The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/246097
MEN'S TRACK PROFILE throw of 59-4¼. He followed that up with a ninth-place finish in the shot put at the NCAA Outdoor Championships (61-1¼), just one spot outside of firstteam All-America consideration. He also finished in fourth place in the shot put at both the indoor and outdoor Big Ten Championships. Riffle set Michigan program records for indoor shot put (63-2) and outdoor shot put (61-3½). After such a successful season, Riffle was honored to help the team jump into the Clayton era as a captain. "I have been trying to give our team the type of leadership we need over this last year, and it's really exciting to have that role on the team," Riffle said. "It has definitely been a transition. I think I am able to offer an experienced voice to help people get adjusted and on board with all the new policies and everything. "It was such a huge honor to be voted captain. I see these guys every day. It's verification of the respect people have for you, and I am so happy that I have earned that. I really try to do the same for others, and it's nice that people trust me to show leadership and give them advice when it is needed, to help out in those tough situations." But Riffle is interested in more than just leading this year. Just missing first-team All-America honors and placing fourth at the Big Ten Championships outdoor meet gave Riffle the motivation to hit the offseason hard. After missing the 2012 season because of a knee surgery, Riffle worked to get his lower-body strength back fully this year. He also focused on getting bigger and stronger to help push himself. "The biggest thing for me this offseason was to put on weight," he said. "I put on about 10 pounds since last year, and I think my size was one of my biggest limiting factors last year. I am excited to see how adding that weight will affect my shot put. I also did a lot of strength training this summer." With a personal best 179-6 throw in discus, Riffle is also looking to improve his numbers in that event. "Coach Clayton is a discus genius," Riffle said. "He has really been helping me and the guys out in that area, and I think we will see a lot of improvement there, maybe even more than in the shot, which is really exciting. We haven't been able to throw much, because of the snow, but it has gotten a lot better. "Coach Clayton is looking for guys who can get double-digit points and score in multiple areas. I am confident in my shot put, and I would also like to score points in the discus this year, too, which will get me into that double-digit point range." And that's exactly the type of athlete Clayton is looking for. "For us to move forward as a championship-type program, we have to have those individuals for whom you can pencil in a certain amount of points," Clayton said. "That is critical for developing as a team, and the more people we have on the team who fit that mold, obviously the more successful we'll be. He is definitely one of them. Right now, we have about four or five of them — we just need to get more." — Andy Reid