Weekly Release #17
5/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sat., May 5-6 -- host Len Paddock Invitational (Ferry Field)
Fri-Sun., May 12-14 -- at Big Ten Outdoor Championships (East Lansing, Mich.)
Fri-Sat., May 26-27 -- at NCAA Mideast Regional (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Wed-Sat., June 7-10 -- at NCAA Oudtoor Championships (Sacramento, Calif.)
This Week: Len Paddock Invitational
The University of Michigan men's track and field team will host its lone outdoor meet of the 2006 season this weekend with the annual Len Paddock Invitational on Friday and Saturday (May 5-6) at Ferry Field. Competition is slated to begin Friday morning with hammer 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.
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.
Inaugurating the Hall of Fame
In conjunction with the 100th anniversary of Ferry Field, the U-M men's track and field team will also initiate its own U-M Track and Field Hall of Fame with the induction of an 11-man inaugural class, consisting of one outstanding athlete from each decade and a coach of the century selection. The first selection of entries include Archie Hahn, Carl Johnson, William DeHart Hubbard, Eddie Tolan, Charles Fonville, Fritz Nilsson, Tom Robinson, Godfrey Murray, Brian Diemer, Kevin Sullivan and head coach Charles Hoyt.
Andrew It Again
Senior/junior Andrew Bauer (West Bloomington, Mich./Lahser HS) blazed a personal-best 9:02.37 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Penn Relays (April 27-29), capturing top prize in the college-division race and improve on his runner-up finish from last season's Penn Relays. It was the second steeplechase win in as many weekends for the Wolverine runner, who trimmed nearly three seconds from his previous best in the event. Bauer is the ninth different U-M student-athlete to punch his ticket to the NCAA Mideast Regional this season, earning a return trip after bettering the qualifying standard by almost five seconds on the same weekend that netted him his first career regional qualification a year ago.
Williams Tell
In his first 5,000-meter appearance of the outdoor season, freshman Lex Williams (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter HS) set a new personal standard in the 5,000-meter run at the Penn Relays (April 27-29), clocking a time of 14:07.18 to place fifth among the 29-man championship division. The Wolverine freshman, who also holds an NCAA regional qualifier in the 1,500-meter run, shaved more than 35 seconds from his previous best in the event, which he registered at the Big Ten Indoor Championships (Feb. 26).
A Shot in the Dark
Freshman Sean Pruitt (Cato, Wis./Valders HS) earned his first career NCAA regional-qualifying performance, claiming runner-up honors in the shot put at the Penn Relays (April 27-29). Pruitt registered a personal-best mark of 55-3, adding nearly four inches to his previous best in the event, to take the second position among the 18-man field.
Going Back to Cali
The Wolverines added three more NCAA regional-qualifying performances at the Penn Relays (April 27-29), bringing the outdoor season total to 10 individuals in 11 different events heading into the season's final stretch. U-M boasts a pair of hurdlers, a sprinter, one middle-distance and two distance runners and three field-event specialists. The 2006 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Mideast Regional will be held May 26-27 at the Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.
| Event (Qualifying Standard) | Name | Time/Mark | Date Set |
| 100-Meter Dash (10.50) | Adam Harris | 10.46 | 4/22 Central Collegiate |
| 400-Meter Dash (47.26) | Stann Waithe | 47.14 | 4/1 Yellow Jacket |
| 110-Meter Hurdles (14.30) | Jeff Porter | 13.93 | 4/1 Yellow Jacket |
| 400-Meter Hurdles (52.51) | Dan Harmsen | 52.26 | 4/7 Duke Invitational |
| 1,500-Meter Run (3:47.80) | Mike Woods | 3:46.62 | 4/22 Central Collegiate |
| 1,500-Meter Run (3:47.80) | Lex Williams | 3:47.19 | 4/22 Central Collegiate |
| 3,000-Meter Steeplechase (9:07.00) | Andrew Bauer | 9:06.70 | 4/27 Penn Relays |
| 5,000-Meter Run (14:10.00) | Lex Williams | 14:07.18 | 4/27 Penn Relays |
| High Jump (2.10m) | Brad Miller | 6-10 3/4 (2.10m) | 4/8 Texas Relays |
| Triple Jump (15.08m) | Michael Whitehead | 51-10 (15.54m) | 4/8 Texas Relays |
| Shot Put (16.80m) | Sean Pruitt | 55-3 (16.84m) | 4/28 Penn Relays |
On the Horizon
The Wolverines will kick off the outdoor postseason next weekend (May 12-14) at the Big Ten Conference Championships in East Lansing, Mich. Competition is slated to begin at Noon on Friday with the multi-events at the Ralph H. Young Track and Field.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
