Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #8 Michigan Women
Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #8 Michigan Women
Probable Top Five:
JR Erin Finn (15:26 5K; 32:41 10K; 5th NCAA 5K ’15; 30th NCAA XC ’13)
SR Shannon Osika (4:14 1500; 9:19 3K; 16:09 5K; 6th Big Ten XC ’14; 56th NCAA XC ’13)
SR Anna Pasternak (16:48 5K; 10:18 3K Steeple; 125th NCAA XC ’14)
SR Erika Fluehr (16:44 5K; 39th Mid-Atlantic Regional XC ’14)
SO Gina Sereno (16:23 5K; 34:34 10K; 27th Great Lakes Regional XC ’14)
SR Shannon Osika (4:14 1500; 9:19 3K; 16:09 5K; 6th Big Ten XC ’14; 56th NCAA XC ’13)
SR Anna Pasternak (16:48 5K; 10:18 3K Steeple; 125th NCAA XC ’14)
SR Erika Fluehr (16:44 5K; 39th Mid-Atlantic Regional XC ’14)
SO Gina Sereno (16:23 5K; 34:34 10K; 27th Great Lakes Regional XC ’14)
Impact Freshmen/Transfers:
Erika Fleuhr via Princeton University (16:44 5K; 39th Mid-Atlantic Regional XC ’14)
Haley Meier via Duke University (4:20 1500)
Hannah Meier via Duke University (2:06 800; 4:18 1500)
Sophie Linn via University of Mississippi (17th South Regional XC ’13)
Kayla Keane via East Jordan, MI (10:47 3200)
Lauren Van Vlierbergen via Algonquin, IL (2:10 800; 4:53 1600; 10:54 3200)
Haley Meier via Duke University (4:20 1500)
Hannah Meier via Duke University (2:06 800; 4:18 1500)
Sophie Linn via University of Mississippi (17th South Regional XC ’13)
Kayla Keane via East Jordan, MI (10:47 3200)
Lauren Van Vlierbergen via Algonquin, IL (2:10 800; 4:53 1600; 10:54 3200)
Analysis:
In one of the biggest disappointments of the 2014 fall season, the Michigan women went from being one of the best teams in the NCAA to losing their top two girls (Erin Finn and Shannon Osika) to injury and placing 18th at the NCAA Championships. After finishing fifth in 2012 and fourth in 2013, this was a big step back for the Wolverine program that was on the cusp of contending for a national title.
This year the Wolverines will be much better than 18th and could make another podium performance with a good day in Louisville. Superstar Erin Finn is back and better than ever. After suffering a season ending injury just before the Big Ten Championships last fall, Finn redshirted the indoor season and came back with a vengeance, placing fifth in the very competitive NCAA 5K. She just cruised a 16:54 5K victory in Ypsilanti, Mich., and should be a top 10 finisher come November.
With one guaranteed low stick, the Wolverines will enlist in the help of veterans Shannon Osika and Anna Pasternak, as well as Gina Sereno and newcomer Erika Fleuhr. Osika and Pasternak are experienced at the NCAA level and bring speed (Osika was an NCAA 1500m qualifier this spring) and strength (Pasternak runs the 5K, 10K and steeplechase) to the table. When Osika went down with injury before the Great Lakes Regional, Pasternak stepped up big time as the Wolverines’ third scorer in Terre Haute. Still, she’ll need to break into the top 100 if this team wants a shot at the podium. Fluehr is a nice addition from Princeton and should progress well under Mike McGuire’s guidance. He’s pretty good at the fifth-year transfer thing (Anna Willard, Amanda Eccleston, just to name a few).
Sereno blossomed last season, her first in the Michigan uniform. With Finn and Osika absent, she finished 27th in the Great Lakes Region, scored in her first Big Ten competitions (8th in the 3K, 7th in the 10K) and just missed punching her ticket to Eugene with a 16th-place in the NCAA East Prelims. After a season like that, she’ll be expected to be a reliable third, fourth or fifth scorer for a team that needs to avoid scoring in the 100s in Louisville.
While anything can happen during cross country, I’m placing a confident bet on Finn and Osika’s success this season. Getting injured is rough and coming back can be even worse but these two handled it quite remarkably during their respective track seasons, each garnering an All America accolade in 2015. With the hype and disappointment of last fall in their past, the Wolverines should be feared come November. And with two of the best high school athletes of 2013 transferring to Ann Arbor, the Meier twins will unlikely compete this fall after struggling for two seasons at Duke. However, it only means Michigan's future looks better than ever.
This year the Wolverines will be much better than 18th and could make another podium performance with a good day in Louisville. Superstar Erin Finn is back and better than ever. After suffering a season ending injury just before the Big Ten Championships last fall, Finn redshirted the indoor season and came back with a vengeance, placing fifth in the very competitive NCAA 5K. She just cruised a 16:54 5K victory in Ypsilanti, Mich., and should be a top 10 finisher come November.
With one guaranteed low stick, the Wolverines will enlist in the help of veterans Shannon Osika and Anna Pasternak, as well as Gina Sereno and newcomer Erika Fleuhr. Osika and Pasternak are experienced at the NCAA level and bring speed (Osika was an NCAA 1500m qualifier this spring) and strength (Pasternak runs the 5K, 10K and steeplechase) to the table. When Osika went down with injury before the Great Lakes Regional, Pasternak stepped up big time as the Wolverines’ third scorer in Terre Haute. Still, she’ll need to break into the top 100 if this team wants a shot at the podium. Fluehr is a nice addition from Princeton and should progress well under Mike McGuire’s guidance. He’s pretty good at the fifth-year transfer thing (Anna Willard, Amanda Eccleston, just to name a few).
Sereno blossomed last season, her first in the Michigan uniform. With Finn and Osika absent, she finished 27th in the Great Lakes Region, scored in her first Big Ten competitions (8th in the 3K, 7th in the 10K) and just missed punching her ticket to Eugene with a 16th-place in the NCAA East Prelims. After a season like that, she’ll be expected to be a reliable third, fourth or fifth scorer for a team that needs to avoid scoring in the 100s in Louisville.
While anything can happen during cross country, I’m placing a confident bet on Finn and Osika’s success this season. Getting injured is rough and coming back can be even worse but these two handled it quite remarkably during their respective track seasons, each garnering an All America accolade in 2015. With the hype and disappointment of last fall in their past, the Wolverines should be feared come November. And with two of the best high school athletes of 2013 transferring to Ann Arbor, the Meier twins will unlikely compete this fall after struggling for two seasons at Duke. However, it only means Michigan's future looks better than ever.