Michigan
NCAA Great Lakes Regional
Pilja Qualifies for NCAAs, U-M Seventh at Regional
11/11/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's cross country team took seventh place at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Saturday (Nov. 11) at Eagle Crest Golf Club. Mark Pilja (Naperville, Ill./Naperville HS) led the charge for the Maize and Blue with a fourth-place finish that earned the junior automatic qualification for the NCAA Championships.
The University of Wisconsin won the team title (75 points) with two individuals in the top 10 overall. Luke Watson of Notre Dame won the individual title with a time of 30:47.1. Pilja (30.51.6) was less than four seconds behind Watson in the 10,000-meter race.
With U-M not finishing in the top two in the region, the Wolverines will have to wait until Monday (Nov. 13) to see if they receive an at-large bid for the NCAA Championships, which will be contested Monday (Nov. 20) in Ames, Iowa. The men's race begins at 12:15 CST.
Top 10 Teams
1. Wisconsin 75 2. Eastern Michigan 100 3. Notre Dame 143 4. Indiana 151 5. Ohio State 181 6. Michigan State 190 7. MICHIGAN 226 8. Purdue 236 9. Butler 241 10. Central Michigan 244Top Individuals
1. Luke Watson, Notre Dame 30:47.1 2. Blake McDowell, EMU 30:48.0 3. Ian Connor, OSU 30:49.8 4. MARK PILJA, U-M 30:51.6 5. Jason Vanderhoof, Wisconsin 31:02.4Other Michigan Finishes
48. Tom Caughlan 32:21.0 50. Mason Ward 32:22.7 55. Thomas Greenless 32:31.6 69. Ryan Hesselink 32:54.5 86. Nate Hoffman 33:13.3 136. John Hughes 33:49.4
Contact: Steve Grialou (734) 763-4423
