Michigan
Cardinal Classic
Finn Excels in First Outdoor Collegiate 5,000m Since 2015
4/20/2018 11:58:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
Site: Palo Alto, Calif. (Cobb Track and Angell Field)
Event: Stanford Cardinal Classic
U-M Team Result: No Team Scoring
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 21 -- Stanford Cardinal Classic - Day Two (Palo Alto, Calif.)
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- In what was a vintage performance Friday night (April 20) at the Stanford Cardinal Classic, nine-time University of Michigan women's track and field All-American Erin Finn made a triumphant return to the outdoor 5,000-meter distance to headline the Wolverines' first of two days at Cobb Track and Angell Field.
Finn clocked an impressive 15:33.15 in the 12-and-a-half lap race, just missing the win by two-tenths of a second behind San Francisco's Marie Bouchard in a dramatic sprint to the finish.
Based on the national descending order lists entering the weekend, which were headed by the 15:42.65 time of Oregon's Lilli Burdon, Finn currently has the second-fastest time in the country.
The result was an emphatic return for Finn, who struggled through injury earlier this winter and for whom injury has sidelined numerous times since her last 5,000-meter race in a Michigan uniform back on June 13, 2015. On that date nearly three years ago, she clocked 15:43.97 for fifth place at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
More than just a return, Friday's effort was a return to form for the four-time national runner-up. Only twice in Finn's career has she run faster, both times also on this same Stanford track: her school-record 15:26.08 as a freshman in 2014 and a 15:32.88 during her 2015 sophomore season.
Finn's performance on Friday -- on the West Coast just three days removed from her East Coast trip to New York City to be recognized as a AAU James E. Sullivan Award finalist -- came in vintage style, as she pushed to the front right from the gun.
Bouchard eventually moved up onto Finn later in the race and ultimately went around the nine-time Big Ten champion, though not without a strong attempt by Finn to reel her in on the final home straightaway.
Finn's performance came on the heels of a breakthrough run at that same distance by teammate Haley Meier in the unseeded section of the race. The reigning Big Ten mile champion stepped up to the 5,000-meter distance for the first time in her collegiate career and came away with a 16:07.20 mark that placed her at No. 11 on the all-time Michigan list. Meier's effort was good for runner-up in her race, as well.
In the shorter races, a career-best performance by Torisa Johnson headlined a quartet of Wolverines in the 200-meter competition. Johnson clocked 24.81 (+0.3m/s) to take the win in her section of the competition and fifth overall.
Action for the Wolverines at Stanford resumes on Saturday at 5:56 p.m. PDT
U-M CAREER BESTS SET AT THE STANFORD CARDINAL CLASSIC
Torisa Johnson -- 24.81 (+0.3m/s) / 200m
Haley Meier -- 16:07.20 / 5000m
FULL MICHIGAN RESULTS BY EVENT
w = wind-aided (greater than 2.0 meter-per-second [m/s] wind; marks with wind up to 4.0m/s are allowable for NCAA Preliminaries qualifying purposes)
To be contested Saturday
200 Meters
5. Torisa Johnson / 24.81 (+0.3m/s)
9. Lauren Morgan / 25.18w (+2.1m/s)
11. Meghan Marias / 25.25 (+0.3m/s)
14. Julia Hall / 26.07w (+2.1m/s)
400 Meters
To be contested Saturday
1,500 Meters
To be contested Saturday
5,000 Meters
2. Erin Finn / 15:33.15 (invitational race)
2. Haley Meier / 16:07.20 (unseeded race)
400-Meter Hurdles
7. Lauren Rodriguez / 65.12
Players Mentioned
