Weekly Release #6
2/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Saturday, Feb. 16 -- host Harold Silverston Invitational (U-M Indoor Track Building), 9:30 a.m./Noon
Sat-Sun., Feb. 23-24 -- at Big Ten Indoor Championships (Minneapolis, Minn.), 10 a.m./9 a.m. CST
This Week
The University of Michigan men's track and field team will host its final indoor meet of the season when it competes in the Harold Silverston Invitational on Saturday (Feb. 16) at the U-M Track Building. The meet will be the last chance for the Wolverines to prepare for the Big Ten Conference Championships, which will be held in Minneapolis, Minn., on Feb. 23-24. Field events for the Harold Silverston Invitational will begin at 9:30 a.m. and track events are slated to start at noon.
Last Meet Recap
Michigan placed third at the USTCA Collegiate Challenge (Feb. 8-9) in State College, Pa., by posting 59.75 points. Indiana won the event with a score of 105.25 and host school Penn State was runner-up after tallying 99.25 points. Highlighting the weekend for the Wolverines was freshman Nathan Brannen (Cambridge, Ontario/Preston HS) as he won the 800-meter run and competed in the victorious distance medley relay team. In the 800-meter run, Brannen posted an NCAA provisional mark of 1:48.73 and the distance medley relay team also posted an NCAA provisional mark with a time of 9:41.96.
Brannen Posts Another Provisional Mark
Freshman Nathan Brannen added two more NCAA provisional marks to his already impressive resume last weekend at the USTCA Collegiate Challenge. On Friday (Feb. 8), Brannen ran the anchor of the distance medley relay that placed first with an NCAA provisional mark of 9:41.96. Brannen then followed on Saturday (Feb. 9) with an NCAA provisional mark in the 800-meter run, when he won the event with a time of 1:48.73. The NCAA provisional marks were the fourth and fifth of the season for Brannen as he also posted NCAA provisional marks in the mile (4:01.40 and 4:02.12) and the 3,000-meter run (8:09.06).
Five for Five
Junior Jeremy Schneider (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Andover HS) posted a victory for the fifth consecutive meet as he competed on the top performing distance medley relay team at the USTCA Collegiate Challenge. Other wins by Schneider this season include the 400-meter dash (49.44 at the Jack Harvey Invitational), the 600-meter run (1:19.11 at Indiana), and twice in the 800-meter run (1:53.85 at the Red Simmons Invitational and 1:51.94 at the George Mason Patriot Games).
Class Distinction
The Michigan distance medley relay team that placed first at the USTCA Collegiate Challenge on Friday (Feb. 8) with a time of 9:41.96 featured a member from each class. The team consisted of freshman Nathan Brannen, sophomore Brian Turner (Omaha, Neb./Millard North HS), junior Jeremy Schneider and senior Ike Okenwa (San Diego, Calif./Morse HS).
In the Field
The Maize and Blue received two solid performances in the field events over the weekend at the USTCA Collegiate Challenge. Senior Robert Arnold (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty HS) finished runner-up in the high jump when he cleared 6-9, and fellow senior Brent Sheffer (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) placed fifth on the pole vault with a height of 16-2 3/4.
Provisional Marks
Five different runners have combined to post eight NCAA provisional marks this season. The following is a list of those performances.
| Nathan Brannen | ||
| 3,000-meter run | 8:09.06 | 1/19 at Red Simmons Invitational |
| Mile | 4:01.40 | 1/28 at Boston Indoor Games |
| Mile | 4:02.12 | 2/2 at George Mason Patriot Games |
| Distance Medley Relay | 9:41.96 | 2/8 at USTCA Collegiate Challenge |
| 800-meter run | 1:48.73 | 2/9 at USTCA Collegiate Challenge |
Ike Okenwa | ||
| Distance Medley Relay | 9:41.96 | 2/8 at USTCA Collegiate Challenge |
Jeremy Schneider | ||
| Distance Medley Relay | 9:41.96 | 2/8 at USTCA Collegiate Challenge |
| 800-meter run | 1:50.11 | 2/9 at USTCA Collegiate Challenge |
Brian Turner | ||
| Mile | 4:05.29 | 2/2 at George Mason Patriot Games |
| Distance Medley Relay | 9:41.96 | 2/8 at USTCA Collegiate Challenge |
Mike Wisniewski | ||
| 3,000-meter run | 8:10.48 | 1/19 at Red Simmons Invitational |
The Wait Goes On
Freshman Alan Webb (Reston, Va./South Lakes HS), the American high school record holder in the mile at 3:53.43, will not make his debut when Michigan hosts the Harold Silverston Invitational. Webb will not compete due to Achilles tendinitis and his first appearance in a Michigan track uniform is yet to be determined. Webb did compete on Michigan's cross country team and earned All-America status while helping the team to an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Tickets for Michigan Home Meets
Advance tickets are available for Michigan's last remaining home meet, the Harold Silverston Invitational (Feb. 16). Tickets are general admission and are $4 each for adults and $2 each for children and senior citizens. Groups of 15 or more are eligible for group rates at half the regular ticket price. Tickets may be purchased by phone (734-764-0247), in person through the Michigan Ticket Office or by or by filling out an application (PDF: 1 page, 7 KB) from MGoBlue.com and faxing the order to (734) 936-8942. U-M students with an M-Card are not required to pay an admission fee. If tickets are still available the day of the meet, they may be purchased at the U-M Track Building.
Contact: David Crabtree (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
