Harris, Warhurst and LaPlante Voted Best in Region
6/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's track and field team headlined the Great Lakes Region awards list for the 2008 outdoor season announced Monday (June 9) by U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Junior Adam Harris(Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North HS) was named the men's Great Lakes Region Track Athlete of the Year, while head coach Ron Warhurst and associate head coach Fred LaPlante were named men's Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year, respectively, for the first time in their careers.
Harris becomes the Wolverines' first sprinter named Great Lakes Region Track and Field Athlete of the Year. The junior sprinter paced Michigan to its first outdoor Big Ten team title since 1983, racking up 26.5 individual points. His two first-place finishes at the Big Ten Championships came in the 200-meter dash (20.75) and as a member of the winning 400-meter relay team (40.26). He also placed third in the 100-meter dash (10.36) and showcased his versatility by placing second in the long jump with a distance of 25-4 3/4 (7.74m). Harris received an at-large NCAA Championships berth in the 200-meter dash after posting a career-best time of 20.68 at the NCAA Mideast Regional.
Warhurst led the Wolverines to their first Big Ten outdoor title in 25 years and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. U-M won three individual event titles and a pair of relays to claim the championship. Warhurst has coached 40 individuals and nine relays to All-America citations in his 35 seasons at Michigan (10 years as head coach). Warhurst has been cross country Regional Coach of the Year three times, in 1997, '98 and 2007.
LaPlante, in his 11th season as the associate head coach at Michigan, has a main focus on the sprinters and hurdlers, who contributed greatly to Michigan's first Big Ten championship in 25 years, winning the 4x100-meter relay, 4x400-meter relay, 400-meter hurdles and 200-meter dash. Harris (200-meter dash), fifth-year senior Stann Waithe(Towson, Md./Loch Raven HS) in the 400-meter dash, and the 4x400-meter relay qualified for the NCAA Championships.
U-M will wrap up its season by sending three individuals and one relay team to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, scheduled for June 11-14 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Scheduled to compete for the Wolverines are Harris, Waithe, sophomore Frank Shotwell(Medina, Ohio/Medina HS) in the decathlon, and the 4x400-meter relay team.
Contact: Jeremiah W. Hergott (734) 763-4423
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