Weekly Release #19
6/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Upcoming Schedule
Wed-Sat., June 8-11 -- at NCAA Outdoor Championships (Sacramento, Calif.)
This Week: NCAA Outdoor Championships
The University of Michigan men's track and field team will send six competitors to the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships Wednesday through Saturday (June 8-11) in Sacramento, Calif. Competition will begin at 11 a.m. PDT on Wednesday and Saturday, 12:15 on Thursday and noon on Friday at Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium. For more information, including a complete schedule of events, visit the official meet website.
Schedule for U-M Athletes (Times PDT)
| Wednesday, June 8 | |
| 4:15 p.m. | 800 Meters (prelims) |
| 6:10 p.m. | 400 Meters (prelims) |
| 9:00 p.m. | 5,000 Meters (prelims) |
Thursday, June 9 | |
| 6:30 p.m. | 800 Meters (semifinals) |
| 7:35 p.m. | 1,500 Meters (prelims) |
Friday, June 10 | |
| 5:00 p.m. | Triple Jump (qualifying) |
| 7:25 p.m. | 400 Meters (semifinals) |
Saturday, June 11 | |
| 6:30 p.m. | Triple Jump (final) |
| 6:00 p.m. | 400 Meters (final) |
| 6:20 p.m. | 1,500 Meters (final) |
| 7:30 p.m. | 800 Meters (final) |
| 7:50 p.m. | 5,000 Meters (final) |
Michigan at the NCAA Championships
The Wolverines are sending their largest contingent to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 19 years -- since boasting five individuals and a relay at the 1986 meet. Michigan has one NCAA Outdoor team title to its credit, capturing the top honor in 1923 under head coach Stephen Farrell. U-M boasted a pair of individual champions that season with James Booker winning the pole vault competition and DeHart Hubbard claiming the long jump crown. The Wolverines have produced a total of 42 NCAA event titles, including two relay titles, in its storied history.
Junior Andrew Ellerton (Sudbury, Ontario/Confederation HS) was the lone U-M representative at last season's NCAA outdoor meet, claiming fifth in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:47.29. In the team competition, Michigan earned a share of 50th place behind Ellerton's four points.
U-M Claims Seventh at NCAA Mideast Regional
Drawing from a pair of event champions and seven total scoring performances in six events, Michigan took seventh place (39 points) at the NCAA Mideast Regional (May 27-28) -- boasting its best team finish in the three-year history of the event. Junior Andrew Ellerton (Sudbury, Ontario/Confederation HS) and junior/sophomore Nick Willis (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Hutt Valley HS) both earned the second regional crown of their careers, winning the 800- and 5,000-meter events, respectively. Freshman Mike Woods (Ottawa, Ontario/Hillcrest HS) and senior/junior Rondell Ruff (Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford HS) placed fourth and fifth to round out the automatic qualifiers in the 1,500-meter run while sophomore Michael Whitehead (East Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area HS) earned an automatic bid in the triple jump after tallying a sizable personal best to claim fourth. Sophomore Stann Waithe (Towson, Md./Loch Raven HS) tallied back-to-back personal bests in the 400-meter dash, claiming sixth place to collect an at-large bid, and joined the Wolverines' 4x400-meter relay that posted Michigan's second-fastest time in program history to pick up another sixth place finish.
In the Nick of Time
Running just the second 5,000-meter competition of his career, junior/sophomore Nick Willis captured his second individual win at the distance, winning the NCAA Mideast Regional (May 27-28) with a personal-best 13:54.14. It is the second NCAA regional crown for Willis in three seasons, adding to his 1,500-meter win at the 2003 inaugural meet. The West region dominates the field in the event with the top-three seeds and six of the top 12. Willis owns the 16th seed entering the NCAA Championships with five fellow-Mideast runners ranked before him.
5,000-Meter Run 1. Ian Dobson, Stanford 13:27.45* 16. Nick Willis, U-M 13:54.14* * automatic qualifier
An-drew It Again
Junior Andrew Ellerton repeated as the NCAA Mideast Regional 800-meter champion after kicking down Auburn's Sherridan Kirk in the final 20 meters and posting a time of 1:48.79. Ellerton's performance secured Michigan's third straight 800-meter title at the regional meet -- adding to senior/junior Nate Brannen's win at the inaugural competition -- as the Wolverines have swept the event since the inception of the meet in 2003. Ellerton holds the 17th seed entering the NCAA outdoor meet behind his season-best 1:48.25, recorded at the Len Paddock Invitational (May 6-7).
800-Meter Run 1. Johnathon Johnson, Texas Tech 1:44.86* 17. Andrew Ellerton, U-M 1:48.25* * automatic qualifier
Holly-Woods
Freshman Mike Woods qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in his first attempt after claiming fourth place in the 1,500-meter run at the NCAA Mideast Regional (May 27-28). Woods posted a time of 3:45.92 in the event but owns a season best of 3:44.52 -- which he posted at the Sun Angel Classic (April 16) -- to rank 19th entering the NCAA Championships.
Ruff and Ready
After focusing on the 800m over the last month of the season, senior/junior Rondell Ruff earned the final automatic qualifying spot in the 1,500-meter run out of the NCAA Mideast Regional (May 27-28) with a time of 3:46.90. Seeded 22nd entering the regional competition, Ruff improved his standing 17 positions. He owns the 25th national spot prior to the NCAA Championships, based upon his regional performance -- only his third 1,500-meter competition of the season.
1,500-Meter Run 1. Paul Hoffman, Idaho State 3:39.26* 19. Mike Woods, U-M 3:44.52* 25. Rondell Ruff, U-M 3:46.90* * automatic qualifier
If You Can't Stann the Heat
Sophomore Stann Waithe added his name to the Wolverines' travel list after securing the final at-large selection in the 400-meter dash. Waithe boasted back-to-back personal bests at the two-day NCAA Mideast Regional (May 27-28), clocking 46.36 in the eight-man final to place sixth. That performance marked his third personal best in his last four races and trimmed 0.09 seconds from his showing in the preliminaries. It was also Michigan's fifth-fastest time ever posted in the event; Todd Steverson holds the U-M outdoor record in the event at 45.47, which he recorded in 1985.
400-Meter Dash 1. Darold Williamson, Baylor 44.76* 26. Stann Waithe, U-M 46.36^ * automatic qualifier ^ at-large selection
A Hop, Skip and a Jump
Sophomore Michael Whitehead registered a personal-best 52-7 1/4 in the triple jump to earn the fourth automatic qualifying spot out of the NCAA Mideast Regional (May 27-28) -- the only region to produce four competitors over than 16 meters. The Wolverine added 10 1/2 inches to his all-time personal best -- an indoor mark -- and shattered his own U-M outdoor record in the event by nearly a full foot, which he recorded at the Big Ten Championships just two week earlier. Ranked 23rd in the nation prior to the regional meet, Whitehead improved his standing 12 position and enters the NCAA Championships as the 11th seed. He will be the first U-M field events student-athlete to compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships since Stan Johanning qualifed in the javelin in 1996.
Triple Jump 1. Rodrigo Mendes, BYU 56-0* (17.07m) 11. Michael Whitehead, U-M 52-7 1/4* (16.03m) * automatic qualifier
Brannen Out for Season
Senior/junior captain Nate Brannen (Cambridge, Ontario/Preston HS), largely considered the favorite to win the NCAA 1,500-meter title, did not compete in his preliminary race at the NCAA Mideast Regional (May 27-28) due to a mid-foot sprain sustained during the event final at the Big Ten Championships earlier. Despite falling to the track with just 150 meters remaining in the conference race, Brannen managed a fourth-place finish after picking himself up and sprinting down the final stretch.
A Clean Sweep at Penn Relays
The Wolverines swept the distance relays at the Penn Relays (April 28-30), winning the distance medley, 4xMile and 4x800-meter events in dominant fashion. U-M is the first school to sweep the distance relays at Penn Relays in six years and joins Arkasas as the only programs to accomplish the feat since 1980. Michigan won four relay events at the 1945 Penn Relays -- 4x880 yards, 4xMile, sprint medley, distance medley.
Senior/junior Nate Brannen, junior Andrew Ellerton and junior/sophomore Nick Willis formed the core all three relays, while sophomore Stann Waithe competed on the DMR, freshman Mike Woods on the 4xMile and senior/junior Rondell Ruff on the 4x800m.
Just For the Record
The Wolverines broke the collegiate record in the 4xMile at the Penn Relays (April 28-30), blazing a time of 16:04.54 to shave 3.42 seconds from the previous record (16:07.96) set by Arkansas in 1999. Michigan owns a pair of collegiate relay records, adding 4xMile to its indoor DMR mark from the 2004 NCAA Indoor Championships (7:27.77). Senior/junior Nate Brannen, junior Andrew Ellerton and junior/sophomore Nick Willis own a stake in both performances.
Most Valuable Runner
Junior/sophomore Nick Willis was named Men's College Athlete of the Relays at the Penn Relays (April 28-30) after the Wolverine clocked splits of 3:55.1 (DMR) -- the eighth-fastest 1,600-meter split in Penn Relays history -- 3:56.2 (4xMile) and 1:48.6 (4x800m). Willis also claimed the honor in 2003 when he registered the Penn Relays record for his 1,200-meter opening split (2:48.7) in the distance medley relay. He is just the seventh athlete to receive the honor multiple times since it was introduced in 1957. Kevin Sullivan is the only other U-M student-athlete to garner the distinction, winning the title in 1998.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
