Weekly Release #2
9/26/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Sept. 29 -- at Central Collegiate Championship (Mount Pleasant, Mich.), 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 7 -- at Murray Keatinge Invitational (Orono, Maine), 11 a.m.
This Week
The No. 17-ranked Michigan men's cross country team will head to the Central Collegiate Championship this Friday (Sept. 29) at Riverwood Golf Resort in Mount Pleasant, Mich. Among the teams competing will be No. 25-ranked Eastern Michigan, Toledo and host school Central Michigan. This is the Wolverines' first trip to the Central Collegiate Championship.
Last Week
Michigan came in second place on Saturday (Sept. 23) in the Sundodger Invitational hosted by the University of Washington at Lincoln Park in Seattle, Wash. Michigan (53 points) was edged out by host Washington (41).
The Wolverines' runner-up finish was led by junior Mark Pilja (Naperville, Ill./Naperville HS), who won the individual title with a time of 23:52.04. Other Wolverines had strong showings as well. Freshmen Mason Ward (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain HS) and John Hughes (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) were among the top 20 overall, placing 16th and 20th, respectively.
Great Start
Junior Mark Pilja is off to a great start with his individual title at the Sundodger Invitational. Pilja's win was the first of his collegiate career. He also set the course record with his time of 23:52.04.
Olympics Update: Sullivan's Sydney Results
At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, U-M assistant coach Kevin Sullivan came in second in the semifinals of the 1,500-meter run (Sept. 27) with a time of 3:39.66 to advance to the final. Sullivan, representing Canada, improved his time from the first round (Sept. 25) when he came in fourth with a mark of 3:40.80. The final will take place Friday (Sept. 29) at 8 p.m. Sydney time (5 a.m. EDT).
Michigan in the Polls
The Wolverines dropped to No. 17 in the nation in the latest MONDO NCAA Division I rankings (Sept. 26). Michigan joins four other Big Ten Conference teams in the top 25, only trailing Wisconsin (No. 6) and Michigan State (No. 14) in the poll.
MONDO Men's Cross Country Rankings (9/26/00)
Team Pts LW 1. Arkansas (11) 395 1 2. Stanford (5) 388 2 3. Colorado 367 3 4. Providence 342 4 5. Iona 324 4 6. Wisconsin 317 6 7. Georgetown 313 7 8. North Carolina State 281 8 9. BYU 270 9 10. Arizona 249 5 11. Colorado State 219 11 12. Arizona State 187 11 13. Northern Arizona 184 13 14. Michigan State 173 14 15. William & Mary 167 13 16. Oregon 162 9 17. MICHIGAN 145 10 18. Oklahoma State 142 17 19. Washington 121 19 20. Weber State 104 20 21. South Florida 69 21 22. Notre Dame 60 20 Villanova 60 22 24. Duke 47 24 25. Eastern Michigan 34 25
Contact: Steve Grialou (734) 763-4423
