Michigan
Mt. SAC Relays
Ellis Dominates Texas Invitational Hammer Throw
4/14/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
April 14, 2017
» Joe Ellis won the hammer throw at the Texas Invitational with six throws that account for the second-through-seventh-best marks of his career.
» Ned Willig and Connor Mora both posted top-10 finishes in their respective Mt. SAC Relays invitational 1,500 meters and 3,000-meter steeplechase races.
» Day two of the Texas Invitational begins Saturday (April 15) at 10 a.m. CDT with the discus throw, and action on the track starts at 11:50 a.m. CDT.
Texas Invitational (Day 1)
AUSTIN, Texas -- If there was any doubt the indoor success Joe Ellis and Grant Cartwright enjoyed this winter would not be recaptured for the outdoor track and field season, the University of Michigan duo went a long way toward dispelling that notion on day one at the Texas Invitational on Friday (April 14) at (Mike A. Myers Stadium).
Ellis claimed the hammer throw win with a 68.00m (223-1) mark just shy of his own school record as the crown jewel of what was the best series of throws in his life, while Cartwright obliterated his career best with a 64.11m (210-4) heave for seventh.
After opening up with that mark just 25 centimeters short of his school record -- the second-best mark of his career -- he proceeded to rattle off five more throws that combined for a field series that now accounts for the second- through seventh-farthest throws of Ellis' career.
In succession, he went for 66.78m (219-1), 67.69m (222-1), 67.04m (219-11), 67.36m (221-0) and 67.73m (222-2).
Any of his six heaves were far enough to take the event title over runner-up Mitch Dixon of Kansas State at 65.42m (214-7).
Cartwright, who improved his indoor weight throw career best by more than three meters over the course of the winter en route to national runner-up honors in the event, needed only one attempt on Friday to add a similar distance to his hammer throw best.
On his very first attempt, the junior launched a lifetime-best 64.11m (210-4) that eventually earned him seventh-place honors. Four other times he exceeded his former PR of 60.51m (198-6), and once more he matched it.
Andrew Liskowitz also tossed a career best in the competition, going 52.77m (173-1) on his final attempt for 17th place to further his PR by 22 centimeters.
Stephen Burk kept up the momentum in the throws to end the night, taking second in the javelin with a mark of 67.98m (223-0). Burk was the only man in the field to throw farther than 67 meters two times on the day; first with his best throw on his second attempt and then on a 67.37m heave on his sixth and final attempt to close the day.
In the lone non-throwing event on the day for the Wolverines, Kevin Stephens Jr. finished sixth in the triple jump with a leap of 14.54m (47-8.5, +1.0m/s wind) on his third attempt.
Cartwright and Liskowitz will be back in action Saturday (April 15) for the final day of the Texas Invitational in the discus and shot put, while the sprinters and jumpers also compete in a bulk of their events.
Mt. SAC Relays (Day 2)
• Results
TORRANCE, Calif. -- Distance runners from the University of Michigan men's track and field team closed out its two-day Mt. SAC Relays experience on Friday (April 14) with numerous performances that either were or were close to career-best efforts at Murdock Stadium.
Indoor All-American Ned Willig came within a second of his career best at 1,500 meters, running 3:45.65 to finish fifth in the first invitational section and eighth overall at that distance. Connor Mora, who paired with Willig and Will Sheeran to run sub-four-miles indoors this past winter, was ninth overall in the invitational section of the steeplechase in 8:48.79.
Willig stayed near the front of the pack throughout as it hovered near sub-four-minute mile pace. He made his move to the front of the pack on the second-to-last curve with 350 meters to go, holding it for the next 200 meters, before he was overtaken by a pack of three runners -- including winner David Torrence -- on the final turn.
Mora held on with the lead group in the steeplechase until a little more than two laps to go, when former multiple-time NCAA champion and eventual winner Anthony Rotich dialed down the pace. Mora hung on to his spot for the final two laps and came within three seconds of his career best.
The Wolverines were strong at the middle distances in the open sections, as well, combining for a win and two other top-four finish in their respective heats.
Ben Hill was the fastest of the group of four Wolverines in the open 1,500 meters, running a 3:46.97 that combined both speed and tactics. Running at the back of the pack early -- as far back as third from last near the first quarter-mile -- Hill steadily made his way up the field in the following laps.
His big surge came at the bell for the final lap, where he picked off four runners on the penultimate curve. Briefly he pulled even with the leaders on the homestretch, but was unable to fully complete the comeback. Still, he shaved a second-and-a-half off his career-best.
Teammate Anthony Berry took the win in the second-fastest section, holding off Matt Rice of UL-Lafayette by just .08 of a second in 3:47.83. Like Hill, Berry moved up late, coming through at 1,000 meters at the very back of the field. That was the moment his decisive move started, swinging around all the way to the lead on the straightaway as he took the bell for the final lap. Though he opened up a gap of nearly 10 meters over the field with more than 200 meters to go, he just barely held off Rice as the crossed the line nearly side-by-side.
At 800 meters, Brennan Munley came within less than two-tenths of a second of his outdoor PR in 1:48.71 to finish runner-up in the open section at that distance.
In a footrace to the finish over the final 100 meters, Munley was just shy of catching winner Isaiah Jewett of UC Irvine by .28 of a second and outleaned former NCAA contender Sean Obinwa at the line by a mere tenth of a second.
Micah Beller ran 14:05.97 for 21st in his invitational section of the 5,000 meters, good for 28th overall.
Tweet of the Day 
What a series for Ellis in the #TexasInvite hammer
#2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7 best throws of his career!
Cartwright w/ 5 better than old PR pic.twitter.com/zwIeeyoSo3-- Michigan Track&Field (@UMichTrack) April 14, 2017
Communications Contact: Kyle Terwillegar
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