Michigan
Great American Cross Country Festival
Brannen Paces U-M to First at Great American Festival
10/1/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
CARY, N.C. -- In just its first scored meet of the season, the No. 6-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team captured first place at the Great American Cross Country Festival on Friday (Oct. 1) as all five scored runners finished among the top-30 placers. Senior captain Nate Brannen (Cambridge, Ontario/Preston HS) led the Wolverine contingent to the finish line, claiming third place overall with a time of 24:25.89.
As eventual winner Josh McDougal of Liberty went straight to the front of the 145-man field to lead the race from the gun, Brannen stayed off the early pace, running back in the 30th position through the first mile. The Wolverine captain teamed with freshman Mike Woods (Ottawa, Ontario/Hillcrest HS) to pick up the tempo in the second mile as the two runners made their way through the field to join the top 10.
Brannen continued to gain ground on the leaders as he pulled within the top five at the race's halfway point, running aside North Carolina's State's Bobby Mack and Virginia's Will Christian. With one mile to go, Brannen and Mack distanced themselves from Christian on the final uphill climb, and as the course took a sharp turn at the bottom of the hill, Brannen pulled away with 400 meters remaining to seal his third-place finish, crossing the line 0.32 seconds ahead of the Wolfpack runner.
Woods was the second U-M finisher to cross the line, claiming 12th place with a time of 24:55.43 -- improving his 8,000-meter personal best by 0.57 seconds -- while graduate/senior Jonathan Kieliszak (Warwick, R.I./Bishop Hendricken HS), freshman Victor Gras (Belmont, Mass./Belmont HS) and junior/sophomore Todd Iacovelli (Kailua, Hawaii/Punahou HS) finished within just five seconds of each other to round out the Wolverine scoring in 23rd, 26th and 28th place, respectively.
The Wolverines continue the 2004 campaign on Friday, Oct. 8, at the Michigan Intercollegiates in Hudsonville, Mich. Hosted by Grand Valley State University, the men's 8,000-meter race is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start at Rolling Hills Golf Course.
Team Standings (Top 10) Top 15 Individuals Other Michigan Individuals N O T E S 1. MICHIGAN 92 2. NC State 97 3. Williams & Mary 122 4. Adams State 126 5. Central Michigan 173 6. Georgia 174 7. Virginia Intermont 177 8. Virginia 228 9. New Mexico 272 Northern Arizona 272
1. Josh McDougal, Libery 24:00.97 2. Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott, New Mexico 24:12.48 3. NATE BRANNEN, U-M 24:25.89 4. Bobby Mack, NC State 24:26.21 5. Will Christian, Virginia 24:32.65
6. Terah Kipchiris, Coastal Carolina 24:37.66 7. Brian McGovern, North Carolina 24:46.97 8. Mohamed Aden, Adams State 24:47.66 9. Andy Smith, NC State 24:48.96 10. Tristen Perlberg, Central Michigan 24:50.58 11. Simon Ngata, Georgia 24:54.93
12. MIKE WOODS, U-M 24:55.43
13. Fernando Cabada, Virginia Intermont 24:56.81
14. Josh Merrick, Adams State 24:58.54
15. Jeff Hedley, William & Mary 25:00.5823. Jonathon Kieliszak 25:18.61 26. Victor Gras 25:21.23 28. Todd Iacovelli 25:23.16 32. Rondell Ruff 25:25.03
33. Matt Mulvaney 25:31.90 34. Sean Moore 25:36.17
35. Andrew Bauer 25:37.81
85. Seth Thibodeau 26:31.55
In capturing the team title in the men's university division, the Wolverines registered their best finish at the Great American Cross Country Festival in three appearances after twice claiming runner-up honors (2001, '03).
U-M has claimed at least one team title in each of the last four seasons.
Four individuals among Michigan's scored top-five finishers earned team points for the Maize and Blue for the first time in their careers.
Junior/sophomore Dan Murray (Rochester, Mich./Brother Rice HS) and sophomore/freshman Brian Les (Elm Grove, Wis./Catholic Memorial HS) competed in the open/club 8,000-meter men's race, placing third (26:11.34) and 16th (27:03.65), respectively.
Q U O T E S
Senior captain Nate Brannen
On the team's performance ... "We were all very happy with the way the team ran today. I thought we really ran as a team; everyone was fighting. We had nine guys all finish within a minute, which is a sign of a strong team. Considering that we were also missing a couple of our top guys, I think we are really looking good for our next several meets. It was a great start."
On his individual performance ... "I was happy with my finish for it being my first race this season. I didn't know what to think coming into the race. I stayed back and just worked through, and you're not going to win running like that. Once I get a couple more under my belt, I'll be back closer to the front; but I'm glad to get through this first one, and I think it was pretty encouraging."
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
