Michigan
NCAA East Preliminaries
Back-to-Back-to-Back: McLaughlin Returns to NCAA Championships
5/25/2018 11:45:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
Site: Tampa, Fla. (USF Track & Field Stadium)
Event: NCAA East Preliminary Rounds (Day 2 of 3)
U-M Team Result: No Team Scoring
Next U-M Event: Saturday, May 26 -- NCAA East Preliminary Rounds (Tampa, Fla.) – Day 3, 2 p.m.
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Confirmed NCAA Championships Qualifiers: Ben Flanagan (10,000m), Taylor McLaughlin (400m hurdles)
TAMPA, Fla. -- For the third time in his three-year career at Michigan, hurdler Taylor McLaughlin of the men's track and field team will be going to the national meet by virtue of his performance on day two of the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds on Friday (May 25).
McLaughlin made it back-to-back-to-back trips to the NCAA Outdoor Championships -- to be held this year in Eugene, Oregon., on June 6-9 -- in his signature 400-meter hurdles events on the strength of a decisive win in his quarterfinal heat.
With only the top three men in each of the three quarterfinal heats, plus the next three fastest among those outside the top three, making it through to Eugene, McLaughlin left nothing to chance as he cruised to the win in 49.89 in the day's first heat. Runner-up Cory Poole of Florida was nearly a third of a second behind the two-time All-American McLaughlin.
Between all three heats, only North Carolina's Kenny Selmon was faster on the day at 48.91, and those two were the only sub-50-second performers of the day.
The sub-50-second clocking for McLaughlin was his third in his last four races, a vast improvement over a 2017 sophomore season in which he did not crack 50 seconds, and an improvement on where he was at this point as a freshman in 2016.
In his four races at the Big Ten Championships and NCAA East Prelims in 2016, he broke 50 seconds twice and averaged 50.74; this year, he has cracked 50 seconds three times had has been nearly three-quarters of a second faster, on average, at 50 seconds flat.
In the only other action of the day for the Michigan men, Connor Mora just missed making his first NCAA Outdoor Championships appearance in his fourth NCAA East Prelims appearance.
The senior ran a season's best 8:49.90 in the 3,000 meter steeplechase for sixth in his heat and 14th place overall, missing the final non-automatic time qualifying spot by less than three seconds.
After running in the back or middle of the pack for much of the race, he found himself eighth with two laps to go, but losing contact with the lead group of four runners. A strong move on the penultimate lap -- only the three leaders came around quicker than his 75.27 second-to-last lap -- propelled him into fifth at the bell.
He was unable to hold on for that spot, however, as El Hocine Bouchrak of High Point was able to get by him late and clinch the final non-automatic berth with his fifth-place finish in the heat.
Only Saturday's action remains on the NCAA East Prelims schedule now, with Brandon Piwinski up in the high jump at 2 p.m., Kevin Stephens Jr. in the triple jump at 3:30 p.m., Andrew Liskowitz and Grant Cartwright in the shot put at 5:30 p.m., and Aaron Baumgarten and Micah Beller in the 5,000 meters at 8:05 p.m.
FULL MICHIGAN RESULTS BY EVENT
Q = Automatic qualifier to NCAA East Prelims quarterfinals
q = Non-automatic qualifier to NCAA East Prelims quarterfinals
w = wind-aided (greater than 2.0 meter-per-second [m/s] wind)
5,000 Meters (Semifinals)
To be contested Saturday
10,000 Meters (Semifinals) [Thursday]
3. Ben Flanagan / 29:17.24 (Advanced to NCAA Championships)
400-Meter Hurdles (Quarterfinal)
2. Taylor McLaughlin / 49.89 (Advanced to NCAA Championships)
4. Taylor McLaughlin / 50.56Q (Thursday, first round)
36. Roland Amarteifio / 52.70 (Thursday, first round)
3,000-Meter Steeplechase (Quarterfinals)
To be contested Friday in the evening session; check back later for recap
High Jump (First Round)
To be contested Saturday
Triple Jump (First Round)
To be contested Saturday
Shot Put (First Round)
To be contested Saturday
Hammer Throw (First Round) [Thursday]
15. Joe Ellis / 65.47m (214-9)
17. Grant Cartwright / 65.12m (213-8)
37. Manning Plater / 59.01m (193-7)
Players Mentioned
