Michigan
Music City Challenge
Hurdlers, Liskowitz Excel on Final Day at Music City Challenge
2/9/2019 7:50:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's track and field team wrapped up the only significant regular-season road trip of the regular season on Saturday (Feb. 9) with historic and career-best performances at the Vanderbilt Music City Challenge and the Iowa State Classic.
Roland Amarteifio and Sierra Hendrix-Williams made history in the hurdles and shot putter Andrew Liskowitz nearly rewrote his own records in his signature event, while the distance runners posted fast times at the Iowa State Classic.
Select Wolverines will be in action next Saturday at the Notre Dame Alex Wilson Invitational, but most of the team will be off from competition while preparing for the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Ann Arbor on Feb. 22-23.
Vanderbilt Music City Challenge
Site: Nashville, Tenn. (Vanderbilt Student Rec Center)
Event: Music City Challenge (Day 2 of 2)
U-M Result: No team scoring
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 16 -- at Notre Dame Alex Wilson Invitational (South Bend, Ind.)
• Complete Results (PDF)
Amarteifio and Hendrix-Williams had career-best days -- and some of the fastest races in Michigan history -- in the 60-meter hurdles. The duo ultimately finished runner-up and fourth, respectively, in the final as they became the first Michigan pair to simultaneously go sub-8.00 in the event since 2014.
Amarteifio improved his pre-meet personal record by a full tenth of a second with a 7.91 clocking, while Hendrix-Williams shaved .02 off his career-best as he crossed the line in 7.97. For Amarteifio, the performance moved him up to a tie for No. 3 in school history (excluding converted 55-meter hurdle and 60-yard hurdle performances) with Erick Gavin and Ali Arastu.
Hendrix-Williams moved up into a tie for No. 8 with Nicholas McCampbell.
Their runs in the final came after quick preliminary times, as Amarteifio qualified with his first sub-8.00 run in 7.97 and Hendrix-Williams clocked an even 8.00.
Action in the field was headlined by shot putter Andrew Liskowitz, who put together one of the best series of throws to date for his 2019 campaign. With a total of four throws farther than 19 meters so far this season, the All-American more than doubled that number on Saturday in a third-place finish.
His 19.62m (64 feet, 4.5 inches) throw on his fourth attempt -- just two centimeters shy of his school record -- was one of five throws farther than 19 meters on the day. For perspective, only 20 men had surpassed that threshold nationally in 2019.
His best throw of the day was preceded in the first three rounds by tosses of 19.01m (62-4.5), 19.31m (63-4.25) and 19.20m (63-0), and was immediately followed by a mark of 63-10.5.
Another school record-holder, Taylor McLaughlin, finished sixth in his record-setting event in a season's best 47.34.
Joining the aforementioned hurdlers, Liskowitz and McLaughlin as top-10 finishers on the day were third-place Daniel Butael in the triple jump and 10th-place Job Mayhue in the hurdles, as well as the fifth-place 4x400 relay.
Full Michigan results can be found at the bottom of the article.
Iowa State Classic
Site: Ames, Iowa. (Lied Recreation Center)
Event: Iowa State Classic (Day 2 of 2)
U-M Result: No team scoring
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 16 -- at Notre Dame Alex Wilson Invitational (South Bend, Ind.)
• Complete Results (PDF)
Two weeks after both Chase Barnett and Ben Hill nearly cracked the four-minute barrier in the mile in Boston, both men were once more unable to dip into three-minute territory in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday.
Barnett held pace for the first 1,300 meters with a group that would eventually produce four sub-four milers, but was unable to stick with the pack over the course of the final lap around the 300-meter track at Iowa State. Hill lost contact with the lead pack earlier in the race on the way to a 4:08.26 clocking.
The second-fastest Wolverine of the day was ultimately true freshman Cole Johnson, who ran 4:07.53 for runner-up in his race. After briefly falling back in the pack around 1,000 meters, Johnson rallied back and closed with a 45.42-second last lap -- the fastest of any Wolverine on the day -- that saw him briefly take the lead off the final turn before being overtaken.
Another freshman performed well in what was his road debut for the Wolverines, as Derrick Simmons came within .03 of a second of both his collegiate career best for the 800 meters and the win in his race with a time of 1:52.42. Simmons took the lead on the final lap but was just edged out at the finish line as the top five finishers in his race all finished within .7 of a second of one another.
Collegiate Career-Best Performances
Career debuts not included
Roland Amarteifio -- 7.91 / 60m Hurdles (I)
Sierra Hendrix-Williams -- 7.97 / 60m Hurdles (I)
Cole Johnson -- 4:07.53 / Mile (I)
Full Michigan Results By Event
Q = Automatic qualifier into final; q = non-automatic qualifier into final
60 Meters (at Vanderbilt)
PRELIMS
18. Desmond Nicholas / 6.95
30. Joe McCarthy / 7.12
200 Meters (at Vanderbilt) [Contested Friday)
8. Joe McCarthy / 21.84
27. Desmond Melson / 22.85
400 Meters (at Vanderbilt)
6. Taylor McLaughlin / 47.34
17. Ian Davis / 48.91
22. Desmond Melson / 49.31
28. Alex Schwedt / 49.82
800 Meters (at Iowa State)
30. Derrick Simmons / 1:52.42
54. Matt Plowman / 2:03.20
Mile (at Iowa State)
14. Chase Barnett / 4:05.14
24. Cole Johnson / 4:07.53
29. Ben Hill / 4:08.26
32. Ryan Wilkie / 4:09.41
40. Andrew Lorant / 4:10.64
50. Anthony Berry / 4:13.32
52. Luke Wallace / 4:13.42
3,000 Meters (at Iowa State) [Contested Friday)
NON-INVITATIONAL SECTIONS
21. Will Landowne / 8:17.14
31. Christian Hubaker / 8:21.00
33. Lewis Tate / 8:21.92
5,000 Meters (at Iowa State) [Contested Friday)
INVITATIONAL SECTION
12. Jack Aho / 14:02.28
NON-INVITATIONAL SECTIONS
18. Devin Meyrer / 14:12.37
24. Jacob Lee / 14:15.67
33. Isaac Harding / 14:23.02
43. Jacob Branch / 15:34.23
60-Meter Hurdles (at Vanderbilt)
FINAL
2. Roland Amarteifio / 7.91
4. Sierra Hendrix-Williams / 7.97
PRELIMS
4. Roland Amarteifio / 7.97Q
5. Sierra Hendrix-Williams / 8.00q
10. Job Mayhue / 8.19
12. Noah Caudy / 8.22
24. Cassidy Henshaw / 8.96
4x400 Relay (at Vanderbilt)
5. Michigan A / 3:14.95
High Jump (at Vanderbilt) [Contested Friday)
8. Brandon Piwinski / 2.02m (6-7.5)
10. Max Wagner / 1.97m (6-5.5)
21. Alex Klemm / 1.87m (6-1.5)
Long Jump (at Vanderbilt)
16. Cassidy Henshaw / 6.63m (21-9)
Triple Jump (at Vanderbilt)
3. Daniel Butael / 14.84m (48-8.25)Â Â
Shot Put (at Vanderbilt)
3. Andrew Liskowitz / 19.62m (64-4.5)
-- . Jack Lint / NM
Weight Throw (at Vanderbilt) [Contested Friday)
2. Joe Ellis / 23.56m (77-3.75)
7. Manning Plater / 19.37m (63-6.75)
19. Andrew Liskowitz / 17.06m (55-11.75)
Players Mentioned
