Weekly Release #15
4/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sat., April 25-26 -- at Penn Relays (Philadelphia, Pa.), 3:30 p.m./4 p.m.
Fri-Sat., May 2-3 -- at Jesse Owens Classic (Columbus, Ohio)
This Week: at Penn Relays
The University of Michigan men's track and field team will take to the track for the 109th running of the Penn Relays Thursday through Saturday (April 24-26) at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pa. The Wolverines will field teams in three relays (distance medley relay, 4x800-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay) as well as placing athletes in individual events. The DMR and 4x400-meter relays are run back-to-back on Friday (April 25) beginning at 3:30 p.m. The 4x800-meter relay will be contested on Saturday (April 26) at 4 p.m.
History Lesson: U-M at the Penn Relays
Michigan has an extremely proud tradition at the Penn Relays as it has captured 92 titles dating back to 1904 when Ralph Rose won the shot put with a throw of 48-2. Six of those titles occurred in the distance medley relay, including the last Michigan championship at the Penn Relays in 1998 when Kevin Sullivan (1994-98), Jay Cantin (1997-2000), Brian Theisen (1996-98) and Don McLaughlin (1995-98) teamed up for the victory.
No Delay in the Michigan Relays
Michigan will enter three very competitive relay squads at the Penn Relays. Michigan has perhaps the best chance to win with its distance medley relay, which most recently placed third at the NCAA Indoor Championships (March 1). The relay will feature three runners from that All-America performance, in sophomore Nate Brannen (Cambridge, Ontario/Preston HS), freshman Andrew Ellerton (Windsor, Ontario/Confederation HS) and freshman Nick Willis (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Hutt Valley HS). A newcomer to the team will be sophomore DarNell Talbert (San Diego, Calif./Mt Carmel HS). The Wolverines' 4x800-meter team will be comprised of fifth-year senior Jeremy Schneider (West Bloomfield, Mich./Andover HS), Willis, Ellerton and Brannen. Sophomore/freshman Rondell Ruff (Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford HS), junior Tom Greenless (Milford, Mich./Milford HS), junior Brian Turner (Omaha, Neb./Millard North HS) and senior Alex L'Heureux (Weedon, Quebec/Palm Beach Gardens HS, Fla.) will represent U-M in the 4x400-meter relay.
Brannen Returns
Sophomore Nate Brannen will make his 2003 outdoor debut at the Penn Relays. In his last race, the 800-meter run at the 2003 NCAA Championships (March 15), Brannen became Michigan's first national champion since 1998. Making his move from fifth place with 150 meters remaining in the race, Brannen advanced to the front of the pack to win the race in a school and Canadian Senior Indoor record time of 1:47.79.
Last Time Around: at EMU Twilight Invitational
The Wolverines competed at the Eastern Michigan Twilight Invitational last Friday (April 18) at the Olds-Marshall Track in Ypsilanti, Mich. Michigan earned a total of five NCAA Mideast Regional qualifying times and won four event titles. Nick Willis made his outdoor debut in a Maize and Blue singlet, winning the 1,500-meter run with an NCAA-eligible time of 3:46.28. U-M had strong representation in the 800 meters with Andrew Ellerton leading Brian Turner, senior/junior Dan Cooke (Pinckney, Mich./Pinckney HS) and Rondell Ruff across the finish line with regional qualifying times.
The Boy Wonder
Nick Willis returned to the track at the EMU Invitational with a win in the 1,500-meter run. Willis' time of 3:46.28 qualified for the NCAA Regional and now stands as the Wolverines' top time of the outdoor season. Willis' result set a collegiate best for the U-M freshman, whose career best of 3:42.69 was run at the 2002 World Junior Championships.
One Less Hurdle to Overcome
Sophomore Seth Waits (Grand Rapids, Ohio/Otsego HS) earned the first outdoor win of his career, with a career-best time of 53.11 in the 400-meter hurdles at the EMU Invitational (April 18). DarNell Talbert was second across the finish line with a season-best mark of 53.50.
He Leaps Small Buildings in a Single Bound
Freshman Adam Kring (Port Huron, Mich./Northern HS) won the high jump competition at the EMU Invitational with a leap of 6-9 3/4. The leap ties Ellerton's collegiate best and is the first event title of his career.
Tossing the Stick
Sophomore Craig Theissen (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny HS) posted a career best with his throw of 149-11 in the javelin competition at the EMU Invitatonal. Theissen's distance was good for fourth place.
Leach Is Moore
Sophomores Tarn Leach (East Jordan, Mich./East Jordan HS) and Sean Moore (Saline, Mich./Saline HS) posted career-best time with their performances in the 1,500-meter run at the EMU Invitational. Leach placed seventh with a mark of 3:53.43, while Moore took eighth in 3:54.78.
Ruff Stuff
Rondell Ruff posted a career best in the 800 meters with his NCAA Regional qualifying result of 1:50.99 at the EMU Twilight Invitational. Ruff finished fifth overall in the event.
First Year of the NCAA Regional
As of the 2003 outdoor season, four regional meets will now be held to determine the participants for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Michigan is in the Mideast Region and will compete in its regional May 30-31 in Columbus, Ohio. In order for an athlete to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships, he must finish in the top five of an individual event or be a member of a top-three relay at the regional championship. The track and field committee will also select a group of at-large athletes to round out the remainder of the Championships field in each event, similar to provisional-qualifying marks in the past.
Rewriting the Record Books
Nate Brannen gained the second school record of his career with his time of 1:47.79 in the 800-meter run March 15 at the NCAA Indoor Championships. His mark bettered Neal Newman's 12-year-old record clocking of 1:47.83 set in 1991. Brannen also holds Michigan's fastest mark in the outdoor 800 meters with his time of 1:46.00 at the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Championships (May 31, 2002).
DM-Record
The Wolverine distance medley relay team of Nate Brannen, Seth Waits, Andrew Ellerton and Nick Willis etched their names into the U-M record book with a third-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships (March 14). The Maize and Blue crew broke the school record by over 2.5 seconds with its 9:29.76 result. Scott MacDonald (1992-97), Trinity Townshend (1993-96), Jeff Wood (1994-97) and Kevin Sullivan (1994-98) held the DMR record for seven years with their time of 9:32.28 achieved at the 1996 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Rank Me
Michigan is ranked No. 21 in the most recent Trackwire 25 poll (April 22). The Trackwire 25 projects a hypothetical score for the NCAA meet, factoring in injury reports and other variables supported by information gathered from coaches and NCAA-qualifying competitions across the country.
1. Arkansas 50 2. Auburn 48 3. Tennessee 46 USC 46 5. Mississippi State 42 6. LSU 35 7. Nebraska 32 8. South Carolina 30 9. Stanford 29 10. Georgia 26 11. Eastern Michigan 24 12. Florida 23 Oregon 23 14. Texas 19 15. UTEP 17 Indiana 17 17. SMU 16 Minnesota 16 Texas Tech 16 20. TCU 14 21. MICHIGAN 12 Iona 12 UCLA 12 Mississippi 12 25. BYU 11 Missouri 11
Next Time Around
The Maize and Blue will compete at the 18th annual Jesse Owens Classic next Friday and Saturday (May 2-3) at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Competition begins at 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon, while Saturday's events are scheduled for an 11 a.m. start.
Contact: Andrew Ladd (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
