Heading down the final stretch of the 400-meter hurdles Friday, fifth-year senior and co-captain Dan Harmsen held a comfortable five-meter lead.

Suddenly, Harmsen's lead was gone. The crowd, which included many of Harmsen's friends and family, held its breath at the Len Paddock Invitational.

The Rockford native got caught-up in the eighth hurdle and fell onto the track, dropping to sixth place.

It was a performance that Harmsen wanted to forget in the final home meet of his collegiate career.

"I did a superman on the track," Harmsen said with a laugh. "As I was laying on the track, I was thinking,'Is this for real?' Its never happened to me in my entire career."

Michigan sophomore Carl Buchanon took advantage of the misfortune, crossing the finish line first (51.81).

Earlier in the day, redshirt freshman Robert Peddlar registered a career best in the triple jump. Peddlar's jump of 50-feet-4-inches wasn't just good enough for the victory, but also for his first career NCAA regional mark.

On the second day of competition, Peddlar continued his success in the jumping events, drawing the crowd's attention as many in the stands bared the rain to watch the redshirt freshman compete. Peddlar's jump of 23-feet-8-inches sealed the victory in the long jump and led the Wolverines in the field events.

Many of the distance runners took the meet off to rest their legs for next weekend's Big Ten Championships in Columbus, Ohio.

"We don't always run all of our guys in all their events," Michigan coach Fred LaPlante said. "Some guys need a tuneup for one thing or another."

Senior Adam Harris needed no tuneup this weekend. Harris bolted out of the starting blocks in his final 200-meter dash in Ann Arbor and was in control of the race after the first 100 meters. He cruised to an easy victory in the event with nearly a second advantage over the field (21.24).

"It's sad that I won't be running for the maize and blue anymore," Harris said. "Hopefully, I will be back here running for some team. This won't be my last time on this track."

One former Wolverine who returned to Ferry Field for this weekend's competition was Nate Brannen. The two-time NCAA outdoor champion in 800-meter ('04-'05) and 2008 Olympian took an early lead and never looked back. He bested the field by nearly two seconds (1:49.86).

Also in attendance were former Wolverines Nick Willis, Andrew Ellerton and Jeff Porter. Willis was a bronze medalist in the 1,500-meter run in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

"It is always good to have your alumni come back," LaPlante said. "It gives extra credibility to the program. Just like when you see guys in the NBA or playing Major League Baseball. When you have guys running international track and field it is good to see those guys."

But the highlight of the evening came in the 100-meter dash. Aerospace Engineering sophomore Jerome Singleton sprinted down the track — but it was no ordinary sprint. Outfitted in a prosthetic leg and a Michigan speedsuit, Singleton held his own against the able-bodied athletes. The silver-medalist in the 100-meter dash at the 2008 Paralympic Games finished in 15th place (11.15) and earned a rousing applause.

The Wolverines will look to defend their Big Ten title in their third trip this season to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium next weekend.