Michigan
Penn Relays (Day 1)
U-M Claims Distance Medley Relay Title at Penn Relays
4/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The University of Michigan men's track teamed received a strong showing by its distance medley relay crew with a first-place finish in a time of 9:32.65 Friday (April 25) at the 109th Penn Relays. Nate Brannen (Cambridge, Ontario/Preston HS) pulled out the victory in the final 100 meters as ran the anchoring 1,600-meter leg.
| | Ellerton helped U-M win its seventh Penn Relays DMR title, its first since 1998. |
Brannen stayed close to leader Alistair Cragg of Arkansas through the first 800 meters of the last leg before bursting into first place in the last 100 meters.
In the 4x400-meter relay event, Michigan placed eighth in its heat with a time of 3:15.49. Auburn paced the heat with a 3:05.81. Rondell Ruff (Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford HS), Tom Greenless (Milford, Mich./Milford HS), Brian Turner (Omaha, Neb./Millard North HS) and Alex L'Heureux (Weedon, Quebec/Palm Beach Gardens HS, Fla.) comprised the U-M team.
The 4x800-meter relay will be contested on Saturday (April 26) at 4 p.m. to wrap up Michigan's participation in the Penn Relays.
FRIDAY RESULTS
Distance Medley Relay Championship of America
1. Michigan 9:32.65 (Nick Willis, DarNell Talbert, Andrew Ellerton, Nate Brannen) 2. Arkansas 9:32.87 3. Villanova 9:33.44 4. Kentucky 9:35.53 5. Florida 9:36.33 6. Georgetown 9:37.72 7. American 9:38.78 8. Navy 9:39.37 9. Georgia Tech 9:41.14 10. Princeton 9:42.67 11. Brown 9:43.56 12. Penn State 9:46.71 13. Abilene Christian 9:50.49 14. Kent State 9:53.50
4x400-meter Relay (Heat 4)
1. Auburn 3:05.81 2. Georgia Tech 3:09.29 3. East Carolina 3:09.44 4. Middle Tennessee State 3:10.17 5. Abilene Christian 3:13.04 6. Villanova 3:13.35 7. North Carolina 3:14.63 8. Michigan 3:15.49 (Rondell Ruff, Tom Greenless, Brian Turner, Alex L'Heureux) 9. Savannah State 3:16.95
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Ron Warhurst
On winning the DMR at the Penn Relays ... "Obviously it was a big deal. The fact that it wasn't just one guy going out there and winning the race, but the combined effort of four guys, is really special. I'm glad that all four got to share the notoriety that comes with being the champion of a race at the Penn Relays and have 35,000 fans cheering them on as they ran."
On the final leg of the race ... "The mile was a very tactical race. Nate (Brannen) was going up against the NCAA champion in the 3,000 meters and the 5,000 meters from Arkansas, so he's not just anyone to have to compete against in a race. Nate took the baton in second place and was able to pull away over the final stretch. The race went how we wanted to run it."
On DarNell Talbert and Andrew Ellerton ... "DarNell's job was to hold our place and stay close to the lead. He did a great job to hold it even and Andrew's leg was the same. Our plan wasn't to take over the lead, just stay close and give us a chance to pull it out at the end, and those two executed that perfectly. I'm very pleased and the whole team is tremendously excited."
Recap from Penn Site
Contact: Andrew Ladd (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
