Michigan
Harold Silverston Invitational
Wolverines Win Seven Events at Silverston Invitational
2/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The 11th-ranked University of Michigan men's track and field team won seven of the 15 events at its Harold Silverston Invitational on Saturday (Feb. 17) at the U-M Indoor Track Building. The meet was held on a 200-meter flat track.
For the third time in the past four weeks, sophomore Sean Pruitt (Cato, Wis./Valders) broke the school record in the weight throw. Pruitt's event-winning mark of 63-8 3/4 is 4 3/4 inches longer than the record he set last week at the Tyson Invitational (Feb. 10). The other Wolverines in the weight throw also did very well as the team boasted five of the top six spots in the event. Right behind Pruitt in the standings were fifth-year senior Paul Sarantos (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern) in second with a mark of 58-1 3/4 and junior/sophomore Dan Bedoya (Muskegon, Mich./Reeths-Puffer) in third with a new personal record of 57-2. Sophomore/freshman Brendan Lodge (Narragansett, N.J./Bishop Hendricken) and senior Chris McHugh (Bonita Springs, Fla./Bishop Hendricken) placed fifth (55-7) and sixth (55-0), respectively.
Another event that was dominated by Michigan was the 600-meter run, with four Wolverines placing in the top five. Junior Andrew Wechter (Shelby, Ohio/Shelby) saw his first action since sustaining an injury at the Chippewa Open (Jan. 12) and won the event with a time of 1:20.62. Just a fraction of a second behind Wechter were junior sophomore Dan Harmsen (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) in second with a time of 1:20.74 and fifth-year senior Andrew Ellerton (Sudbury, Ontario/Confederation) in third (1:20.87). Freshman Ricky Fleming (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven) took fourth place in the event (1:21.15).
In the 60-meter hurdles, senior Jeff Porter (Somerset, N.J./Franklin) was victorious and tied his season-best mark of 7.78, an NCAA provisional time. Sophomore Rob Fiorillo (Holly, Mich./Holly) placed fourth in the event, clocking 8.25, just 0.02 seconds off his personal best.
Sophomore Justin Switzer (Waterford, Mich./Kettering) won the mile, crossing the line in 4:07.44, while freshman Ciaran O'Lionaird (Cork, Ireland/De La Salle) was right behind, clocking 4:07.49 to take second place. Freshman Peter Christmas (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) ran unattached and finished fourth (4:20.04).
Sophomore Stevann Waithe (Towson, Md./Loch Raven) won the 400-meter dash with a time of 50.75. Freshman Kyle Terpak (Riverview, Mich./Riverview) took second in the event, clocking 50.86.
The Wolverines swept the top four spots of the 2,000-meter run. The race consisted almost entirely of Wolverines, both unattached and running for the school, with sophomore/freshman Brandon Fellows (Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island) claiming the victory with a time of 5:20.07.
Michigan also had the winning 4x400-meter relay squad. The team of Terpak, Stevann Waithe, Ellerton and Fleming clocked 3:20.93, nearly four seconds faster than the Siena Heights team that took second.
Michigan will compete at the Big Ten Indoor Championships on Saturday and Sunday (Feb. 24-25) in Bloomington, Ind. The event will be held on a 200-meter flat track.
Contact: Tim Trunzo (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
