The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2022 THE WOLVERINE 13 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Track and field and cross country distance run- ner Ericka VanderLende has already enjoyed a decorated career at U-M. VanderLende stood out from the get-go, earning Big Ten Cross Country Freshman of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten honors as a newcomer in 2019. That same season, she was named a cross country All-American. She's also shined on the track, with the Rockford, Mich., native being tabbed as second-team All- American in the 5,000-meter run in 2021. Here are some facts about VanderLende that you may not have known: Best Aspect Of Being From Rockford, Mich. .: "If you wanted to be good at sports, I feel like Rockford was the place to be. It had a lot of people in differ- ent areas helping all different kind of athletes be the best they can be." Favorite Restaurant In Ann Arbor: "Condado Tacos." Best Meal She Can Cook By Herself: "Oatmeal. I try to avoid cooking." Favorite Professional Athlete: "Shalane Fla- nagan, a marathon runner. She's very tough and gritty, and someone I definitely admire for run- ning." Sport She Enjoys Playing Besides Track And Field: "I like to watch basketball and keep up with college basketball a little bit. I'm not very good at playing it, but if anyone's around I'll go shoot some hoops with them." Favorite TV Show: "Gilmore Girls." Favorite Movie: "I don't know. I don't really watch movies." Why She Chose Michigan: "I really liked how Michigan had a good balance of great athletics but also good academics. I knew running wasn't the end-all-be-all. I wanted to get a good educa- tion, so finding a program that has a good mix of both was important, and I think Michigan was the best option." What She Hopes To Do After Michigan: "I think I'm going to do a grad program here, but mainly focus on becoming a clinical exercise physiologist and working in a cardiac rehab set- ting." Favorite Memory At Michigan: "Cross Country Big Tens last year. We didn't win — we might've been fourth, actually, which wasn't great — but it was just a good cross country type of day. It was 30 degrees, raining, and everyone just competed well and were all in good spirits, even though the result might not have been good. It felt like a good team day, for both [the] men's and women's [squads]." Overall Experience At Michigan: "How I was going to bal- ance a hard academic school was one of my main concerns coming here, but I've really enjoyed my course work, and U-M has great professors that know their stuff and are will- ing to help. That has definitely helped take stress away from running, when I know school is going OK. Our great facilities for indoor track have made running outdoors in the cold less of an issue, having access to better facilities than I've seen at any other school has been great so far." — Clayton Sayfie VanderLende has been named Big Ten Cross Country Athlete of the Week three times in her U-M career. PHOTO BY DARYL MARSHKE/MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Getting To Know Women's Senior Distance Runner Ericka VanderLende