Michigan
NCAA Outdoor Championships (Day 4)
Whitehead Places Runner-up in Triple Jump at NCAAs
6/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- University of Michigan junior Michael Whitehead (East Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area HS), a member of the Wolverine men's track and field team, secured All-America honors for the first time in his career by shattering his own school record in the triple jump en route to a second-place finish in the event Saturday (June 10) during the fourth and final day of competition at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex. Behind Whitehead's runner-up performance, the Wolverines claimed a share of 30th place in the team race with eight points.
Boasting a distance of 53-11 1/4 on his fifth attempt of the six-jump event, Whitehead took over second place among the 12-man field to become the first Wolverine athlete to earn NCAA All-America triple jump distinction in the U-M program's 105-year history. Whitehead had already registered a personal-best distance early in the competition, posting a mark of 52-10 during the second round of jumps, and with his All-America status already secured, Whitehead added an additional 13 inches to improve his own U-M school outdoor record for the fifth time over the last two seasons.
Entering the weekend with the 19th seed, Whitehead had only competed sparingly throughout the 2006 campaign while struggling with various injuries. The Wolverine junior had regained his form of late with his best four marks of the season coming in the final three events on the schedule.
Whitehead's performance marked the best Wolverine finish at the NCAA outdoor meet since John Mortimer claimed second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 1998 event. He is the first Wolverine field event competitor to claim outdoor All-America honors in 25 years, dating back to James Ross' sixth-place finish in the long jump in 1981.
Final Team Standings (Top 10)
1. Florida State 67 2. Louisiana State 52 3. Texas 36 4. Arizona 34 5. Arkansas 33 6. Tennessee 32 7. Texas-El Paso 31 8. Wisconsin 30 9. Brigham Young 26 Southern Cal 26 North Carolina 26 ----------------------------- 30. MICHIGAN 8 South Carolina 8 Louisville 8 Kansas 8 Maryland 8 Long Island 8
Event Winners/U-M Finishes (Day 4)
Triple Jump (Final) 1. Rafeeq Curry, Florida State 54-9 1/2 (16.70m) 2. MICHAEL WHITEHEAD, U-M 53-11 1/4 (16.44m) 3. John Temidara, Long Beach State 53-3 3/4 (16.25m) 4. Kyle Jenkins, Indiana 53-1 1/2 (16.19m) 5. Marc Kellman, George Mason 52-4 3/4 (15.97m) 6. Jason Bell, Clemson 51-11 3/4 (15.84m) 7. Ronald Carter, Long Beach State 51-11 1/4 (15.83m) 8. Nick Brown, Illinois 51-7 1/4 (15.73m) 9. Rayon Taylor, Cornell 51-4 1/2 (15.66m) 10. Jonathan Jackson, TCU 50-9 1/2 (15.48m) 11. Ryan Zimmerman, Arizona State 49-6 1/4 (15.09m) 12. Derek Gearman, Minnesota 49-3 1/2 (15.02m)
Previous Results: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
Q U O T E S
Michigan Assistant Coach David Kaiser
On Michael Whitehead's recent injury issues ... "Mike had been banged up all year, and we finally got to where we were able to take some of the stress off his body. We knew that things were going to be what they were. Coming off the regional meet, he knew that he could still jump far despite not feeling very well. In the last two weeks, his body really just snapped back. He such seemed to hold together through the last two weeks of training. I think he was poised for an opportunity like this, but he may actually feel the ramifications of this weekend for the next two or three days."
On Whitehead's strong weekend performance ... "I think there was a lot at stake for him personally. There was a lot of people who didn't think he could compete at the national meet, much less get in the top few. I think he had something to prove too. Mike tends to jump his best when he's not a favorite and when his back is against the wall. I think that he felt that there were some people overlooking him because he hadn't jump so well this season, and I think Mike jumps his best in that kind of situation."
On Whitehead's big jumps today ... I think that early jump certainly put him in a situation where he could open up a little bit. So, on his third jump, I told him to bring it down the runway, be very aggressive with it and let's see what happens. He ended up reaching a bit and fouled the jump, but it was over 55 feet. I think, at that point, he knew he still had some big jumps in him and his legs were still feeling pretty well. He jumped with a lot of confidence today, and I'm just tickled to death for him. I was hoping he'd break the school record while he was out here this weekend, but I didn't really expect it to do down like that. It's been a tough year on him physically and emotionally, and he really deserves this."
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
