Weekly Release #1

Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Sept. 19 -- at Michigan State Open (East Lansing, Mich.), 2 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 26 -- at Great American Cross Country Festival (Cary, N.C.), 3 p.m.

Michigan Heads to Spartan Territory
The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team takes to the road for the Michigan State Open at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, in East Lansing, Mich. The 8,000-meter race will be held at the Forest Akers East Golf Course on the MSU campus.

In Their Debut
The Wolverines made their first appearance of the 2003 season in the running of the Michigan Open, which was held Tuesday, Sept. 2, at the University of Michigan Golf Course. Senior Tom Greenless (Milford, Mich./Milford HS) set the pace at the non-scoring event, clocking a time of 26:24. Fifth-year senior Alex L'Heureux (Weedon, Quebec/Palm Beach Gardens HS) finished second with a time of 26:29, and senior captain Nick Stanko (Wyandotte, Mich./Roosevelt HS) rounded out the top three, crossing the line at 26:41.

Familiar Faces
Michigan returns the entire lineup from last year's squad, including All-Americans junior Nate Brannen (Cambridge, Ontario/Preston HS) and sophomore Nick Willis (Upper Hutt, New Zealand/Hutt Valley HS). Other returning Wolverine letterwinners are seniors Tom Greenless, Ryan Hesselink (Freeport, Mich./Thornapple-Kellogg HS), David Sage (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston HS) and Nick Stanko; juniors Brian Turner (Omaha, Neb./Millard North HS) and Tarn Leach (East Jordan, Mich./East Jordan HS); and sophomore Sean Moore (Saline, Mich./Saline HS).

Newcomers
Fifth-year senior Alex L'Heureux and redshirt freshman Andrew Ellerton (Windsor, Ontario/Confederation HS) make their debut on the Michigan men's cross country team after competing for U-M track and field last season. The Wolverines also welcome three freshmen to the lineup -- Ethan Brown (Lowell, Mass./Lowell HS), Brian Les (Elm Grove, Wis./Catholic Memorial HS) and James Reichardt (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake HS). All join Michigan after successful high school careers. Brown placed third at the 2003 Massachusetts state cross country meet with a time of 16:02. Les earned first-team all-state honors in 2003 after helping lead his high school to the Wisconsin state cross country title, while Reichardt twice earned all-region honors.

Calling the Shots
Head coach Ron Warhurst is in his 30th season as the head coach of the Michigan men's cross country team. In his 29 years at the helm, Warhurst has won six Big Ten Conference championships (1974-75-76-80 (tie)-93-97-98) and produced 12 teams that have finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships, including last year's eighth-place finish. Warhurst has coached 22 NCAA All-America runners at Michigan. Last season, Nate Brannen and Nick Willis earned All-America honors after 22nd- and 28th-place finishes, respectively, at the 2002 NCAA Championships.

In the Polls
The Wolverines enter the 2003 season ranked seventh in the MONDO Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll (Sept. 7).

MONDO Men's Cross Country Rankings (9/7/03)

Rank, Team (1st-place votes) Region Points Place* 1. Stanford (15) W 479 1 2. Wisconsin (1) GL 462 2 3. Arkansas SC 436 6 4. Oregon W 421 5 5. Northern Arizona M 411 7 6. Colorado M 393 4 7. MICHIGAN GL 384 8 8. Central Michigan GL 357 9 9. Iona College NE 322 10 10. Eastern Michigan GL 302 3 Villanova MA 302 12 12. Brigham Young M 293 16 13. Georgetown MA 265 18 14. North Carolina State SE 260 23 15. William & Mary SE 247 14 16. Providence NE 215 13 17. Indiana GL 184 25 18. Notre Dame GL 164 22 19. Minnesota MW 144 17 20. Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo W 141 -- 21. Weber State W 123 15 22. Butler GL 120 19 23. Colorado State M 101 27 24. Texas SC 89 23 25. Oklahoma State MW 78 -- 26. Ohio State GL 62 20 Iowa MW 62 29 28. Portland W 59 -- Michigan State GL 59 30 30. Montana State M 54 11 * 2002 NCAA Championships finish

On the Horizon
The Wolverines head east for the Great American Cross Country Festival at 9 a.m. Friday (Sept. 26) at the SAS Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423