Graduate Tom Brady has competed with the Michigan Men’s Track and Field team for five seasons. And for all five years, Brady has been in the spotlight, dominating distance events. Brady holds school records in the indoor 5000 meter and outdoor 10000 meter events and has cemented his legacy in the Wolverines’ record books. But Wednesday June 5 was Brady’s final dance with Michigan, as he ran one last race at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
But Brady wasn’t the only Wolverine ready to put on a show.
Five athletes represented Michigan at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore. The group competed from June 5 to June 7 among the best of the best in the nation with just 24 athletes qualifying for each event. The unit was split between veteran athletes, represented by Brady and graduate Nick Foster, and up-and-coming competitors in three sophomores: Caleb Jarema, Jake Wall and Zane Forist. The Wolverines left Oregon with two second team All-Americans in Brady and Forist, and a sense of a bright future for the Michigan Men’s Track Team.
“Nick Foster and Tom Brady really took hold of our men’s distance program,” Wolverines coach Kevin Sullivan said Sunday. “(They) have really showed a lot of young guys, one, how to approach being elite, and then also how to execute and deal with disappointment and deal with success, and that’s really important.”
Foster was the opening act for Michian Wednesday, competing in the 1500 meter semifinals. Foster has been a core part of the distance unit for the Wolverines, often competing in stride with Brady. But Wednesday, Foster was all on his own. And against intense competition, his performance fell short when he finished 24th with a time of 3:44.24, four seconds behind the closest qualifying time for finals.
The second Michigan showing came on the field from Wall, as he made his NCAA Championship debut in the long jump pit. Wall was the first Wolverine to secure his spot in Championship competition, finishing 10th place at the NCAA East Preliminary Round with a jump of 7.55 meters, a personal best and enough to see him compete in Oregon. While Wall’s performance at NCAA’s didn’t match his qualifying showing — with his final jump coming in at 7.09 meters earning him 23rd place — this is likely just the first of many appearances Michigan will see of Wall in NCAA competition.
What really stole the show in Oregon was the production in the throwing circle from Forist. This year was Forist’s second appearance at NCAA Championships, returning from last year where he finished 24th. This year, Forist finished ten places higher coming in 14th, the best numerical finish of any Wolverine in the competition, with a personal-best throw of 57.38 meters. Forist was a solo-act on Friday when he was the only Michigan competitor all day, and his showing was enough to earn him second-team All-American honors, the first of his career.
Combining the traditional Wolverine success of distance running and the newfound potential on the field,Jarema competed in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Jarema also made his NCAA Championship debut Wednesday in the semifinal competition. Bounding over 28 barriers in 7.5 laps, Jarema finished 17th with a time of 8:41.95, about eight seconds outside of qualifying for finals on Friday.
The principal performance, however, came Wednesday night in the 10000 meter race where Brady competed one last time for Michigan. Because of the intense nature of the 10000 meter race, the competition is only run once, so Brady had both the blessing and curse of knowing that no matter what, Wednesday would be his last race as a Wolverine. Leaving everything on the track, Brady ran with the determination that has come to define his racing style. Striding around the track 25 times, Brady finished his collegiate career in 15th place with a time of 28:44.35, 37 seconds behind the first place finisher.
“It’s definitely not what I set out to do,” Brady said Sunday. “You never go into a competition thinking that 15th place is what you want to take. … But I think looking back, I can still be proud of the things I’ve achieved for Michigan, proud of what I put out there on the track.”
While Brady’s outing may not have been the commanding finish he may have hoped for, the impact that he has made on the Michigan track team far outweighs a singular race. While Brady will not return to the stage for the Wolverines in the 2025 season, Michigan should not fret, because the talent behind him was displayed clearly at NCAA Championships. And while Brady sang his swan song Wednesday, the rest of the unit flourished and continued to prepare for their time in the spotlight.
The post Young Potential Shines at NCAA Outdoor Championships appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
Leave a Reply