Michigan
Penn Relays (Day 3)
Wolverines Close Out Competition at Penn Relays
4/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The University of Michigan men's track and field team wrapped up competition at the 112th Penn Relays with a trio of solid performances on Saturday (April 29) at Franklin Field.
After gaining entry to the 4x400-meter relay college-division final out of the second alternate position, the Wolverine quartet -- consisting of freshman Andre Barnes (West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield HS), junior Stann Waithe (Towson, Md./Loch Raven HS), sophomore Andrew Wechter (Shelby, Ohio/Shelby HS) and sophomore/freshman Dan Harmsen (Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS) -- took sixth place in the race behind a season-best time of 3:11.16.
Michigan claimed third place among the 12-team field in the 4xMile relay, clocking a time of 16:16.03 to finish just over a second behind first-place Arkansas. The Wolverines ran among the leaders through the entire race as freshman Justin Switzer (Waterford, Mich./Kettering HS), fifth-year senior Rondell Ruff (Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford HS), freshman Lex Williams (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter HS) and sophomore Mike Woods (Ottawa, Ontario/Hillcrest HS) combined for the 11th fastest time ever recorded at the Penn Relays. Ruff split a personal-best 4:02.7 on the second leg, while Woods anchored with the only sub-four minute split, 3:59.3.
The lone U-M individual in the final day's competition, junior Chris McHugh (Bonita Springs, Fla./Bishop Hendricken HS) registered a personal-best 181-8 to take 14th place in the hammer throw. The performance was more than a three-foot improvement on his previous best but fell just seven inches short of the NCAA regional-qualifying standard in the event.
The Wolverines will host the annual Len Paddock Invitational -- their lone outdoor meet -- on May 5-6 at Ferry Field in Ann Arbor. The final tuneup before the postseason, the meet is slated to begin at 11 a.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Event Winners/U-M Finishes
4x400-meter Relay 1. Mississippi State 3:06.54# 6. Michigan 3:11.16 (Andre Barnes, Stann Waithe, Andrew Wechter, Dan Harmsen) 4xMile Relay "Championships" 1. Arkansas 16:14.92 3. Michigan 16:16.03 (Justin Switzer, Rondell Ruff, Lex Williams, Mike Woods) Hammer Throw 1. Jeremiah Spence, Radford 199-2# (60.72m) 14. Chris McHugh, U-M 181-8 (55.37m) # NCAA regional qualifier
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
