With most of its high-profile athletes sitting out this past weekend to rest for next week's Big Ten Championships, the Michigan women’s track and field team challenged its other athletes to step up.

Competing at home at the Silverston Invitational on Saturday, the Wolverines rose to the occasion with several breakout performances. Freshman Ada Unachukwu won the triple jump, redshirt junior Abbey Breidenstein took second in the pole vault, and freshman Erin Pendleton won the 20-pound weight throw.

Michigan head coach James Henry attributed the strong performances to the team’s solid week in practice.

“(Last week) was a more focused practice week knowing that we’ve gotten through the crucial part of our pre-Big Ten meets,” Henry said. “There was still work to be done with some kids and most of them accomplished what we wanted them do to, which was continue to improve.”

Junior Charnee Lumbus — one of the athletes from whom Henry expected a big weekend — delivered a strong performance. Lumbus took first in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.37 and was the only Wolverine to log an NCAA national provisionally qualifying mark this weekend.

“I was trying to run my best this season,” Lumbus said. “It wasn’t a (personal record), but it was my best this season. I was just trying to get out there focused, get a good start and get it going. It’s a focus game for me.”

Co-captain Shana Vinson used the home meet to run the 60-meter dash, a sprinting event in which she doesn’t regularly compete. Even in a new event, the redshirt senior showcased her speed and took second place, with a time of 7.67.

But as co-captain, Vinson is more intent on getting her team — especially the younger Wolverines — ready for the important weekend ahead. Vinson wants the freshmen to know their place within the team.

“I think we just have to keep them motivated to know that they’re just as important as anybody else competing at the top right now,” Vinson said. “You can have a breakout performance at any time. I think its important to keep them encouraged and remind them that they’re here and we’ve made it this far, so lets finish this out.”

When asked how she'll keep her emotions in check for next weekend's Big Tens, Pendleton shrugged off the pressure.

“(Next weekend) I’ll just focus on what I need to do and on my technique,” Pendleton said. “I’ll take some breathers to calm my nerves if I have any, but I’m usually pretty good with nerves. I’m just so excited about competing at Big Tens.”

Henry knows that to do well against the rest of the Big Ten, the Wolverines must compete as a whole. Both the seasoned veterans and the up-and-coming rookies — like those who stepped up this past weekend — will need to perform well across the board.

They’ll get their chance in State College next weekend — a track on which the Wolverines have already competed once this season — as Penn State hosts the conference championships.

”I think its going to be important for us to come in as a group,” Henry said. “Individually, I don’t think we’ll have a shot, but if we can stay together I think we’ll have a good chance at doing well.”