Players Mentioned
Erdman, Porter Receive Big Ten Medal of Honor Award
6/15/2007 2:34:00 PM | General, Men's Track & Field, Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field
PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- University of Michigan fifth-year senior Katie Erdman (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac HS) and senior Jeff Porter (Somerset, N.J./Franklin) have been selected as U-M's winners of the Big Ten Medal of Honor. Erdman was an track All-American and cross country runner, while Porter was a national champion hurdler in track.
The Medal of Honor, the Big Ten's oldest award, is given annually to a graduating student from each university that has demonstrated proficiency in scholarship and athletics. In 1982, the honor was expanded to award a senior female and male athlete from each conference institution.
Erdman was the 2007 NCAA runner-up in the outdoor 800-meter run, posting the third-fastest collegiate time ever, and she earned NCAA indoor All-America honors in the 800-meter run and distance medley relay at the 2007 national championships. Erdman, whose eight All-America track awards are the most in program history, set school records in the indoor 600m (1:28.38) and outdoor 800m (1:59.35) in 2007. She also holds the indoor 800m record (2:04.21), set in 2004.
Erdman's first-place finish in the 600m at the 2007 Big Ten Indoor Championships made her the conference's first four-time champion in the event (2003, '04, '06, '07). She helped the U-M team to two Big Ten indoor track and field titles (2003, '06) and two outdoor crowns (2004, '07). (Note: Michigan also won the 2003 Big Ten outdoor title and the 2005 indoor championship during Erdman's career, but she sat out those seasons.) In cross country, Erdman was a second team All-Big Ten selection in 2003 and 2004 and helped the Wolverines to three straight Big Ten titles (2003, '04, '05) and two top-six national finishes (fourth in 2003, sixth in '04).
An English and Spanish major, Erdman was named to the ESPN The Magazine's 2007 Academic All-District IV first team earlier this week (June 11) to advance to the Academic All-America ballot. She has earned five U-M Athletic Academic Achievement Awards during her career, was named Academic All-Big Ten three times in cross country (2003, '04, '05) and four times in track (2004, '05, '06, '07), and made the 2006 CoSIDA Academic All-America second team. Among the U-M academic awards she received were James B. Angel Scholar (2004), in recognition of two or more consecutive semesters with straight A's, and University Honors (2002, '03, '04, '05).
Porter wrapped up his collegiate career in grand fashion this season, winning the national title in the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA indoor meet with a school-record time of 7.64. Porter also secured All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a fourth-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles, clocking 13.67, the second fastest performance of his career. His first All-America performance came in 2006 when he placed fourth in the 60m hurdles.
A three-time Big Ten champion, Porter won the 60-meter hurdles at the 2004 Big Ten indoor meet on the way to receiving the conference's indoor Freshman of the Year award. He won back-to-back league titles in the 110m high hurdles at the 2006 and '07 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Porter smashed his career highs in both hurdle events in 2007, shaving 0.13 seconds off his 60m hurdles time and 0.36 seconds from his 110m hurdles best.
Porter, a sports management major, was a U-M Athletic Academic Achievement Award recipient in 2007 and received Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2006 and '07.
Contact: Bruce Madej (734) 763-4423
