Weekly Release #19
5/29/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Wed-Sat., May 31-June 3 -- at NCAA Outdoor Championships (Durham, N.C.)
Pair of Wolverines Headed to NCAA Championships
The University of Michigan men's track and field team will send two of its athletes to the 2000 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Wednesday through Saturday, May 31-June 3, at Duke's Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C. Ike Okenwa (San Diego, Calif./Morse HS) qualified in the 100-meter dash, while Mike Wisniewski (Temperance, Mich./Bedford HS) qualified in the 10,000-meter run. Okenwa will compete in the preliminaries of the 100-meter dash on Thursday (June 1) at 7:20 p.m., while Wisniewski will run in the 10,000 meters final later that same day, at 9:25 p.m. The semifinals of the 100-meter dash are Friday (6:45 p.m.), while the final is Saturday (7:05 p.m.).
Sophomore Sensation
Michigan sophomore sprinter Ike Okenwa enters the NCAA Championships attempting to become the first Wolverine to earn All-America honors in the 100-meter dash since Tom Robinson (1959-61) turned the trick with a fifth-place finish in 1960. Okenwa is currently tied for 15th in the nation in the 100-meter dash with a Michigan season-best mark of 10.22, which he recorded at the Len Paddock Invitational (May 12). In fact, Okenwa's time of 10.22 is tied for third fastest in the nation among sophomores and freshmen this season. Okenwa is also a key contributor for the Maize and Blue in the 4x100-meter relay and the 200-meter dash, in which he finished third in the Big Ten Conference Championships with a Michigan season-best time of 20.97. This is Okenwa's first appearance in a NCAA Championships.
From Walk-On to NCAA Qualifier
Junior distance ace Mike Wisniewski, who came to Michigan as a freshman walk-on in 1998, is the lone representative of Michigan's traditionally strong distance corps at the 2000 NCAA Championships. Wisniewski, who like Okenwa is making his first NCAA Championships appearance, earned a berth in the 10,000-meter run field with his Michigan season-best time of 29:05.12. Wisniewski recorded that pace while placing runner-up in the college division of the 10,000-meter run at the Penn Relays (April 27). Wisniewski enters the NCAA Championships ranked No. 19 in the nation in the 10,000-meter run and is trying to become Michigan's first All-American in that event since Brad Barquest (1988-91) accomplished that feat with a third-place finish in 1991.
Missing the Cut
In addition to Mike Wisniewski and Ike Okenwa, two other Wolverines delivered NCAA provisional qualifying marks during the outdoor season but did not make the final NCAA field. Pole vaulter Charles DeWildt (Wyoming, Mich./Grand Rapids Catholic Central HS) earned an NCAA provisional mark of 17-4 3/4 to win the Len Paddock Invitational (May 11) and move into second on Michigan's career list. However, DeWildt finished the regular season tied for 24th in the nation and the NCAA took the top 19 qualifiers in that event.
Joining Wisniewski as a provisional qualifier in the 10,000-meter run was senior Steve Lawrence (Consecon, Ontario/East Northumberland HS), who finished the regular season ranked No. 21 in the nation with a time of 29:07.43. Lawrence may have made the cut, but various ailments have left him out of the NCAA Championships as a scratch. Lawrence would have been looking to avenge last season's disappointment at the NCAA Outdoor Championships when he was an automatic qualifier but unable to finish the race.
Michigan Regains Control of Big Ten in 10,000-Meter Run
Following a one-year hiatus, Michigan regained its hold on the Big Ten 10,000-meter run title after Mike Wisniewski won his first individual conference crown at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships (May 19-21) at Iowa City, Iowa. Wisniewski's victory in 29:59.93 gave Michigan its third crown in four years and its 10th all-time. Michigan's all-time Big Ten champions in the 10,000-meter run:
Greg Meyer (1974-77) 1977 Bill Donakowski (1975-78) 1978 Dan Heikkinen (1977-80) 1980 Gerard Donakowski (1981-83) 1983 Chris Brewster (1983-87) 1987 John Scherer (1986-89) 1988 John Scherer (1986-89) 1989 John Mortimer (1997-current) 1997 John Mortimer (1997-current) 1998 Mike Wisniewski (1998-current) 2000
Drought Ended
Michigan's string of years without winning a Big Ten pole vault championship ended at seven when Charles DeWildt won the Wolverines' first title since current Michigan assistant Brad Darr (1989-92) in 1992. DeWildt won the title at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships with an effort of 17-1 1/2 to bring Michigan home its 15th Big Ten outdoor pole vault championship. DeWildt, who is a junior, avenged a runner-up finish at the 2000 Big Ten Indoor Championships with the victory.
Wolverines Eighth at Big Ten Championships
Despite winning two individual crowns, the Wolverines placed eighth at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships in Iowa City, Iowa. Several injuries to key members of the Maize and Blue hampered its depth as the Wolverines managed multiple scorers in just one event. Josh Sellers (Syracuse, N.Y./West Genesee HS) and Derek Applewhite (Brighton, Colo./Brighton HS) finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 400-meter hurdles. Overall, Michigan scored in 12 of the 21 events.
Final Team Standings
1. Wisconsin 155 2. Minnesota 105.5 3. Ohio State 103 4. Purdue 88.5 5. Illinois 84 6. Iowa 76 7. Penn State 71.5 8. MICHIGAN 65 9. Indiana 48.5 10. Michigan State 21
Near Miss in Cantin's Last Wolverine Performance
Senior co-captain Jay Cantin (Camlachie, Ontario/St. Clair SS) went down swinging in his last meet as a Wolverine. Cantin's bid for his second straight Big Ten title in the 1,500-meter run and a fourth straight for a Wolverine athlete came up just short at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Cantin ran a Michigan season-best 3:46.78, just 0.31 off the championship pace. Cantin closed out a Michigan career which included two All-America citations in the distance medley relay (1997, '98), one All-America citation in the mile run (1999), one Big Ten championship in the mile run (1999) and one Big Ten title in the 1,500-meter run (1999).
Wolverines in the NCAA Rankings
100-Meter Dash 1. Coby Miller, Auburn 10.05 t15. Ike Okenwa, U-M 10.22 10,000-Meter Run 1. Brent Hauser, Stanford 28:23.37 19. Mike Wisniewski, U-M 29:05.12 21. Steve Lawrence, U-M 29:07.43 Pole Vault 1. Jim Davis, Fresno State 19-0 1/4 t24. Charles DeWildt, U-M 17-4 3/4
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
