Michigan State University Athletics
Elly Finch has History of Perseverance, Including a Past and Potential Future as a Woman in Football
3/19/2024 2:36:00 PM | Track and Field
Elly Finch is an up-and-coming thrower on Michigan State's Track and Field team, but her dreams are bigger than being an athlete. The freshman didn't always compete in shot put, as her first love was football. Finch had fire for a male-dominated sport, and she found a way to tackle all the obstacles thrown at her.
"Everybody told me, even my coaches of Little League, that, 'you can't play football, you're a girl. You can't. That's not for you, you're too weak or too small. You're going to get beat up, you're never going to play'," Finch said. "And I was like, 'don't tell me that because I have to prove you wrong.'"
Finch was an outstanding student at Royal Oak High, with a 4.0 GPA, All-State track and field student, and school record holder for the discus. She also served as a captain for the varsity football team as a left guard and linebacker.
Finch started off as a cheerleader for her two older brothers' Little League team. She loved being around her brothers but did not carry that same love for cheer. Her mom, Trish Belanger, took her to a football camp at MSU one summer and as her mom describes it, it was her defining moment.
"She never stopped after that," Belanger said. "She put those pom poms away."
Finch started Little League football when she was nine. As high school approached, Finch's biggest fear was people not accepting her.
"Sometimes it's hard to still tell myself, 'you're good, you deserve to be here,'" she said.
Going into her first year in high school, Finch saw Toni Harris, former college football player and second woman to receive a football scholarship, in a Super Bowl commercial. Knowing Harris' story motivated her to keep playing.
The COVID-19 pandemic canceled Finch's freshman year of high school football. She used the time away from football to get stronger, as she consistently was in the weight room.
"I like to look at it as almost a blessing," Finch said. "I knew that if I didn't take advantage of the time I had, that I would fall behind and never make it back."
She was introduced to track and field, the shot put and discus events, during her sophomore year. Between throwing and football, Finch became the star at her high school. She was the first girl to ever play varsity football and her junior year she broke her school record for discus.
High school was nearing the end, and the next stop was college. Although college would give Finch that exposure in football and throwing that she wanted, she had to choose which one to leave behind.
"It was always interesting, when she would transition from football to track," Belanger reflects. "There was always that sadness, like, 'oh, football's over'. But as soon as she got into track, and her competitive juices started flowing again, she was just as passionate."
Finch made the decision that best fit her long-term goals and Michigan State's offer made it easier for her to become a Spartan.
"I figured track would take me a little bit farther," Finch said. "I almost let track go and I'm thankful I didn't because now I'm here, and it's amazing."
Finch's transition from a high school with about 1,300 kids to a university with over 50,000 students, was, in her words; humbling.
"You go from a pretty small pond, being the big fish, to a giant pond of big fish and now you're all average," Finch said.
Late September 2023, she was invited to a Detroit Lions event honoring women in football. Finch met Jen Welter, a former NFL coach, and Harris at the event and received some advice that stuck with her.
"Just because you're the first, make sure you're not the last," Finch remembers Welter telling her.
Finch immediately got involved with her high school and occasionally went and lifted with the track team and spoke to the girls interested in football.
She wants to set the standard for females following behind her and has a message for all the women facing adversity in any sport.
"I've been taught to make sure that you know that you aren't your sport," Finch says. "Yes, I am a thrower, I am on the track team. But that's not everything."
Finch has a long-term career goal of becoming a coach in the NFL like Welter. She said that her experience with her new coaches at MSU has shown her what she wants to be like when she makes it to the league.
Her throwing coach Derrick Vicars has watched her transition over the last few months.
"She's very goal oriented, so I think when she sets a goal that she's going to do pretty much anything to get there," coach Vicars said.
Finch has overcome mountains of adversity to get where she is now.
"She just stuck by her guns, what she wanted to do and what she was capable of doing," Belanger said. "She didn't care what other people said she couldn't do. And she proved everyone wrong."
Finch has the next few years as a DI athlete to dominate the field for women even more.
Vicars said Finch came in with strength that freshmen usually do not have. He said he sees her as making some big plays for the team within the next few years.
Her mom says it's not the fame that Finch strives for, it's the dream.
"She wants to get out there and put her name out there and not be known necessarily as the female, but just as a person who has dreams that might not be 'normal', but she still achieved them," Belanger said.
"Everybody told me, even my coaches of Little League, that, 'you can't play football, you're a girl. You can't. That's not for you, you're too weak or too small. You're going to get beat up, you're never going to play'," Finch said. "And I was like, 'don't tell me that because I have to prove you wrong.'"
Finch was an outstanding student at Royal Oak High, with a 4.0 GPA, All-State track and field student, and school record holder for the discus. She also served as a captain for the varsity football team as a left guard and linebacker.
Finch started off as a cheerleader for her two older brothers' Little League team. She loved being around her brothers but did not carry that same love for cheer. Her mom, Trish Belanger, took her to a football camp at MSU one summer and as her mom describes it, it was her defining moment.
"She never stopped after that," Belanger said. "She put those pom poms away."
Finch started Little League football when she was nine. As high school approached, Finch's biggest fear was people not accepting her.
"Sometimes it's hard to still tell myself, 'you're good, you deserve to be here,'" she said.
Going into her first year in high school, Finch saw Toni Harris, former college football player and second woman to receive a football scholarship, in a Super Bowl commercial. Knowing Harris' story motivated her to keep playing.
The COVID-19 pandemic canceled Finch's freshman year of high school football. She used the time away from football to get stronger, as she consistently was in the weight room.
"I like to look at it as almost a blessing," Finch said. "I knew that if I didn't take advantage of the time I had, that I would fall behind and never make it back."
She was introduced to track and field, the shot put and discus events, during her sophomore year. Between throwing and football, Finch became the star at her high school. She was the first girl to ever play varsity football and her junior year she broke her school record for discus.
High school was nearing the end, and the next stop was college. Although college would give Finch that exposure in football and throwing that she wanted, she had to choose which one to leave behind.
"It was always interesting, when she would transition from football to track," Belanger reflects. "There was always that sadness, like, 'oh, football's over'. But as soon as she got into track, and her competitive juices started flowing again, she was just as passionate."
Finch made the decision that best fit her long-term goals and Michigan State's offer made it easier for her to become a Spartan.
"I figured track would take me a little bit farther," Finch said. "I almost let track go and I'm thankful I didn't because now I'm here, and it's amazing."
Finch's transition from a high school with about 1,300 kids to a university with over 50,000 students, was, in her words; humbling.
"You go from a pretty small pond, being the big fish, to a giant pond of big fish and now you're all average," Finch said.
Late September 2023, she was invited to a Detroit Lions event honoring women in football. Finch met Jen Welter, a former NFL coach, and Harris at the event and received some advice that stuck with her.
"Just because you're the first, make sure you're not the last," Finch remembers Welter telling her.
Finch immediately got involved with her high school and occasionally went and lifted with the track team and spoke to the girls interested in football.
She wants to set the standard for females following behind her and has a message for all the women facing adversity in any sport.
"I've been taught to make sure that you know that you aren't your sport," Finch says. "Yes, I am a thrower, I am on the track team. But that's not everything."
Finch has a long-term career goal of becoming a coach in the NFL like Welter. She said that her experience with her new coaches at MSU has shown her what she wants to be like when she makes it to the league.
Her throwing coach Derrick Vicars has watched her transition over the last few months.
"She's very goal oriented, so I think when she sets a goal that she's going to do pretty much anything to get there," coach Vicars said.
Finch has overcome mountains of adversity to get where she is now.
"She just stuck by her guns, what she wanted to do and what she was capable of doing," Belanger said. "She didn't care what other people said she couldn't do. And she proved everyone wrong."
Finch has the next few years as a DI athlete to dominate the field for women even more.
Vicars said Finch came in with strength that freshmen usually do not have. He said he sees her as making some big plays for the team within the next few years.
Her mom says it's not the fame that Finch strives for, it's the dream.
"She wants to get out there and put her name out there and not be known necessarily as the female, but just as a person who has dreams that might not be 'normal', but she still achieved them," Belanger said.
Players Mentioned
Throws
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