Weekly Release #18
5/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sun., May 12-14 -- at Big Ten Outdoor Championships (East Lansing, Mich.), Noon/9:30 a.m./11:40 a.m.
Fri-Sat., May 26-27 -- at NCAA Mideast Regional (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Wed-Sat., June 7-10 -- at NCAA Oudtoor Championships (Sacramento, Calif.)
This Week: Big Ten Outdoor Championships
The University of Michigan men's track and field team opens postseason competition at the 2006 Big Ten Conference Outdoor Championships this weekend (May 12-14) in East Lansing, Mich. Hosted by Michigan State University, the conference meet will feature 21 events over the course of three days at the Ralph Young Track & Field Complex. Competition will begin with decathlon events on Friday and Saturday at Noon and 9:30 a.m., respectively, and with the women's triple jump at 11:40 a.m. on Sunday. For more information about the Big Ten Championships, visit the Big Ten site.
Michigan at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships
The Wolverines have won the most men's Big Ten outdoor team titles in conference history with 30, the most recent coming in 1983. Illinois ranks second on the list with 28 team titles. The Wolverines won four consecutive team titles three times: 1901-04, 1937-40 and 1980-83. Dating back to 1901, U-M has boasted 266 individual event champions and 23 first-place relay teams at the conference outdoor meet.
Last season, the Wolverines rallied on the final day of competition to climb four spots into sixth place (66.5 points) at the 2005 Big Ten Outdoor Championships at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Fourteen different Wolverine competitors scored points en route to the best U-M performance at the conference outdoor meet in seven years. Junior/sophomore Nick Willis won the lone invidiual title, capturing the 5,000-meter crown in the next-to-last event of the three-day meet. Several Wolverines earned top-three finishes, including returning conference competitors sophomore Stann Waithe (Towson, Md./Loch Raven HS) in the 400-meter dash, sophomore/freshman Chris Stowe (Traverse City, Mich./West HS) in the 400m hurdles, sophomore Michael Whitehead (East Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area HS) in the triple jump as well as the U-M 4x400-meter relay squad.
2005 Final Team Standings
| Place | Team (Event Champs) | Points |
| 1. | Wisconsin (5) | 174.0 |
| 2. | Indiana (4) | 111.0 |
| 3. | Minnesota (2) | 97.5 |
| 4. | Illinois (2) | 95.5 |
| 5. | Purdue (3) | 70.0 |
| 6. | MICHIGAN (1) | 66.5 |
| 7. | Penn State (2) | 66.0 |
| 8. | Iowa | 43.0 |
| 9. | Ohio State | 52.5 |
| 10. | Michigan State | 33.0 |
U-M in the Last 10 Big Ten Championships
| Year | Place | Points | Site |
| 2005 | Sixth | 66.50 | Columbus, Ohio |
| 2004 | Eighth | 41.00 | West Lafayette, Ind. |
| 2003 | Seventh | 56.00 | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| 2002 | Ninth | 39.00 | Madison, Wis. |
| 2001 | Eighth (tie) | 43.00 | Bloomington, Ind. |
| 2000 | Eighth | 65.00 | Iowa City, Iowa |
| 1999 | Seventh | 70.50 | West Lafayette, Ind. |
| 1998 | Fourth | 97.00 | Columbus, Ohio |
| 1997 | Third | 97.00 | Champaign, Ill. |
| 1996 | Seventh | 71.00 | State College, Pa. |
| 1995 | Second | 112.50 | Minneapolis, Minn. |
Deputy Dan
Sophomore/freshman Dan Harmsen (Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS) collected his first collegiate win at the Wolverines' own Len Paddock Invitational (May 5-6), capturing the 400-meter intermediate hurdles titles with a time of 52.53, his second-quickest career performance in the event. Harmsen owns a season-best 52.26, which he registered at the Duke Invitational (April 7-8), to place him second on the Big Ten performance list.
Overcoming the First Hurdle
Freshman Rob Fiorillo (Holly, Mich./Holly HS) also claimed his first collegiate victory in front of the home crowd at the Len Paddock meet (Mey 5-6), winning the 110-meter hurdles with a career-best time of 14.57. Since returning from injury to the longer high-hurdle event the Wolverine freshman has improved his personal best in every outdoor race this season, shaving a total of 0.74 seconds over a six-week span.
Stann and Deliver
Junior Stann Waithe (Towson, Md./Loch Raven HS) successfully defended his 200-meter Len Paddock crown last weekend (May 5-6), posting a time of 21.76 to lead a quartet of U-M runners among the top five in the event. Waithe will opt out of the event at the Big Ten meet, favoring instead the 400-meter dash, in which he holds an NCAA regional-qualifying 46.78 and lists third on the conference performance list.
From the Vault
Fifth-year senior Kevin Peterman (Livonia, Mich./Churchill HS) posted a career-best performance in the pole vault, claiming fourth place in the event with a clearance of 16-1. The Wolverine hit the mark, a 1/4-inch improvement on his previous best, on his second attempt at the height. He ranks seventh on the Big Ten Conference performance list.
Saint Paul
Senior/junior Paul Sarantos (Portage, Mich./Northern HS) recently added his name to the list of NCAA Mideast Regional qualifiers for a performance he turned in several weeks ago at the Central Collegiate Championships (April 22). After the discovery that the measuring tape wasn't correctly calibrated, Sarantos was given 0.10 meters added to his mark, bringing his season best to 55-1 1/2 (16.80m) and netting him the qualifying standard on the nose.
Going Back to Cali
With the addition of senior/junior Paul Sarantos' mark from the Central Collegiate meet (April 222), Michigan boasts 11 individual NCAA regional qualifiers in 11 different events as the squad heads into the season's final stretch. U-M boasts a pair of hurdlers, a sprinter, one middle-distance and two distance runners and four field-event specialists. The 2006 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Mideast Regional will be held May 26-27 at the Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.
| Event (Qualifying Standard) | Name | Time/Mark | Date Set |
| 100-Meter Dash (10.50) | Adam Harris | 10.46 | 4/22 Central Collegiate |
| 400-Meter Dash (47.26) | Stann Waithe | 47.14 | 4/1 Yellow Jacket |
| 110-Meter Hurdles (14.30) | Jeff Porter | 13.93 | 4/1 Yellow Jacket |
| 400-Meter Hurdles (52.51) | Dan Harmsen | 52.26 | 4/7 Duke Invitational |
| 1,500-Meter Run (3:47.80) | Mike Woods | 3:46.62 | 4/22 Central Collegiate |
| 1,500-Meter Run (3:47.80) | Lex Williams | 3:47.19 | 4/22 Central Collegiate |
| 3,000-Meter Steeplechase (9:07.00) | Andrew Bauer | 9:06.70 | 4/27 Penn Relays |
| 5,000-Meter Run (14:10.00) | Lex Williams | 14:07.18 | 4/27 Penn Relays |
| High Jump (2.10m) | Brad Miller | 6-10 3/4 (2.10m) | 4/8 Texas Relays |
| Triple Jump (15.08m) | Michael Whitehead | 51-10 (15.54m) | 4/8 Texas Relays |
| Shot Put (16.80m) | Sean Pruitt | 55-3 (16.84m) | 4/28 Penn Relays |
| Paul Sarantos | 55-1 1/2 (16.80m) | 4/22 Central Collegiate |
On the Horizon
After a two-week hiatus, U-M will send its contingent of regional qualifers to the NCAA Mideast Regional (May 26-27) at Tennessee's Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
