Weekly Release #16
4/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sat., May 2-3 -- at Jesse Owens Classic (Columbus, Ohio), 4 p.m./11 a.m.
Fri-Sat., May 9-10 -- Len Paddock Invitational (Ferry Field), 4 p.m./9:30 a.m.
This Week: at Jesse Owens Classic
The University of Michigan men's track and field team will take to the track for the Jesse Owens Classic Friday and Saturday (May 2-3) at Jesse Owens Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Friday's events are scheduled for a 4 p.m. start, while Saturday's action kicks off at 11 a.m.
Last Time Around: at Penn Relays
The Wolverines continued their proud tradition at the Penn Relays with a victory in the distance medley relay last Friday (April 25) at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field. In front of over 35,000 fans, the U-M team of freshman Nick Willis (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Hutt Valley HS), sophomore DarNell Talbert (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel HS), freshman Andrew Ellerton (Windsor, Ontario/Confederation HS) and sophomore Nate Brannen (Cambridge, Ontario/Preston HS) won Michigan's seventh Penn Relays DMR title and its first Penn Relays title since 1998 with their time of 7:32.65. The U-M DMR team outpaced race favorite Arkansas by 0.22 seconds with Brannen's final kick in the last 100 meters. Willis earned Most Outstanding Male Relay Performer after breaking a Penn Relays record with his 1,200-meter leadoff split of 2:49.7.
In other events, Michigan took fourth place in the 4x1,500-meter relay and had a sixth-place finish in the 4x800-meter relay. Senior/junior Nick Stanko (Wyandotte, Mich./Roosevelt HS) and sophomore Sean Moore (Saline, Mich./Saline HS) set career bests in the 5,000 meters, while senior Alex L'Heureux (Weedon, Quebec/Palm Beach Gardens HS, Fla.) posted an NCAA Mideast Regional qualifying time with his result in the steeplechase.
Over to Hillsdale
With some of their teammates at the Penn Relays, a group of Wolverines competed at the Hillsdale "Gina" Relays on Friday and Saturday (April 25-26) in Hillsdale, Mich. Michigan had great success in the field, as sophomore Nick Vander Ploeg (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Northern HS) broke a career record in the discus and sophomore David Malonson (Lynwood, Calif./Mayfair HS), redshirt freshman Craig Theissen (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny HS) and freshman Brad Miller (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion HS) set U-M season bests in the long jump, pole vault and triple jump, respectively.
DMR at the Penn Relays
Michigan's win in the distance medley relay at the 109th running of the Penn Relays was U-M's first Penn Relays title since 1998, when the Wolverines' DMR group was also victorious. U-M has a tradition of seven DMR titles at the meet, the first coming in 1944.
Another Fine DMR
The distance medley relay has been one of Michigan's most successful events this season. Combining the efforts of four athletes running four different distances (400, 800, 1,200 and 1,600 meters), Maize and Blue DMRs have won indoor All-America honors, set a school record and won a Penn Relays title in 2003.
Willis' Wild Run
Freshman Nick Willis was named Most Outstanding Male Performer in the Relays at the Penn Relays. Willis ran Michigan's leadoff leg of 1,200 meters in a blistering 2:49.7 to set a Penn Relays record for fastest spilt for that distance.
... And Then Talbert Took Off
Sophomore DarNell Talbert had a successful weekend at the Penn Relays, winning a share of the DMR title on Friday and then posting U-M's best 400-meter hurdles time on Saturday. Talbert's mark of 53.02 also set a career best in the event.
Another U-M Relay
Save for one mistake, the Wolverines might have walked away with a second relay victory at the Penn Relays. A dropped baton caused Michigan to lose valuable seconds, but Nate Brannen, fifth-year senior Jeremy Schneider (West Bloomfield, Mich./Andover HS), Andrew Ellerton and Nick Willis still posted U-M's fastest 4x800-meter relay time of the season with their 7:25.16 finish.
Stankonia
Senior/junior Nick Stanko (Wyandotte, Mich./Roosevelt HS) and senior Alex L'Heureux led the Wolverines competing in individual events at the Penn Relays. Stanko set a career best in the 5,000-meter run by more than 35 seconds with his time of 14:16.94. L'Heureux posted Michigan's fastest time of the season in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a 8:55.45 result. Both times qualified for the upcoming NCAA Mideast Regional Championships.
Jumpers
Redshirt freshman Braylon Edwards (Detroit, Mich./Bishop Gallagher HS) made his outdoor debut in the high jump at the Penn Relays. Edwards tied for seventh place in the event with teammate Adam Kring (Port Huron, Mich./Northern HS) and three others with jumps of 6-9 1/2.
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.
Michigan's NCAA Regional Qualifiers
Through last weekend's action (April 26), Michigan has a total of 15 qualifiers for the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships. Individual athletes have qualified in five different events, while three -- Andrew Ellerton, sophomore/freshman Rondell Ruff (Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford HS) and junior Brian Turner (Omaha, Neb./Millard North HS) -- have qualified in two events apiece.
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 (Grand Rapids, Ohio/Otsego HS), 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) as 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 tied for the No. 24 spot with 12 points in the most recent Trackwire 25 poll (April 29). 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. Auburn 54 2. Arkansas 47 3. Mississippi State 46 4. USC 40 5. Tennessee 38 6. Stanford 31 7. South Carolina 30 8. Georgia 28 9. Nebraska 27 10. LSU 25 Texas 25 12. Eastern Michigan 24 13. UTEP 21 14. Oregon 18 15. Florida 16 Texas Tech 16 17. TCU 15 Missouri 15 19. UCLA 14 SMU 14 21. Indiana 13 Mississippi 13 Texas A&M 13 24. Arizona State 12 Minnesota 12 MICHIGAN 12 Iona 12 Baylor 12
Next Time Around: U-M's Hosts Lone Home Meet
The Maize and Blue will host the Len Paddock Invitational next Friday and Saturday (May 9-10) at Ferry Field. Track events start on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and on Saturday at 12:30 p.m., while field events are slated to begin at 11 a.m. both days. Admission is free.
Contact: Andrew Ladd (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
