Michigan
NCAA Outdoor Championships
McLaughlin an All-American as Michigan Posts Top-20 NCAA Finish
6/8/2018 11:36:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
Site: Eugene, Ore. (Hayward Field)
Event: NCAA Outdoor Championships (Day 2 of 2)
U-M Team Result: Tie-20th of 69 teams (14 points)
Next U-M Event: Season complete
• Results | Photo Gallery
EUGENE, Ore. -- For the second time in three years at the University of Michigan, Taylor McLaughlin earned first team All-America honors Friday (June 8) to lead the Wolverines on the final day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Running through cold and drizzly conditions, McLaughlin ran the fastest time he has ever clocked in NCAA competition -- 49.59 -- to take fifth in the 400-meter hurdles final, mirroring his place from 2016.
Between McLaughlin and Wednesday's dramatic 10,000-meter win by Ben Flanagan, the Michigan men tied for 20th in the overall team standings with 14 points. Among Big Ten teams, only 12th-place Ohio State and 18th-place Penn State finished higher, with Illinois tied with the Wolverines.
This marks the second top-20 finish for Michigan in the past three seasons, following a 13th-place effort in 2016.
With his second top-eight finish, McLaughlin became just the third Wolverine in history to finish eighth or better in multiple championships -- joining former NCAA champion Neil Gardner and Dick Cephas -- and the first to do so in non-consecutive seasons.
McLaughlin finished as part of a top-five of which all clocked collegiate personal-best times. Winner Rai Benjamin of Southern California broke the collegiate record at 47.02.
McLaughlin held steady around fifth place for much of the race. Approaching the 200-meter mark of the race he was the fifth man over the hurdles, and he was the fifth man over the final barrier halfway down the homestretch.
The time was only surpassed in his career by the 49.45 he ran to win the IAAF World Junior silver medal in 2016, and is surpassed in Michigan collegiate-season history (NCAA Championships or earlier) by three other performances.
Gardner ran 49.18 and 49.27 at the 1997 and 1996 NCAA Championships, and Ali Arastu clocked 49.37 at the 2013 NCAA meet.
Facing similar rainy conditions to what he survived at the NCAA East Prelims high jump two weekends ago, Brandon Piwinski made it over the bar at 2.08m (6 feet, 9.75 inches) on his second try after a near-miss one attempt before.
He nearly cleared the next bar at 2.13m (6-11.75) on each of his three tries at it, but ultimately came up just short as he would settle for a tie for 18th.
Piwinski was one of eight men who made it as high as 2.08m, with the difference between second team All-America honors and Honorable Mention being whether they made it on their first or second attempts.
COLLEGIATE CAREER BESTS AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Grant Cartwright -- 19.61m (64-4) / Shot Put (Wednesday)
Ben Flanagan -- 28:34.53 / 10,000m (Wednesday)
FULL MICHIGAN RESULTS BY EVENT
Q = Automatic qualifier to NCAA Championships Final
q = Non-automatic qualifier to NCAA Championships Final
10,000 Meters (Final) [Wednesday]
1. Ben Flanagan / 28:34.53
400-Meter Hurdles (Final)
5. Taylor McLaughlin / 49.59
6. Taylor McLaughlin / 50.27Q [Wednesday semifinal]
High Jump (Final)
18. Brandon Piwinski / 2.08m (6-9.75)
Shot Put (Final) [Wednesday]
11. Grant Cartwright / 19.61m (64-4)
14. Andrew Liskowitz / 19.19m (62-11.5)
Players Mentioned
