 conference scorers Ben Flanagan, Tony Smoragiewicz and Brennan Munley. Transfer Jonny Phillips and freshmen Ben Hill and Garrett McPeek are among those who will add competitive depth to the group this year.
Left: Steven Bastien // Right: Mason Ferlic
KEY COMPETITION
Iowa State Classic (Fri-Sat., Feb. 12-13), Ames, Iowa
The Lied Recreational Center at Iowa State will play host to one of the top running meets of the indoor season again this winter and it will provide an ideal final test for the Wolverines two weeks before the conference meet. In 2014, this meet played host to 22 percent of the national field in all distance and middle-distance events at the NCAA Championships and the competition was elite again last year. U-M sprinters, middle-distance and distance athletes will be provided the opportunity to compete against the nation's to begin the championship phase of the indoor season.
• Full Preview (detailed season preview, quotes, student-athletes to watch and more)
WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
• Social Media: Twitter (@umichtrack) | Facebook
2016 OUTLOOK
After a pair of top-five finishes at the Big Ten Championships last year (runner-up, indoor; fifth place, outdoor), the Wolverines are set to begin their 32nd season under head coach James Henry, including the 26th campaign with associate head coach Mike McGuire on the staff. Michigan returns nine athletes who scored in 10 events at last year's indoor conference championships.
Cindy Ofili (60-meter hurdles; 100-meter hurdles) and Erin Finn (10,000-meters) defended their conference crowns and earned All-America finishes in the 100-meter hurdles and 5K, respectively, during the outdoor season. This talented duo will lead the effort for U-M to capture its first Big Ten championship since it shared the outdoor title in 2007. Ofili owns four school records and Finn owns three, with six All-America honors between them. Both are threats to score in several event areas, like multi-events specialist Aaron Howell and sprinter/jumper Sami Michell. U-M will need contributions from each of them, and others, to reclaim a conference title in 2016.
The ever strong distance and middle-distance program is poised for another successful year on the track, fresh off the cross country team's third top-six finish in the last four years at the NCAA Championships. The DMR should be in top form as usual, returning three-quarters of a group that finished third at the NCAA Championships last winter (Maya Long; 400-meters, Danielle Pfeifer; 800-meters, Shannon Osika; 1,200-meters).
Transfers and Michigan natives Haley Meier and Hannah Meier highlight a group middle-distance and distance newcomers, including freshman Lauren Van Vlierbergen and a pair of Ivy League transfers in Erika Fluehr and Kira Garry. Meanwhile, Devon Hoppe, Jamie Morrissey, Jaimie Phelan and Gina Sereno lead a group that adds experience to the roster, as all four scored at the conference meet last year. Anna Pasternak, Sophie Linn, Claire Borchers and Gina McNamara will also factor in and foster Michigan's competitive depth in that area.
Junior Kayla Deering returns to the circle one year after throws coach Sandy Fowler guided her to a scoring performance at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships and NCAA Preliminary Round qualifying. Freshmen Briana Nelson and Maegan McCarthy team up with sophomore Bailey Baker to add depth, and high jumper Claire Kieffer-Wright will pair nicely with a healthy crop of pole vaulters for more field event scoring.
From left: Cindy Ofili, Aaron Howell, Erin Finn
KEY COMPETITION
Notre Dame Meyo Invitational (Fri-Sat., Feb. 5-6), South Bend, Ind.
Each year, Michigan's trip to South Bend makes for one of the most competitive weekends of the indoor season. The meet at SPIRE two weekends later is a better jumping off point for the championship phase of the season, but going to Notre Dame always brings out the best in the Maize and Blue. Last year, Meyo produced a then-season-best time for Ofili in the 60-meter dash, while Brook Handler won the famous "Meyo Mile" to give U-M women four of the last five titles. The weekend yielded 17 PRs across eight events, and between the high level of competition and rich history of Wolverine success at the meet, Meyo weekend will once again be worth circling on the calendar.
• Full Preview (detailed season preview, quotes, student-athletes to watch and more)
