Michigan
NCAA Mideast Regional (Day 2)
Waithe, 4x400 Relay Team Punch Tickets to Nationals
5/31/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Site: Fayetteville, Ark. (John McDonnell Field)
Event: NCAA Mideast Regional Championships (Day 2)
U-M Team Finish: 9th Place (22 Points)
Next U-M Event: Wed-Sat., June 11-14 -- at NCAA Outdoor Championships (Des Moines, Iowa)
Photo Gallery
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Fifth-year senior Stann Waithe(Towson, Md./Loch Raven HS) punched his ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400-meter dash and helped the Wolverines' 4x400-meter relay team earn a nationals berth as the University of Michigan men's track and field team wrapped up competition in the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships on Saturday (May 31) at Arkansas' John McDonnell Field.
Drawing on the scoring performances of three individuals and two relay teams, the Wolverines earned a ninth-place team finish with 22 points, finishing in the top 10 at the regional meet for the second straight season.
Waithe was the only U-M individual to punch a ticket to the NCAA Championships with a top-five regional finish, placing third in the 400-meter dash with a season-best time of 46.25 and earning six points for Michigan. Waithe entered the finals as the sixth seed and was placed in the eighth lane. Waithe paced himself well next to Gakologelwang Masheto of Illinois for the first 200 meters before separating from the pack on the final turn to finish in the top three. Waithe's third-place finish marks the top regional finish in the 400-meter dash in school history.
Waithe also helped punch the ticket for the 4x400-meter relay team, teaming with junior Andre Barnes(West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield HS), freshman David St. Amant(Livonia, Mich./Winston Churchill HS) and senior/junior Dan Harmsen(Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS) to finish second. The top three relay teams qualified for NCAAs.
After Barnes and St. Amant started the race boxed in among the middle pack, Harmsen was able to slip through a crack on the outside of the homestretch to give Waithe a clean exchange. Waithe closed in on leaders fast, and when Jose Acevedo of Kentucky dropped the baton Waithe took advantage, outkicking Terrill McCombs of Western Kentucky down the homestretch to finish second with a season-best performance of 3:05.79. The second-place performance marks U-M's best finish in the Mideast Regional and the first time since 1982 a 4x400-meter relay team advanced to the NCAA Championships.
Waithe was also a member of the 4x100-meter relay team that posted a season-best time of 40.06, joining freshman Troy Woolfolk(Sugarland, Texas/Dulles HS), Barnes and junior Adam Harris(Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North HS) to finish fifth and earn four points. The fifth-place finish marks the first time Michigan has ever placed in the top five in 4x100-meter relay at the NCAA Mideast Regional.
Harris also finished seventh in the 200-meter dash with a time of 20.90, collecting two points. Harris started off the blocks well but lost a step around the bend in lane two and could not make it up. Harris' seventh-place finish in the 200-meter dash is the highest mark in the regional final in school history.
Harmsen finished seventh in the final of the 400-meter hurdles to earn two points for the Wolverines. Harmsen entered as the third seed in the event and clocked a time of 51.43. He is the first Wolverine hurdler in school history to reach the regional final in the 400-meter hurdles.
After a two-week hiatus, U-M will send its contingent of qualifiers to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, scheduled for June 11-14 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
Final Team Standings (Top 10)
1. Louisiana State 88 2. Auburn 73.5 3. Arkansas 69 4. Tennessee 51 Kentucky 51 6. Mississippi State 48 7. Wisconsin 30 8. Purdue 29.5 9. MICHIGAN 22 10. Louisville 19 Indiana 19 Mississippi 19
Event Winners/U-M Finishers (Day 2)
4x100-meter Relay 1. Tennessee 38.98* 5. Michigan 40.06 (Troy Woolfolk, Andre Barnes, Stann Waithe, Adam Harris) 4x400-meter Relay 1. Mississippi State 3:05.62* 2. Michigan 3:05.79* (Andre Barnes, David St. Amant, Dan Harmsen, Stann Waithe) Hammer Throw 1. Cory Martin, Auburn 239-10* (73.11m) 14. Brendan Lodge, U-M 191-6 (58.37m) 18. Sean Pruitt, U-M 189-4 (57.71m) 22. Vince Belitsos, U-M 185-4 (56.50m) 400-meter Dash 1. Jamil Hubbard, Miss. State 45.72* 3. Stann Waithe, U-M 46.25* 200-meter Dash 1. Richard Thompson, LSU 20.21* 7. Adam Harris, U-M 20.90 400-meter Hurdles 1. Rueben McCoy, Auburn 50.12* 7. Dan Harmsen, U-M 51.43 Discus 1. Rashaud Scott, Kentucky 199-10* (60.91m) 23. Sean Pruitt, U-M 169-7 (51.69m) Q Qualified for NCAA Outdoor Championships
Day 1 Results
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Ron Warhurst
On Stann Waithe's performance... "All the kids that ran on the track today were awesome. Stann did his thing in the 400, getting third with his best time of the season. But the 4x100 is what really set the stage for the day."
On the team's overall success..."Today was very, very nice. The climax of the day was obviously the mile relay. They came close to setting a new school record, but more importantly they finished second and automatically qualified for the nationals. We ended up ninth as a team out of 80 schools, so that's pretty good."
U-M Associate Head Coach Fred LaPlante
On the 4x400-meter relay... "The conditions were perfect, there was no wind, and we were running in a great field. For us (Andrew) Wechter was hurt so David St. Amant was our replacement and they all ran good together. Andre (Barnes) had a great leadoff leg. St. Amant got caught up in a mix of guys, ran great in the traffic, and had an even better pass to (Dan) Harmsen. A lot of bad things could've happen with that handoff, but they somehow got through it and did a perfect job. For us to get second in that field is just great."
Contact: Jeremiah W. Hergott (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
