Weekly Release #16
5/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sat., May 6-7 -- host Len Paddock Invitational (Ferry Field), 11 a.m./10 a.m.
Fri-Sun., May 13-15 -- at Big Ten Outdoor Championships (Columbus, Ohio), Noon/9:30 a.m./10:40 a.m.
Fri-Sat., May 27-28 -- at NCAA Mideast Regional (Bloomington, Ind.), Noon/Noon
Wed-Sat., June 8-11 -- at NCAA Outdoor Championships (Sacramento, Calif.)
This Week: Host Len Paddock Invitational
The University of Michigan men's track and field team will host its lone outdoor meet of the 2005 season this weekend with the annual Len Paddock Invitational on Friday and Saturday (May 6-7) at Ferry Field. Competition is slated to begin Friday morning with weight throw at 11 a.m. while running events kick off at 6:30 p.m. Saturday's action starts at 10 a.m. with running events at 12:30 p.m. The Maize and Blue will welcome competition from Aquinas, Central Michigan, DePaul, Detroit Mercy, Eastern Michigan, Grand Valley State, Kent State, Loyola, Michigan State, Siena Heights, Tiffin, Toronto, Windsor as well as several neighboring track clubs.
Who is 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, men's basketball captured the Big Ten title and Charles Fonville set a world record in the shot put. On March 3, 1984, the Michigan track team renamed its training room the Lenwood Paddock Training Room.
Clean Sweep
The Wolverines swept the distance relays at the Penn Relays (April 28-30), winning the distance medley, 4xMile and 4x800-meter events in dominant fashion. U-M is the first school to sweep the distance relays at Penn Relays in six years and joins Arkasas as the only programs to accomplish the feat since 1980. Michigan won four relay events at the 1945 Penn Relays -- 4x880 yards, 4xMile, sprint medley, distance medley.
Senior/junior Nate Brannen (Cambridge, Ontario/Preston HS), junior Andrew Ellerton (Sudbury, Ontario/Confederation HS) and junior/sophomore Nick Willis (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Hutt Valley HS) formed the core all three relays, while sophomore Stann Waithe (Towson, Md./Loch Raven HS) competed on the DMR, freshman Mike Woods (Ottawa, Ontario/Hillcrest HS) on the 4xMile and senior/junior Rondell Ruff (Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford HS) on the 4x800m.
For the Record
The Wolverines broke the collegiate record in the 4xMile at the Penn Relays (April 28-30), blazing a time of 16:04.54 to shave 3.42 seconds from the previous record (16:07.96) set by Arkansas in 1999. Michigan owns a pair of collegiate relay records, adding 4xMile to its indoor DMR mark from the 2004 NCAA Indoor Championships (7:27.77). Senior/junior Nate Brannen, junior Andrew Ellerton and junior/sophomore Nick Willis own a stake in both performances.
Most Valuable Runner
Junior/sophomore Nick Willis was named Men's College Athlete of the Relays at the Penn Relays (April 28-30) after the Wolverine clocked splits of 3:55.1 (DMR) -- the eighth-fastest 1,600-meter split in Penn Relays history -- 3:56.2 (4xMile) and 1:48.6 (4x800m). Willis also claimed the honor in 2003 when he registered the Penn Relays record for his 1,200-meter opening split (2:48.7) in the distance medley relay. He is just the seventh athlete to receive the honor multiple times since it was introduced in 1957. Kevin Sullivan is the only other U-M student-athlete to garner the distinction, winning the title in 1998.
Willis Tabbed National, Conference Athlete of the Week
Junior/sophomore Nick Willis was named the NCAA Division I Male Athlete of the week by the United States Track Coaches Association following his performance at the Penn Relays (April 29-30). It is the first national weekly honor for Willis. His teammates on the three distance relays -- senior/junior Nate Brannen and junior Andrew Ellerton -- have both previously received the distinction; Brannen on Jan. 31, 2005 and Ellerton on May 8, 2004.
Willis also claimed Big Ten Conference Athlete of the Week honors for the second straight week. Willis has garnered more conference weekly recognition this season than any other individual in the conference with four Big Ten Athlete of the Week certificates -- two for indoor, two for outdoor. Willis has eight conference weekly awards in his U-M career.
Bauer's Dozen
Junior/sophomore Andrew Bauer (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) trimmed more than 12 seconds from his 3,000-meter steeplechase personal best to claim runner-up honors in the college division race at the Penn Relays (April 28-30). Clocking 9:04.49, Bauer posted the first NCAA regional-qualifying standard of his career and the 15th for Michigan this season.
A Grand Homecoming
Sophomore Michael Whitehead (East Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area HS) took the top prize in the college division triple jump at the Penn Relays (April 28-30), winning the event on his final jump of 50-11 -- his fourth NCAA regional-qualifying standard of the season. The performance placed Whitehead into the championship heat, where he claimed seventh place.
Going Back to Cali
The Wolverines have registered 15 NCAA qualifying performances in eight different events this season -- already five greater than last year. Junior Andrew Ellerton leads the way for Michigan with a pair of qualifying runs in the 800m and 1,500m, both of which he recorded in his outdoor debut at the Sun Angel Classic (April 16). The 2005 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Mideast Regional will be held May 27-28 at Robert C. Haugh Complex in Bloomington, Ind.
| Event (Qualifying Standard) | Name | Time/Mark | Date Set |
| 400-Meter Dash (47.26) | Stann Waithe | 46.70 | 4/16 Sun Angel Classic |
| 800-Meter Run (1:50.40) | Andrew Ellerton | 1:50.29 | 4/16 Sun Angel Classic |
| 1,500-Meter Run (3:48.21) | Nick Willis | 3:41.81 | 4/22 EMU Twilight Meet |
| Nate Brannen | 3:41.92 | 4/22 EMU Twilight Meet | |
| Mike Woods | 3:44.52 | 4/16 Sun Angel Classic | |
| Andrew Ellerton | 3:46.17 | 4/16 Sun Angel Classic | |
| Victor Gras | 3:46.75 | 4/16 Sun Angel Classic | |
| Rondell Ruff | 3:47.09 | 4/16 Sun Angel Classic | |
| 110-Meter Hurdles (14.33) | Jeff Porter | 14.12 | 3/26 Raleigh Relays |
| 400-Meter Hurdles (14.33) | Chris Stowe | 52.29 | 4/2 Yellow Jacket Invitational |
| Seth Waits | 52.47 | 4/16 Sun Angel Classic | |
| 3,000-Meter Steeplechase (9:08.15) | Andrew Bauer | 9:04.49 | 4/28 Penn Relays |
| High Jump (2.10m) | Brad Miller | 6-10 3/4 (2.10m) | 4/16 Sun Angel Classic |
| Triple Jump (15.08m) | Michael Whitehead | 51-3 1/2 (15.63m) | 4/16 Sun Angel Classic |
| Discus Throw (50.37m) | Joey Sarantos | 169-10 (51.76m) | 4/9 Duke Invitational |
Rank Me
While the Wolverines hold onto the No. 13 spot in the most recent Trackwire 25 poll, released May 3, while listing second listing 28th (315.53 points) in this week's power rankings. 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.
Additionally, the Wolverines boast a quartet of student-athletes ranked among the top 12 in their respective events. Senior/junior Nate Brannen and junior/sophomore Nick Willis lead the way, listing second at 1,500 meters and 5,000 meters, respectively. Junior Andrew Ellerton holds the fourth spot in the 800-meter dash while freshman Mike Woods ranks 12th at 1,500 meters.
Trackwire 25 Ranking (5/3/05)
Rank, Team Points 1. Arkansas 67 2. Florida 47 LSU 47 4. Arizona 40 5. Stanford 37 6. USC 33 7. Arizona State 31 Auburn 31 9. Florida State 28 10. Indiana 26 11. Oregon 23 12. Texas 22 13. MICHIGAN 21 14. Mississippi State 20 15. Nebraska 19 BYU 19 17. Boise State 18 18. Wisconsin 15 Virginia Tech 15 20. Dartmouth 14 Texas Tech 14 22. UCLA 13 Oklahoma 13 Mississippi 13 Baylor 13
On the Horizon
The Wolverines will kick off the outdoor postseason next weekend (May 13-15) at the Big Ten Conference Championships in Columbus, Ohio. Competition is slated to begin at Noon on Friday with the multi-events at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
