Weekly Release #7
11/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Upcoming Schedule
Monday, Nov. 19 -- at NCAA Championships (Greenville, S.C.), 11 a.m.
This Week
The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team will head to Greenville, S.C., to compete in the NCAA Championships on Monday (Nov. 19) at 11 a.m. The men's race will cover 10,000 meters of the Furman University Cross Country Course.
Last Year at the NCAA Championships
The Wolverines will return to the NCAA Championships as a team this year after senior All-American Mark Pilja (Naperville, Ill./North HS) was the only Maize and Blue representative at last year's meet in Ames, Iowa. Pilja became the 18th All-American under head coach Ron Warhurst as he placed 17th overall with a time of 30:48.5.
Michigan at the NCAA Championships
Michigan is making its 21st appearance at the NCAA Championships. Two years ago, Michigan posted a fifth-place finish as a team with 282 points at the NCAA Championships in Bloomington, Ind., as Jay Cantin (1996-99) and senior Mike Wisniewski (Temperance, Mich./Bedford HS) earned All-America status with 15th- and 32nd-place finishes, respectively. By finishing fifth as a team, the Wolverines posted their second best finish in school history. The only U-M cross country teams to fare better were the fourth-place squad of 1998 and 1997, when current volunteer assistant coach Kevin Sullivan (1993-97) was the national runner-up in Greenville, S.C.
U-M at the NCAA Championships
| | 1974 12th (304 points) 1975 22nd (506 points) 1976 18th (456 points) 1978 21st (467 points) 1979 13th (360 points) 1980 7th (243 points) 1982 6th (177 points) 1983 17th (345 points) 1984 8th (296 points) 1988 16th (321 points) | | 1990 13th (312 points) 1991 6th (244 points) 1992 5th (214 points) 1993 10th (296 points) 1994 7th (222 points) 1995 11th (267 points) 1996 14th (383 points) 1997 4th (116 points) 1998 4th (183 points) 1999 5th (282 points) |
Warhurst at the NCAA Championships
Head coach Ron Ron Warhurst will head to the 2001 NCAA Championships with impressive credentials. During his 27 years at the helm of the Wolverines cross country team, he has guided 11 teams to top-10 finishes and 18 of his runners have gone on to earn NCAA All-America honors. With a second-place performance at the Great Lakes Regional last Saturday (Nov. 10), Warhurst has coached 19 teams that placed in the top three overall at the NCAA Regionals.
Michigan's Lineup for the NCAA Championships
Nathan Brannen, Fr. (Cambridge, Ontario/Preston HS)
Tom Greenless, So. (Milford, Mich./Milford HS)
Ryan Hesselink, So. (Freeport, Mich./Thornapple-Kellogg HS)
Mark Pilja, Sr. (Naperville, Ill./North HS)
Brian Turner, Fr. (Omaha, Neb./Millard North HS)
Alan Webb, Fr. (Reston, Va./South Lakes HS)
Mike Wisniewski, Sr. (Temperance, Mich./Bedford HS)
The Field
The NCAA Championships will consist of 31 teams, as 18 teams earned automatic berths by finishing either first or second in their respective regional, while 13 teams received at-large selections. The following are the 31 teams that will compete on Monday in Greenville, S.C., along with what region they represent
| | Automatic Qualifiers Alabama (South) Arkansas (South Central) Colorado (Mountain) Dartmouth (Northeast) Georgetown (Middle Atlantic) Michigan (Great Lakes) Minnesota (Midwest) North Carolina State (Southeast) Northern Arizona (Mountain) Notre Dame (Great Lakes) Oklahoma State (Midwest) Portland (West) Providence (Northeast) Stanford (West) Texas (South Central) Villanova (Middle Atlantic) William and Mary (Southeast) | At-Large Selections Air Force (Mountain) Arizona (West) Arizona State (West) Brigham Young (Mountain) Butler (Great Lakes) Colorado State (Mountain) Duke (Southeast) Michigan State (Great Lakes) Nebraska (Midwest) Oregon (West) Wake Forest (Southeast) Wisconsin (Great Lakes) |
RUNNER PROFILES
Freshman Nathan Brannen
In 2001: Ran in four of Michigan's six races ... 29th-place finish at the Great Lakes Regional (Nov. 10) provided huge boost in Michigan's placing second as a team ... Only competition of the year on a 10,000-meter course came at the Great Lakes Regional ... Fastest time on an 8,000-meter course was at the Big Ten Championships (Oct. 28) as he placed 40th with a time of 24:58.1 ... Best finish was 14th at the Wolverine Interregional (Oct. 14) with a time of 26:47.
| Date | Event | Place | Time |
| Nov. 10 | Great Lakes Regional | 29th | 31:52.8 |
| Oct. 28 | Big Ten Championships | 40th | 24:58.1 |
| Oct. 14 | Wolverine Interregional | 14th | 26:47 |
| Oct. 6 | Murray Keatinge Invitational | --- | --- |
| Sept. 29 | Roy Griak Invitational | --- | --- |
| Sept. 21 | Great American Festival | 18th | 24.57 |
Sophomore Tom Greenless
In 2001 ...Competed in all six races for Michigan .. Posted personal-best 8,000-meter time at the Big Ten Conference Championships (Oct. 28) with a time of 24:28.9 ... Placed one spot ahead of teammate Nathan Brannen at the Great Lakes Regional (Nov. 10) with a 28th-place finish in 31:52.6 ... Placed in the top 30 at every race the Maize and Blue have run in this season ... Top finish was seventh at the Wolverine Interregional (Oct. 14).
| Date | Event | Place | Time |
| Nov. 10 | Great Lakes Regional | 28th | 31:52.6 |
| Oct. 28 | Big Ten Championships | 17th | 24:28.9 |
| Oct. 14 | Wolverine Interregional | 7th | 26:14 |
| Oct. 6 | Murray Keatinge Invitational | 11th | 24:53.90 |
| Sept. 29 | Roy Griak Invitational | 28th | 24:57.9 |
| Sept. 21 | Great American Festival | 26th | 25:13 |
Sophomore Ryan Hesselink
In 2001 ... Ran in all five of the six races in which Michigan competed ... Fastest time on an 8,000-meter course came at the Big Ten Conference Champoinships (Oct. 28) with a time of 25:35.4, resulting in a 63rd-place finish ... Ran a time of 32:18.1 in his only meet on a 10,000-meter course, at the Great Lakes Regional (Nov. 10) ... Best finish was eighth at the Wolverine Interregional (Oct. 14).
| Date | Event | Place | Time |
| Nov. 10 | Great Lakes Regional | 52nd | 32:18.1 |
| Oct. 28 | Big Ten Championships | 63rd | 25:35.4 |
| Oct. 14 | Wolverine Interregional | 8th | 26:16 |
| Oct. 6 | Murray Keatinge Invitational | 54th | 26:27.10 |
| Sept. 29 | Roy Griak Invitational | 95th | 25:20.6 |
| Sept. 21 | Great American Festival | --- | --- |
Senior All-American Mark Pilja
In 2001 ... Is making his third appearance at the NCAA Championships ... One of two All-Americans on the Michigan roster along with senior Mike Wisniewski ... Wolverines' top performer at the Roy Griak Invitational (Sept. 29) and Murray Keatinge Invitational (Oct. 6) ... Named Big Ten Conference Co-Athlete of the Week on Oct. 10 along with Penn State senior Stephen Walsh ... Posted top-five finishes in the first four races of the year ... Finished second to teammate Alan Webb at the Great American Cross Country Festival (Sept. 21) ... Placed third at the Wolverine Interregional (Oct. 14) behind teammates Webb and Wisniewski ... Fastest time on an 8,000-meter course came at the Murray Keatinge Invitational, where he ran a time of 24:07.10 en route to a third-place finish.
| Date | Event | Place | Time |
| Nov. 10 | Great Lakes Regional | 16th | 31:19.2 |
| Oct. 28 | Big Ten Championships | 16th | 24:26.3 |
| Oct. 14 | Wolverine Interregional | 3rd | 25:48 |
| Oct. 6 | Murray Keatinge Invitational | 3rd | 24:07.10 |
| Sept. 29 | Roy Griak Invitational | 5th | 24:18.2 |
| Sept. 21 | Great American Festival | 2nd | 24:08 |
Redshirt Freshman Brian Turner
In 2001 ...One of three freshmen on Michigan's roster at the NCAA Championships ... Ran in five of six races for Michigan ... Best time on an 8,000-meter course was 25:00.5, which came at the Big Ten Conference Championships (Oct. 28) ... Best finish was 31st at the Murray Keatinge Invitational (Oct. 6).
| Date | Event | Place | Time |
| Nov. 10 | Great Lakes Regional | 44th | 32:13.2 |
| Oct. 28 | Big Ten Championships | 43rd | 25:00.5 |
| Oct. 14 | Wolverine Interregional | --- | --- |
| Oct. 6 | Murray Keatinge Invitational | 31st | 25:40.80 |
| Sept. 29 | Roy Griak Invitational | 95th | 25:20.6 |
| Sept. 21 | Great American Festival | 44th | 25:36 |
Senior All-American Mike Wisniewski
In 2001 ... Second appearance at the NCAA Championships ... One of two All-Americans on the Michigan roster along with senior Mark Pilja ... Placed in the top 10 in his last three races ... Placed seventh at the Great Lakes Regional (Nov. 10) ... Fifth-place performance at the Big Ten Championships (Oct. 28), while posting a personal-best 8,000-meter time of 24:03.2 ... Runner-up at the Wolverine Interregional (Oct. 14) to teammate Alan Webb.
| Date | Event | Place | Time |
| Nov. 10 | Great Lakes Regional | 7th | 30:56.1 |
| Oct. 28 | Big Ten Championships | 5th | 24:03.2 |
| Oct. 14 | Wolverine Interregional | 2nd | 25:44 |
| Oct. 6 | Murray Keatinge Invitational | --- | --- |
| Sept. 29 | Roy Griak Invitational | 19th | 24:38.1 |
| Sept. 21 | Great American Festival | 24th | 25:11 |
Freshman Alan Webb
In 2001 ... Selected as the Big Ten Conference Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year ... Won three of the four races in which he competed and was the Wolverines' top performer in all four ... Won the Big Ten Championships (Oct. 28) with a time of 23:19.9, which was also a personal best on an 8,000-meter course ... Second-place finish at the Great Lakes Regional to Eastern Michigan's Boaz Cheboiywo with a time of 30:36.7 ... Led a 1-2-3 Michigan finish at the Wolverine Interregional (Oct. 14) with a time of 25:12 ... Named Big Ten Athlete of the Week on Sept. 25 ... In his first scored collegiate meet, placed first at the Great American Cross Country Festival (Sept. 21) with a time of 25:21 ... Named Time Magazine's Amateur Athlete of the Year ... Nominee for USA Track and Field Athlete of the Year honor.
| Date | Event | Place | Time |
| Nov. 10 | Great Lakes Regional | 2nd | 30:36.7 |
| Oct. 28 | Big Ten Championships | 1st | 23:19.9 |
| Oct. 14 | Wolverine Interregional | 1st | 25:12 |
| Oct. 6 | Murray Keatinge Invitational | --- | --- |
| Sept. 29 | Roy Griak Invitational | --- | --- |
| Sept. 21 | Great American Festival | 1st | 25:21 |
Webb Named Big Ten Athlete of the Year for Cross Country
Alan Webb was named the Big Ten Conference Athlete of the Year on Oct. 31 after becoming the first freshman to win the Big Ten Championships since former Wolverine Kevin Sullivan accomplished the feat in 1993. Webb became the third Wolverine to capture the honor since 1987. Sullivan (1993-97) was a four-time winner in 1993, '94, '95 and '97, while John Mortimer (1995-98) earned the distinction in 1996. Since 1987, the Maize and Blue has earned 13 individual honors on the conference level. Along with six Athlete of the Year awards, U-M has also had four Freshman of the Year honorees in Sullivan (1993), Mortimer (1995), Scott MacDonald (1992) and Shawn Mackey (1990), as well as head coach Ron Warhurst being named Coach of the Year in 1993, '97 and '98.
More Awards for Webb
Alan Webb has another shot for a prestigious national award. By owning the high school record for the mile at 3:53.43, Webb is a nominee for the USA Track and Field Athlete of the Year honor, which will be announced later this month.
Good Omen
Michigan will face four of the same teams it saw last week at the Great Lakes Regional in Wisconsin, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Butler. The only team out of that group that posted a better team score than the Maize and Blue last Saturday was Notre Dame, which won the regional with 71 points. The Wolverines placed second with 82 and Michigan State was close on their heels in third with 86 points. Wisconsin and Butler rounded out the top five with 97 and 143 points, respectively. The West Region, with six representatives, is the only region with more representatives than the Great Lakes Region, with five.
Familiar Faces
Michigan will be seeing a lot of familiar teams when they run on Monday. Of the 31 teams that will compete at the NCAA Championships on Monday, the Wolverines have faced 12 this season: Wisconsin, Stanford, Portland, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, Duke, Colorado State, Arizona, Tennessee, Providence, Minnesota and Notre Dame.
Last Week Recap
The Wolverines placed second out of 31 teams at the Great Lakes Regional last Saturday (Nov. 10) in Terre Haute by accumulating 81 points. Freshman Alan Webb paced the Maize and Blue over the 10,000 meters of Indiana State University's LaVern Gibson Championship Course by running a time of 30:36.7, which placed him second overall. Senior All-Americans Mike Wisniewski and Mark Pilja followed with top-20 performances. Wisniewski's time of 30:56.1 was the seventh fastest on the day and Pilja crossed the finish line in 16th at 31:19.2.
Experience Factor
Senior All-Americans Mike Wisniewksi and Mark Pilja will be making their second and fourth NCAA Championship appearances, respectively. Pilja has run at the NCAA Championships every year at Michigan and has placed higher each time he has competed. Last year he earned All-America status with a 17th-place performance with a time of 30:48.5. In his sophomore year he was 57th (31:34.30) and his freshman year he finished 151st (32:42.90). Wisniewski made his first trip to the NCAA Championships during his junior year in 1999 and earned All-America status with a 32nd-place performance (31:11.90).
Fab Three
Michigan will rely heavily on youth this Monday at the NCAA Championships. Although the team features two All-America seniors in Mark Pilja and Mike Wisniewski, the other five members of the squad will be making their first appearances at the NCAA Championships. Sophomores Tom Greenless and Ryan Hesselink have two years' experience at the NCAA Regionals under their belt, while the other three members of the team will be freshmen Alan Webb, Nathan Brannen and Brian Turner.
Five-Star Performance
Running 10,000 meters apparently isn't a problem for freshman Nathan Brannen. Although he was the fifth highest placing Wolverine last Saturday, his overall finish of 29th was a huge lift in Michigan's efforts to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships. Brannen ran a time of 31:52.8, which placed him right on the heels of teammate Tom Greenless, who finished 28th overall at 31:52.6.
Four for Five
Alan Webb will head into the NCAA Championships looking for his fourth win in five tries this season. In the 2001-02 season, Webb has earned victories at the Big Ten Conference Championships (Oct. 28), the Wolverine Interregional (Oct. 14) and the Great American Cross Country Festival (Sept. 21). Webb's fastest time occurred at the Big Ten Championships when he ran a time of 23:19.9 over 8,000 meters in Savoy, Ill. The only race Webb hasn't won was at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional (Nov. 10), when he placed second with a 10K time of 30:36.7.
Going the Distance
The NCAA Championships will mark the second race of the season in which the Wolverines will run on a 10,000-meter course. The Maize and Blue shouldn't mind too much considering that the only other time they ran 10,000 meters, at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, Alan Webb finished second to help guide U-M to a second-place team finish and an automatic berth in the NCAA Championships.
Wolverines Move Up to No. 7 in the Polls
The Wolverines moved up four spots to No. 7 in the latest MONDO men's cross country poll that was released on Tuesday (Nov. 13). Michigan is the highest ranked team in the Big Ten Conference, while No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 12 Michigan State are the two representatives of the league.
MONDO NCAA Division I Poll (11/13/01)
Regionals: NE = Northeast, MA = Mid-Atlantic, SE = Southeast, GL = Great Lakes, MW = Midwest, SC = South Central, MT = Mountain, W = West, S = South. Automatic qualifiers indicated by "Q" after place in region, at-large qualifiers by "q".
Rank, School Points Prev Regional 1. Colorado (7) 391 1 MT - 1Q 2. Stanford (8) 389 2 W - 1Q 3. Arkansas (1) 369 3 SC - 1Q 4. Notre Dame 346 5 GL - 1Q 5. North Carolina State 333 6 SE - 1Q 6. Portland 302 8 W - 2Q 7. MICHIGAN 282 11 GL - 2Q 8. Northern Arizona 281 9 MT - 2Q 9. Providence 271 10 NE - 1Q 10. Villanova 265 7 MA - 1Q 11. Wisconsin 250 4 GL - 4q 12. Michigan State 210 19 GL - 3q 13. Brigham Young 200 12 MT - 3q 14. Oregon 199 18 W - 3q 15. Arizona State 168 14 W - 4q 16. William & Mary 153 24 SE - 2Q 17. Colorado State 135 23 MT - 4q 18. Cal-Santa Barbara 111 13 W - 5q 19. Wake Forest 88 17 SE - 3q 20. Air Force 87 15 MT - 5q 21. Alabama 70 NR S - 1Q 22. Georgetown 65 NR MA - 2Q 23. Arizona 52 20 W - 6q 24. Duke 32 22 SE - 4q 25. Butler 29 NR GL - 5q -- Minnesota -- -- MW - 1Q -- Oklahoma State -- -- MW - 2Q -- Iona -- -- NE - 2Q -- Tennessee -- -- S - 2Q -- Texas -- -- SC - 2Q -- Nebraska -- -- MW - 3q
Contact: David Crabtree (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
