Michigan
NCAA Indoor Championships
Porter Claims NCAA Championship in 60-Meter Hurdles
3/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Senior Jeff Porter (Somerset, N.J./Franklin) won the national title in the 60-meter hurdles to headline the University of Michigan men's track and field team's performance on the first day of competition at the NCAA Indoor Championships on Friday (March 9) at the Randal Tyson Track Center. After day one, Wolverines sit in sixth place with a total of 13 points. Arkansas leads the team competition with 20 points.
For the second week in a row, Porter shattered his own school record, clocking a time of 7.64 to become the national champion. The performance shaved 0.06 seconds off Porter's previous best of 7.70, which he set last weekend at the Alex Wilson Invite. He became the first Wolverine to win an NCAA crown in the hurdles since Neil Gardner won the 55-meter hurdles in 1997. Porter joins Gardner (1996 outdoor, '97 indoor), Thomas Wilcher (1986 indoor) and Robert Osgood (1936 outdoor) as the only U-M hurdlers to claim national titles.
After the field was called back following a false start, the start of the 60-meter hurdles was delayed for a few minutes. Porter got out clean and held the lead going over the first hurdle and never looked back. The Wolverine surged down the stretch and finished almost .06 seconds faster than runner-up Alleyne Lett of LSU. With the performance, Porter earned All-America honors for the second straight year in the event after he placed fourth last season.
Also scoring for Michigan was the U-M distance medley relay squad. The team of sophomore Justin Switzer (Waterford, Mich./Kettering), sophomore Andre Barnes (West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield), fifth-year senior Andrew Ellerton (Sudbury, Ontario/Confederation) and sophomore Lex Williams (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter) combined for a time of 9:38.93. The performance was good enough for a sixth-place finish, adding three points to the team's total.
The Wolverines had a decent start in the relay before slowing in the middle portions. When Williams received the baton as the anchor for the relay, he boosted the Michigan squad to as high as fourth place before clocking a 4:00.00 split.
In other day-one action for U-M, Ellerton qualified for tomorrow's 800-meter run final. The Wolverine won the second heat with a time of 1:49.83. Ellerton's time is the sixth fastest of the eight qualifiers that advanced to the final; the mark is about 1.25 seconds behind LSU's Jamaal James for the top time.
Ellerton and senior Michael Whitehead (East Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area) will makeup the Wolverines' contingent Saturday (March 10) on the second and final day of the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Ellerton will run the 800-meter (6:45 p.m. CST) event, while Whitehead will compete in the triple jump, which is slated for a 6:15 p.m. start, at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
Top 10 Teams (After Day 1)
1. Wisconsin 20 2. Auburn 15 Tennessee 15 Arkansas 15 Florida State 15 6. MICHIGAN 13 7. LSU 12 8. Louisville 11 9. Kansas 10 McNeese State 10 Stanford 10
Michigan Results (Day 1)
60-meter Hurdles (Prelim) Heat 1 1. Mike Wray, Pittsburgh 7.61Q 2. JEFF PORTER, U-M 7.70q 3. Thomas Hilliard, South Carolina 7.74q 4. Marlon Odom, Texas Tech. 7.75q 5. Lance Legget, Miami 7.82 6. Sheldon Leith, Oklahoma 7.89 Heat 2 1. Dominic Berger, Maryland 7.67Q 2. John Yarbrough, Mississippi 7.72q 3. Rickey Pinkney, Purdue 7.80 4. Jarrel Anderson, Northern Iowa 7.83 5. Keith Hopkins, Purdue 7.84 -- Jangy Addy, Tennessee DNS Heat 3 1. Alleyne Lett, LSU 7.70Q 2. Shamar Sands, Auburn 7.75q 3. Derek Johnson, Drake 7.76 4. Trey Hardee, Texas 7.78 5. Juan Walker, Middle Tennessee State 7.85 6. Tyron Akins, Auburn 7.89 60-meter Hurdles (Final) 1. JEFF PORTER, U-M 7.64 2. Alleyne Lett, LSU 7.692 3. Dominic Berger, Maryland 7.696 4. John Yarbrough, Mississippi 7.727 5. Marlon Odom, Texas Tech. 7.730 6. Thomas Hilliard, South Carolina 7.78 7. Mike Wray, Pittsburgh 7.92 -- Shamar Sands, Auburn FS 800-meter Run (Prelim) Heat 1 1. Jamaal James, LSU 1:48.58Q 2. Paul Harris, Navy 1:48.91Q 3. Thomas Chamney, Notre Dame 1:49.06q 4. Kyle Smith, Northern Iowa 1:49.10q 5. Austin Abbot, Washington 1:49.34q 6. Tyler Mulder, Northern Iowa 1:50.14 7. Marcus Mayes, Missouri 1:50.35 8. Rueben Twijukye, LSU 1:52.12 Heat 2 1. ANDREW ELLERTON, U-M 1:49.83Q 2. Ryan Brown, Washington 1:49.87Q 3. Shaun Smith, Oral Roberts 1:49.91q 4. Elias Koech, Texas-El Paso 1:50.08 5. Dominic Tanui, Texas-El Paso 1:50.17 6. Girts Azis, Wichita State 1:51.34 7. Tim Harris, Miami 1:52.22 8. Larry Brooks, Texas-San Antonio 1:53.76 Distance Medley Relay (Final) 1. Stanford 9:33.64 2. California 9:33.77 3. Wisconsin 9:35.81 4. Northern Iowa 9:37.00 5. Washington 9:38.30 6. MICHIGAN 9:38.93 (Justin Switzer, Andre Barnes, Andrew Ellerton, Lex Williams) 7. Virginia 9:40.18 8. Texas 9:41.81 9. Notre Dame 9:42.13 10. Tennessee 10:01.89 -- Providence DNF Qq indicates qualification for finals
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Ron Warhurst
On his thought following the first day of competition ... "With (Jeff) Porter and (Andrew) Ellerton making it to the finals today and our DMR scoring points, then having (Michael) Whitehead in the triple jump tomorrow -- at nationals, that's pretty good. To have Porter step up in our first final and run a school record and win the national championship, it got everybody pretty psyched up. Then to come out and get sixth in the distance medley relay -- that was great too. We're pumped. Everybody's ready to go tomorrow."
MichiganSenior Jeff Porter
On winning the 60-meter hurdle national title ... "I was so excited. After everything I have been through this year, wow, what a way to go out. It was such a great way to top it off. My senior year, well, there is no better way to finish it all. This is for the University of Michigan, my family in New Jersey, my past, my teammates, and everyone else.This is really for them because they have really helped me to get here."
Contact: Tim Trunzo (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
