Michigan
USC Trojan Invitational
Three Wolverines Post Qualifying Marks at Trojan Invite
3/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- After a short two-week hiatus, the University of Michigan men's track and field team returned to action at the University of Southern California's Trojan Invitational on Saturday (March 24) at USC's Loker Track and Field Stadium. Performing in its first outdoor competition of the season, U-M boasted three NCAA regional qualifying efforts.
In his first race since winning the NCAA title in the 60-meter hurdles two weeks ago, senior Jeff Porter (Somerset, N.J./Franklin) posted an NCAA regional qualifying mark in the 100-meter hurdles. Porter clocked a time of 14.19 to tie for third place in the event. His time was one of only five among the 20-man field that cracked the 14.50 mark. Sophomore Rob Fiorillo (Holly, Mich./Holly) placed 10th with a time of 15.10.
Also continuing his strong performance from the NCAA Indoor Championships was fifth-year senior Andrew Ellerton (Sudbury, Ontario/Confederation). After finishing runner-up in the 800-meter run a couple of weeks ago, Ellerton finished second this weekend and posted an NCAA regional mark of 1:49.79. Overall, the Wolverines had four competitors place in the top-15 spots among the 27-man field in the event. Sophomore Justin Switzer (Waterford, Mich./Kettering) placed fourth (1:52.61), junior Andrew Wechter (Shelby, Ohio/Shelby) took ninth (1:54.58), and senior John D'Arcy (Clayton, Ohio/Northmont) claimed 15th (1:57.28). Both Switzer and Wechter established new personal bests.
Another Wolverine qualifying performance came from senior Michael Whitehead (East Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area). Last year's NCAA outdoor runner-up in the triple jump landed a mark of 49-3 1/2, which was good for sixth place overall and fourth among college athletes as the top two marks came from USC alums.
Junior/sophomore Dan Harmsen (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) was almost the fourth Wolverine to grab a regional qualifying mark when he took third place in the 400-meter hurdles. Harmsen clocked a time of 52.56, just five one-hundreths off the qualifying mark of 52.51. Sophomore Stevann Waithe (Towson, Md./Loch Raven) placed 18th with a personal best of 56.48.
Sophomore Adam Harris (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) also had a strong day, placing in the top five in two events. In the 100-meter dash Harris clocked 10.96 to take fifth place. Later in the day, he competed in the 200-meter dash and clocked a personal-best time of 21.29 to finish in fourth place. His previous personal record in the event was 21.30, which he set last April at the Central Collegiate Championships.
Next week a portion of the Maize and Blue will travel to Palo Alto, Calif., to compete in the Stanford Invitational, while other Wolverines will head to Chapel Hill, N.C., to compete at the University of North Carlolina Invitational. Both meets will be held Friday and Saturday, March 30-31.
Event Winners/U-M Results
100-meter Dash 1. Richard Adu-Bobie, Texas A&M 10.78 5. Adam Harris U-M 10.96 200-meter Dash 1. Ahmad Rashad, USC 20.89 4. Adam Harris, U-M 21.29 18. Jeff Porter, U-M 22.32 35. Robert Fiorillo, U-M 23.27 400-meter Dash 1. Lionel Larry, USC 45.75# 14. Andre Barnes, U-M 49.65 16. Ricky Fleming, U-M 49.70 19. Kyle Terpak, U-M 50.13 800-meter Run 1. Duane Solomon, USC 1:47.96# 2. Andrew Ellerton, U-M 1:49.79# 4. Justin Switzer, U-M 1:52.61 9. Andrew Wechter, U-M 1:54.58 15. John D'Arcy, U-M 1:57.28 110-meter Hurdles 1. Kai Kelley, USC 13.99# t3. Jeff Porter, U-M 14.19# 10. Robert Fiorillo, U-M 15.10 400-meter Hurdles 1. Kai Kelley, USC 51.51# 3. Dan Harmsen, U-M 52.56 18. Stevann Waithe, U-M 56.48 4x400-meter Relay 1. USC 'A' 3:05.88# 5. Michigan 'A' 3:13.03 (Dan Harmsen, Andrew Ellerton, Andre Barnes, Andrew Wechter) 10. Michigan 'B' 3:20.69 (Ricky Fleming, John D'Arcy, Kyle Terpak, Stevann Waithe) Triple Jump (Section A) 1. Allen Simms, Usc Alumni 55-4 3/4# (16.88m) 6. Michael Whitehead, U-M 49-3 1/2# (15.02m) Shot Put (Section B) 1. Joseph Fraijo, Northride 52-9 1/2 (16.09m) 5. Vince Belitsos, U-M 48-0 (14.63m) 7. Dan Bedoya, U-M 45-1 3/4 (13.76m) -- Paul Sarantos, U-M FOUL # NCAA Regional Qualifying Mark
Contact: Tim Trunzo (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
