The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537777
AUGUST 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 27 2024-25 YEAR IN REVIEW to work out so perfectly, is where some of the surprise came from." In addition to expressing surprise at beating the NCAA record by the mar- gin she did (52.46 over the 52.75 run by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in 2018), Sutherland felt a wave of gratitude washing over her for everything sur- rounding the movie-like ending. "I just felt so grateful," she assured. "That was the feeling that was over- whelming me. I am so, so thankful, not only for my four years at Michigan and for it to have ended so perfectly, but for the chance just to have been there, and competing, and everything. My parents were there, so was my brother and his wife and their son, my nephew. He's only five months old, but they made the trip down. I'm grateful they were all there, grateful that Michigan had trusted me to represent them well, and I felt like I had done them justice. I repre- sented Michigan with as much pride as I possibly could have." She came to Michigan without a sin- gle peek at the campus. The COVID-19 pandemic intervened in the normal re- cruiting process, making Sutherland's introduction to the U-M scene a genu- ine leap of faith. "I'd never actually been to Michigan until it was time to move into my dorm room freshman year," she shared. "It was definitely a gamble for me. Look- ing back on it, I'm shocked, first of all, that I made that choice. But also, that it worked out so perfectly. I had a path set out for me. I'm so thankful for making that right choice. It's definitely very, very special to me." She wasn't just coming in from Chi- cago, Ohio, or the Upper Peninsula. She traveled 1,571 miles from Borden, Sas- katchewan, changing countries and cul- tures. The beginning, she emphasized, wasn't anything like the ending. "The majority of it is not spectacu- lar or glamorous," Sutherland stressed. "People don't see the hard work that goes into it, day to day. "My freshman year was a pretty tough one. The adjustments, moving to a new country, a place that I had never been before, meeting all new people, mov- ing into a dorm room, trying to cook for myself. It's the huge transition a lot of college athletes talk about." The track didn't provide a haven of immediate success, either. "My freshman year ended up not being very spectacular," she noted. "I didn't get a personal best in any of my events. I ran slower than I had in quite a few years. It was definitely disheartening. That sum- mer, in my freshman year, I ended up fall- ing in my last race of the season. It just seemed like the perfect ending for a not- great season. Wow. I had such a bad sea- son, and I ended up falling on my face." Sutherland executed an attitude ad- justment heading into her sophomore season. She forced herself to regroup, take a step back, and remember exactly why she became a collegiate runner in the first place, why she so loved her chosen sport. Her guiding mantra — "If you're depending on results, that's not going to last forever." Instead, she focused on the pursuit and the passion. The results speak for themselves. And of course, The Team, The Team, The Team factored in heavily as well. "The one at Michigan that stands out to me always is when we won our first team conference championship, in 2023, indoors," she said. "The whole team came together and had done our part … we ended up winning the 4-for- 4[00] as well, which is the last event of the meet. It was the perfect cherry on top. That was very special. "The most recent national champi- onship was very gratifying, but also my first national championship in 2023 was special, because it was my first one ever. It was such a shock, because I wasn't favored, going into that race. To be able to come out with a win on that day was shocking and pretty amazing. Outside of Michigan, there was the Olympic final, which was very special in its own right." Sutherland took seventh in the 2024 Paris Olympics with a time of 53.88. At 21 years old, she was the youngest Ca- nadian track and field athlete to reach an individual Olympic final and the first Canadian woman to reach the 400-me- ter hurdles final since 1996. Now she's on the verge of signing a pro contract with a yet-unnamed shoe com- pany, and a long-term backup plan in- volving the medical field. Needless to say, her success didn't end at the finish line. "Going into college, I was convinced I was just going to run track for four years and then be done with it, going on to med school," Sutherland said. "I did all of my pre-med prerequisites, and also all of my dental, PA and PT prerequisites. "I've covered all the bases in the health care field. In these next few years, as I'm running, I'll take time to figure out what it is I really want to do with my career, once I've retired from track and field. I'll study for the MCAT or DAT or whatever I want to pursue. I should have all my bases covered there, which is nice." Nice, like the forever friends she's met at Michigan. "The bonds you build with people in collegiate sport are really special," she said. "It's something that's not really found in any other experience. They're very deep friendships. I've met people at Michigan who I call my family now, have been my family for four years, and will continue to be my family down the line. I also wouldn't have been able to accom- plish all the things I have without them backing me and supporting me. Those definitely mean the world to me." ❏ The Best Of The Rest Here are the three runners-up for Female Athlete of the Year, as voted on by the staff of The Wolverine. 2. Lora Clarke, field hockey — This All-Big Ten first-team performer also received second- team All-America honors from the NFHCA as a grad. The forward and midfielder scored 3 goals with 9 assists, and earned Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player. 3. Erin O'Grady, lacrosse — Michigan's senior goalie set the school record with 25 wins, finishing as the top save percentage leader (.519) in Michigan history and third in career saves (351). She's the two-time Big Ten Goalie of the Year, and an IWLCA second-team All- American. 4. Julie Fliegner, tennis — This senior earned the Big Ten Medal of Honor, in addition to capping her career as Big Ten Player of the Year. The three-time All-Big Ten performer finished her career with 113 singles victories, ranking fifth in Michigan history. — John Borton