Greenlee Paces Men's Track and Field at Silverston Invitational

Saturday, February 20

Ann Arbor, Mich.

10:00 AM

Michigan

Silverston Invitational

Greenlee Paces Men's Track and Field at Silverston Invitational

2/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field

Feb. 20, 2010

• Complete Results | Photo Gallery

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Indoor Track Building)
Event: Silverston Invitational
Result: No Team Scoring
Next Event: Sat-Sun., Feb. 27-28 -- at Big Ten Championships (Minneapolis, Minn), 10 a.m. CST

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - In the final meet before next weekend's Big Ten Championships, the University of Michigan men's track and field team hosted the Silverston Invitational on Saturday (Feb. 20) inside the U-M Indoor Track Building. Many top performers were held out of the meet to allow them to have additional rest ahead of next weekend, but several athletes turned in top times/marks, including freshman John Greenlee (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) in the pole vault and junior Troy Woolfolk (Sugar Land, Texas/Dulles) in the 200-meter dash and 60-meter dash.

Greenlee won the pole vault for the first time in his collegiate career, eclipsing the 4.85m (15-11 ft.) barrier. Woolfolk, the two-sport star, finished inside the top 10 on two occasions, taking fourth in the 200-meter dash (22.65) and finishing in a tie for seventh in the 60-meter dash (7.05).

Sophomore Nick Thomas (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Brother Rice), the transfer from Princeton, missed a first-place finish in the mile by just seven-hundredths of a second, taking second with a time of 4:18.68. Later in the meet, Thomas scored a sixth-place finish in the 600-meter run and was also a part of Michigan's runner-up 4x400-meter relay squad.

Some of the team's top performers, however, got in a final tune up in their respective events before the big meet next weekend. On the track, freshman Denard Robinson (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach) took fourth in the 60-meter dash (6.95), leading a contingent of top 10 finishers in that event. In addition to Robinson and Woolfolk, junior Matthew Campbell (Rochester, Mich./Rochester), senior Kyle Terpak (Riverview, Mich./Riverview), and freshman Aaron Taylor (Rochester Hills, Mich./Adams) rounded out the top 10, taking fifth, sixth and ninth place, respectively. Junior Nick McCampbell (Detroit, Mich./Cass Technical) took second in the 60-meter hurdles.

In addition to Greenlee's point vault win in the field, junior jumper Robert Peddlar (Kingston, Jamaica/Wolmer's Boys) took second in the long jump (7.35m/24-1 1/2 ft.). Senior Sean Pruitt (Cato, Wis./Valders) was one of only two competitors (the other being freshman Ethan Dennis (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grandville), who was unattached) in the shot put, but still managed to record a throw of 17.51m (57-5 1/2 ft.).

Michigan will now gear up for the 2010 Big Ten Indoor Championships, beginning next Saturday (Feb. 27), at the Minnesota Fieldhouse in Minneapolis, Minn.

Event Winners/U-M Finishers 60-meter Dash1.  Adam Harris, Unattached      6.654.  Denard Robinson, U-M         6.955.  Matthew Campbell, U-M        6.996.  Kyle Terpak, U-M             7.04T7. Troy Woolfolk, U-M           7.059.  Aaron Taylor, U-M            7.0614. Davis Craw, U-M              7.19 60-meter Hurdles1.  Vanier Joseph, Eastern Mich. 8.122.  Nick McCampbell, U-M         8.167.  Je'Ron Stokes, U-M           8.75 200-meter Dash1.  Yury Ratomski, Michigan State   22.024.  Troy Woolfolk, U-M              22.659.  Davis Craw, U-M                 22.9511. Erik Braun, U-M                 23.11 400-meter Dash1.  Lesley Hanna, Detroit        49.845.  David Ptacek, U-M            51.02 600-meter Run1.  Blake Figgins, Eastern Mich. 1:20.094.  Joe Reynolds, U-M            1:22.695.  James Wade, U-M              1:24.736.  Nick Thomas, U-M             1:25.06 Mile Run1.  Andrew Pfeiffer, Eastern Mich. 4:18.612.  Nick Thomas, U-M               4:18.68 Pole Vault1.  John Greenlee, U-M          4.85m (15-11)4.  Austin DeWildt, U-M         4.70m (15-5)5.  Chris Baldwin, U-M          4.40m (14-5 ¼) Long Jump1. Joe Allen, Unattached         7.47m (24-6 ¼)2.  Robert Peddlar, U-M          7.35m (24-1 ½) Shot Put1.  Sean Pruitt, U-M            17.51m (57-5 ½) 4x400-meter Relay1.  Eastern Michigan 'A'        3:23.112.  Michigan 'A'                3:27.93    (David Ptacek, Joe Reynolds    James Wade, Nick Thomas)

N O T E S

• Several of Michigan's top performers did not compete in Saturday's meet. Some notables held out include senior distance runners Peter Christmas (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), Brandon Fellows (Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island) and Sean McNamara (Elmhurst, Ill./York), senior high jumper John Kipf (Monroe, Mich./St. Mary's Catholic Central), junior hurdler Carl Buchanon (South Bend, Ind./Clay), junior heptathlete Frank Shotwell (Medina, Ohio/Medina) and junior sprinter David St. Amant (Livonia, Mich./Churchill).

Q U O T E S

Michigan Head Coach Fred LaPlante
On the importance of Saturday's meet... "This was a typical week before Big Tens for us. We've been in this position before. Some of our guys were in a different position today. Because we held some people out, some guys who normally aren't the top guy in their event were the top guys today. It's a different experience for them. The important thing is we came out healthy, and we'll be ready heading into next weekend."

On the week's preparation... "This week will be more about fine-tuning our performances and less about training. We've already gone out and competed, hit the marks we need to. Now, it's about getting prepared to have a great meet at Big Tens and for some of our guys, finding out where they are specifically going to fit in their events."

On where he feels his team is at... "I feel real good about the way we prepared. We aren't focusing on one team or one athlete. There are nine other teams you are going to be up against, so you can't do that. We've competed hard so far this season, but there's going to be a variety of competition at Big Tens. For our young guys, our freshmen, it'll be their first go-around at a Big Ten meet, which will obviously be a different and exciting atmosphere for them."

On the importance of a good start next week... "Anytime you can get off to a good start in those first couple of events, it gives the rest of the team confidence that they can do it, too. It shows something to the other guys that they can compete with the best. Those first events do hold a certain importance. You can't back down at Big Tens, and we will not."

U-M Senior Sean Pruitt
On his physical state... "I feel good. I had a minor strain this week, but that's over with now. I was a little rusty today, you know, tried to shake off some rust out there, but I feel good going in to Big Tens."

On whether this Big Ten meet has any more significance than the others... "As a competitor, you try to keep it as a meet first and foremost. There might be a little bit more there because the competition is really strong around the conference and it's my last indoor meet, but I'm confident I can go there and give some great throws for the team."

U-M Junior Frank Shotwell
On last weekend's heptathlon win at the Grand Valley State Big Meet... "It was a good weekend for me. I had not done multiple events like that in over a year because of my injury. I was a little nervous, but kept things in perspective. As long as I did my best, I knew the scores would come. I know where I am at now, which can't do anything but help me."

On the Big Ten heptathlon field... "It's the deepest field the Big Ten has had in a long time in the heptathlon. I'm going to compete hard, and I know Kurt [Reichenbach] and Joe [Strizich] will, too. What's important now is to rest up and visualize myself doing the events. Sometimes that's better than actually practicing."

Contact: Brad Rudner (734) 763-4423