Michigan
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Ellerton Captures 800-Meter Run Title at NCAA Outdoors
6/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Site: Sacramento, Calif. (Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex)
Event: Day 4 at NCAA Outdoor Championships
U-M Team Finish: Tie-18th Place (15 Points)
Next U-M Event: Season Completed
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Fifth-year senior Andrew Ellerton (Sudbury, Ontario/Confederation) of the 20th-ranked University of Michigan men's track and field team secured his first individual national title when he won the 800-meter run crown on Saturday (June 9) during the fourth and final day of competition at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex. Ellerton earned 10 points to give the Wolverines a final point total of 15 and a tie for 17th place with one event remaining.
Following the same strategy that he had used over the past month, Ellerton started the race at the back before turning it on. Ellerton remained in last place at the 200-meter mark but moved up five spots to hold third place at the midway point of the race.
Going around the final turn, Ellerton moved into second place to challenge Mississippi State's Golden Coachman, who had held the lead through the entire race up to that point. Though the rest of the field was three to four meters behind Coachman, Ellerton made his final move over the final straightaway. UTEP's Elias Koech and 2007 NCAA indoor 800-meter champion Ryan Brown of Washington also made a strong push down the final 100 meters, but Ellerton was able to take the lead and cross the line first with a time of 1:47.48. The race was so close that the top four runners finished within a half second of each other.
Ellerton wrapped up a stellar career with the Wolverines that included a total of three national titles; the first two came as a member of the 2004 and 2005 distance medley relay squads. In all, he earned All-America recognition eight times during his career -- four times in the distance medley relay and four individual efforts in the 800-meter run. Ellerton tied former U-M star Nate Brannen for the second-most All-America performances for an individual in Michigan program history, trailing only Kevin Sullivan (10). Ellerton also won three Mideast Regional crowns in the 800-meter run and a total of four Big Ten Conference titles.
Final Team Standings (Top 10)
1. Florida State 54
2. Louisiana State 48
3. Auburn 34
4. Tennessee 30.5
5. Southern Cal 27
6. North Carolina 26
7. Wisconsin 22
Louisville 22
9. UCLA 21
10. Oregon 20
Stanford 20
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18. MICHIGAN 15
Kansas 15
Kansas State 15
Event Winners/U-M Finishes (Day 4)
800-Meter Run (Final) 1. ANDREW ELLERTON, U-M 1:47.48 2. Elias Koech, Texas-El Paso 1:47.70 3. Ryan Brown, Washington 1:47.77 4. Golden Coachman, Mississippi State 1:47.96 5. Tim Bayley, Iona 1:48.04 6. Shaun Smith, Oral Roberts 1:48.09 7. Duane Solomon, Southern Cal 1:48.53 8. Larry Brooks, Texas-San Antonio 1:53.77
Q U O T E S
Michigan Fifth-Year Senior Andrew Ellerton
On the race ... "It was a little bit slower than I expected. I was thinking that some of the guys were going to be a little bit faster, but it didn't really happen. Going into the bell, with 400 meters to go, I just wanted position myself in the top three or four to stay out of trouble. It basically went exactly as planned and I ended up doing what I wanted to do. With 200 meters to go I was out near the front, and I just stayed on my feet over the last 100 meters and I was able to hold on."
On winning a national title in his final collegiate race ... "This is the way that I wanted to go. I would have been disappointed going out any other way, so I'm glad I was able to come through."
On ranking in the top three in U-M history for total number of All-America honors with Kevin Sullivan and Nate Brannen ... "I think it's a pretty cool thing. I have some work to do because those guys are professionals. I don't know how much more you can do than those guys. They are amazing runners. It's nice to even be up close to them. But I still have a lot of work to do in order to be compared to those guys."
Players Mentioned
