Finn Granted Sixth Year of NCAA Eligibility
11/2/2018 11:05:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Erin Finn, one of the most decorated distance runners in University of Michigan women's track and field history, has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA and will return for the 2018-19 indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.
Finn (West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield HS) was awarded a sixth season of indoor eligibility based on her multiple seasons lost to injury, and she was bequeathed a sixth outdoor season by way of an Athletics Activity Waiver -- colloquially known as an "Olympic redshirt" -- as she took off the 2016 season from collegiate competition to pursue a berth to the Olympics.
She will begin competing again for Michigan as early as their 2019 home opener, the Wolverine Invitational on Saturday, January 12.
"I feel very, very lucky to have been granted this tremendous opportunity," said Finn, who is pursuing her Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology. "I've had my fair share of bad luck, but I've also had my fair share of mistakes that I've made, so I feel very fortunate to have one more chance to really learn under the guidance of great coaching and great athletic trainers and great support here at Michigan. It will be one more chance to really figure things out with such a caring family, making for such a great springboard into my future running career."
While competing in what will be her final year of collegiate eligibility, the Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient and three-time first team Academic All-American will continue to engage in her graduate studies as the Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship recipient for Michigan and will pursue admission to medical school.
During her time at Michigan between track and cross country to this point, Finn has won 10 Big Ten Conference titles, earned nine All-America honors, finished as an individual national runner-up four times, and led her team to two NCAA cross country podium finishes and three Big Ten team titles.
Her tremendous success -- which has produced school records in four different events -- has come even as Finn has frequently and often unsuccessfully attempted to ward off injury.
After eluding the injury bug during the 2013-14 academic year as a first-year collegian, Finn has not since been able to remain healthy for a full season of competition. A complete loss of the 2015 indoor season was followed by an Olympic run outdoors in 2016 that was cut short by injury, a 2017 collegiate outdoor season that was completely lost to injury, and 2018 indoor and outdoor seasons that were both stunted by late-season injuries.
She will now have an opportunity to expand on those accomplishments in 2018-19, including at the first Big Ten Indoor Championships to be hosted at Michigan's new Indoor Track Building on the Stephen M. Ross Athletic Campus - South Complex in February of 2019.
"Hosting the Big Ten Indoor Championships at Michigan is one of the reasons I am most excited to be returning," Finn said. "I am really excited to be surrounded by so much of my support team -- from my family to family friends to classmates here at Michigan -- who have all been so interested in coming and seeing me race. To know that we'll be here at home and they'll be able to be here for me and I'll be able to thank them in-person for being there and supporting me through everything, that will be absolutely amazing."
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