Michigan
Big Ten Outdoor Championships
Champion Owens Leads Huge Points Haul on Day Two of Big Tens
5/15/2021 9:55:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
Site: Champaign, Ill. (Demirjian Park)
Event: Big Ten Outdoor Championships (Day 2 of 3)
U-M Result: 3rd of 13 teams (43.5 points)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, May 16 -- at Big Ten Outdoor Championships - Day Three (Champaign, Ill.), 12:30 p.m. CDT
• Complete Results (PDF)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- In the span of a half-hour on Saturday (May 15), the University of Michigan men's track and field team went from potential Big Ten Outdoor Championships team title contender to bona fide team title contender with significant point hauls in the decathlon and 3,000-meter steeplechase at Iliinois' Demirjian Park.
Big Ten champion Ayden Owens led his decathlon corps in historic fashion to 15 team points, and then the Wolverines -- led by bronze medalist Joost Plaetinck -- turned in the greatest steeplechase race in school history to amass 17 more in one fell swoop.
At the end of the day, the Wolverines had rocketed from 11.5 points to 43.5, just five points out of the lead behind pre-meet favorite Iowa (48.5) and Penn State (46) entering the final day of competition on Sunday (May 16). Michigan is just ahead of Minnesota (41.33 points), setting up a high-stakes battle for team glory.
The points started pouring in when Owens, Mason Mahacek and Heath Baldwin all ran career-best times at 1,500 meters in the 10th-and-final event of the decathlon just after 6:30 p.m. CDT.
Owens' effort clinched a historic 8,238-point score in the two-day decathlon, obliterating both the U-M record of 8,015 points set by Steven Bastien in 2017 and the Big Ten Championships record of 7,897 by Bjorn Barrefors from 2012. In doing so, Owens moved to No. 2 on the 2021 NCAA list and No. 5 in the world this year, and to No. 2 in all of Big Ten history and No. 17 in all of NCAA history.
He also came just 112 points shy of the Olympics qualifying standard to represent Puerto Rico in Tokyo this summer, though he will have at least one more shot at it at the NCAA Championships in June.
Behind Owens and his 10 team points as the event winner, Baldwin and Mahacek both posted career-best scores of 7,611 points and 7,420 points for fifth and eighth, respectively, to accumulate five more. They moved to Nos. 4 and 5 in school history, respectively, and Baldwin put himself in position to qualify for the NCAA Championships alongside Owens.
A full report of the trio's outstanding day in the decathlon can be found below.
At 6:45 p.m. CDT, the quintet of Plaetinck, Christian Hubaker, Austin Remick, Jack Spamer and Jacob Branch embarked on what would ultimately be the deepest steeplechase result in Michigan history.
Plaetinck captured the bronze in a career-best 8:39.26, Hubaker followed seconds later in fourth in a career-best 8:43.38, Remick was just behind him in fifth in a career-best 8:46.29, and Spamer broke nine minutes for the first time in 8:57.10 for seventh. Though he did not figure into the scoring, Branch also ran a personal-record 9:00.73 for 11th.
In a major revision to the U-M all-time list, Plaetinck now ranks seventh, Hubaker is No. 8 and Remick is No. 11, as they became the first trio of Michigan teammates to break 8:50 in the same race. Including Spamer, they are the first Michigan quartet to break 9:00.
The top 11 mostly all stuck together through the first two kilometers despite the quick pace, with the separation taking place in the final kilometer. The eventual gold and silver medalists broke away with two laps to go, with Plaetinck, Hubaker and Remick all just a few steps back. Plaetinck was able to pull away from his teammates with a 65-second final lap to clinch the bronze, though Hubaker and Remick also closed strong in 69 and 70 seconds, respectively.
Plaetinck, Hubaker and Remick are all virtually assured spots at the NCAA East Preliminaries later this month, while Spamer and Branch put themselves in good position to challenge for berths.
Rounding out Michigan's scoring on the day was Max Wagner in the high jump, as he tied for sixth to net 2.5 points. He cleared 2.05m (6 feet, 8.75 inches) on the day, clinching his third straight scoring effort at Big Ten Championship meets dating back to the 2019 edition.
Now in strong position to challenge in the team race thanks to Saturday's finishes, the Wolverines look forward to Sunday with finalists aiming to score points in the shot put, 1,500 meters, 110-meter hurdles, triple jump, 400 meters, 800 meters, 400-meter hurdles, 5,000 meters and 4x400 relay.
Preliminary Rounds
The Wolverines also performed well in the preliminary rounds on Saturday, setting the stage for a big team run in Sunday's final session. Out of nine entries in prelims on Saturday, four advanced on to Sunday, including two in the 110-meter hurdles.
Josh Zeller finished with the fifth-fastest time in the hurdles, surging late in the race to clock 13.78 seconds (+0.8m/s). Fresh off his personal-best at home last weekend, Job Mayhue clinched a berth in the final with a 14.01 (+0.5m/s). The team race could hinge on this event on Sunday, with two entries from Michigan, two from Iowa and three from Nebraska.
Dubem Amene continued his torrid streak in the 400-meter prelims, finishing in 46.83 -- his third straight meet in the 46-second range -- for the fourth-fastest time on the day.
While Amene continued his breakthrough, Thomas Shilgalis picked the perfect time for his in the 800-meter prelims. He shaved more than two seconds off his personal best as he ran 1:49.52 to secure the last at-large berth into the final by less than half a second.
Decathlon
Though he did not achieve a personal best in the 110-meter hurdles to kick off the second day, Owens' 13.98 (+1.9m/s) was nearly a half-second faster than any other hurdler in the field and boosted him past Iowa's Will Daniels into the overall lead. Baldwin also was strong in the hurdles with a 14.45 (+1.9m/s) that approached his best, and Mahacek ran a career-best 15.78 (+2.9m/s) to keep his PR streak in the decathlon alive at six straight events on the weekend.
Both Owens and Baldwin were short of their bests in event No. 7, the discus, but were solid enough at 39.91m (130 feet, 11 inches) and 34.79m (114-1), respectively, to hold on to first and fifth in the overall standings. Mahacek notched his seventh PR in seven events with a 37.70m (123-8) right in between the two.
Owens notched his fourth outdoor personal best of the weekend in the pole vault, and did so in dramatic fashion. He matched his career-best 4.60m (15-1) on his third-and-final attempt, and followed it with an outright best at 4.70m (15-5) on his first try. Those two makes earned him an additional 59 points, comprising nearly all of his 63-point cushion over second-place Daniels. Mahacek kept his PR streak going with an outdoor-best 4.80m (15-9).
The Wolverines tightened the screws on the rest of the field in the javelin, as all three men set new career bests. Baldwin added more than three meters to his previous best with a 62.83m (206-1) heave, good for the No. 4 spot in school history. Owens lengthened his career best by 2.55 meters to 55.71m (182-9), and Mahacek piled on nearly two extra meters at 43.32m (142-1).
There was no letting up in the 1,500-meter finale for the trio as they all finished with career bests in that event, too. Owens and Mahacek pushed each other to 4:23.57 and 4:25.58 times -- improvements of five and 15 seconds, respectively -- while Baldwin slashed 13 seconds to run 4:38.80.
All told, the three men performed their best in their biggest moment all throughout the two days. Mahacek recorded career bests in all 10 events, and Owens and Baldwin both netted six PRs each.
The final day of the Big Ten Outdoor Champions will take place Sunday, beginning at 12:30 p.m. CDT at Demirjian Park in Champaign, Ill., and will be streamed live on Big Ten Network+.
Full Michigan Results by Event
Q = automatic qualifier to final; q = at-large qualifier to final
100-meter dash
Prelims (Saturday)
22. Noah Stallworth / 10.84 (+0.2m/s)
200-meter dash
Prelims (Friday)
20. Noah Stallworth / 21.42 (+1.3m/s) [New PR]
400-meter dash
Prelims (Saturday)
4. Dubem Amene / 46.83q
17. Austin Lin / 48.17
800-meter run
Prelims (Saturday)
8. Thomas Shilgalis / 1:49.52q [New PR]
12. Anthony Berry / 1:50.23
14. Derrick Simmons / 1:50.37
20. Cole Johnson / 1:50.85 [New PR]
1,500-meter run
Prelims (Friday)
3. Nick Foster / 3:42.94Q
10. Tom Dodd / 3:44.65Q
16. Oli Raimond / 3:45.75
10,000-meter run
Final (Friday)
2. Tom Brady / 29:10.41 [8 team pts]
8. Devin Meyrer / 29:22.78 [1 team pt]
12. Jacob Lee / 29:55.17 [New PR]
15. Zach Stewart / 30:03.49
400-meter hurdles
Prelims (Friday)
3. Roland Amarteifio / 50.97q
Steeplechase
Final (Saturday)
3. Joost Plaetinck / 8:39.26 [6 team pts] [New PR]
4. Christian Hubaker / 8:43.38 [5 team pts] [New PR]
5. Austin Remick / 8:46.29 [4 team pts] [New PR]
7. Jack Spamer / 8:57.10 [2 team pts] [New PR]
11. Jacob Branch / 9:00.73 [New PR]
110-meter hurdles
Prelims (Saturday)
5. Josh Zeller / 13.78q (+0.8m/s)
8. Job Mayhue / 14.01q (+0.5m/s)
High Jump
Final (Saturday)
6. Max Wagner / 2.05m (6-8.75) [3 team pts]
12. Cassidy Henshaw / 2.00m (6-6.75)
Pole Vault
Final (Friday)
12. Henry Sheldon / 5.02m (16-5.75)
Decathlon
Final (Friday/Saturday)
1. Ayden Owens / 8,238 points
100 meter dash / 10.40 (+1.5m/s) (999 pts) [New PR] / Place: 1
Long Jump / 7.47m (24-6) (+1.4m/s) (927 pts) / Place: 3
Shot Put / 14.41m (47-3.25) (753 pts) [New PR] / Place: 2
High Jump / 1.85m (6-0.75) (670 pts) / Place: 9
400 meter dash / 46.78 (969 pts) [New PR] / Place: 1
110 meter hurdles / 13.98 (+1.9m/s) (977 pts) / Place: 1
Discus / 39.91m (130-11) (663 pts) / Place: 8
Pole Vault / 4.70m (15-5) (819 pts) [New PR] / Place: 4
Javelin / 55.71m (182-9) (674 pts) [New PR] / Place: 5
1500 meter run / 4:23.57 (787 pts) [New PR] / Place: 1
5. Heath Baldwin / 7,611 points
100 meter dash / 11.24 (+0.9m/s) (808 pts) [New PR] / Place: 11
Long Jump / 6.93m (22-8.75) (+1.6m/s) (797 pts) [New PR] / Place: 6
Shot Put / 13.29m (43-7.25) (685 pts) / Place: 6
High Jump / 2.09m (6-10.25) (887 pts) [New PR] / Place: 2
400 meter dash / 51.24 (758 pts) [New PR] / Place: 11
110 meter hurdles / 14.45 (+1.9m/s) (917 pts) / Place: 3
Discus / 34.79m (114-1) (559 pts) / Place: 13
Pole Vault / 4.40m (14-5.25) (731 pts) / Place: 10
Javelin / 62.83m (206-1) (781 pts) [New PR] / Place: 2
1500 meter run / 4:38.80 (688 pts) [New PR] / Place: 5
8. Mason Mahacek / 7,420 points
100 meter dash / 11.03 (+0.9m/s) (854 pts) [New PR] / Place: 5
Long Jump / 6.90m (22-7.75) (790 pts) [New PR] / Place: 8
Shot Put / 11.58m (38-0) (581 pts) [New PR] / Place: 15
High Jump / 2.06m (6-9) (859 pts) [New PR] / Place: 4
400 meter dash / 49.31 (847 pts) [New PR] / Place: 4
110 meter hurdles / 15.78 (+2.9m/s) (758 pts) [New PR] / Place: 13
Discus / 37.70m (123-8) (618 pts) [New PR] / Place: 11
Pole Vault / 4.80m (15-9) (849 pts) [New PR] / Place: 3
Javelin / 43.32m (142-1) (490 pts) [New PR] / Place: 12
1500 meter run / 4:25.58 (774 pts) [New PR] / Place: 2
Players Mentioned
