Michigan Men Top Buckeyes, Spartans at Simmons-Harvey Invite

Saturday, January 18

Ann Arbor, Mich.

10:15 AM

Michigan

Simmons-Harvey Invitational

Andrew Liskowitz (Michigan Photography)

Michigan Men Top Buckeyes, Spartans at Simmons-Harvey Invite

1/18/2020 4:31:00 PM | Men's Track & Field

Photo Gallery

By: Kyle Terwillegar

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Indoor Track Building)
Event: Simmons-Harvey Invitational
U-M Result: 1st of 3 teams (126 points)
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sat., Jan. 24-25 -- at John Thomas Terrier Classic (Boston, Mass.); at Rod McCravy Memorial (Lexington, Ky.)

• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's track and field team toppled rivals Ohio State and Michigan State in scored competition to claim the team title and defend hometrack advantage at the Simmons-Harvey Invitational on Saturday (Jan. 18).

In front of a live national television audience on Big Ten Network at the world-class U-M Indoor Track Building, the Wolverines (126 points) topped the Buckeyes (113) and Spartans (53), powered by wins in six of the 15 events on the schedule.

Chief among the victories were Andrew Liskowitz in the shot put and Manning Plater in the weight throw, who both jumped to No. 2 nationally on the NCAA leaderboard in their respective events.

Michigan also bookended the track program with victories by collegiate debutant Josh Zeller in the 60-meter hurdles and the All-American 4x400 relay team of Desmond Melson, Ian Davis, Alex Schwedt and Vail Hartman.

In between, the Wolverines also got titles from Cole Johnson at 800 meters and Joost Plaetinck in the Kris Eggle Memorial 3,000-meter run.

Liskowitz turned in the finest indoor shot put series in Michigan indoor history en route to his win, topping out with a new school-record 20.29m (66 feet, 7 inches). The throw was one of five from him on the day that exceeded his previous school standard of 19.67m (64-6.5) that won him the 2019 Big Ten title in this same building.

He also heaved marks of 20.13m (66-0.5), 20.12m (66-0.25), 19.87m (65-2.25) and 19.75m (64-9.75) that eclipsed his 2019 record.

Right behind him was teammate John Meyer in second with a career-best throw of his own at 19.03m (62-5.25), which will rank him top-20 nationally. Between Liskowitz and Meyer, Michigan is one of just two schools nationally with two throwers at 19.00m or farther so far in 2020.

Plater also had a career-best day in the weight throw, adding nearly a meter and a quarter onto his personal record from just a week ago to top out at 21.81m (71-6.75). Only two other men in school history -- first team All-Americans and Big Ten champions Joe Ellis and Grant Cartwright -- have ever thrown farther in school history.

Plater also was over 21 meters three other times, and any of his six throws would have won him the competition. Notably, Liskowitz was also third in the event with a career-best 18.63m (61-1.5).

Zeller shot right into the records books in his Michigan debut, as the British national won the 60-meter hurdles in a blazing 7.90 after going 7.91 in the preliminaries. Only eventual NCAA champion Jeff Porter has gone faster as a freshman, and Zeller's is the fastest-ever Michigan debut.

Overall in Michigan history, he now ranks tied for second with teammate Roland Amarteifio and former Wolverine Carl Buchanon.

He was part of a one-two finish with teammate Sierra Hendrix-Williams, who clocked a season's best 8.01 for runner-up honors.

Michigan posted the most impressive and overwhelming result by any team in a single event in the 800 meters, as Johnson defended his 2019 Simmons-Harvey Invitational title to lead a 1-2-3-4-5 finish for the Wolverines. Johnson ran a career-best and meet-record 1:51.76 to lead five Michigan men -- Nick Foster, Derrick Simmons, Ben Hill and Thomas Shilgalis -- under 1:53.00.

Plaetinck led the long-distance crew with a victory at 3,000 meters, going 8:25.71 for the win. He ran from the front from the start, gradually extending his lead throughout the race for a comfortable four-second margin at the line.

Michigan closed out the day on a winning note as the 4x400 relay squad clocked 3:13.31 to put the bow on the Wolverines' team title. The race was the first for the quartet since they combined last summer for an improbable run to second team All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

After Melson cut down on an early OSU lead on the first leg, Davis dipped into 46-second territory on his split and made a nifty pass to the inside of OSU's runner to give the Wolverines a big lead heading into Schwedt's third leg. Schwedt maintained a 15-meter lead on the Buckeyes throughout his leg, and Hartman closed strong to shut down any potential late surge from OSU.

The Wolverines will hit the road for the first time this season next weekend as select distance runners head to Boston for the John Thomas Terrier Classic, and select sprinters and field event athletes will compete at the Kentucky Rod McCravy Memorial in Lexington.

Collegiate Career-Best Performances

Career debuts not included

Ian Davis -- 21.83 / 200m (I)
Eric Harris -- 4.75m (15-7) / Pole Vault (I)
Vail Hartman -- 22.34 / 200m (I)
Cole Johnson -- 1:51.76 / 800m (I)
Andrew Liskowitz -- 20.29m (66-6.75) / Shot Put (I)
Andrew Liskowitz -- 18.63m (61-1.5) / Weight Throw (I)
John Meyer -- 19.03m (62-5.25) / Shot Put (I)
Manning Plater -- 21.81m (71-6.75) / Weight Throw (I)