McLaughlin Claims Great Lakes Region Track Athlete of the Year Award
6/1/2018 3:16:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Hurdler Taylor McLaughlin of the University of Michigan men's track and field team was named the Great Lakes Region Track Athlete of the Year for the 2018 outdoor season on Friday (June 1) by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
With a Big Ten title and a berth to the NCAA Championships under his belt in his signature 400-meter hurdles event, McLaughlin was selected by a vote of coaches from among all track-oriented NCAA Division I athletes in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Indiana.
McLaughlin joins sprinter Adam Harris, who won the award in both 2008 and 2009, as the only Michigan men to have claimed the honor for outdoor track and field.
Already a two-time All-American in the 400-meter hurdles, McLaughlin will be going for his third All-America honor next week at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on June 6 and June 8.
He booked his ticket to Eugene with a pair of heat wins in the first round and quarterfinals at the NCAA East Preliminaries, and will take the track at Hayward Field ranked No. 7 nationally in the event.
Earlier in the year, he reclaimed the Big Ten 400-meter hurdles title he won as a freshman in 2016, clocking 49.62 for his best time in collegiate competition and the fastest time run by a Wolverine prior to the NCAA postseason.
With three sub-50-second performances already this season, McLaughlin has been one of the most consistently fast hurdlers in the country. Only three men can claim more races faster than 50 seconds in 2018.
In addition to his exploits in the hurdles, McLaughlin stepped in to run crucial legs of Michigan's 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams that finished seventh and eighth, respectively, at the Big Ten Championships.
McLaughlin gets underway in the semifinals of the 400-meter hurdles on June 6, with the hope of advancing to the final on June 8. Both races will be broadcast live on national television via ESPN2 and ESPN, respectively.
Players Mentioned
