All season, the Michigan men’s track and field team has been plagued by key injuries and unpredictability. And when a tweaked hamstring prevented junior captain Frank Shotwell from attempting to defend his Big Ten heptathlon title Saturday, it looked as though the conference championship meet would be more of the same.

But Sunday proved to be different. Four Wolverines won a total of five events — including two conference titles by senior sprinter Adam Harris — which helped Michigan finish second overall behind No. 13 Minnesota at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in State College.

The Golden Gophers entered the meet as the clear-cut favorite and obliterated the rest of the field with 135 team points. Michigan wasn’t within striking distance of first with 92 points, but it had more than enough to place ahead of host Penn State’s 78 points.

Michigan coach Fred LaPlante was satisfied with his team’s performance, given the wide array of injuries the Wolverines have dealt with this the season. But he stopped short of saying he was surprised by how well his squad competed.

“Minnesota had clearly shown they were the strongest team on paper,” LaPlante said. “But I felt like if we somehow got it all together, we could give them a run for their money. … There is a crazy part of me that thought we could win if we somehow pulled it together.”

Despite not being able to bring home the Big Ten Indoor Championship, the Wolverines still validated the optimism of their coach.

Harris, an All-American who struggled with back ailments throughout the season, rebounded last week at the Silverston Invitational to break his own school record in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.60 seconds — the best recorded time in the Big Ten this season.

He followed it up with a 6.62 on Sunday to defend his 60-meter title, while also taking first in the 200-meter race, an event in which he’d never before reached the finals and breaking another school record.

“That was definitely the highlight of the Big Ten meet for me,” Harris said. “I was telling everyone I’ve never made a final before and hoping this year was different. I knew if I just went as fast as I could and tried to hold it, I could get it.

“I knew I was really close to the school record. … That time was great — I definitely didn’t expect to go that fast.”

The distance medley relay team also won a conference title behind the efforts of juniors Brandon Fellows and Roger Billhardt, sophomore David St. Amant and senior anchor Justin Switzer. In addition to running on the champion medley squad, Switzer also came in first-place in the mile with a 4:02.60.

Redshirt junior thrower Sean Pruitt took the weight throw after coming into the meet with the top throw in the conference and a school record in the event. His throw of 67 feet and 7.50 inches was more than a foot longer than any other throwers.

“It was a day where our big guns were great and our supporting cast was great,” LaPlante said.