Michigan
SPIRE Invitational
Wolverines Close Out Strong Weekend at SPIRE, Iowa State
2/11/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Feb. 11, 2017
» Johnson came within .01 of the all-time U-M top five in the 60-meter hurdles.
» Brennan Munley and Ned Willig both set career bests at 800 meters to highlight the weekend for the distance runners at Iowa State.
SPIRE DI Invitational
• Results
Site: Geneva, Ohio (SPIRE Institute)
Event: SPIRE DI Invitational (Day 2)
U-M Team Result: Non-scoring
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 18 -- at Notre Dame Alex Wilson Invitational (South Bend, Ind.), 10 a.m.
GENEVA, Ohio -- Drake Johnson and Grant Cartwright posted runner-up finishes to lead the No. 22-ranked University of Michigan men's track and field team in its final day of competition at the SPIRE DI Invitational (Saturday, Feb. 11) at SPIRE Institute.
A career-best 7.93 in the 60-meter hurdles final boosted the dual-sport star Johnson to his second-place finish, while Cartwright was runner-up in the shot put to finish the weekend with a pair of second-place efforts in the throws.
Both performances bode well for themselves and for the team at large, as U-M will return to this same SPIRE Institute in two weekends for the Big Ten Indoor Championships.
After running 8.02 to win his preliminary heat this morning, Johnson improved his career best by two seconds with only Chad Zallow of Youngstown State -- who entered this weekend as the collegiate leader in the event -- crossing the line ahead of him.
Johnson moved to within .01 of the No. 5 spot on the all-time U-M performers list, currently held by Herman Washington at 7.92.
He was followed by teammate Roland Amarteifio in fourth place, himself running a career-best 8.19 after winning his prelims heat. He, too, missed a spot on the all-time top 10 U-M performers list by .01.
Cartwright, doubling back from a career day in the weight throw on Friday (Feb. 10), turned in a mark of 18.50m (60-8.5) in the shot put on his only legal throw of the day. Only Ohio State's Nicholas Demaline was better than Cartwright on the day, with a winning mark of 19.23m (63-1.25).
As of this writing, he ranks 18th nationally; only the top 16 throwers in the country will advance to the NCAA Championships in a month's time.
Elsewhere in the field, after a clutch, third-attempt clearance at 1.96m (6-5), Alex Klemm made it over on his second try in the high jump at 2.01m (6-7) for a new season's best and a fifth-place finish. The make on his final try at 1.96m was important as a miss at that height would have dropped him outside the top 10.
In the 60 meters, Desmond Nicholas ran 6.97 to finish 13th, while Stephen Hagen posted a 7.08.
Alex Schwedt led the way for the Wolverines at 400 meters, finishing 21st in 48.28 to tie his season's best. Blake Washington ran 48.99, while Desmond Melson came through in 49.38.
Those three teamed up with Amarteifio to post a 3:14.74 performance in the 4x400 relay.
Iowa State Classic
• Results 
Site: Ames, Iowa (Lied Recreation Center)
Event: Iowa State Classic (Day 2)
U-M Team Result: Non-scoring
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 18 -- at Notre Dame Alex Wilson Invitational (South Bend, Ind.), 10 a.m.
AMES, Iowa -- Brennan Munley and Ned Willig turned in career-best performances over 800 meters at the Iowa State Classic to lead the No. 22-ranked Wolverines' distance crew on the meet's second and final day.
Running in the second-fastest section of the day, Munley crossed the line in 1:48.24 -- a career best by .14 of a second -- while Willig, one of the nation's fastest milers, took fourth in the third section in 1:49.70. It marks the first sub-1:50 performance of his career indoors, shaving .34 off his previous fastest time.
Munley was running second heading into the final straightaway but was overtaken by three men in a photo finish that saw all six finishers within 1.1 seconds of one another.
Willig made a strong move into second place and nearly into the lead coming around the final turn, but the field was able to respond as he was edged out by BYU's Connor Ross by just .11 of a second.
Ben Hill highlighted the early non-invitational mile action for the Wolverines, running a career-best 4:05.82 to finish fifth overall, right in the middle of a pack of five men between third and seventh within a second-and-a-half of one another.
Chase Barnett was ninth in the first section in 4:09.18, while Matthew Plowman was 11th in his fourth section in 4:18.67.
What a race! Johnson is runner-up in a career-best 7.93 and Amarteifio takes 4th in a career-best 8.19!
-- Michigan Track&Field (@UMichTrack) February 11, 2017
Communications Contact: Kyle Terwillegar
Players Mentioned
