Weekly Release #7
2/19/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Sat-Sun., Feb. 23-24 -- at Big Ten Conference Indoor Championships (Minneapolis, Minn.), 10 a.m./9 a.m. CST
Thursday, Feb. 28 -- at Eastern Michigan Invitational (Ypsilanti, Mich.)
This Week
The University of Michigan men's track and field team will compete at the Big Ten Conference Indoor Championships on Saturday and Sunday (Feb. 23-24) at the University of Minnesota Field House in Minneapolis, Minn. Friday's competition will begin at 10 a.m. CST and events on Saturday are slated to start at 9 a.m. CST. Tickets for the event are sold out.
Michigan at the Big Ten Championships
Michigan leads the Big Ten Conference in men's indoor track and field team titles with 26 since the start of the indoor championship in 1911, with its last crown coming in 1994. Illinois owns the next most indoor titles in the conference with 21. Last year the Wolverines finished seventh with 58 points, but the Maize and Blue did have several individuals post good performances. Charles DeWildt (1997-2001) was runner-up on the pole vault after clearing a height of 17-7 1/2 and senior Mike Wisniewski (Temperance, Mich./Bedford HS) finished third in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:05.33.
Last Meet Recap
Michigan won six events on its home turf at the Harold Silverston Invitational (Feb. 16), including two by senior Ike Okenwa (San Diego, Calif./Morse HS) as he claimed the top times in the 60- and 200-meter dash with times of 6.85 and 21.56, respectively. Okenwa's victory in the 200-meter dash led one of three Michigan sweeps on the afternoon. Along with the 1-2-3 finish in the 200-meter dash, the Maize and Blue also claimed the top spots in the 600-meter dash and the mile. Pacing the field in the 600-meter dash was sophomore Dan Cooke (Pinckney, Mich./Pinckney HS) with a mark of 1:21.08, while in the mile junior Ryan Hesselink (Freeport, Mich./Thornapple-Kellogg HS) posted the top time at 4:14.68.
Michigan's other wins came in the 800-meter run and the 4x400-meter relay. In the 800-meter run the Wolverines just missed another sweep as sophomores Tom Greenless (Milford, Mich./Milford HS) and Brian Turner (Omaha, Neb./Millard North HS) posted the top two times. Greenless won the event with a mark of 1:54.16 and Turner followed at 1:55.39. The Maize and Blue then closed out the day with a win in the 4x400-meter relay as the team of junior Derek Applewhite (Brighton, Col./Brighton HS), freshmen Darren Adams (Mentor, Ohio/St. Ignatius HS) and Seth Waits (Grand Rapids, Ohio/Otsego HS) and sophomore Andrew Ochs (Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline HS) combined for the fastest time (3:16.73).
Brannen Owns Five Provisional Mark
Freshman Nathan Brannen added two more NCAA provisional marks to his already impressive resume at the USTCA Collegiate Challenge (Feb. 8-9). 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).
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 |
Wait Until We Get Outside
Freshman Alan Webb, the American high school record holder in the mile at 3:53.43, will redshirt the indoor season after suffering from Achilles tendinitis. Webb is expected to compete in the outdoor season, which will begin March 21-23 at the Florida State Relays in Tallahassee, Fla.
Schneider's Streak
Junior Jeremy Schneider (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Andover HS) has posted a victory in five out of six meets this season. Schneider's last win came at the USTCA Collegiate Challenge (Feb. 8-9) when he competed on the top-performing distance medley relay that posted a time of 9:41.96. 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).
Applewhite Posts Personal Best
Junior tri-captain Derek Applewhite had a successful weekend at the Harold Silverston Invitational (Feb. 16) as he posted a personal best time of 8.00 in the 60-meter hurdles while finishing runner-up in the event. Applewhite also joined the 4x400-meter relay on Saturday and assisted in the team posting the top time of 3:16.73.
Contact: David Crabtree (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
