Track and Field Newsletter March 23, 2010

The indoor season has come to a close and we look back at the final few weeks of the season. We saw some promising things as the season wound down that will lead to a bright future for the Wolverine men’s track and field team. A big congratulations to Rob-ert Peddlar, Sean Pruitt and the DMR team for collecting All-Big 10 Indoor awards.Alex Wilson InvitationalIn our last attempt

to have individuals qualify for the NCAA C h a m p i o n s h i p s . Sean Pruitt was the other Wolverine in action, participating at the Virginia Tech Final Qualifier. In Notre Dame, Bren-don Blacklaws took seventh (8:13.46) in the 3,000 meters, while Dallas Bowden was ninth in the mile (4:03.72). Craig Fo-rys participated in the 5,000 meters where he finished 23rd. In Virginia, Pruitt took second in the

shot put (58-08.75) and fifth in the weight throw (65-09.50).

Big 10 ChampionshipsIt wasn’t the finish we had hoped for

but a handful of strong finishes high-lighted the meet. Robert Peddlar became our sixth-

ever long jump champion with a mark of 24-00.75. Peddlar got the winning mark on his fourth of six jumps to win his first-career Big 10 title. The quartet of Sean McNamara, Nick

Neuman, Bowden and Blacklaws were a close second to Wisconsin. On day two, Pruitt grabbed another

eight points for the team by taking up runner-up honors in the weight throw. His toss of 66-04.50 was an NCAA provisional qualifying mark. Junior Frank Shot-

well took fourth in the heptathlon.Peddlar grabbed

another two points for the Maize and Blue by finishing seventh in the triple jump. The hurdle duo of

Carl Buchanon and Nick McCampbell took fourth and sixth, respectively in the 60-meter hurdles. Silverston In-

vitationalIn our final tune up for the Big 10

Championships, we were able to see some depth in the program where a lot of underclassmen were able to shine at the meet. Freshman John Greenlee won the

pole vault, clearing 15-11.00. This was his first collegiate victory, of which

As the Seasons TurnAs the Seasons Turn 2010 ScheduleJanuary9 EMU Invitational NTS16 Ohio State L, 92-7022 Simmons-Harvey NTS23 Simmons-Harvey NTS29 Rod McCravy Memorial NTS30 Rod McCravy Memorial NTSFebruary5 Meyo Invitational NTS6 Meyo Invitational NTS12 GVSU Big Meet NTS13 GVSU Big Meet NTS20 Silverston Invitational NTS27 Big Ten Indoor --28 Big Ten Indoor 8thMarch5 Wilson Invitational NTS6 Wilson Invitational NTS12 NCAA Championships —13 NCAA Championships —26 Bayou Classic Noon April2 Tiger Track Classic 5:30 p.m.3 Tiger Track Classic Noon 10 Ohio State Noon16 EMU Invitational 5 p.m.17 EMU Invitational Noon22 Drake Relays 9 a.m.23 Drake Relays 9 a.m.24 Drake Relays 9 a.m.30 Jesse Owens Invite 6 p.m.May1 Jesse Owens Invite Noon Stanford Jordan Invite Noon7 Paddock Invitational 6 p.m.8 Paddock Invitational 6 p.m.14 Big Ten Championships TBA15 Big Ten Championships TBA16 Big Ten Championships TBA28 NCAA Regional TBA29 NCAA Regional TBAJune9 NCAA Championships TBA10 NCAA Championships TBA11 NCAA Championships TBA12 NCAA Championships TBA

Did You Know?

• Junior Robert Peddlar’swinattheBig10Champi-onship was the sixth-everLJtitlefortheWolverines.

• Sophomore Kirk Reichen-bach’s heptathlon scoreof 5,100 points at the Big10 Championships moveshimintothirdplaceall-timeinschoolhistory.

• Joe Strizich moved tofourth all-time in the hep-tathlonattheGrandValleymeetinFebruary.

• Frank Shotwell recordedthe second-best hept.mark in school history atGVSU(5,476).

• SeanPruittisthirdall-timein the shot put, throwing59-08.50atGVSU.

Patrick Cochran – McDowell High School Erie, Pa.• Top 20 returning prep triple jumper in

the United States (47-10.5)• 2009 Pennsylvania State Track &

Field Championships - 5th place triple jump

• Also participated in Basketball as a prep.

On Cochran: PatrickCochranhasgoodsizeandveryathletic. CoachKaiser re-cruitedhimprimarilyasatriplejumper,butwethinkhecanhighjumpwell,also.

Eric Gavin – Marian Catholic High School Chicago Heights, Ill.• No. 8 returning prep high hurdler in

the United States (14.08)• 2009 Illinois Class AAA State Track

& Field Championships – 1st place 110m High Hurdles

On Gavin: EricGavinisanexplosivehighhurdler with a special will to excel. Wewereimpressedthathewonthestatetitleinaverycompetitiveenvironment.

Eric Oliver – Homewood Flossmoor High School Hazel Crest, IL• Top 20 returning prep 400m runner in

the United States (47.85)• 2009 Illinois Class AAA Track & Field

Championships – 2nd place• Also participated in football as a prepOn Oliver: EricOliverwillcomeinasoneofthebestprepswehaveeverrecruitedinthe400.Heisanaggressiverunner,hasshownoutstandingspeedinthe100and200aswell.

Cody Riffle – St. John’s Jesuit High School Toledo, Ohio• No. 5 returning prep discus thrower in

the United States (191’ 1”)• No. 6 returning prep shot put thrower

in the United States (62’ 10.75)• 2009 Ohio State Division 1 Track and

Field Championships – 3rd place shot put

• 2009 Ohio State Division 1 Track and Field Championships – 2nd place dis-cus

• Also participated in football as a prepOn Riffle: CodyRiffle iswithoutadoubtoneofthefastestyoungmeninthecircleCoachKaiserhaswitnessed.Codyisanemotional thrower incompetitionandwe

lookforwardtotheenergyhewillbringtothefieldevents.

Herman Washington – Gahanna Lin-coln High School Blacklick, Ohio• Top 20 returning prep high and inter-

mediate hurdler in the United States (14.20, 38.30)

• 2009 Ohio State D 1Track & Field Championships – 2nd place 110m High Hurdles

• 2009 Ohio State D 1 Track & Field Championships – 4th place 300m Hurdles

• 2009 Ohio State D 1 Track & Field Championships – 1st place 4 x 400m Relay team

On Washington:HermanWashingtonisa“smoothoperator”withgoodsizeforhur-dling.Hecanhelpusinthehighs,inter-mediates,and4x400relay.”

On the new recruits: We are very encour-aged with our initial group of signees. We have a way to go to finalize this class, but seeing the potential these guys will bring, will surely impact the decision in a positive way of those we are still recruiting.

We have found all of these signees to be not only outstanding athletes and serious students, but young men of high charac-ter. They all have the ability to make a sol-id impact athletically at the Big Ten level in their first year.

We would also line to mention the addi-tion of two football signees who can make a great impact to the spring group, ala current football/track team members Troy Woolfolk and Denard Robinson. DJ Wil-liamson, (Warren Harding, OH) a wide re-ceiver and the 2009 Ohio D1 State 100m champ (PR 10.66) and Demar Dorsey (Lauderdale Lakes Anderson, FL) who has a personal best mark of 10.60 have signed their NLI with football.

2010 Men’s Track & Field Initial Signing Class

we’re sure there are many more to come from the talented freshman. Ju-nior Troy Woolfolk took fourth in the 200 (22.65) and was tied for seventh in the 60 dash (7.05). Sophomore transfer Nick Thomas

was edged out in the mile, running 4:18.68 to take second. Other top performers included De-

nard Robinson finishing fourth in the dash, while McCampbell was second in the hurdles. Peddlar took runner-up honors in the long jump, while Pruitt threw 57-05.50 in the shot.

GVSU Big MeetShotwell was a headliner for us at

Grand Valley as he won the heptath-lon. He totalled 5,476 points in the win, the second-best tally in school history. Joe Strizich was third, totaling 5,051, the fourth-best mark in UM history. McNamara took fifth in the 3K, and

Thomas was fourth in the mile. Bucha-non and McCampbell scored fifth and sixth, respectively, in the hurdles, while David Ptacek was seventh in the quar-ter mile.Buchanon, Nick Neuman, Bucha-

non and Matthew Campbell teamed up to run an NCAA provisional quali-fying mark in the quarter-mile relay (3:11.53). In the field events, Peddlar took third

in the triple jump and forth in the long. On the first day, Pruitt won the shot put and was third in the weight. His mark of 59-08.50 was an NCAA provisional qualifying mark and put him third all-time in UM history. Greenlee was sec-ond in the pole vault.

Meyo InvitationalPruitt had another outstanding day

for us here at Notre Dame. He won the shot put, tossing 58-09.50 in a field of 34 competitors. Sean McNamara led a field of dis-

tance athletes, taking third in the mile (4:07.03), while Blacklaws was eighth. In the 3K, Peter Christmas ran 8:10.72 to place eighth, while Fellows ran 8:18.59. In the dash, Robinson took fifth, run-

ning 6.84 and Woolfolk ran 7.03 in the prelims. Buchanon led the hurdle crew with a fifth-place finish on his way to running 8.05 seconds.David. St. Amant was fifth in the

500-meter run, with a time of 1:03.76,

A Few Quick Notes...Bell Lap Banquet: May 8, 2010 marks not only our annual home meet, the Paddock Invitational, but also our annual banquet, which will be held at the Junge Center, adjacent to Crisler Arena, beginning at 6:00pm.

We will recognize our current team, season highlights, team awards and also recognize our 2010 Hall of Fame Class. The cost of the banquet is $30 per individual and all parents, alums, and friends ofMichigan track are encouraged to attend.

Reunion: Plans are getting underway for our annual track reunion. The date will be Saturday, September 18, 2010 and coincide with UM football game vs. Massachusetts. Mark it on your calendar, more info coming.

Missing Captains Info: Any alum who can help us with updating our Track & Field captain history, please, do. Most recently, we do not have info as to who were captains from 1990 thru 1997. We are also missing info on captains in 1925, 26, 28, 31. We apologize for not recognizing those who were captains in those years and we sincerely want to get this updated.

Hall of Fame: The following Michigan track & field greats will be recognized at our banquet as our class of 2010 Um Track & Field Hall of Famers. William Coe, Harry Hawkins, bob Osgood, Warren Breidenbach, Milt Mead, Bennie McRae, Kim Rowe, Chris Brewster, Trinity Townsend, and Jack Harvey. A complete list along with accomplishments can be found on page five in the newsletter.

The University of Michigan, as you all are aware, has one of the most legendary and lengthy track and field programs in collegiate history. We intend to preserve and celebrate that history and help our current, and future teams, flourish.

The Athletic Department provides a top rate budget for scholarships, travel and equipment, but we need your help in terms of state of the art training and analysis equipment, treadmills, ice therapy tubs and massage therapy, just to name a few. We need to get our top athletes to post collegiate junior and senior level national championships and we want to showcase our history with quality displays, documentaries and recognition ceremonies we can be proud of.You—our alumni, parents, supporters—are a tremendous resource. We need your skills and we need your financial

support. Please join the Block M “Bell Lap” Booster Club by filling out and returning the form below with any amount of donation that you may with to contribute. Contact head coach Fred LaPlante at : coachfrd@umich.edu or 734.647-8999 for further information, suggestions and questions. GO BLUE!

Block M “Bell Lap” Booster Club

Name

Home Address

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Please check those that apply:

Friend of Michigan Track and Field

Parent

Alum, Class of:

I would like to volunteer my time to assist in

Please return this form by mail to: Helen Nelson, 1000 S. State St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Check your level of dona-tion.

$100

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Block M “Bell Lap” Booster Club

William Coe (1906)Shot Put

• Member of Two US Olympic Teams (1904, 1908)

• Olympic Silver Medal Shot Put (1904)

• Two Time National champion• World Record holder Shot

Put• Penn Relays Champion

Harry Hawkins (1926)Hammer

• NCAA Champion• Big Ten Champion• Two time All American• Penn Relays Champion

Robert Osgood (1937)Hurdles

• NCAA 400m H Champion• World record 120y HH• Two time All American• Big Ten Champion• UM Hall of Honor member• Team Captain

Warren Breidenbach (1941)400m/800m

• Three time All American• Two Time Big Ten Champion• Drake Relays Champion

Milt Mead (1954)High Jump

• NCAA Champion• Two Time All American• Two Time Big Ten Champion

Ben McRae (1963)Hurdles

• 4 time Big Ten Champion• UM Hall of Honor Member

Kim Rowe (1974)Sprints

• Member of Jamaican Olym-pic team (1972)

• All American• 10 time Big Ten Champion• UM Team Captain

Chris Brewster (1987)Distance

• All American• 4 time Big Ten Champion• Penn Relays Champion• UM team captain

Trinity Townsend (1996)400m/800m

• NCAA Champion• 4 time All American• Big Ten Champion

Jack Harvey (1967)Shot put and Coach (1975-99)• All American• Two Time Big Ten Champion• Two time Penn Relays

Champion• UM team captainCoached:• Ten Big Ten Championship

teams• Five NCAA Top Ten team

finishes• 11 NCAA Individual Champi-

ons• 93 All Americans• National Coach of the Year

(1980)

RoweOsgood Townsend Harvey

2010 Hall of Fame Class

University of Michigan Men’s Track & Field2010 “Bell Lap” Banquet

Saturday, May 8th • 6 p.m.Junge Champions Center

Mark your calendars now for the 2010 “Bell Lap” Banquet on Saturday May 8th at 6 p.m.. The Banquet will follow the annual UM Len Paddock Invitational, at historic

Ferry Field in Ann Arbor. Collegiate track competition begins at 12:30 p.m. (field events 10 a.m.) and concludes at 3:30 p.m.

The program will recognize the high lights and accomplishments of the 2010 team as well as honor the Hall of Fame Inductees.

There is a $30 per person charge to attend the celebration banquet.

Please make checks payable to the University of Michigan Men’s Track and Field program.

Please RSVP by returning the following for through mail or email to Helen Nelson, hjn@umich.edu, or

Helen Nelson1000 S. State StreetAnn Arbor, MI 48109

Please return this form by mail to: Helen Nelson, 1000 S. State St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Name

Address

City, State, Zip

E-mail

I/we will be attending the 2010 UM Bell Lap Banquet Saturday, May 8 at 6 p.m. Enclosed is a check for $ for # people at $30 a person.

Make checks payable to U of M Men’s Track and Field

Names of Additional guests:

2010

U o

f M M

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Tra

ck a

nd F

ield

Bel

l Lap

Ban

quet

Jung

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ham

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May

8

Please check those that apply:

Friend of Michigan Track and Field Relative Other

Parent Friend

Alumni Official

A Final Word From Coach Fred...Dear friends,

We have completed 2010 indoor season, in what turned out to be a rough campaign. Surely, we didn’t have the fire power to contend for a championship, however, eighth place was far below our expectations. We did have some highlights with junior Robert Peddlar winning the long jump, senior Sean Pruitt (second in weight throw), and the DMR consisting of three freshman Dallas Bowden, Brandon Blacklaws, Nick Neuman and senior Sean McNamara combining for an exciting second place in the DMR.

What we can say, on a positive note, is that our guys have continued to train hard and seem to be in good spirits with sense of purpose as we head to the outdoor season.

We’ve also invested a lot of time in recruiting and we think we’ve attracted the right unique profiles that are a good fit for Michigan. Please, see who are headliners are so far. We’ll be working at this year round, so stay tuned for updates.

Please, check out the dates of our schedule, including our banquet. We hope to connect with all of you some-time this year.

Go Blue!

Fred LaPlanteHead Coach

Men’s Track and Field1000 S. State St.Ann Arbor, MI 48109