Michigan
Duke Invitational
All-Americans Tally Four Wins on Final Day at Duke Invitational
4/9/2022 5:47:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
Site: Durham, N.C. (Morris Williams Stadium)
Event: Duke Invitational
U-M Result: No team scoring
Next U-M Event: Thu-Sat., April 14-16 -- at Mt. SAC Relays and Azusa Pacific Bryan Clay Invitational
• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
DURHAM, N.C. - The four individual All-Americans from this past indoor season for the University of Michigan men's track and field team showed Saturday (April 9) they haven't skipped a beat in the transition to outdoors as they accounted for four victories on the final day of the Duke Invitational.
Joshua Zeller continued to establish himself as a national contender in the 110-meter hurdles, Dubem Amene threw down a historically fast time in a 400-meter win and teamed with Miles Brown for a 4x400 relay victory, and Cole Johnson made some history of his own at 800 meters.
Zeller expanded his overhaul of the Michigan 110-meter hurdles record book to include meet and facility records at Duke, as he won by nearly a third of a second in 13.55 (+1.5m/s), with teammate Job Mayhue in fourth.
Though it was just shy of his wind-legal and world-leading 13.42 school record from two weekends ago, Zeller's performance Saturday was the second-fastest wind-legal – wind reading less than 2.0 meters-per-second – run in school history.
It also eclipsed the respective 13.62 and 13.71 meet and facility records that had stood in Durham since the 2015 season.
Similar to his record race, the indoor second-team All-American, Zeller, came from behind en route to the win. He took the lead at the sixth of 10 hurdles and dominated the race from there, en route to a second time this spring faster than anyone else in the Big Ten had run entering the weekend.
Amene was nearly as historic in his 2022 outdoor debut at 400 meters, as he charged home for a 46.07 winner at his signature distance – a time not run by a Wolverine outdoors since both Todd Steverson and Omar Davidson broke 46 seconds in 1985.
Narrowly trailing the lead runner at 200 meters, Amene emerged from the final turn with a slim advantage over the field that only grew with each step down the final 100-meter homestretch. Also impressive behind him was 800-meter second-team All-American Brown with a 47.30 performance for fourth.
The indoor second-team 400-meter All-American Amene ranks behind only Steverson, Davidson and Kent Bernard in school history, and no one in the Big Ten had yet gone faster this spring entering the weekend.
The performance very likely will advance him to the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds, reserved for the top-48 individuals per event in the East Region. That meet next month will serve as the opening round of the national meet to be held in June.
Brown and Amene, along with teammates Jacob Koerner and Lawrence Gilliam, would return to get the win for Michigan in the meet-finale 4x400 relay in 3:10.24. Brown gave the Wolverines the lead after the third leg with a 46.81 split, and Amene sealed what would grow to a nearly five-second win with a 46.42 anchor split.
Indoor first-team All-American Johnson was also victorious in what has become his signature 800-meter distance, running an outdoor career-best 1:48.26 in his 2022 outdoor debut to beat former Big Ten champion Domenic Perretta of Penn State by 0.29 of a second.
The performance is the fastest in the Big Ten this year, based on lists entering the weekend, and it puts him in a strong position to be among the 48 heading to the NCAA East Prelims at this distance. It also moved him up to No. 7 in school history outdoors.
Headlining action in the field was triple jumper Bera Ajala, who finished with an outdoor season's best 14.99m (49-2.25) (+0.8m/s) for third place.
Michigan will head to California next week for the Mt. SAC Relays and Azusa Pacific Bryan Clay Invitational.
Full Michigan results from all three days can be found below.
Michigan Results by Event
200 meter dash
Final
11. Jacob Koerner / 21.56 (+1.5m/s)
400 meter dash
Final
1. Dubem Amene / 46.07 [New PR] 4. Miles Brown / 47.30
18. Lawrence Gilliam / 48.89
800 meter run
Final
1. Cole Johnson / 1:48.26 [New PR]
13. Henry Johnson / 1:50.28 [New PR]
1500 meter run
Invitational
4. Tom Dodd / 3:39.86
15. Oli Raimond / 3:44.33 [New PR]
1. Will Landowne / 3:44.58 [New PR]
2. Christian Hubaker / 3:46.97 [New PR]
8. Anthony Dekraker / 3:48.35 [New PR]
Steeplechase
Final
5. Joost Plaetinck / 8:56.07
6. Jack Spamer / 8:57.73
10. Joe Meyers / 9:08.77 [New PR]
13. Xander Black / 9:21.90
17. Michael Hancock / 9:45.54
5000 meter run
Final
16. Anthony Hancock / 14:25.71 [New PR]
24. Colton Yesney / 14:30.59
34. John Florence / 14:42.47
110 meter hurdles
Final
1. Joshua Zeller / 13.54 (+1.5m/s)
4. Job Mayhue / 14.06 (+1.5m/s)
4x100 relay
Final
4. Michigan / 40.56
4x400 relay
Final
1. Michigan / 3:10.24
High Jump
Final
7. Cassidy Henshaw / 2.00m (6-6.75)
Pole Vault
Final
--. Henry Sheldon / NH
Long Jump
Final
7. Cassidy Henshaw / 7.15m (23-5.5) (+0.0m/s) [New PR]
13. Bera Ajala / 6.99m (22-11.25) (+0.5m/s)
21. Tianhao Wei / 6.79m (22-3.25) (+0.3m/s) [New PR]
Triple Jump
Final
3. Bera Ajala / 14.99m (49-2.25) (+0.8m/s)
12. Tianhao Wei / 13.88m (45-6.5) (+1.1m/s)
Shot Put
Final
6. Aiden Felty / 16.74m (54-11) [New PR]
Hammer Throw
Final
18. Tony Sommers / 53.97m (177-1)
Players Mentioned
