Michigan
Alex Wilson Invitational
DMR Record Falls in Michigan Men's Regular-Season Finale
2/19/2022 5:57:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
Site: South Bend, Ind. (Loftus Sports Center)
Event: Notre Dame Alex Wilson Invitational
U-M Result: No team scoring
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sat., Feb. 25-26 -- at Big Ten Indoor Championships (Geneva, Ohio)
SOUTH BEND, Ind -- The University of Michigan men's track and field team was up to the task Saturday (Feb. 19) at the Notre Dame Invitational in what was ultimately the fastest distance medley relay competition in collegiate history.
In a performance that smashed the previous school record by nearly four seconds, the Wolverine quartet of Cole Johnson, Dubem Amene, Miles Brown and Nick Foster combined to run 9:23.78 for the No. 2 time in Big Ten history and the No. 10 spot on the all-time collegiate list.
The previous school record was 9:27.67, run at this same meet in 2016 by Chase Barnett, Philip Washington, Brennan Munley and future Olympian and NCAA champion Mason Ferlic.
They finished fifth overall in the race, which was the first in collegiate history to feature six teams faster than 9:24.00.
With only conference championships weekend remaining, when most schools have their top distance medley relay performers entered in individual events to maximize point output, the Wolverines are likely to advance to the NCAA Indoor Championships next month. The top 12 teams will qualify, with the Wolverines ranked No. 8.
Johnson kicked off the race with a 2:52.5 leg for the 1,200-meter distance, followed by a 46.2-second carryover 400 meters by Amene. Brown took the stick 800 meters in 1:48.7, and Foster brought it home on the 1,600-meter leg in 3:56.3. Nine of the 11 teams had men run four minutes or faster for 1,600 meters.
This marks the third school record at least partially credited to the true freshman Brown, who also owns the program standards for the indoor 600- and 800-meter distances. It is the first school record for the rest of the group, though Amene is only .04 seconds off the 400-meter record and Johnson is ranked No. 3 at both 600 and 800 meters.
With the regular season now completely in the rearview mirror, the Wolverines will head to Geneva, Ohio, for the Big Ten Indoor Championships next Friday and Saturday (Feb. 25-26).
Players Mentioned
