Three Individuals, Two Relay Teams Named All-Region

NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The University of Michigan men's track and field team had three individuals and two relay teams named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Region team in recognition of their top-eight finishes at the 2008 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships.

Fifth-year senior Stann Waithe(Towson, Md./Loch Raven HS) headlined the all-region list for the Wolverines, earning commendations in three events (400-meter dash, 4x100-meter relay, 4x400-meter relay). Waithe was the only U-M individual to punch a ticket to the NCAA Championships with a top-five regional finish, placing third in the 400-meter dash with a season-best time of 46.25. Waithe is the Wolverines' first track and field sprinter to earn all-region in the 400-meter dash since the regional format began in 2003.

Waithe helped punch the ticket for the 4x400-meter relay team, teaming with junior Andre Barnes(West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield HS) and freshman David St. Amant(Livonia, Mich./Winston Churchill HS) and senior/junior Dan Harmsen(Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS) to finish second with a season-best performance of 3:05.79. The top three relay teams qualified for NCAAs. The second-place performance marks U-M's best finish in the Mideast Regional and the first time since 1982 a 4x400-meter relay team advanced to the NCAA Championships.

Harmsenand junior Adam Harris(Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North HS) also all-region honors as individuals, with Harmsen finishing seventh in the 400-meter hurdles and Harris placing seven in the 200-meter dash. Harris received an at-large NCAA Championships berth in the 200.

Freshman Troy Woolfolk(Sugarland, Texas/Dulles HS) picked up all-region honors as part of U-M's 4x100-meter relay team. Woolfolk, Barnes, Waithe and Harris gave Michigan its first visit to the 4x100-meter relay final at the regional, placing fifth with a time of 40.06 for Michigan's first top-five finish in 4x100-meter relay at the NCAA Mideast Regional.

U-M will send its contingent of qualifiers to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, scheduled for June 11-14 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Scheduled for compete for the Wolverines are Harris (200-meter dash), Waithe (400-meter dash), sophomore Frank Shotwell(Medina, Ohio/Medina HS) in the decathlon, and the 4x400-meter relay team.

Contact: Jeremiah W. Hergott (734) 763-4423