Michigan
NCAA Great Lakes Regional
Runner-Up Michigan Advances to NCAA Championships
11/10/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The No. 11-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 10) by finishing second at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional at Indiana State University's LaVern Gibson Championship Course.
Notre Dame, with 71 points, was the only team with a better score than the Wolverines' 82 points. Both the Wolverines and Fighting Irish are guaranteed berths in next week's NCAA Championships as a result of being the top two finishing teams at the regional. Michigan State was a close third (86) and Big Ten champion Wisconsin (97) finished fourth.
Freshman Alan Webb (Reston, Va./South Lakes HS) was the top performer for the Maize and Blue with a second-place finish as he covered the 10,000 meters of the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in 30:36.7, over 44 seconds behind runaway winner Boaz Cheboiywo of Eastern Michigan (29:52.0). The runner-up showing by Webb marks his first non-winning performance in four races this season.
The Wolverines also placed four other runners among the top 30 overall. Included in that mix were senior All-Americans Mike Wisniewski (Temperance, Mich./Bedford HS) and Mark Pilja (Naperville, Ill./North HS), with both finishing in the top 20 at the NCAA Regionals for the second time in their careers. Wisniewski posted a top-10 finish for the third consecutive race with a seventh-place finish at 30:56.1 and Pilja followed in 16th place at 31:19.2.
Tom Greenless (Milford, Mich./Milford HS) and Nathan Brannen (Cambridge, Ontario/Preston HS) rounded out Michigan's top finishers. Greenless, who finished 55th at last year's regional, cut nearly 40 seconds off last year's time in the 10,000 meters by crossing the finish line at 31:52.6, good for 28th overall. Brannen was right behind in 29th place at 31:52.8.
Rounding out the Maize and Blue runners were redshirt freshman Brian Turner (Omaha, Neb./Millard North HS) and sophomore Ryan Hesselink (Freeport, Mich./Thornapple Kellogg HS). Turner finished at 32:13, which earned him 44th place, while Hesselink placed 52nd at 32:18.
The Wolverines' next meet will be at the NCAA Championships, which will be held on Monday, Nov. 17, at 11 a.m. in Greenville, S.C.
Top 10 Teams
1. Notre Dame 71 2. MICHIGAN 82 3. Michigan State 86 4. Wisconsin 97 5. Butler 143 6. Eastern Michigan 152 7. Indiana 177 8. Ohio State 193 9. Miami (Ohio) 243 10. Cincinnati 336
Top 10 Individuals
1. Boaz Cheboiywo, EMU 29:52.0 2. ALAN WEBB, U-M 30:36.7 3. Luke Watson, Notre Dame 30:37.3 4. Matt Tegenkamp, Wisconsin 30:46.8 5. Josh Spiker, Wisconsin 30:50.7 6. Justin Young, Butler 30:54.7 7. MIKE WISNIEWSKI, U-M 30:56.1 8. Todd Mobley, Notre Dame 30:58.2 9. Ben Evans, Michigan State 30:58.8 10. Mark Striowski, Notre Dame 30:59.2
Other Michigan Finishes
16. Mark Pilja 31:19.2 28. Tom Greenless 31:52.6 29. Nathan Brannen 31:52.8 44. Brian Turner 32:13.2 52. Ryan Hesselink 32:18.1
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Ron Warhurst
On his team's performance ... "The team ran very well. It's always nice to beat our Big Ten rivals like Wisconsin and Michigan State. It will be a great drive home and we'll all have smiles on our faces."
Contact: David Crabtree (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
