Michigan
NCAA Outdoor Championships (Day 2)
Ellerton Punches Ticket to Finals on Day Two of NCAAs
6/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Junior Andrew Ellerton (Sudbury, Ontario/Confederation HS) qualified for the 800-meter run final to lead the University of Michigan men's track and field team on the second day of competition at the NCAA Outdoor Championships Thursday (June 9) at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex.
Ellerton clocked in at a season-best 1:47.30 for fourth place in the loaded first heat of the semifinals -- with six All-Americans among the eight-man field -- to advance to the 800-meter final for the second straight year. He earned All-America honors at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships with a fifth-place finish.
Starting the race in the middle of the track, the Wolverine dropped to the rear of the pack at the break and remained in the seventh position as Texas Tech's Johnathon Johnson, the defending NCAA outdoor champion in the event, set the pace at a quick 50.87 opening lap. Cutting to the outside down the backstretch, Ellerton began to move with 200 meters to go, passing several competitors around the turn before kicking into fourth place in the final straightaway. Ellerton shaved 0.58 seconds from his previous season-best mark, which he set during yesterday's preliminary heat.
Freshman Mike Woods (Ottawa, Ontario/Hillcrest HS) amd senior/junior Rondell Ruff (Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford HS) failed to advance in the 1,500-meter run. Woods crossed in 3:47.77 for fifth place in heat one of the preliminaries -- just 0.01 seconds behind the fourth-place finisher -- and narrowly missed an automatic berth to the final. Ruff clocked in at 3:53.49 for 13th place in heat two.
Woods settled into the middle of the pack at the break and tucked in along the rail as the 13-man field passed through the opening lap at a slow 67.5. The pace accelerated rapidly at 600 meters and the field immediately strung out, but Woods responded to stay within striking distance of the leaders. The U-M freshman held the fifth spot at the bell and moved to fourth in the backstretch but faded slightly coming out of the final bend as a pair of opponents caught the Wolverine with 100 meters to go. Woods battled down the straightaway but was just outleaned at the line by Florida State's Tom Lancashire.
After running in the middle through the first two laps, Ruff dropped to the rear at the halfway point. The Wolverine stay in strong position relative to the leaders but started to fade as the pack entered the bell lap and could not make up the lost ground in the final 400 meters. The second heat went considerably faster than the first as the top nine finishers recorded times quicker than the heat-one winner, eliminating Woods' chance at a time qualifier.
Sophomore Michael Whitehead (Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area HS) will compete in the prelims of the triple jump at 5 p.m. PDT on day three of the NCAA Outdoor Championships Friday (June 10).
Top 10 Teams (After Day 2)
1. Texas 15 2. Arizona 10 Texas A&M 10 4. Arkansas 9 5. Dartmouth 8 Oregon 8 Iowa State 8 8. Indiana 6 Missouri 6 10. Arizona State 5 Georgetown 5
Event Winners/U-M Finishes (Day 2)
800-meter Run (Semifinals) Heat 1 1. Sherridan Kirk, Auburn 1:46.17Q 4. Andrew Ellerton, U-M 1:47.30q 1,500-meter Run (Preliminaries) Heat 1 1. Chris Lukezic, Georgetown 3:46.64Q 5. Mike Woods, U-M 3:47.77 Heat 2 1. Sean Duffy, American 3:39.42Q 13. Rondell Ruff, U-M 3:53.49 Qq indicates qualification for next round
Day 1 Results
Q U O T E S
Junior Andrew Ellerton
On his 800-meter semifinal ... "I was way out the back the first 200 meters; they got out really hard, and I haven't been in a race that fast yet this year. So, that was good practice for Saturday, and I learned something too. On Saturday, I'll just have to put myself in it a little better, and see what I have left in the last 100. Hopefully, I'll be up there with those guys. I didn't really overextend myself today; I ran hard the last 100, but I didn't go all out. I knew our heat was really fast, and I didn't think the other heat would go that fast. I took the chance today and conserved a little bit of energy."
On the first-heat field ... "I wasn't too nervous going in, not any more than any other race. I just knew it would be a pretty fast race. Most of those guys in the heat made finals; it was almost a preview of Saturday minus a couple guys. I knew that going in, and I just wanted to be competitive."
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
