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Thursday, June 18, 2015

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SPORTS

Ofili headlines strong NCAA 
Championship performances

By SYLVANNA GROSS 

Daily Sports Editor

When junior hurdler Cindy Ofili 

sprinted past the finish line, she 
knew she had done well.

Michigan coach James Henry 

knew she had it in her. But before 
the race, neither knew just how 
impressive the finishing time would 
be. Ofili recorded a 12.60-second 
result — a full .21 seconds faster 
than her previous personal record, 
set just two days before.

“When I was running, my goal 

was purely to win,” Ofili said. “I 
knew crossing that line that I had 
given it my all, so to be honest, I 
wasn’t too surprised that I had 
broken my personal record. I knew 
this was in me, I just didn’t know 
that was in me.”

Added Henry: “She works very 

hard, and as a coach you learn to 
know the kids and their numbers. 
I was surprised it was this signifi-
cant of an improvement, even if she 
is at this level where I knew she 
would improve.”

Her 
record-breaking 
time 

earned her a second-place finish 
at the NCAA Outdoor Champion-
ships in Eugene, Oregon

this past weekend — the best 

Wolverine finish at the event since 
2009. But much more than that, 
Ofili’s time shattered Michigan’s 
previous record — set by Ofili’s 
older sister, Tiffany Ofili-Porter — 
by .13 seconds.

Despite this, Tiffany — a sister 

before a competitor — congratulat-
ed Ofili and showed excitement for 
Ofili’s future running career.

“I am literally in tears right now! 

I’m over the moon for my sis @
cindyofili!!! I’m soooooooo proud 
of her!! #Beast,” she tweeted after 
the race.

Ofili’s performance in the 100-

meter hurdles would secure her 
place in history among the program’s 
elite, but she one-upped herself with 
a second school record in the 100-
meter dash — crossing the finish line 
in 11.39 seconds. Though the time 
wasn’t fast enough to advance to the 
finals, it did warrant an All-Ameri-
can honorable mention.

Consider-

ing 
that 
the 

qualifying 100-
meter dash was 
just under 15 
minutes 
after 

her 100-meter 
qualifying hur-
dles race, it was 
an 
impressive 

result for Ofili.

In total, Ofili 

completed the 
season with four school records 
in the indoor 60-meter and 200-
meter events, and the outdoor 100-
meter dash and 100-meter hurdles.

And she still has one more year 

to leave her mark on the program.

“I definitely want to be a nation-

al champion (before I graduate),” 
Ofili said. “I want to break more 
personal records. I want to just 
improve. Even though I executed 
a really great couple of races, it 
wasn’t perfect. I definitely have 
more to give and I want to do that 
in my final year.”

Michigan finished in 19th place 

with 14 points, the highest they’ve 
placed since 2009 when they 
earned seventh place.

Three other Wolverines quali-

fied: sophomore Erin Finn quali-
fied in the 5,000-meter run, 
and both redshirt junior Shan-
non Osika and senior co-captain 
Brooke Handler received bids in 
the 1,500-meter race.

However, due to a lower-left leg 

injury, Osika was unable to compete.

“(Osika) wanted to run and she 

wanted to compete and she would 
have done well,” Henry said. “But 

this is a perfect 
example 
of 
an 

athlete doing out-
standing in cross 
country and fan-
tastic in winter 
but wearing out 
towards the end 
of 
the 
outdoor 

season. 
She’s 

human and she’s 
not a robot, she 
needs rest and her 

body just gave way.”

In her last meet donning the 

maize and blue, Handler represent-
ed Michigan in the 1,500-meter 
race and crossed the finish line at 
4:16.19 to place seventh and receive 
her second-consecutive first team 
All-American honor.

“Handler has always been moti-

vated,” said Michigan associate 
head coach Mike McGuire. “She’s 
stayed healthy and she’s just 
grown through training physical-
ly and mentally. This is a byprod-
uct of what’s she’s put in. It’s a 
maturity process.”

Added Henry: “We bring them 

in, we mature them, we develop 
them, and even-
tually we have to 
graduate them.”

McGuire— 

who has worked 
with 
Henry 

since they were 
teammates 
in 

college— 
has 

had at least one 
All-American in the 1,500-meter 
since 2012.

Finn rounded out the middle-

distance runners and became 
the first Wolverine to receive 
All-American honors in both the 
5,000-meter 
and 
10,000-meter 

events. She finished in fifth place 
with a time of 15:43.97.

Finn had sustained an injury 

earlier this year, leaving her unable 
to compete for the majority of the 

season. But according to her team-
mates and coaches, it was her com-

petitive 
streak 

that allowed her 
to still find suc-
cess.

This weekend 

concluded Mich-
igan’s 2014-2015 
campaign, 
and 

Henry was satis-
fied with the way 

his Wolverines wrapped up the 
season. But that satisfaction won’t 
turn into complacency.

“We ended on such a high note, 

which is what we wanted,” Henry 
said. “I always say ‘last meet best 
meet,’ which was a reality this 
weekend. We understand that 
what happens today ends today 
and tomorrow we start prepping 
for next year. But only after the 
kids get a significant rest.”

CONNOR BADE/Daily

Junior sprinter Cindy Ofili set two school records and took second place in the 100-meter hurdles, beating her sister’s record.

“I definitely 
want to be 
a national 
champion.”

“We ended on 

such a high 

note.”

