Outdoor Campaign to Continue at Indiana for Michigan Men

Friday, April 9

Bloomington, Ind.

3:00 PM

Michigan

B1G Indiana Invitational #2

Thomas Shilgalis (Michigan Photography)

Outdoor Campaign to Continue at Indiana for Michigan Men

4/6/2021 12:54:00 PM | Men's Track & Field

By: Kyle Terwillegar

THIS WEEK
Friday, April 9 -- at B1G Indiana invitational #2 (Bloomington, Ind.), 3 p.m. ET
Meet Information | Live Results

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A small contingent of sprinters and mid-distance runners from the University of Michigan men's track and field team will make the squad's second of four trips to Bloomington, Ind., this Friday (April 9) for the B1G Indiana Invitational #2.

Two-time Big Ten Indoor Championships scorer Josh Zeller will make his outdoor 110-meter hurdles debut for the Wolverines to lead the 11-man group set to compete at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex. He will be joined by, among others, 2019 All-American relay sprinter Desmond Melson, multiple-time Big Ten hurdles finalist Job Mayhue, and past Big Ten distance medley relay scorers Cole Johnson, Derrick Simmons and Thomas Shilgalis in the 800 meters.

The competition will feature only teams from the Big Ten, according to conference COVID-19 policy.

Due to inclement weather expected on Saturday, the previously scheduled two-day competition has been condensed to a single day on Friday. Both track and field events begin at 3 p.m. ET, with action expected to wrap up at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Once entries are finalized, this posting will be updated with more details and a full schedule of when to watch the Wolverines.

Fans can follow along with the action by way of live results from Indiana. Updates also will be provided via the team's official social media accounts.

Notes and Outlook

• The Wolverines have been bolstered this outdoor season by the return of seniors from a year ago who only had 2021 eligibility for the outdoor season due to the cancellation of last year's spring campaign -- and they are making the most of their opportunity. Andrew Liskowitz ranks seventh nationally in the shot put, Max Wagner is tied for No. 42 in the high jump, and Roland Amarteifio is No. 44 in the 400-meter hurdles and ran a leg of the No. 43 4x400 relay.

• Liskowitz and John Meyer, who is ranked No. 17 nationally in the shot put, make Michigan one of just two schools (North Dakota State) with multiple shot putters ranked top-20 nationally. Liskowitz was the 2020 indoor national leader before the championships were canceled and was a first team All-American outdoors in 2019, while Meyer was a first team All-American indoors this past winter.

• In no event have the Wolverines gotten off to a faster start in 2021 than the 1,500-meter run, in which Michigan is ranked No. 5 in the Event Squad Rankings from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Nick Foster and Tom Dodd debuted at 3:42.97 and 3:43.21, respectively for Nos. 20 and 21 nationally, while No. 37 Anthony Berry clocked 3:45.44 and No. 52 Oli Raimond went 3:46.57.

• Michigan also has scored an impressive early-season No. 2 mark in the 3,000-meter steeplechase Event Squad Rankings, though fewer student-athletes nationwide have contested the event at this point in the season than the 1,500 meters. Joost Plaetinck ranks No. 7 nationally at 8:52.68 and Christian Hubaker is No. 13 at 8:54.53, with Jacob Branch and Jack Spamer checking in at Nos. 41 and 54, respectively.

• Josh Zeller will be making his much-anticipated Michigan debut in the 110-meter hurdles after scoring at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in each of his first two seasons in Ann Arbor. The British national will be running his first race over the barriers set to the 42-inch senior height. The last time he ran over the 39-inch U20 height, he claimed the 2019 European U20 Championships title. His 13.26 (+1.8m/s) from that summer places him at No. 23 on the all-time global U20 list in the event's history.