Michigan men’s track & field turns in record-breaking performance at Penn Relays

Michigan men’s track and field rewrote the record books last weekend at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, PA. The Wolverines’ 4x800m relay team of Camden Law, Trent McFarland, Henry Johnson and Brendan Herger broke a 39-year-old record with a time of 7:14:65. The previous program-best of 7:17:85 was set in 1986.

Michigan breaks 39-year-old record at Penn Relays

After the first leg of the race (800m), Michigan was in first place with a split of 1:49:52. The Wolverines dropped to third after the second leg, as Cornell and Penn State held the top two spots, respectively.

The Wolverines were neck-and-neck with Oregon and Georgetown for the final two legs. The Hoyas came out with the win, Oregon came in second and Michigan finished third by less than one second.

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Here is how PennRelaysOnline described the race:

“The race was a good battle of middle distance powerhouses: Penn State, Michigan, Georgetown, and Oregon. Penn State took the early lead on lap one, building a 15 meter gap before the field caught them before the first exchange. Oregon took over the lead on the second leg, with Michigan and Penn State right behind. Oregon was still in the lead at the final exchange, but with Georgetown on their heels while Penn State and Michigan were just steps behind. The group stayed together until the final 50 meters, when Georgetown surged past Oregon on the outside of lane 1 and held on for victory. This was Georgetown’s 12th overall win in this event, first since 2019.”

The Wolverines have the fourth most victories in the history of the Penn Relays with nine. Villanova has the all-time lead with 20 wins, followed by Georgetown’s 12 and ten for Penn.

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At the Wake Forest Invitational on April 18, McFarland and Herger set top-10 program times in the 1500m. McFarland finished second at the invite with a time of 3:38.45, and Herger was right behind him (3:38:72). With their performances, McFarland moved into the No. 3 slot of the Michigan record books, and Herger at No. 4.

Michigan will look to build on its recent success as the Big Ten Outdoor Championships begin on May 16. The Wolverines are set to compete in the Duke Twilight next on May 4.

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