Michigan's Rise to Supremacy

By Andre Barnes, U-M Men's Track & Field

In 1983, the Wolverines won their fourth consecutive outdoor Big Ten championship. Back then, no one would have thought it likely that it would be another 25 years until the Michigan men's track and field team's next Big Ten title. But sure enough, after a long and dormant 25-year hiatus, the Wolverines have come full circle as the U-M men's track program won its first outdoor Big Ten championship in 25 years in 2008, reviving the Wolverines as a significant force in the collegiate realm of track and field. In addition to Michigan's Big Ten title, the team's 4x400-meter relay team showed strength at the NCAA Outdoor Championship by placing fourth in the event. The team's success last year definitely turned some heads. It may seem as if the program managed to turn the tables in its favor overnight, but considering the great coaching and adept recruiting strategy of the program, it is clear that the team's recent success was no fluke.

STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES

For years, U-M has been considered very strong in distance and cross country events. With cross country/track alumni such as Andrew Ellerton (two-time NCAA champion), Nate Brannen (three-time NCAA champion) and Nick Willis (NCAA champion in the indoor mile and distance medley relay, and Olympic bronze medalist in the 1,500-meter run), former head coach Ron Warhurst has established a strong reputation for Michigan's distance program and this reputation continues to hold up. Current leaders among the distance runners include team captain Lex Williams(Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter) and senior Justin Switzer(Waterford, Mich./Kettering) -- both All-Americans and Big Ten title holders in their respective individual events.

While U-M continues to remain strong as a distance team, this strength alone was never enough to push the Wolverines to championship status. It has taken years to fill the voids necessary for the team to become a considerable threat for the No. 1 spot in the Big Ten. For many seasons, U-M lacked a strong field-event corps. There was a stretch of consecutive seasons a few years ago when U-M scored no points in field-event competition at Big Ten Championships. However, coaches agree that U-M's track program has seen the most improvement in its sprint group.

"Over the long years I've been coaching at Michigan," said Warhurst. "I've definitely seen the most improvement in the sprints. We're more consistent than we've been in a while in terms of attracting sprinters of a higher caliber."

This may suggest the importance of new head coach Fred LaPlante's recruiting of stronger sprinters and developing of the team into a more balanced and well-rounded track program.

RECRUITING

LaPlante identifies the team's turning point back to the 2003-04 freshman seasons of Jeff Porter(Somerset, N.J./Franklin), John D'Arcy(Clayton, Ohio/Northmont) and Stann Waithe(Towson, Md./Loch Raven).

"This was the year that the team got their first taste of what it feels like to be close to winning," said LaPlante, recalling the 2004 indoor Big Ten Championship meet when U-M hosted the event and placed third. "There was a noticeable change in attitude among the team. It was a winning attitude. The freshman class that year was having so much success that it pushed the upperclassmen to perform even better, and this sparked a whole new atmosphere."

The question remains though. Why haven't high-caliber sprinters such as D'Arcy, Waithe and Porter been very prevalent at Michigan Specialists in the 400-meter have always made up the core of the sprint team. In addition to the 2003-04 freshman class, sprinter Adam Harris(Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) -- a freshman during 2005-06 -- has helped change the program for the better. Harris earned All-America honors in the 60-meter dash last season at the NCAA Indoor Championships and currently holds the school record in the event (6.61). But strong sprinters, and specifically 60- and 200-meter specialists such as Harris, have been rare to the program.

"Considering the fact that we always have a numbers problem -- 12 scholarships for 22 events and 45 athletes," said LaPlante. "We generally like athletes who are versatile -- those who can do more than one or two events at a quality level. In particular on my end, I prefer guys who can run the 200-meter dash or the 400-meter dash because they tend to be more flexible in distance or event specialty."

Aside from LaPlante's heavy recruitment of 400-meter sprinters, Michigan's moderate success in attracting top-class sprinters in the past could also be attributed to the university's location in the Midwest, and its rigorous and demanding academia.

"It definitely takes some time to adjust to Michigan if you're from the South or West," said LaPlante. "We don't always have ideal weather for the sport of track and field. So, when recruiting, I usually look for a guy who doesn't have to make any dramatic adjustments. Therefore, I tend to steer away from recruiting in the South, West or overseas. Instead, I try to focus on the East and Midwest. Even though these athletes from the East and Midwest may not have times comparable to those in warmer regions, I believe they have the potential to be just as good or better on the college level.

"I also believe in recruiting a guy who has a fairly good balance between academic as well as athletic ability. In other words, the recruits aren't always necessarily the fastest, but they are people who also fit in to the academics of the school and the personalities of the team."

So could it simply be the luck of the draw that Michigan has accumulated so many great sprinters It is quite possible. According to coach LaPlante, not much has changed with sprint recruiting over the years. "In the 11 years that I have been here," he said. "I have always had about the same amount of scholarship dollars -- which isn't as much as the distance program but slightly more than the field team -- and of course, I have always tried to attract the best people possible."

When asked why he chose Michigan over all of the schools he had been recruited by, Harris responded, "It was either the Big Ten or nothing, and since Michigan was far enough away from home, it was the most sensible choice for me. It also didn't hurt that Michigan was such a prestigious school."

Not to be overlooked is the Michigan's field-event crew, which has also made considerable improvement over the years. The addition of field event coach David Kaiser in 2004 has had a tremendous hand in that opponent. Between now and 2004, U-M men's field events have taken a full 180-degree turn. Since his arrival, Kaiser has developed strong athletes such as jumper Michael Whitehead -- a two-time Big Ten champion and holder of the school record in the triple jump. He has also brought in strong recruits such as throwers Brendan Lodge(Narragansett, R.I./Bishop Hendricken) -- a multiple-time Big Ten scorer in the weight and hammer throw -- and Sean Pruitt(Cato, Wis./Valders) -- the school-record holder in the weight and hammer throw -- in 2005. All have helped the field-event team become a major contributor in boosting U-M's standings at Big Ten Championship meets.

DEPTH

A team's depth in personnel is probably the most crucial factor to success, especially in track and field where teams must tap into as many events as possible to get the most points in a meet. This is why one or two superstars are seldom able to carry teams to championship titles single-handedly, and the U-M men's track team is no exception. Behind its strong and deeply-established distance roster, the team's depth in sprint personnel has now become extremely profound as well with nine out of the 12 sprinters being 400-meter specialists.

"The needs within the sprints/hurdles group change depending on current strengths and graduating athletes, said LaPlante. "Next season, we will have a big void with Harris -- a 100/200-meter specialist -- and Barnes, who can run the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races, graduating. Since we can't always count on football guys, next year we will be looking for more 100/200 sprinters. Our 400 group is already strong and young with a lot of depth."

The team's depth in sprints, created by somewhat of a "shotgun" recruiting method, has brought with it many surprising results. Many of the recruited athletes over the years have far exceeded the expectations of coaches, particularly 400-meter hurdler Dan Harmsen(Rockford, Mich./Rockford) who was originally a walk-on as a freshman, and more recently, earned All-America honors and a Big Ten title in the 400-meter hurdles. Junior Andre Barnes(West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield) has developed into an important factor to the team's success as well, showing his versatility in the 60-, 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes last year, making major improvements in all. Barnes also earned himself All-America honors during his sophomore year (2007) in the distance medley relay and in last season's outdoor 4x400-meter relay.

"In track, a walk-on is not necessarily an athlete you think is inferior to another," said LaPlante. "But because of the scholarship limitations, aid may not have been available to them when they started. When an athlete first enters college, I do not have expectations for anyone to be a national champ, All-American or Big Ten champ. It's very competitive, and a lot of things have to work out besides raw talent to achieve these standards. I do expect each person on the team to give his best, and if they do, I've found that they usually achieve a relatively high standard."

TRAINING

Athletes attribute their personal success, as well as their team's success, to the coaching and physically demanding workouts. Harmsen seemed assured by the training program stating that, The workouts push us to the next level week after week.

Harris also proclaimed his faith in his coach stating that, Freddy knows exactly the right amount of running that we need to do in order to get the best results, not only for each group, but really each person."

This trusting relationship between coach and athlete is exactly the one LaPlante encourages, "The more you cooperate with the athletes," he said. "The more they cooperate with you. This leads to the athletes having more confidence and trust in their coach."

As far as training is concerned, coach LaPlante seems to apply this philosophy very well, "As the training program has shifted towards more power work, meaning more 90-percent effort workouts than 60-percent or 110-percent, I always try to adjust the workouts as well as possible according to the group of guys. While I don't want to completely change the workout routine for upperclassmen, I may tend to slightly alter workouts for individuals or incoming freshmen."

TEAM CHEMISTRY

Coaches and athletes alike agree that the team's winning attitude and positive atmosphere has seen improvement over the years as well. Many of the athletes attribute this improvement to their team chemistry, which is the bonding factor of any team that is crucial to its success.

"Team chemistry is everything," said field-event captain John Kipf(Monroe, Mich./St. Mary Catholic Central) who placed third in the high jump at the 2008 outdoor Big Ten meet after redshirting his freshman year due to leg surgery. "The friendships and good communication amongst the team helps everyone appreciate what their teammates are doing day in and day out. When everyone sees how much their teammates are doing to prepare to win, I believe it really puts everyone in a winning mindset. I'd also like to think my recovery from a possible career-ending surgery to setting lifetime PRs gives some inspiration to my teammates."

Coach Warhurst agrees on the importance of team chemistry. Referring back to the indoor dual meet between U-M and Ohio State as the team's turning point for the season, he said, "Since track and field is such an individual sport, it's sometimes hard for a kid to realize how much each of their teammates matter. In the dual meet, no one was really concerned with their marks. Instead, the main concern was which team would come out on top when they went head-to-head and every point mattered. It was for this reason that everyone on the team paid close attention to the performances of each of their teammates and added to the supportive atmosphere even if they didn't score."

CRUNCH TIME

Naturally, this team atmosphere and willingness to cooperate with each other carried over into the most critical point of the season where points were the most important -- the Big Ten Outdoor Championship meet. On May 18, 2008, the Michigan men's track team unified as one and defied all outsider intuition. The long years of hard work and team development -- both mental and physical -- had finally paid off and helped the team accomplish the unimaginable. The Wolverines won the meet with 129 total points, managing to overthrow the reigning Wisconsin Badgers -- who had previously won four consecutive Outdoor Big Ten titles -- in the process.

The Wolverines' total points were distributed fairly even across the team. Efforts from Michigan's field-event athletes in particular played a major part in the team's success at the Big Ten Outdoor meet. Interestingly enough, the field-event group managed to do so with the absence of U-M alum Michael Whitehead or their strongest recruit for the 2007-08 season -- long jumper Robert Peddlar(Kingston, Jamaica/Wolmer's Boys) who was lost due to injury. It was sophomore Frank Shotwell(Madina, Ohio/Medina) who was able to make up for lost points, winning both the heptathlon at the Big Ten indoor meet and the decathlon at the outdoor meet. Recovering from injury and making strong improvements was Kipf who placed third at the Big Ten outdoor meet in the high jump. The strategic addition of Harris in the long jump was also a pivotal factor to the team's title as he placed second in the event after just two jumps.

Injury and sickness seemed to plague the team during the season. In addition to Peddlar, long jumper Dominic Smith(Memphis, Tenn./Memphis Central), sophomore Ciaran O'Lionaird(Cork, Ireland/De La Salle) and Lex Williams were excluded from outdoor competition due to illness. However, this certainly did deter the Wolverines as the team managed to squeak out the victory despite the deficit, making up for the loss of their teammates with some great, unexpected performances.

"Our Big Ten title, and just about any championship title for that matter, was determined by about 10 percent of great unexpected performances that kind of just fell in our lap," said Warhurst. "A lot of people who don't normally score big in their events came through for us in the end."

Warhurst noted the performance of sophomore Grant Till(Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) as the most surprising. Till placed sixth in the javelin throw at the meet, scoring three points for the team.

"Till's performance definitely caught everyone by surprise, said Warhurst. It just goes to show you that you can never count any of your guys out. In the end, our championship title was a team effort and everybody ends up contributing in some way.

From great recruiting to great coaching to having a unified, championship-hungry team, these Wolverines have certainly been on the verge of a Big Ten championship all along. The formula for success had already been in place years ago. Persistence and time were the key factors. The U-M men's track team is one that has always carried itself with much pride and determination. Now that time has shown to be of the essence, the question is -- can the team carry this momentum of success into the future

With a strong freshman class and returning athletes for the 2008-09 seasons, the answer to the question would be a definite 'yes'. We may not be seeing the tip of the iceberg. We may only be seeing the beginning of a long stretch of Wolverine dominance for years to come.