The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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big ten championships: women's track (fourth place, 4:23.00) and redshirt junior Jillian Smith (fifth place, 4:23.72). "Going into a meet like this, the ultimate goal is to win, but the four of us wanted to work together as a team and finish as well as we could to score as many points as possible," Eccleston said. "I started toward the back, but I started to move up, and on the last lap I realized I was in a very good position to take a shot at it. I really took off and was able to hold on until the end." Eccleston earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for her performance, capping a terrific 2012‑13 season in which she also claimed the Big Ten indoor championship in the mile run. In that race, the Wolverines placed four runners in the top six. "It is very exciting to go out there and prove myself," Eccleston said. "It wasn't exactly defending the title, because they're two different seasons, but to come back strong and win in two straight seasons, it's great. "It's one of the key events for us right now, and it was important to perform well in the conference meet. We have so much talent in distance running. It's exciting to be a part of the group that took four of the top five places in an event. We work very well together, in practice and in meets. We push each other hard, and are confident in each other." At the outdoor championships, the Wolverines scored an incredible 25 points in the 1,500-meter run. "Shannon Osika definitely got it going, but I think her teammates did a good job of helping her out," associate head coach Mike McGuire said. "Amanda's first-place performance is a combination of what she did and the help from Shannon and Rebecca. I think they all had opportunities to be the gold medalists, but obviously one of them was going to be able to do that. They all did a great job." Osika also set a personal best in the 5,000-meter run, with a time of 16:35.37 (14th place). The Wolverines got a strong performance from redshirt junior high jumper Sara Nitz, who leapt a personal best 5-8.5 to take second place and earn secondteam All-Big Ten honors. "That was probably the highlight of the meet for me personally," Henry said. "She's been an outstanding student and an outstanding individual. She works really hard. For it to show and pay off in possibly her last Big Ten Outdoor Championship, the team would say that was probably the pleasant surprise and the biggest performance of the day." Freshman Cindy Ofili set a person best in the 100-meter hurdles (13.30), taking second place in the event. Junior long jumper Erin Busbee and redshirt junior pole vaulter Kiley Tobel took second place in their respective events, each earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. Tobel vaulted 13-4.25, and Busbee set a personal record with a 20-1.25. — Andy Reid