Michigan
NCAA Indoor Championships
Ellis Earns Third Straight First Team All-America Honor
3/9/2019 5:06:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
Site: Birmingham, Ala. (Birmingham CrossPlex)
Event: NCAA Indoor Championships (Day 2 of 2)
U-M Result: Tied for 47th Place of 87 Teams (3 points)
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sat., March 15-16 -- at Miami Hurricane Invitational (Miami, Fla.)
• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- For the third year in a row, Joe Ellis of the University of Michigan men's track and field team earned first team All-America honors on Saturday (March 9) to close out the final day of the NCAA Indoor Championships and the Wolverines' indoor campaign.
Ellis heaved a mark of 22.38m (73 feet,5.25 inches) to take sixth in the weight throw, good for three points in the overall NCAA Championships team standings for Michigan.
The two-time Big Ten champion and school record-holder capped a historic three-year run of first team All-America performances -- given to the top-eight finishers -- in the event, following up on fifth- and seventh-place efforts in 2018 and 2017, respectively.
In all of Michigan men's indoor history, his three-year streak in a single individual event is equaled by only Olympian distance runners Kevin Sullivan and Nate Brannen, and high jumper Jon Royce.
Ellis opened with a solid 21.70m (71-2.5) on his first throw to get on the board early, and improved slightly to 21.78m (71-5.5) on his second throw. After two rounds, he stood sixth and in good position to qualify for the nine-man final.
HIs third-round mark was his best of the day, securing him a spot in the final and moving him up to fourth in the standings.
He ultimately would be unable to climb any higher, with fourth- and fifth-round throws of 22.31m (73-2.5) and 22.07m (72-5) and a foul in the sixth-and-final round.
Already the owner of the farthest-ever throw by a fifth-place finisher from last year's NCAA Championships, he came just seven centimeters short of the best-ever by a sixth-place finisher -- a testament to the quality of the entire field and his position within it.
His first team All-America performance followed up on a second team All-America effort on Friday by shot putter Andrew Liskowitz, who was 13th in his signature event.
With the 2019 indoor season now complete, the Wolverines' focus will turn to the outdoor campaign set to begin at the Miami (Fla.) Hurricane Invitational next Friday and Saturday (March 15-16). Only select student-athletes will compete, with the full team -- including those who competed this weekend -- expected to make its spring debut by later in the month.
Full Michigan Results by Event
Shot Put (Contested Friday)
13. Andrew Liskowitz / 19.18m (62-11.25)
Weight Throw
6. Joe Ellis / 22.38m (73-5.25)
Players Mentioned
