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Thursday, June 13, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS

Erin Finn finishes 12th place in her final race as a Wolverine

Thursday 
night 
marked 
the 
culmination of collegiate distance 
running as well as the final 10,000 
meters of sixth-year senior Erin 
Finn’s 
illustrious 
career 
as 
a 
Wolverine.
Twenty-four of the nation’s best 
assembled at Mike A. Myers Stadium 
in Austin, Texas to represent their 
schools in the NCAA Outdoor 
Championships.
The women’s 10,000-meter final 
began with a congested cluster 
of runners stretching four lanes 
wide. Finn quickly earned an inside 
position within the top five and held 
a steady pace for the first 10-15 laps.
An injury-riddled season afforded 
Finn less than two months and just 
three events of competitive running 
to prepare, forcing her to adopt a 
new, unfamiliar approach.
“The start was great,” Finn said. 
“My plan was to not do any of the 
work (of leading). Ideally, I like to 
control the race, but my body was not 
strong enough, not fit enough at this 
point.”
During the first half of the race, 
Finn’s strategy was predicated on 
staying within striking distance of 
Notre Dame’s Anna Rohrer, who 
jumped out to an early lead. After 

falling out of the top five, Finn pushed 
her way back with 8 laps remaining. 
But the heat, humidity, and 
exhaustion began to take its toll on 
the runners with just four laps to go, 
providing the ultimate separation 
that would define the race.
“My 
body 
really 
started 
to 
struggle,” Finn said. “I got passed 
and I got gapped.”
With runners falling in and out 
of contention, the only competitor 
seemingly unaffected was New 
Mexico’s Weini Kelati, who used 
the last mile to build a nearly 
insurmountable lead.
However, the final lap catalyzed 
an 
inspiring 
comeback 
from 
Carmela Cardama Baez of Oregon. 
Trailing by nearly five seconds, 
Cardama Baez climbed all the way 
back, approaching within a meter 
of Kelati. Alerted by the roar of the 
crowd, Kelati propelled one final 
push, giving her all the separation 
she needed. With only 50 meters to 
go following an exhaustive effort, 
Cardama Baez had neither the time 
nor the energy to complete the 
comeback.
Kelati finished with a time of 
33:10.84, a record at Mike A. Myers 
Stadium.
Finn 
delivered 
a 
similarly 
admirable finale. As a sixth-year 
senior clawing her way back from hip 

surgery, she was nearly 20 seconds 
ahead of the next finisher.
She ended up in 12th place with a 
time of 33:40.88, capturing a second-
team All-America honor.
“It’s definitely not the way I 
dreamed of going out, especially after 
some of my earlier successes,” the 
ten-time USTFCCCA All-American 
said. “But given this journey I’ve 

had the last year and a half, a couple 
weeks before Big Ten’s I didn’t know 
if I’d be running at all this season. I 
was really thankful that I could have 
one last go around.”
The finish line represented the 
conclusion of this year’s track and 
field season as well as the career of 
one of the most decorated athletes in 
school history.

“I had that flashback,” Finn said. 
“It wasn’t of anything I had done. 
Just thinking about my teammates, 
my coach, my assistant coaches, 
my athletic trainer, just all the 
people who have touched my life, 
recognizing these people will forever 
be in my life. Although my days as 
an athlete are over, my days as a 
Wolverine are not.”

ALEX WALKON
For The Daily

Jabri Abdur-Rahim becomes one of Juwan Howard’s first offers

Jabri Abdur-Rahim talked to 
Juwan Howard for the first time 
on Thursday. And, in a stark 
departure from his predecessor, 
the conversation came with a 
scholarship offer.
John Beilein held a firm policy 
when it came to these things. 
Until a recruit stepped foot on 
campus, took a full academic 
tour, and Beilein had seen him 
play in-person, he didn’t extend 
an offer. In the last two days, 
Howard has extended his first 
two offers as Michigan’s coach, 
first to five-star guard Joshua 
Christopher and then to Abdur-
Rahim — and neither have held 
firm to that policy.
“I understand coach Beilein’s 
way of doing things,” Abdur-
Rahim told The Daily. “That’s 

the approach that a lot of schools 
take. Which is something I 
understand. I also understand 
the other way, too. So it’s just two 
different perspectives. I respect 
both of them.”
Since 
Beilein 
left, 
Saddi 
Washington 
has 
been in touch with 
Abbdur-Rahim, 
maintaining 
a 
relationship 
and 
bridging 
the gap between 
coaches. Though 
not yet officially 
announced, 
Washington 
is 
expected 
to 
be 
retained on Howard’s staff, with 
Phil Martelli and Howard Eisley 
rounding out the coaching staff.
“They’re 
trying 
to 
grow 
something special at Michigan,” 

Abdur-Rahim said. “(Howard) 
hopes that I could be a part of 
that.”
Abdur-Rahim, a four-star wing 
ranked 41st in the country per 
247Sports’ composite, previously 
had 
an 
official 
visit to Ann Arbor 
scheduled 
for 
May 27, but that 
was swept away 
amidst the chaos 
of 
a 
coaching 
search. As of now, 
he has no plans set 
in stone for a visit, 
but 
that 
could 
change.
“Once 
all 
that 
stuff 
with 
(Beilein) happened, that kind 
of took over the timeframe that 
I had set for my junior year 
officials,” 
Abdur-Rahim 
said. 
“Now, I’m gonna just regroup and 

take my officials as a senior and 
see where that goes.”
When asked whether Howard’s 
status as a member of the Fab 
Five impacted his perception 
of Michigan, Jabri chose to 
focus instead on 
Howard’s 
NBA 
experience.
“It’s 
interesting, 
because 
he’s 
obviously done it 
before,” 
Abdur-
Rahim said. “So 
that 
perspective 
is 
pretty 
cool, 
a 
person 
that’s 
played 
at 
the 
highest level. Like 
I said, I’m just trying to do my 
homework on everybody. Not just 
Michigan.”
Right now, Abdur-Rahim said, 
his recruitment is wide open 

and will likely hinge on what 
he sees in the upcoming season. 
He, as everyone else, has little 
indication of what Howard’s 
basketball philosophy is and 
plans to be watching closely come 
the fall to find out.
“I 
feel 
like 
I’m gonna have 
a better sense of 
my view once I 
see them,” Abdur-
Rahim said. “... 
So I can watch 
gameplay, 
can 
watch 
everyone 
else play. Compare 
and contrast the 
schools 
I 
like 
and the schools 
I don’t like. So my view is the 
same for everybody right now. 
I’ll definitely start gaining some 
stronger opinions on a lot of 
things once the season starts.”

ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor

I’m just trying 
to do my 
homework on 
everybody.

They’re trying 
to grow 
someting 
special ... 

DARBY STIPE/Daily
Senior Erin Finn finished 12th in her final race for Michigan at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas Thursday.

