Michigan
NCAA Outdoor Championships (Day 1)
Brannen Moves into 800-Meter Semifinals at NCAA Meet
6/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Sophomore Nate Brannen (Cambridge, Ontario/Preston HS) of the University of Michigan men's track and field team advanced to the semifinals of the 800-meter run this afternoon (Wednesday, June 11) on the first day of competition at the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Championships at the A.G. Spanos Sports Complex.
| | Brannen |
Lekote took the race out quickly, traveling the first 400 meters in 51 seconds, allowing the field to settle into a single-file line around the first bend. Brannen sat in fourth place around the first turn and though the first lap. Brannen's final kick came after the final bend, when he pushed enough to take over third place and secure the final automatic qualifying slot in the heat. Langat finished first with a time of 1:46.41.
Brannen will run in the 800-meter semifinals tomorrow (Thursday, June 12) at 11:25 a.m. PDT, just 24 hours after the today's round. He will be joined on the second day of the meet by freshman Nick Willis (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Hutt Valley HS), who will compete in the semifinals of the 1,500-meter run at 8:30 p.m. PDT.
Wednesday's Results
800-meter Run Heat 1 1. Jackson Langat, TCU 1:46.41Q 3. Nate Brannen, U-M 1:47.04Q Q indicates qualification for semifinals
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Ron Warhurst
On the race ... "When we first saw the heats we knew it was going to be fast. (Outkile) Lekote likes to take it out fast, which is a perfect setup for running for time. There were four very, very good people in there. We knew Lekote would take (the first lap) in 51 seconds; I think Nate (Brannen) was at 52. The plan was to stay close and wait until the final straightaway. Sometimes he has the tendency to go too soon, but he was perfect. He waited and he got into third and was looking very comfortable with 30 or 40 meters to go. The progression is nice and he's very confident. We're waiting to see what the draw looks like for tomorrow."
Sophomore Nate Brannen
On the race in general ... "I was pretty happy with the way it went. I knew it was going to be a fast because last year's NCAA champion, (South Carolina's) Otukile Lekote, always likes to take it out fast so we planned on that. After the start we all got in line and I was able to move into third place in the last 100."
On wanting to take third or better ... "The goal was to finish in the top three so I didn't have to worry about hitting a time to qualify for the final. I thought fourth in my heat would have probably been fast enough to make it through."
On his strategy in the race ... "I did pretty much what Coach Warhurst and I planned to do by sitting back in third or fourth but in contention to qualify without too much stress. I wanted to wait until the last 100 meters to make the kick home and hang on for the last 50 meters."
On tomorrow's semifinal ... "I'll have pretty much the same plan as I had today. I want to stay mid-pack and be able to make a push within the last 100-150 meters to take a spot in the top three and automatically move on to the finals. I'm assuming no matter what heat I'm in it will be a fast race."
Contact: Andrew Ladd (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
