Michigan
B1G SPIRE Invitational
SPIRE B1G Invite Awaits Michigan Men in Return to Action
2/9/2021 11:52:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
THIS WEEK
Fri-Sat., Feb. 12-13 -- SPIRE B1G Invitational (Geneva, Ohio), 11:45 a.m. (Friday) |Â 11 a.m. (Saturday)
Meet Central | Live Results
• Complete Meet Notes (PDF)
• Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- After a two-week department-wide pause in activities, the University of Michigan men's track and field team will return to action for the first time since mid-January this Friday and Saturday (Feb. 12-13) at the SPIRE B1G Invitational at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
Michigan is looking to kick-start its 2021 indoor campaign at the same site where it will compete at the Big Ten Indoor Championships later this month (Feb. 25-27), squaring off with league opponents Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers in the two-day competition.
Friday's competition begins at 11:45 a.m. on the track and 12:30 p.m. in the field. The first day will feature a limited four-even track schedule and three men's field event competitions.
The main program on Saturday, featuring competition in seven different track events, gets underway at 11 a.m. The day's field events will start shortly thereafter at 11:20 a.m.
This weekend's meet also will feature a heptathlon competition for those teams whose multi-event competitors were scheduled to compete at last month's U-M B1G Multi-Event Invitational that was canceled as part of the pause.
Though meet entries have not yet been finalized, among those expected to compete for the Michigan men are All-Americans Devin Meyrer and Ayden Owens; and 2021 standouts Tom Brady, Tom Dodd, John Meyer and Josh Zeller.
Spectators will not be allowed into the facility as a precautionary measure and to allow for more room for participants from separate teams to space themselves out within the building.
Fans will be able to follow along with live results from the meet. Regular updates will also be provided via the official social media channels of Michigan track and field.
Wolverines in the National Rankings
| Name | Event | Rank |
| Dubem Amene | 600m | 40 |
| Tom Dodd | Mile | 27 |
| Austin Remick | Mile | 43 |
| Anthony Berry | Mile | 48 |
| Tom Brady | 3,000m | 13 |
| Devin Meyrer | 3,000m | 17 |
| Jacob Lee | 3,000m | 31 |
| Oli Raimond | 3,000m | 33 |
| Ayden Owens | 60H | 20 |
| Josh Zeller | 60H | 30 |
| Cassidy Henshaw | High Jump | 40 |
| John Meyer | Shot Put | 17 |
Featured Events
Mile - Sub-four-minute mile hopefuls Anthony Berry, Tom Dodd and Oli Raimond of Michigan will square off on Saturday with established sub-four men in Big Ten cross country champion George Kusche of Nebraska and 2020 Big Ten mile silver medalist Matthew Schadler of Indiana.
5000 Meters - In what will be their first race since running personal bests over 3,000 meters at the Simmons-Harvey Invitational, Tom Brady and Devin Meyrer, among others, will take on the 5,000-meter distance on Friday. Also in the field are defending Big Ten Indoor champion Morgan Beadlescomb of Michigan State and double 2020 silver-medalist Ben Veatch of Indiana.
Shot Put - John Meyer on Saturday will square off with Jeremiah Evans of Michigan State and Ben Peterson of Penn State, both of whom are expected to challenge Meyer for big points in the shot put. Also in the field will be unattached teammate Andrew Liskowitz, the school record-holder and two-time Big Ten Indoor champion.
Heptathlon - Over the course of both Friday and Saturday, Ayden Owens will make his Michigan heptathlon debut while looking to put up a score that will qualify for NCAAs. The duo of Mason Mahacek and Heath Baldwin, who established themselves as the two best first-year heptathletes in school history last winter, are looking to build on a record-breaking freshman year in their sophomore heptathlon debuts.
Team Notes
• Now is a good time to be Tom Brady from the University of Michigan. Not only did the football player just win his seventh Super Bowl, the runner is ranked among the nation's best at the 3,000-meter distance. Nearly a month on from his blistering 7:58.06 win at the Simmons-Harvey Invitational, Brady soon will have another chance to build on his early-season momentum as the dual indoor and cross country postseasons approach.
• Brady leads a crew at 3,000 meters that is ranked No. 4 in the USTFCCCA Event Squad Rankings, which ranks the best quartets at each school in each event. Brady is joined by Devin Meyrer (8:00.95), Jacob Lee (8:04.45) and Oli Raimond (8:05.71) as one of the nation's best early-season 3,000-meter corps. The foursome of Tom Dodd, Austin Remick, Anthony Berry and Colton Yesney comprise the seventh-ranked group in the mile, as well. As more distance runners cross over to other distances in the coming weeks, expect those groups to become more impressive.
• It has been a long time coming, but the best heptathlon crew in Michigan history is nearing its debut. Ayden Owens soon will make his U-M multi-event debut after earning All-America honors two years ago for USC at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a score of 5,809 points as a freshman. The Michigan record is 5,843 by Steven Bastien in 2017. Owens will be joined by the duo of Mason Mahacek and Heath Baldwin, who in 2020 became the two best freshmen in Michigan heptathlon history at 5,343 points and 5,210 points, respectively.
• Owens also leads a 60-meter hurdles quartet ranked No. 3 nationally in the USTFCCCA Event Squad Rankings. His 7.87 season's best is just ahead of the 7.95 posted so far by top returner Josh Zeller, who owns a career best of 7.86. Job Mayhue, who has gone 7.98 in years past, sits at 8.12 with Heath Baldwin at 8.25.
• John Meyer has picked up where he left off in the shot put last year, almost literally. Meyer closed the 2020 season with a fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Indoor Championships on the strength of a heave of 19.06m (62 feet, 6.5 inches). In 2021, he sits at 19.09m (62-7.75). With teammate Andrew Liskowitz sidelined until the outdoor season with no remaining indoor eligibility, this winter is Meyer's time to shine in the ring, and he is taking advantage.
Players Mentioned
