In the Spotlight: Erin Finn
2/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Feb. 11, 2016
Junior/sophomore Erin Finn has regained her stride this winter, rolling a stellar cross country season and an individual Big Ten title in the fall before using that momentum to kick off an outstanding start to the 2016 track and field campaign. The team is two weeks out from the conference meet, where Finn will return to action after missing the 2015 championships due to injury, and a Big Ten title is firmly on the squad's collective mind. Finn is coming off an extremely impressive individual weekend, during which she broke Sue Schroeder's 30-year old record (9:09.45) in the 3K race by clocking a time of 9:01.25, which ranks No. 3 in the nation. She is expected to run the 5K race at the SPIRE Facility this weekend (Feb. 12-13), but before she left, Finn went 'In the Spotlight' to talk about what the record meant to her, always chasing a faster time and the hunger this year's team feels for that elusive Big Ten title.
Q. Even after breaking a prestigious record at Michigan that stood for 30 years, you feel there is room for improvement, and you even said that it was your goal to break nine minutes. Is that just part of being a distance runner, balancing the constant pursuit of self-improvement with the satisfaction of setting a new record? What keeps you motivated?
A. I think that never being satisfied is what allows people to be distance runners. Even if I had run 8:59, I'm sure I'd have wanted to go out and run 8:58 or 8:57. I definitely think I want (this) a little more than usual because the nine-minute barrier is such a prestigious time to run, but no matter what time I ran I'd want to run faster and better at the next opportunity.
Q. You have always been prideful of being a native Michigander and taking Michigan runners to the next level, that national plateau. Does that make it even more special to you -- representing the State and University of Michigan as a native of Michigander?
A. It is definitely special. I say it time and time again: any time you are named with some of Coach McGuire and the Michigan program's outstanding athletes and all-time greats, it is really special because of the history that we have here.
Q. One of the first things you mentioned after breaking the record last weekend was how proud you were to have put forth one of so many impressive Michigan performances at Notre Dame. Where is your collective confidence at as a group, just two weeks out from the conference meet?
A. I think this is the best shot at an indoor Big Ten Title we've had since I've been here. We've been very, very close the last two years. At the drop of a pin, things could have gone differently. That makes it extraordinarily exciting that we're on the right path. There are tons of things that could change between now and then -- with myself, my teammates and the other teams -- but we are going to just keep putting one foot in front of the other, trying as hard as we can and being as smart as we can to hopefully get our first Big Ten team title. It is super exciting to have everyone working together in a collective groove. You can really feel everyone going at it, and it is just exciting to have this opportunity.
Q. The Big Ten meet is fun for more than just what happens on the track. What are some of your favorite traditions or pre-meet rituals? Do you have any favorite memories from this meet in recent years?
A. We always do Big Ten Buddies before the conference championships! You pick a teammate out of a hat and it is completely anonymous -- at least it's supposed to be. You make them a big poster and you get them little gifts that you give them before their race, or sometimes you could get them some candy or chocolate for after their race. It's just a way to make (your buddies') lives a little more exciting and happy and to get them excited about racing. On the bus ride home, you guess who your Big Ten Buddy was, so it is like a big, revealing show which is a lot of fun. It will be even more fun on that bus ride back if we win.
Another thing I like to do is the face tattoos. Spikes make you run faster because they take off a couple of ounces from your shoes and help you dig into the track a little more. Face tattoos kind of add to that (laughs). Other than that, it's kind of the same-old, same-old from the idea that we are practicing to race our best all year. So from that perspective, you have to remember it's just another meet and we have to race like we're prepared to. You know that if you're prepared well you should be able to go into Big Tens and do well. There are some elements of new and fun and exciting, but then it's also the same thing we have been practicing day-in and day-out.
Q. A Big Ten title is always the goal for this team, but after multiple close finishes in recent seasons, you and your teammates are especially driven. Is it fair to say that is your prime source of motivation as a team?
A. I really, really, really want a Big Ten title. I don't know how many times we've been second (place) in cross country and track, feeling like we are doing so much and just missing out at the very end. It's hard when you work for something and that's your season goal and then you see it slip away. Other girls have gone through that with me. We've been really, really close and it's hard on everyone. Nothing is a better teacher than struggle. Going through those past few years have really lit a fire under all of us. We are trying to be smarter this year and work a little harder and recover a little better, just doing everything right. I think we've finally seen what it takes to be the Big Ten Champs, and we are really, really focused and zeroed in on getting it done.
You can't win a Big Ten title on your own. Even an individual title can't be won on your own. It takes the girls you're working out with to motivate you to work hard, your coach and support team, and the trainers. Everything is dependent on working together, learning together, falling together and hopefully, winning together.
• Previous Spotlight: Claire Kieffer-Wright
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard
