Michigan
Penn Relays (Day 2)
Pruitt Claims Shot Put NCAA Qualifer at Penn Relays
4/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Freshman Sean Pruitt (Cato, Wis./Valders HS) nabbed the first NCAA regional-qualifying performance of his career and earned runner-up honors in the shot put to pace the University of Michigan men's track and field team on the second day of action at the 112th Penn Relays on Friday (April 28) at Franklin Field.
Pruitt registered a personal-best mark of 55-3, adding nearly four inches to his previous best in the event, to take the second position among the 18-man field. Senior/junior Paul Sarantos (Portage, Mich./Northern HS) finished fourth in the same event, recording a mark of 54-2 3/4.
In other field-event competition, senior captain Brad Miller (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion HS) placed fourth in the high jump, clearing a height of 6-8 1/4 to improve on his 10th-place performance from last season's Penn Relays.
The Wolverines competed in three relays on the day, most notably earning a third-place finish in the distance medley event with a combined effort of 9:36.10. The U-M foursome featured fifth-year senior Rondell Ruff (Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford HS) and junior Stann Waithe (Towson, Md./Loch Raven HS) -- both members of last year's Penn Relays DMR champion squad -- as well as freshman Justin Switzer (Waterford, Mich./Kettering HS) and sophomore Mike Woods (Ottawa, Ontario/Hillcrest HS).
Waithe also represented the Wolverines as a member of the 4x100- and 4x400-meter quartets, both of which ran in preliminary action on the second day. Michigan took fourth place in second heat of the 400-meter race with a time of 41.73 and earned the second alternate position for tomorrow's 1,600-meter relay college final after clocking a time of 3:12.99 to place sixth in its section.
In the only U-M individual race on the track, sophomore/freshman Dan Harmsen (Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS) and junior/sophomore Chris Stowe (Traverse City, Mich./West HS), claimed sixth and eighth, respectively, in the championships division of the 400-meter hurdles, posting times of 53.30 and 54.02, respectively.
The Wolverines will wrap up competition at the Penn Relays on Saturday (April 29) with a relay and a pair of individual field events at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pa. The Wolverines will open the day's action with the hammer throw at 12:15 p.m.
Event Winners/U-M Finishes
110-meter Hurdles (Heats) Heat 2 1. Eric Mitchum, Oregon 13.69 -- Jeff Porter, U-M DNF 400-meter Hurdles "Championships" Heat 3 1. Hamze Deyaf, Texas 51.42# 6. Dan Harmsen, U-M 53.30 8. Chris Stowe, U-M 54.02 4x100-meter Relay (Heats) Heat 2 1. Texas 41.77 4. Michigan 41.73 (Jeff Porter, Adam Harris, Stann Waithe, Andre Barnes) 4x400-meter Relay 1. St. Augustine's 3:07.86# 5. Michigan 3:12.99 (Andre Barnes, Andrew Wechter, John D'Arcy, Stann Waithe) Distance Medley Relay "Championships" 1. Texas 9:33.10 3. Michigan 9:36.10 (Rondell Ruff, Stann Waithe, Justin Switzer, Mike Woods) High Jump 1. Joe Kinred, St. Augustine's 7-0# (2.13m) 4. Brad Miller, U-M 6-8 1/4 (2.04m) Shot Put 1. Pat Whalen, Ohio State 57-0# (17.37m) 2. Sean Pruitt, U-M 55-3# (16.84m) 4. Paul Sarantos, U-M 54-2 3/4 (16.53m) # NCAA regional qualifier
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
