Michigan
Red Simmons Invitational
Wolverines Win Four Events in Red Simmons Invitational
1/19/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's track and field team hosted its second event of the season on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 19) at the U-M Indoor Track Building and claimed four individual titles at the 22nd annual Red Simmons Invitational. The 1,363 fans on hand also witnessed former Alabama All-American Tim Broe, the No. 1-ranked American in the 3,000-meter run, post the fastest time in the world this year in the 3,000 meters (7:49.21).
Broe's performance was the highlight of the day as he ran the last mile of the 3,000-meter race in 4:03.8 to establish a new U-M Indoor Track Building record of 7:49.21, eclipsing the previous mark of 7:51.65 set by former Wolverine Kevin Sullivan (1993-98) in 1998. Sullivan also competed in the race and finished at 8:07.17 to hold off Michigan's Nathan Brannen (Cambridge, Ontario/Preston HS) and Mike Wisniewksi (Temperance, Mich./Bedford HS) for second place. Brannen, a freshman, placed third with an NCAA provisional time of 8:09.06 and Wisniewski followed in fourth with an NCAA provisional time of 8:10.48.
Immediately following the 3,000-meter run, the Wolverines earned their fourth and final victory of the day in the closing event, the 1,600-meter relay. The team, consisting of three freshmen and one sophomore, outpaced the field by over three seconds with a posting of 3:17.33. Freshmen Darren Adams (Mentor, Ohio/St. Ignatius HS), Seth Waits (Grand Rapids, Ohio/Otsego HS) and DarNell Talbert (Bedford, Texas/Mt. Carmel HS) ran the first three legs before sophomore Andrew Ochs (Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline HS) closed out the win by running the anchor.
Junior Jeremy Schneider (Bloomington Hills, Mich./Andover HS) posted the biggest comeback of the afternoon in claiming the 800-meter run. With 100 meters to go in the race, Schneider was in last place before passing the other eight competitors for a first-place finish with a time of 1:53.85. The win is the third of the year for Schneider, who also won the 600-meter dash (1:19.11) against Indiana (Jan. 12) and the 400-meter dash (49.44) at the Jack Harvey Invitational (Jan. 5).
Michigan's other two victories came from seniors Ike Okenwa (San Diego, Calif./Morse HS) and Kevin Rogan (Grass Lake, Mich./Grass Lake HS). Okenwa just missed an NCAA provisional mark by .03 of a second in the 200-meter dash but still placed first at 21.53, while Rogan won the 600-meter run over teammate Derrick Applewhite (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) with a time of 1:21.37.
Michigan's next competition will be in two weeks when it competes at the George Mason Patriot Games on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 1-2, in Fairfax, Va.
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Ron Warhurst
On the meet ... "Today was a really great day for track. There were a lot of exciting races and we had a really good crowd. Not everyone who comes out knows what the times mean, but they all enjoy watching a good race and a good performance. Today there was a lot of those with Jeremy (Schneider) coming back to win his race, and the 3,000-meter race was incredible."
On the 3,000-meter race ... "Tim Broe was just great today and was really flying. That's the fastest time in the world this year and he was running a 4:03.8 in his last mile. I was really happy though with how Nathan (Brannen) and Mike (Wisniewski) ran as they competed hard and both were rewarded with NCAA consideration times."
U-M Senior Mike Wisniewski
On the 3,000-meter race ... "I didn't feel real well coming out because it was my first race in quite a while. Once Tim (Broe) took off you just have to try and race with the guys around you. It was a great race though. Nathan (Brannen) ran really well and you know Kevin Sullivan is always going to be there at the end."
Unattached Runner Tim Broe
On the 3,000 meters ... "I felt really light today and I felt good. I knew Kevin (Sullivan) had been training a lot and he's getting ready for things this summer, but I tried to get up for this race and I'm happy with how it went. I've been up here training with Ron Warhurst for a month and I've made some adjustments in my training and it's paying off. It shows that he knows what he's doing."
Contact: David Crabtree (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
