Michigan
Big Ten Outdoor Championships
Michigan Men Ready for Big Ten Outdoor Championships
5/8/2019 2:38:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
THIS WEEK
Fri-Sun., May 10-12 -- Big Ten Outdoor Championships (Iowa City, Iowa)
Meet Central
Friday, May 10 -- Day 1, noon CDT
TV: BTN Plus, FloTrack Pro | Live Results | Live Video: BTN Plus | FloTrack
Saturday, May 11 -- Day 2, 9:30 a.m. CDT
TV: BTN Plus, FloTrack Pro | Live Results | Live Video: BTN Plus | FloTrack
Sunday, May 12 -- Day 3, 11 a.m. CDT
TV: BTN Plus, FloTrack Pro | Live Results | Live Video: BTN Plus | FloTrack
• Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Postseason competition begins this weekend as the University of Michigan men take aim at a third top-four finish in the past four years at the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Iowa on Friday through Sunday (May 10-12).
Led by former conference champions Taylor McLaughlin, Joe Ellis and Andrew Liskowitz, the Wolverine men will battle the conference's best in 21 different individual and relay events with hopes of claiming the overall team title by Sunday's end.
Action in Iowa City begins Friday at noon CDT as both the decathlon and field events get underway. A program of qualifying rounds for track events begins at 5:35 p.m. CDT, capped by the 10,000-meter final at 7:30 p.m. CDT.
Saturday's competition leads off with the resumption of the decathlon at 9:30 a.m. CDT, with action in the field events kicking off at 1:20 p.m. CDT. More qualifying rounds on the track get underway at 4 p.m. CDT, with the final in the 3,000-meter steeplechase concluding the second of three days at 6:30 p.m. CDT.
Sunday features exclusively finals both in the field events and on the track. Field competition commences at 11 a.m. CDT, with action on the oval getting underway at 12:45 p.m. CDT. The conference championships will conclude with the 4x400 relay at 3:33 p.m. CDT.
Fans can watch the proceedings live on the subscription streaming services of FloTrack Pro and BTN+. Live results will be available through Primetime Timing. Event-by-event updates will also be provided on the Michigan track and field program's official Twitter account, @umichtrack.
Wolverines to Watch
• Heading into the championships, numerous Wolverines are in position to score points for the team as top-eight finishers in their respective events. Listed below are the men who currently are ranked top-12 in their respective events.
1. Andrew Liskowitz - Shot Put
2. Devin Meyrer -- 10,000 meters
2. Joe Ellis -- Hammer Throw
3. Taylor McLaughlin -- 400-meter hurdles
3. Jack Lint -- Decathlon
4. Roland Amarteifio -- 400-meter hurdles
6. Job Mayhue -- 110-meter hurdles
8. Michigan -- 4x400 relay
8. Manning Plater -- Hammer Throw
9. Jack Aho -- 5,000 meters
9. Daniel Butael -- Triple Jump
10. Sierra Hendrix-Williams -- 110-meter hurdles
10. Joost Plaetinck -- 3,000-meter steeplechase
10. Michigan -- 4x100 relay
10. Max Wagner -- High Jump
11. Roland Amarteifio -- 110-meter hurdles
11. Lewis Tate -- 3,000-meter steeplechase
12. Daniel Butael -- Long Jump
12. Manning Plater -- Discus
• Liskowitz heads to Iowa ranked No. 1 in the conference in the shot put (Saturday, 2 p.m. CDT) and as the reigning indoor champion. Only one other Big Ten opponent has thrown a single mark within Liskowitz's best of 20.23m (66 feet, 4.5 inches) from this spring, but he has been even more dominant than that statistic shows. He actually owns the eight farthest throws in the conference this season.
• McLaughlin returns as the defending champion in the 400-meter hurdles, looking to claim his second-straight and the third of his career, including the one he won as a freshman in 2016. He has only competed in the event once this season, decisively winning the Len Paddock Open in 51.36 last Friday (May 3). McLaughlin leads the third-deepest 400 hurdles crew in the country (per the USTFCCCA Event Squad Rankings), with fourth-ranked Roland Amarteifio also looking to make the final and score for the second year in a row. They run the qualifiers Friday (May 10) at 5:35 p.m. CDT in hopes of making the Sunday final at 2:18 p.m. CDT.
• Ellis will look to reclaim the hammer throw title he last won in 2017. He enters Friday's contest at noon CDT ranked second in the conference, but has a history of performing well at the conference meet. He has broken his own school record at each of the past two Big Ten meets.
• Decathlete Jack Lint will be in for a grueling two-day battle over 10 events in what is shaping up to be a close chase for the title. He enters the meet ranked third, but his career-best of 7,596 points from earlier this year is just 36 points behind conference leader Nick Guerrant of Michigan State. In the three meets since his PR score, he has set new personal records in the individual events of the discus, long jump, pole vault and 110-meter hurdles, setting the stage for another big performance.
• In addition to the 400-meter hurdles, Amarteifio will also be looking to make a return trip to the 110-meter hurdles final with teammate Sierra Hendrix-Williams. They are both looking to be joined in the final by true freshman Job Mayhue, ranked sixth in the conference this year.
» Distance runner Devin Meyrer enters Friday's 10,000-meter final (7:30 p.m. CDT) ranked second in the conference. Though several top runners in the conference have not yet contested the event, Meyrer is still well-positioned to score for the Wolverines given his strength at both 10,000 and 5,000 meters this year. The 5,000-meter crew (Sunday, 2:49 p.m.), led by cross country All-American Jack Aho, will look to replicate the upset Big Ten title by Aaron Baumgarten a year ago.
» Returning as scorers from the most recent indoor champions are Liskowitz, Ellis, McLaughlin, Lint, Amarteifio, Hendrix-Williams, Mayhue, Aho, Will Landowne, Ben Hill, Chase Barnett, and Daniel Butael.
» Returning as scorers from the most recent outdoor champions are Liskowitz, Ellis, McLaughlin, and Amarteifio.
When to Watch the Wolverines
| Friday (May 10) | Event | Round | Time (CDT) |
| Jack Lint | 100 meter dash | Decathlon | 12:00 PM |
| Joe Ellis | Hammer Throw | Final | 12:00 PM |
| Manning Plater | Hammer Throw | Final | 12:00 PM |
| Jack Lint | Long Jump | Decathlon | 12:45 PM |
| Jack Lint | Shot Put | Decathlon | 2:00 PM |
| Jack Lint | High Jump | Decathlon | 2:45 PM |
| Jack Lint | 400-meter dash | Decathlon | 5:00 PM |
| Roland Amarteifio | 400-meter hurdles | Prelims | 5:35 PM |
| Noah Caudy | 400-meter hurdles | Prelims | 5:35 PM |
| Sean Marshall | 400-meter hurdles | Prelims | 5:35 PM |
| Taylor McLaughlin | 400-meter hurdles | Prelims | 5:35 PM |
| Joe McCarthy | 200-meter dash | Prelims | 6:15 PM |
| Chase Barnett | 1,500 meter run | Prelims | 6:45 PM |
| Ben Hill | 1500 meter run | Prelims | 6:45 PM |
| Cole Johnson | 1,500 meter run | Prelims | 6:45 PM |
| Devin Meyrer | 10,000 meter run | Final | 7:30 PM |
| Gabe Mudel | 10,000 meter run | Final | 7:30 PM |
| Saturday (May 11) | Event | Round | Time (CDT) |
| Jack Lint | 110-meter hurdles | Decathlon | 9:30 AM |
| Jack Lint | Discus | Decathlon | 10:10 AM |
| Jack Lint | Pole Vault | Decathlon | 11:20 AM |
| Jack Lint | Javelin | Decathlon | 1:15 PM |
| Daniel Butael | Long Jump | Final | 1:20 PM |
| Andrew Liskowitz | Shot Put | Final | 2:00 PM |
| Jack Lint | 1,500-meter run | Decathlon | 3:10 PM |
| Vail Hartman | 400-meter dash | Prelims | 4:00 PM |
| Desmond Melson | 400-meter dash | Prelims | 4:00 PM |
| Alex Schwedt | 400-meter dash | Prelims | 4:00 PM |
| Alex Klemm | High Jump | Final | 4:00 PM |
| Max Wagner | High Jump | Final | 4:00 PM |
| Stephen Hagen | 100-meter dash | Prelims | 4:30 PM |
| Desmond Nicholas | 100-meter dash | Prelims | 4:30 PM |
| Roland Amarteifio | 110-meter hurdles | Prelims | 5:00 PM |
| Sierra Hendrix-Williams | 110-meter hurdles | Prelims | 5:00 PM |
| Job Mayhue | 110-meter hurdles | Prelims | 5:00 PM |
| Matt Plowman | 800 meter run | Prelims | 5:30 PM |
| Derrick Simmons | 800 meter run | Prelims | 5:30 PM |
| Christian Hubaker | Steeplechase | Final | 6:30 PM |
| Joost Plaetinck | Steeplechase | Final | 6:30 PM |
| Lewis Tate | Steeplechase | Final | 6:30 PM |
| Sunday (May 12) | Event | Round | Time (CDT) |
| Daniel Butael | Triple Jump | Final | 11:00 AM |
| 4x100 Relay | 4x100 relay | Final | 12:45 PM |
| Finalist TBD | 1,500 meter-run | Final | 1:05 PM |
| Finalist TBD | 110-meter hurdles | Final | 1:25 PM |
| Andrew Liskowitz | Discus | Final | 1:30 PM |
| Manning Plater | Discus | Final | 1:30 PM |
| Finalist TBD | 400-meter dash | Final | 1:40 PM |
| Finalist TBD | 100-meter dash | Final | 1:50 PM |
| Finalist TBD | 800-meter run | Final | 2:03 PM |
| Finalist TBD | 400-meter hurdles | Final | 2:18 PM |
| Finalist TBD | 200-meter dash | Final | 2:35 PM |
| Jack Aho | 5,000-meter run | Final | 2:49 PM |
| Isaac Harding | 5,000-meter run | Final | 2:49 PM |
| Ben Hill | 5,000-meter run | Final | 2:49 PM |
| Will Landowne | 5,000-meter run | Final | 2:49 PM |
| Relay, 4x400 | 4x400 relay | Final | 3:33 PM |
How the Championships Work
The Wolverines will endeavor to finish as high as possible in each of the 19 individual events and two relay events. Student-athletes who finish top-eight in each event will earn points that contribute to their team's overall score.
Event winners receive 10 points, with the runner-up tallying eight points for his team. Third place earns six points, fourth place earns five, fifth earns four, sixth earns three, seventh earns two and eighth earns one. In the event of ties, the points are split evenly between those who tie (i.e. if two athletes tie for seventh, the three total points between seventh and eighth are split evenly, with each athlete receiving 1.5 points).
On the track, qualifying rounds are held for several events to determine who will compete in the finals. From the preliminaries, 10 men will advance to Sunday's final in both the 100 meters and the 110-meter hurdles. Nine men will advance to compete in the finals in the 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters and 400-meter hurdles. Twelve men will advance to the 1,500-meter finals.
Between all of those track events with qualifying rounds, Michigan will be looking to advance as many of its 18 entrants in those events on to Sunday's final to maximize the team scoring potential. The Wolverines have eight advancement opportunities on Friday, with 10 more on Saturday.
Several track events are finals only, including the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, 3,000-meter steeplechase and both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
The top-eight finishers in each field event also earn team points. The high jump and pole vault are straight finals, with the student-athletes who jump the highest earning team points. The remaining field events -- the horizontal jumps and throws -- feature a "trials and finals" format, with all competitors getting three qualifying attempts. At the conclusion of qualifying, the nine men with the best marks advance to a final round for three more attempts.
NCAA Postseason Check-In
• All of the aforementioned Wolverines and more are hoping to qualify for the NCAA Championships, but they will first have to make it through the NCAA East Preliminaries in late May. Qualification for the East Prelims requires a student-athlete to be among the 48 highest-ranked athletes in the East Region who declare to compete in a given event. With some who choose to not declare -- for instance, those who rank highly in multiple events who choose to focus on a different event -- the actual rank of those who qualify can dip into the 50s and potentially the 60s.
• Below is a list of where Michigan men rank in the NCAA East Region, along with the performance that ultimately served as the 48th-and-final performance accepted into the Prelims for context. They are separated into five categories of likelihood of eventual qualification, based on previous years' last qualifying marks and how the events are shaping up across the region in 2019.
Locks to Qualify
3. Andrew Liskowitz, Shot Put -- 20.23m (2018 Final Qualifier: 17.15m)
4. Jack Lint, Decathlon -- 7596 (2018 Final Qualifier: 7475)
8. Joe Ellis, Hammer Throw -- 70.88m (2018 Final Qualifier: 59.87m)
17. Taylor McLaughlin, 400 hurdles -- 51.36 (2018 Final Qualifier: 52.30)
Strong Position to Qualify
19. Devin Meyrer, 10,000 meters -- 29:17.39 (2018 Final Qualifier: 29:59.37)
21. Roland Amarteifio, 400 hurdles -- 51.47 (2018 Final Qualifier: 52.30)
22. Jack Aho, 5,000 meters -- 13:59.37 (2018 Final Qualifier: 14:16.50)
22. Manning Plater, Hammer Throw -- 62.51m (2018 Final Qualifier: 59.87m)
27. Devin Meyrer, 5,000 meters -- 14:00.91 (2018 Final Qualifier: 14:16.50)
28. Job Mayhue, 110 hurdles -- 13.99 (2018 Final Qualifier: 14.07)
31. Ben Hill -- 3:44.97 (2018 Final Qualifier: 3:45.82)
Likely to Qualify
37. Manning Plater, Discus Throw -- 53.39m (2018 Final Qualifier: 51.39m)
On the Bubble
42. Joost Plaetinck, Steeplechase -- 9:00.58 (2018 Final Qualifier: 9:03.39)
43. Lewis Tate, Steeplechase -- 9:01.34 (2018 Final Qualifier: 9:03.39)
46. Andrew Liskowitz, Discus Throw -- 52.40m (2018 Final Qualifier: 51.39m)
47. Isaac Harding, 5,000 meters -- 14:07.09 (2018 Final Qualifier: 14:16.50)
Currently Just Outside the Bubble
39. Max Wagner, High Jump -- 2.10m (2018 Final Qualifier: 2.11m)
54. Daniel Butael, Triple Jump -- 15.10m (2018 Final Qualifier: 15.23m)
55. Sierra Hendrix-Williams, 110 hurdles -- 14.18 (2018 Final Qualifier: 14.07)
58. Roland Amarteifio, 110 hurdles -- 14.21 (2018 Final Qualifier: 14.07)
Players Mentioned
