Weekly Release #17

Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sat., May 9-10 -- host Len Paddock Invitational (Ferry Field), 9 a.m./11 a.m.
Fri-Sun., May 16-18 -- at Big Ten Outdoor Championships (Minneapolis, Minn.)

This Week: Len Paddock Invitational
The University of Michigan men's track and field team will host its first and only outdoor track and field meet of the season Friday and Saturday (May 9-10), as it welcomes men's and women's teams from around Michigan and Ohio to Ferry Field for the Len Paddock Invitational. The women's hammer throw kicks off Friday's competition at 9 a.m., while the first track event, the men's 110-meter hurdles, slated for 6 p.m. later that night. Saturday's action gets underway with the women's pole vault at 11 a.m. The men's 4x100-meter relay will kick off the second day of action on the track at 1 p.m. This is the final tune up for the Wolverines prior to the 2003 Big Ten outdoor team championships next weekend in Minneapolis, Minn.

Results will be posted shortly after the completion of each day's final event and can be found at MGoBlue.com. Admission for the two-day meet is free.
 
Why the Paddock
The Len Paddock Invitational will be the best opportunity for area track and field fans to see some of the nation's top collegiate athletes compete. In addition to the great collegiate talent scheduled to compete at the Paddock, adidas runner and former NCAA national champion (steeplechase, 2000) Tim Broe will run in the 1,500-meter run. Michigan sophomore Nate Brannen (Cambridge, Ontario/Preston HS), the reigning NCAA indoor 800-meter champion, will participate in his specialty event at the Paddock and, with the help of teammate Nick Willis (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Hutt Valley HS), is shooting for one of the nation's fastest outdoor times. Currently, South Carolina junior Outkile Lekote holds the nation's quickest mark in the 800 at 1:47.54. The fastest pace in the Mideast Region, and third fastest time overall, was set by Kentucky junior Jean Balan (1:47.70).

'M' History Lesson: Len Paddock
Lenwood Paddock was an assistant trainer at Michigan for 33 years who worked with all sports, including track and field. Paddock's career spanned the football coaching tenures of Fritz Crisler, Bennie Oosterbaan, Bump Elliot and Bo Schembechler. In his first season with the Wolverines, 1947-48, Michigan won national championships in football, ice hockey and swimming, the men's basketball team captured the Big Ten title and Charles Fonville set a world record in the shot put. On March 3, 1984, the Michigan track team re-named its training room the Lenwood Paddock Training Room.

Chat With NCAA National Champion Nate Brannen
Nate Brannen will participate in an online "Chat Wrap" for Trackshark.com Wednesday (May 7) at 8 p.m. EST. The online chat is scheduled to last for an hour. Questions can be submitted via the Trackshark website beginning at 8 p.m. on the day of the chat.

Last Time Around: at Jesse Owens Classic
Michigan earned six NCAA Regional qualifying times Friday and Saturday (May 2-3) at the Jesse Owens Track Classic at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Freshman Nick Willis was one of two Wolverine event winners on the weekend with his victory in the invitational section of the 800-meter run. Willis posted a NCAA Regional qualifying time of 1:49.54 in a race where the top seven spots were decided by less than a second. Sophomore Nate Brannen and freshman Andrew Ellerton (Windsor, Ontario/Confederation HS) also turned in regional qualifying efforts in the race.

The invitational section of the 1,500-meter run was also a strong event for the Maize and Blue, as senior Alex L'Heureux (Weedon, Quebec/Palm Beach Gardens HS, Fla.) and junior Tom Greenless (Milford, Mich./Milford HS) posted regional qualifying times while finishing third and fourth overall. Sophomore Tarn Leach (East Jordan, Mich./East Jordan HS) rounded out the Wolverines' NCAA Regional qualifiers with a finish of 9:03.98 in the steeplechase. Sophomore Nathan Taylor (Courtenay, British Columbia/G.P. Vanier HS) had strong meet, posting a U-M season-best time of 10.84 in the 100-meter dash.

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 (May 3), Michigan has a total of 20 qualifiers for the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships. Fourteen individual athletes have qualified in five different events, while six -- Andrew Ellerton, Tom Greenless, Alex L'Heureux, sophomore/freshman Rondell Ruff (Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford HS), junior Brian Turner (Omaha, Neb./Millard North HS) and Nick Willis -- have qualified in two events apiece.

Brannen's Return to the 800
In his first individual race since winning the NCAA indoor 800-meter national championship, Nate Brannen took to the track for the invitational heat of the 800-meter run at the Jesse Owens Classic. Brannen finished fourth in the event, just 0.5 seconds behind teammate and event winner Nick Willis, and qualified for the NCAA Regional with his result of 1:50.04.

A Turn For Tarn
Sophomore Tarn Leach set a career best and qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regional with his time of 9:03.98 in the steeplechase at the Jesse Owens Classic. Leach's time is U-M's second fastest result of the outdoor season. All three of Michigan's steeplechase competitors this season have qualified for regional competition.

Hurdling to the Top
Sophomore DarNell Talbert (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel HS) posted U-M's fastest mark of the season in the 110-meter hurdles at the Jesse Owens Classic. Talbert's time of 14.99 is also the fastest time of his career.

Less is Moore
Sophomore Sean Moore (Saline, Mich./Saline HS) posted a career best in the 5,000 meters with his time of 14:31.90 at the Jesse Owens Classic. Moore's previous best came at the Duke Invite (April 5, 2002) where he posted a mark of 14:38.02.

National Champion!
With his win in the 800-meter run March 15 at the 2003 NCAA Championships, sophomore Nate 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.

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).

A 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.

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.

Next Time Around
The Maize and Blue will compete at the Big Ten Conference Outdoor Championships next Friday through Sunday (May 16-18) at Bierman Track and Field Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.

Contact: Andrew Ladd (734) 763-4423