Where They Are Going — Big 10

Prize Recruit — Ericka VanderLende

by Jeff Hollobaugh

THINKING HARD about whether she has regrets about any of her races during her senior year, Ericka VanderLende (Rockford, Michigan) finally settles on one: “At Brooks, I wish I wouldn’t have waited as long to make my move. Maybe I could’ve run a little bit faster.”

The was the Brooks PR 2M, where in her final prep race VanderLende (last e is silent) streaked away from a quality field to win in 9:53.00, securing her spot as a T&FN All-America pick. “Not too much to complain about,” she admits.

VanderLende’s senior year represented a continuing improvement over her previous efforts. She won the State XC meet in 17:09 and placed in the top 10 in both the NXN and Footlocker nationals.

On the track, her best day prior to Brooks came at State, where she won the 1600 in a PR 4:41.00, took 2nd in the 800 in a PR 2:11.32, and captured the 3200 in a sit-and-kick 10:24.57. Wins in both of the longer races came against Zofia Dudek (Pioneer, Ann Arbor), who later won the Brooks mile in 4:41.34 and the European Junior 3000 for her native Poland.

Says VanderLende, “It was my last time competing for Rockford and we were trying to win the State Meet as a team. Seeing everyone do well that day made the whole season worth it. Even though we didn’t end up winning, I thought everything fell into place for us.”

VanderLende, who didn’t begin running distance until high school, started modestly enough, with a 19:14 for 81st in the State finals as a 9th-grader. She soon became aware of her school’s history in turning out great runners, among them 3-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein. “I thought maybe I could try to follow close to what he did,” she says. “He set the bar high for all high schoolers.” The big breakthrough came as a junior, when she won the State harrier title in 17:17 and clocked a 10:05.01 for 3200 on the track.

Not surprisingly, she was a top recruiting focus for Michigan’s Mike McGuire. Since VanderLende has donned the maize and blue of the Wolverines, she has proven herself to be ready for the next level. She finished 5th at Pre-Nationals and after a 6th in the Big 10 race was named the loop’s frosh of the year. She wrapped up the overland season with a commendable 25th at the NCAA Championships. Says McGuire, “She’s obviously got a great combination of natural ability and tremendous competitiveness.”

VanderLende, who is studying Applied Exercise Science, notes that the transition was not without challenges: “I knew it was going to be tough to begin with, but the school is definitely harder than I expected. The running, it’s just different. I didn’t know what to expect going into running with other people. It’s a good kind of different, I guess. The new workouts, just a whole new schedule to get used to—It’s definitely not easy, but it’s been pretty manageable.”

She’s having fun with the entire experience, especially the races, saying, “I’ve just gone to the front so it’s just like hanging on for dear life the whole time. But it’s been good because I feel like I really get pushed.”

McGuire sees a bright future for the lanky yearling: “I think she’s capable of following the path of what some of our past great ones have done. If Ericka stays healthy, I think it’s there for her.”

VanderLende is up for that. “I just like seeing what I can do. I like the competitive aspect of it. Knowing that you can get out of it what you put in is pretty motivating.”