Nine representatives for the Michigan track and field team didn’t come into Hayward Field expecting to set a flashy collegiate record or dominate a podium. The Wolverines focused on the same goal they’ve been working toward since their entries were accepted into NCAA Outdoor Championships weeks ago: deliver results.
And Michigan coach Kevin Sullivan’s crew left the final meet of the season checking all the boxes.
“All in all, we walked away with eight out of nine All-Americans,” Sullivan said Sunday. “Pretty darn good weekend.”
Even without flooding the Championships with entries, the Wolverines took advantage of their opportunities. All five members of Michigan’s men’s squad qualified for the final in their respective events, finishing 26th in the country collectively. The Wolverines’ women placed 63rd, but still individually excelled with three of four earning All-American honors.
The highlight of the meet was junior Trent McFarland’s second-place finish in the men’s 1500-meter run. His time of 3:37:18 trailed over a second behind the collegiate record holder, Oregon’s Simeon Birnbaum. But McFarland’s signature kick over the final 100 meters did enough to make short work of the rest of the field and earn a silver medal.
“To even be able to come away with second place is a great feeling,” McFarland said. “And to know that I lost to the guy who’s number one in history, I’m not really ashamed of that.”
McFarland started the race in the middle of the pack, while Michigan’s other representative in the mile, sophomore Brendan Herger, surged forward to put pressure on the frontrunners. Herger placed ninth in the event in 2025 as a freshman, but in this year’s congested race, he couldn’t hold his ambitious pace through the final stretch, ultimately finishing in tenth.
Another young hotshot to make a statement but fall just short was Quincy Isaac, who cemented himself as the nation’s best freshman long jumper with a mark of 7.78 meters. But in a year where he broke the Wolverines’ program record with a personal best of 7.89, Isaac’s ninth-place finish in Eugene kept him a frustrating single spot away from first-team All-American honors.
Still, Michigan achieved its objectives in its finals, making its presence known with characteristic performances — along with building experience for the future.
“We just want to continue to see them be back in these positions,” Sullivan said about Herger and Isaac. “Hopefully learn from the experience, so that when we’re back here next year, they’re in positions where they’re first-team All-American, scoring points. But both guys are right on the cusp of it.”
McFarland was all too familiar with the feeling of coming back with renewed drive. He came into last year’s final with high expectations for himself but ran out of gas too early, finishing in 11th place. But with a greater understanding of his strengths and weaknesses in Friday’s race, he paced himself expertly and flexed his tail-end muscle on his way to notching silverware.
Since the graduation of Olympian hurdler Savannah Sutherland, McFarland has taken up the mantle as the Wolverines’ most prominent national competitor. For him, a conservative approach for a respectable placement isn’t enough — everything is about going for the win. And for Herger and the rest of the Michigan athletes who didn’t perform to their full potential, that mentality is infectious for learning how to improve their level of competition.
Having experienced guidance certainly doesn’t hurt. Apart from the long jump, every final the Wolverines qualified for featured both a veteran and a younger teammate. The NCAA Championships was their reminder that the end of the season isn’t just about showcasing potential — it’s about raising it, too.
And McFarland’s growth from last year’s race set an example for Michigan’s underclassmen about what it takes to work your way up.
“We were going to fight regardless of what our rankings were coming in, and we knew that people were probably doubting a little bit, as they have all year,” McFarland said. “Not many people have ever picked us to score very high in general.”
McFarland and his teammates fought tooth and nail for recognition on the biggest stage. And although they didn’t achieve all of their lofty goals, the Wolverines never let them out of their sight.
