Michigan
NCAA Outdoor Championships (Day 3)
Whitehead Advances to Triple Jump Final at NCAA Meet
6/9/2006 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, earned a spot in the triple jump final after registering a season-best effort in the preliminary round Friday (June 9) on the third day of competition at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex.
Competing in the middle of the 13-man second flight, the Wolverine junior improved his distance with each of his three jumps to remain on pace with the leaders throughout the qualifying round. On his final attempt, Whitehead hit a mark of 52-1 3/4 to secure his trip to the final and add two inches to his previous season mark. The performance placed Whitehead second in his flight and third overall in the preliminaries. He was one of only four competitors to boast a qualifying mark greater than 52 feet.
Whitehead has not yet neared his own U-M school outdoor record of 52-7 1/4 this season, a mark which he registered a little more than a year ago at the 2005 NCAA Mideast Regional. He returns to the triple jump final at the NCAA outdoor meet for the second straight season. Last year he placed a disappointing 11th, just one position shy of All-America honors.
Whitehead will return for the triple jump final tomorrow (Saturday, June 10) on the fourth and final day of competition at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Sacramento, Calif. The event is slated for a 12:30 p.m. PDT start at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex.
Event Winners/U-M Finishes (Day 3)
Triple Jump (Preliminaries) Flight 1 1. Rafeeq Curry, Florida State 52-3 3/4q (15.94m) 2. Rayon Taylor, Cornell 52-0 1/2q (15.86m) 3. Jonathan Jackson, TCU 51-7 1/4q (15.73m) 4. Ryan Zimmerman, Arizona State 51-4 1/4q (15.65m) Derek Gearman, Minnesota 51-4 1/4q (15.65m) 6. Jason Bell, Clemson 51-1 3/4q (15.59m) 7. Marc Kellman, George Mason 51-1q (15.57m) 8. Daniel Roper, Nebraska 50-5 1/4 (15.37m) 9. Solomon Welch, Stanford 50-4 1/2 (15.35m) 10. Michael Johnson, UCLA 50-3 1/2 (15.33m) 11. Stelios Kapsalis, Kansas State 50-3 1/4 (15.32m) 12. Eric Pierce, Tennessee 50-0 3/4 (15.26m) 13. Jason Powell, Rice 49-8 1/2 (15.15m) Flight 2 1. Kyle Jenkins, Indiana 52-4 3/4q (15.97m) 2. MICHAEL WHITEHEAD, U-M 52-1 3/4q (15.89m) 3. John Temidara, Long Beach State 51-8 1/2q (15.76m) 4. Ronald Carter, Long Beach State 51-4 1/2q (15.66m) 5. Nick Brown, Illinois 51-2 3/4q (15.61m) 6. Andre Black, Louisville 51-0 1/4q (15.55m) 7. Yuriy Litvinski, Northern Iowa 50-4 (15.34m) 8. Dominique Easterling, UCLA 50-2 (15.29m) 9. Daniel Marshall, Arizona 50-0 3/4 (15.26m) 10. Alex Harris, Florida 49-9 1/4 (15.17m) 11. Alonzo Moore, Wisconsin 49-7 1/4 (15.12m) 12. Brandon Via, North Carolina A&T 48-6 3/4 (14.80m) 13. Nkosinza Balumbu, Arkansas 47-5 3/4 (14.47m) Qq indicates qualification for final
Previous Results: Day 1 | Day 2
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
