Michigan
NCAA Preliminary Round
Hammer Thrower Ellis Punches Ticket to NCAA Championships
5/25/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
May 25, 2017
» Joe Ellis punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships in the hammer throw for the second consecutive season.
» Taylor McLaughlin and Brennan Munley advanced to Saturday's (May 27) quarterfinal rounds in their respective 400 hurdles and 800-meter events.
» Action continues tomorrow (Friday, May 26) with NCAA Championships bids up for grabs in the 400 hurdles, shot put, steeplechase and 800 meters.
• Complete Results 
| Meet Information | Photo Gallery 
Site: Lexington, Ky. (UK Outdoor Track & Field Complex)
Event: NCAA East Preliminary Rounds (Day 1)
U-M Team Result: Non-scoring
Next U-M Event: Friday, May 26 -- at NCAA East Preliminary Rounds - Day 2 (Lexington, Ky.)
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- For the second time in his two-year collegiate career, hammer thrower Joe Ellis of the University of Michigan men's track and field team advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a strong performance on Thursday (May 25) at the NCAA East Preliminaries held at the UK Outdoor Track & Field Complex.
Throwing under the lights after a two-hour rain delay pushed the event well past sunset, Ellis finished 10th overall with a throw of 67.07m (220-0). The performance was good enough to put him among the 12 men from the East Prelims who qualified to the national meet on June 7-10 at Historic Hayward Field at in Eugene, Oregon.
Ellis improves to 67.07m (220-0) on his 2nd throw, currently in 9th place. 12 go to Eugene.
Cartwright has been eliminated. pic.twitter.com/ztYplB47nL-- Michigan Track&Field (@UMichTrack) May 26, 2017
Another Wolverine, Taylor McLaughlin, took another step closer to a return trip of his own in the 400-meter hurdles, while Brennan Munley advanced to the 800-meter quarterfinals with a heat win to set up a run for his first NCAA Outdoor berth.
Ellis found himself just inside the bubble at the end of the second round, when he threw his longest mark of the day. Sitting in ninth, Ellis fouled his third-and-final attempt and had to wait for his fate as the remaining 13 throwers took their last throws.
In the end, only one man surpassed him in the final round of tosses as he is set to return to Oregon a year after placing 17th there a year ago.
Hear what Joe Ellis had to say right after he booked his ticket to Eugene for the #NCAATF Championships hammer throw pic.twitter.com/pLHkv7sDVg
-- Michigan Track&Field (@UMichTrack) May 26, 2017
Grant Cartwright finished 22nd in the event with a third-attempt throw of 63.55m (208-6), outperforming his pre-meet No. 26 seed. He is back in action Friday in the shot put at 4:30 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. in the discus.
McLaughlin showed that he is in prime postseason form as he not only won his first-round 400-meter hurdles heat in a season-best time of 50.77, but he did so ahead of defending NCAA champion Eric Futch of Florida.
His time was the third-fastest of the day, and it automatically moved him on to Friday's quarterfinals scheduled for 7:15 p.m. McLaughlin cleared the 10-hurdle circuit a full second faster than a year ago, when he went on to run 49.84 in the quarterfinals.
A top-12 finish in that round would advance him to Eugene for the second consecutive year. As a freshman a year ago, McLaughlin finished fifth in the nation before going on to win the USATF Junior title and an IAAF World Junior silver medal.
He will be joined in quarterfinal action on Friday by Munley, who claimed a narrow heat victory in the sixth-and-final section of the first-round 800 meters action in 1:50.46.
On to the quarterfinals! @BMunley takes the 6th heat of the 800m in 1:50.46 in a race to the line pic.twitter.com/47hEsaUZlp
-- Michigan Track&Field (@UMichTrack) May 26, 2017
After the whole eight-man field came through the bell lap just a second apart from one another, Munley, Ole Miss' Ryan Manahan and Virginia Tech's Patrick Joseph all broke away from the field for a dash to the finish. In the end, Munley ended up crossing just .15 ahead of Manahan and .31 clear of Joseph.
All three earned automatic bids to Friday's quarterfinals set for 6:45 p.m.
In the field, Stephen Burk closed out his Michigan career with a 21st-place finish in the javelin. Facing windy and rainy conditions, Burk -- the second-farthest javelin thrower in Michigan history -- recorded a best mark of 61.26m (201-0) on his second of three attempts.
In just his second race of the outdoor season, Ben Flanagan finished 22nd at 10,000 meters in 30:41.45, missing the 12-man East Prelims qualifying roster by 10 spots but well outperforming his pre-meet rank of 47th.
Ned Willig closed out a brief but brilliant Michigan career with a 31st-place finish at 1,500 meters, coming a second short of earning a bid to Saturday's quarterfinal on time at 3:51.90. He finished eighth in the fourth heat.
Already an NCAA Championships qualifier in the decathlon, Steven Bastien came up short on his attempt for a second berth to Hayward Field in the long jump. The multiple-time multi-event All-American finished 36th at 7.04m (23-1.25).
Khoury Crenshaw closed out his 2017 campaign with a 10.86 showing at 100 meters to finish eighth in his heat.
Joining Cartwright, McLaughlin and Munley in action on Friday starting at 4:30 p.m. are Andrew Liskowitz in the shot put and the duo of Connor Mora and Austin Benoit in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Everyone involved will be competing with berths to Eugene at stake.
Tweet of the Day 
The first ticket to Eugene for the #NCAATF Championships has been punched! Joe Ellis is making a return trip in the hammer! 10th place pic.twitter.com/HmAtzzcpJc
-- Michigan Track&Field (@UMichTrack) May 26, 2017
Communications Contact: Kyle Terwillegar
Players Mentioned
