Michigan
Silverston Invitational
Wolverines Set for Final Home Meet of 2018
2/14/2018 11:54:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
» The Silverston Invitational will be the final opportunity for fans to see the new world-class U-M Indoor Track Building in its inaugural season.
» Big Ten contenders Andrew Liskowitz (shot put) and Taylor McLaughlin (400 meters) headline the Wolverine contingent.
» This is the final weekend of competition ahead of the Big Ten Championships on Feb. 23-24.
THIS WEEK
Friday, Feb. 16 -- Silverston Invitational (U-M Indoor Track Building), 1 p.m.
Meet Information | Live Results
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Only one more weekend remains before the Big Ten Indoor Championships, and the national No. 17-ranked University of Michigan men's track and field team will be spending it at home for the final time this season.
The Silverston Invitational on Friday afternoon (Feb. 16), which will start at 1 p.m. at the new U-M Indoor Track Building, will serve as one last tune-up for several of the Wolverines' likely Big Ten competitors and for others, one last opportunity to make their cases for inclusion on the postseason roster.
Opposing the Wolverines in their final home competition of the new world-class indoor facility's inaugural season are student-athletes from a slew of teams from around the region. Among those in the field are Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Detroit Mercy, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Oakland, Toledo from the NCAA Division I level; NCAA Division II foe Saginaw Valley; NCAA D-III opponents Calvin, Heidelberg, North Central (Ill.), Ohio Northern; and Canadian Universities Western Ontario and Windsor.
Several unattached and post-collegiate athletes will also compete.
Action begins both on the track and in the field at 1 p.m., with doors to the facility opening at noon. Spectators are encouraged to park in the commuter lot south of the Athletics South Competition and Performance Center, which houses the indoor track building.
Fans can follow along both from the stands and from afar by following live results via Delta Timing and social media updates from the program's official accounts.
WOLVERINE COMPETITORS
A pair of Big Ten title contenders will be getting one final run-through prior to taking on the conference's best in Geneva, Ohio, next weekend.
Thrower Andrew Liskowitz and sprinter Taylor McLaughlin are both in action in their respective signature indoor events (shot put and 400 meters), as are hurdlers Sierra Hendrix-Williams and Roland Amarteifio.
Though he had some big throws last weekend at Vanderbilt, Liskowitz was not able to land any of them in fair territory as he fouled out in the trials. Friday will be his chance to not only put one more strong meet on the board heading into Big Tens, but also to chase Derek Sievers' school record of 19.50m (63 feet, 11.75 inches) from 2015. At 19.36m (63-6), he is only 14 centimeters away.
McLaughlin will be looking to notch one more strong run in the quarter mile ahead of Big Tens. As a two-time scorer and the indoor school record-holder in the event, he will take aim at his first 46-second clocking of the year -- potential he has already flashed with a 46.235 split in the winning 4x400 relay two weekends ago.
Hendrix-Williams and Amarteifio are going for another weekend of improvement in the 60-meter hurdles. Hendrix-Williams became just the eighth man in school history to run sub-eight seconds in the event with a 7.99 clocking at Kent State this past weekend, while Amarteifio is knocking on the same door with an 8.03 career-best two weeks ago.
Also competing are Desmond Nicholas and Stephen Hagen (60 meters); Hagen, Desmond Melson, Josiah Carpenter, Blake Washington and Vail Hartman (200 meters); Matt Plowman (600 meters); Jordy Hewitt, Ryan Wilkie and Garrett McPeek (800 meters); Ben Hill, Luke Wallace and Jared Hill (mile); Austin Benoit, Christian Hubaker, Joost Plaetinck and Lewis Tate (3,000 meters); Drake Johnson and Noah Caudy (60-meter hurdles); Max Wagner (high jump); Isaac Skinner (pole vault); and Manning Plater (shot put and weight throw).
WOLVERINES IN THE RANKINGS
• The Wolverines checked in at No. 17 in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Team Rankings, up three spots from last time. The mark is the highest for Michigan since a No. 13 ranking during the 2009 season. Among Big Ten teams, only No. 8 Penn State and No. 14 Indiana are ranked higher, with No. 20 Ohio State also part of the top-25.
• Wolverines in the Big Ten rankings:
| Name | Event | Rank |
| Khoury Crenshaw | 60m | 9 |
| Taylor McLaughlin | 400m | 4 |
| Chase Barnett | Mile | 5 |
| Aaron Baumgarten | 3000m | 8 |
| Ben Flanagan | 5000m | 1 |
| Micah Beller | 5000m | 9 |
| 4 x 400m Relay | 5 | |
| Distance Medley Relay | 3 | |
| Brandon Piwinski | High Jump | 8 |
| Daniel Butael | Triple Jump | 5 |
| Kevin Stephens, Jr. | Triple Jump | 7 |
| Andrew Liskowitz | Shot Put | 2 |
| Grant Cartwright | Shot Put | 3 |
| Joe Ellis | Weight Throw | 1 |
| Grant Cartwright | Weight Throw | 3 |
• Wolverines in the national NCAA rankings (top 16 advance to NCAAs in individual events, top 12 relay teams qualify)
| Name | Event | Rank |
| Taylor McLaughlin | 400m | 37 |
| Ben Flanagan | 5000m | 18 |
| 4 x 400m Relay | 27 | |
| Distance Medley Relay | 6 | |
| Kevin Stephens, Jr. | Triple Jump | 40 |
| Daniel Butael | Triple Jump | 49 |
| Andrew Liskowitz | Shot Put | 12 |
| Grant Cartwright | Shot Put | 16 |
| Joe Ellis | Weight Throw | 1 |
| Grant Cartwright | Weight Throw | 6 |
Players Mentioned
