Michigan
Notre Dame Meyo Invitational
Wolverines Cap Stellar Weekend at Meyo Invitational
2/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Feb. 6, 2016
» Taylor McLaughlin improved his standing four places on U-M's all-time 400-meter performance list, running 46.75, now the second-fastest time in program history.
» Mason Ferlic (Mile) and Brennan Munley (800 meters) set new PRs to improve on their ninth and fifth-place marks, respectively, among U-M's all-time performances.
Site: South Bend, Ind. (Loftus Sports Center)
Event: Meyo Invitational (Day 2)
U-M Team Result: Non-scoring
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sat., Feb. 12-13 -- at SPIRE Collegiate Invitational (2 p.m.) and Iowa State Classic (Noon CST)
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The University of Michigan men's track and field team finished competition at Notre Dame's Meyo Invitational with an impressive second day of action on Saturday (Feb. 6) at the Loftus Sports Center. The Wolverines set all-time top-10 marks in three races, earning top-three finishes in the 400-meter, 800-meter and mile races.
Head coach Jerry Clayton saw a good response from his team this weekend, split between those in South Bend and another group of athletes competing at the Akron Invitational.
"We still have more work to do, and we have to get better, but the athletes seem to be responding, and we saw a lot of personal bests this weekend," said Clayton.
"We had some athletes running different events, and they did a really good job with that opportunity. We have to keep working hard and improving week to week, really staying on it and continuing to work towards our goals."
MID-DISTANCE/DISTANCE
Fifth-year senior co-captain Mason Ferlic and senior/junior Connor Mora improved on the mile PRs they set two weekends ago in South Bend, clocking 4:00.50 and 4:02.35, respectively. Ferlic finished as the runner-up, separated from a Meyo Mile title by .08 seconds, but he improved his ninth-place time in U-M history and now ranks among the top 20 in the country for this indoor season.
Ferlic noted the energetic atmosphere at the Loftus Sports Center, and said the crowd is one of his favorite things about this meet every year.
"The race was a ton of fun," said Ferlic, "There was awesome energy in the building with everyone lining the track and cheering. It's literally a wall of fans, two or three people deep, and once that gun goes off you can't hear a thing -- it's just a lot of people shouting and a lot of 'Go Blue!' I definitely used some of that crowd energy coming into the last lap; it really pushed me and got my adrenaline pumping, and hearing the crowd encourage me down the stretch was awesome."
Sophomore/freshman Chase Barnett and freshman Jordy Hewitt also competed, with Barnett setting a new PR and Hewitt running his first mile race in Maize and Blue.
Co-captain senior/junior Ben Flanagan led four Wolverines in the 3K race, running a new personal-best 8:04.12 to finish sixth overall as the third collegiate athlete across the line. Senior Tony Smoragiewicz finished 11th (8:06.43), and alumnus Lex Williams (2007-10) won the event, running 7:57.89 in the same heat as all four competing Wolverines.
Sophomore Brennan Munley broke the 1:49 barrier at 800 meters, crossing at 1:48.94 to win the fifth of six heats and finish third overall. It was a new lifetime best for Munley, improving on his time from U-M's last trip to Notre Dame (Jan. 23), which ranks fifth all-time.
As a whole, the mid-distance and distance athletes turned in another excellent weekend, and as a fifth-year senior, Ferlic picks up the subtle differences in this year's bunch compared to seasons past.
"From past experience of being in those Big Ten races, I know how those kinds of races play out," said Ferlic, "They have been pretty similar year after year, and it takes guys who are able to compete really well on the given day and close races out really well to win."
"From what I've seen so far from these guys, they are putting themselves in the position to win races and beat the guys around them. Gaining that experience and showing the ability to do that now is going to be invaluable for the Big Ten Championships, when you have to be ready to commit to a race and make a hard move."
SPRINTS
McLaughlin's lifetime best made him the top collegiate finisher at 400 meters, second overall, and also places his 46.75 among the nation's top 12 times. Senior Phil Washington III also competed and won the third heat.
In the 60-meter dash, senior Chris Maye improved on his prelims mark, clocking 6.90, but finished two-hundredths of a second shy of qualifying for the six-man final.
Wolverine alum Jeff Porter (2004-07) won the 60-meter hurdles in 7.60 seconds, a top-five time in the world in 2016.
Chapman then started off the 4x400-meter relay, followed by Washington III, Munley and McLaughlin, who split 45.86 on the anchor leg. The group ran 3:10.76 to finish fourth overall, a season-best time by any Wolverine unit.
The Maize and Blue returns to action next weekend, sending athletes to Ames, Iowa, for the Iowa State Classic for a two-day meet (Fri-Sat., Feb. 12-13). The Wolverines will also preview the site of the Big Ten Championships at the SPIRE Collegiate Invitational in Geneva, Ohio, on the same dates.
COLLEGIATE PERSONAL BESTS
400 meters
Taylor McLaughlin -- 46.75
Blake Washington -- 49.46
800 meters
Brennan Munley -- 1:48.94
Mile Run
Mason Ferlic -- 4:00.50
Connor Mora -- 4:02.35
Chase Barnett -- 4:05.10
Jordy Hewitt -- 4:08.19
3,000 meters
Ben Flanagan -- 8:04.12
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard
Players Mentioned
