Michigan
Yellow Jacket Invitational
Porter, Waithe Post Qualifying Times at Yellow Jacket
4/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
ATLANTA, Ga. -- After a short two-week hiatus, the University of Michigan men's track and field team returned to action at the Yellow Jacket Invitational on Friday and Saturday (March 31-April 1) at Georgia Tech's George C. Griffin Track. Its first outdoor competition with a full squad, U-M boasted a pair of NCAA regional-qualifying efforts and two individual event trophies.
Junior Jeff Porter (Somerset, N.J./Franklin HS), in his first race since claiming All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships three weeks ago, continued where he left off, registering a personal-best 13.93 to claim fourth place in the 110-meter hurdles. The performance -- one of only five clocking under 14 seconds among the 23-man field -- was a 0.15-second improvement on his previous best, set two seasons ago at the Big Ten Championships. His time also shattered the NCAA regional-qualifying standard of 14.30.
Junior Stann Waithe (Towson, Md./Loch Raven HS) picked up the Wolverines' second NCAA regional mark of the afternoon, clocking 47.14 to place seventh overall in the 400-meter dash, the same event that earned him a trip to last season's NCAA finals. Waithe also boasted a top-five finish in the 200-meter event with a season-best 21.46.
Fifth-year senior Rondell Ruff (Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford HS) and freshman Lex Williams (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter HS) put on a solid performance in the 1,500-meter run, taking the top two spots while finishing more than three seconds ahead of the remaining 37-man field. Ruff won the event for the second year in a row behind a time of 3:49.40, and Williams finished just a couple steps behind, clocking 3:49.80.
Senior/junior Todd Iacovelli (Kailua, Hawaii/Punahou HS) earned his first collegiate victory -- the third Wolverine to accomplish such task in back-to-back meets -- by winning the 5,000-meter run with a time of 15:02.59. Iacovelli led a 1-2 Michigan performance in the event as senior/junior teammate Andrew Bauer (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) took runner-up honors in 15:16.83. Iacovelli also registered a top-10 showing in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:58.81.
The Wolverines will split the squad next weekend (April 7-8), sending U-M contigents to both the Duke Invitational in Durham, N.C., and the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas.
Event Winners/U-M Finishes
100-meter Dash 1. Travis Padgett, Clemson 10.34 20. Adam Kiesler, U-M 11.43 200-meter Dash 1. Eric Seely, Wake Forest 21.05 5. Stann Waithe, U-M 21.46 12. Andre Barnes, U-M 21.70 17. Andrew Wechter, U-M 22.11 19. Jeff Porter, U-M 22.23 27. Adam Harris, U-M 22.84 33. Rob Fiorillo, U-M 23.40 34. Rich LaCroix, U-M 23.41 400-meter Dash 1. David Dickens, Georgia 46.40# 7. Stann Waithe, U-M 47.14# 16. Andrew Wechter, U-M 47.84 19. Andre Barnes, U-M 48.35 800-meter Run 1. Yarrick Kincaid, Tennessee 1:50.60 6. Mike Luginbill, U-M 1:53.70 11. Lex Williams, U-M 1:55.00 35. John D'Arcy, U-M 2:01.55 36. Justin Switzer, U-M 2:04.31 40. Rondell Ruff, U-M 2:11.46 1,500-meter Run 1. Rondell Ruff, U-M 3:49.40 2. Lex Williams, U-M 3:49.80 10. Todd Iacovelli, U-M 3:58.81 19. Justin Switzer, U-M 4:02.99 27. Andrew Bauer, U-M 4:06.98 5,000-meter Run 1. Todd Iacovelli, U-M 15:02.59 2. Andrew Bauer, U-M 15:16.83 110-meter Hurdles 1. Aries Merritt, Tennessee 13.33# 4. Jeff Porter, U-M 13.93# 18. Rich LaCroix, U-M 15.19 19. Rob Fiorillo, U-M 15.31 22. Adam Kiesler, U-M 19.05 400-meter Hurdles 1. LaRon Bennett, unattached 50.22# 5. Dan Harmsen, U-M 52.77 7. Chris Stowe, U-M 53.26 19. Marc Cooks, U-M 55.46 26. Stevann Waithe, U-M 58.86 4x400-meter Relay 1. Kentucky 'A' 3:04.81# 10. Michigan 'A' 3:20.99 (Chris Stowe, Dan Harmsen, Stann Waithe, Marc Cooks) 11. Michigan 'B' 3:25.40 (Adam Kiesler, Mike Luginbill, Rondell Ruff, Justin Switzer) High Jump 1. Jerome Miller, Georgia Tech 6-10 3/4 (2.10m) 3. Darren Adams, U-M 6-8 3/4 (2.05m) t4. Brad Miller, U-M 6-6 3/4 (2.00m) Long Jump 1. Juan Walker, Mid. Tennesse State 24-7 (7.49m) -- Adam Kiesler, U-M FOUL Triple Jump 1. James Lemons, unattached 49-11 3/4# (15.23m) 2. Michael Whitehead, U-M 49-3 1/2 (15.02m) Pole Vault 1. Wes Fuller, Georgia 16-10 3/4 (5.15m) 5. Kevin Peterman, U-M 15-1 (4.60m) -- Spencer Dowdall, U-M NH Shot Put 1. Rhuben Williams, unattached 61-4 3/4 (18.71m) 7. Paul Sarantos, U-M 54-7 1/2 (16.65m) -- Sean Pruitt, U-M FOUL Discus Throw 1. Martin Maric, Georgia 184-10# (56.33m) -- Paul Sarantos, U-M FOUL -- Dan Bedoya, U-M FOUL -- Sean Pruitt, U-M FOUL Hammer Throw 1. Garland Porter, unattached 216-3# (65.92m) 8. Sean Pruitt, U-M 177-5 (54.07m) 9. Chris McHugh, U-M 173-1 (52.75m) -- Paul Sarantos, U-M FOUL -- Dan Bedoya, U-M FOUL # NCAA regional qualifier
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
