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Gardner hurdles to NCAA title

'M' senior surprise winner in 400

It was a weekend of both triumph and disappointment, of surpassing high expectations and failing to meet them, for the Michigan men's and women's track and field teams at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. on May 29-June 1. Senior Neil Gardner had the most notable performance of the Michigan squads, winning his first national championship in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal best-time of 49.27. "I never go into a meet thinking that I can't win, because what's the point?" Gardner said, speaking of not being the race favorite. "If you go in thinking you're going to be second, second is probably the best you're going to do Ñ so I was expecting to win no matter what the odds were."

Even Gardner, however, was surprised with how well he ran Ñ considering how little he had been able to work on his technique due to the resurfacing of Michigan's outdoor track this season. "I didn't expect to run as fast as I did; it wasn't the smoothest race I had, and I felt I had a lot of flaws," he said. "But after the first round I felt confident that there was no reason I should lose." Gardner's teammate, senior Trinity Townsend, surprised everyone except himself by placing fourth in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:46.02. Townsend entered the race picked to finish near the bottom of the pack in 11th place, but proved he has only begun to reach his potential in an event he has been competing in for just one year.

"I knew I could do it, but that nobody else knew I could do it," Townsend said. "I just wanted to run up to my potential, and I was able to do that. I'm just getting started in the half-mile, I'm only scratching the surface so far." Senior Stan Johanning also represented the Michigan men at nationals, placing 14th in the javelin with a throw of 197 feet-10 inches The women's team also achieved a great deal of success.

Senior Courtney Babcock finished third in the 5000-meter run with a time of 16:17.68 Ñ tying her best performance at the outdoor NCAAs Ñ and fellow senior Monika Black placed seventh in the high jump with a height of 5-foot-10.

Babcock positioned herself for a strong finish during the final portion of the 5,000, after falling to ninth going into the last three laps. "I just kept telling myself I had to rise to the occasion," Babcock said. "I knew I wanted to pick it up at the end, and I just kept hanging in there. Luckily, I felt OK." Michigan's women had more than their share of letdowns at the nationals. Black, despite her seventh-place finish in the high jump, was one level away from placing third.

"I'm upset because I was way over the last height, but my heels kept clicking (the bar)," Black said. "It just wasn't meant to be." Freshman Nicole Forrester, who had very high expectations coming into the NCAAs, did not qualify for the finals. "It was a case of stage fright," Michigan coach James Henry said. "I really protected her this year, not wanting her to get out in front of the big crowds. She ended up trying way too hard." Perhaps most disappointed, however, was sophomore Tania Longe. Longe finished ninth in the heptathlon with a total of 5,333 points, while conference rival Corissa Yassen from Purdue, whom Longe had been close to all year long, went on to win the national title.

"I don't think (Longe) would admit this, but she probably had the worst performance of her collegiate career," Henry said. Longe felt a combination of factors explained her performance.

"I focused on the wrong things and my confidence started to feel a little shaky," Longe said. "I got stressed and frustrated, angry and impatient." Although unsatisfied with some results of the weekend, Henry says he intends to turn the experience into a positive lesson for both Forrester and Longe. "I always make positives out of everything," Henry said. "It was a disaster, but as a coach I'm going to use this to get Tania to do superior work." Competition is far from over for most of the athletes, who will attempt to qualify for the upcoming Olympic Games in Atlanta. Gardner hopes his collegiate success continues on the world level, and has a chance to be the top 400 hurdler for Jamaica. "Once I get things ironed out I'll be able to race 49 seconds, which will put me right at the top of the world," Gardner said. "Winifred Graham (Jamaica's top hurdler) has been undefeated the past eight or nine years, but I'm going to go and try to get him off his high horse."