Wolverines Rank Second in Preseason Trackwire Poll
1/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's track and field team earned its best preseason ranking in program history, sharing the No. 2 listing (34 points) with Florida in the initial Trackwire 25, released Wednesday (Jan. 12). The Wolverines also boast the top-ranked distance medley relay -- with all four members returning from last season's squad that bettered the world record en route to the NCAA title in the event -- as well as four individually ranked runners in the Dandy Dozen list.
The Wolverines are one of three Big Ten Conference schools represented among Trackwire's top 10 preseason teams, with Indiana ranked fourth and Wisconsin sharing the seventh spot.
Junior Nick Willis (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Hutt Valley HS), a four-time NCAA All-American and member of the Wolverines' NCAA champion DMR, leads U-M in the individual rankings with the top position at 3,000 meters. Willis claimed runner-up honors at the 2004 NCAA Indoor Championships, finishing just 1.15 seconds behind Arkansas' Alistair Cragg in one of the event's most anticipated matchups.
A pair of Wolverines begin the season ranked among the top preseason 800-meter runners as senior captain Nate Brannen (Cambridge, Ontario/Preston HS) and junior Andrew Ellerton (Sudbury, Ontario/Confederation HS) -- also both members of the Wolverines' DMR -- hold the second and fifth listings, respectively. Brannen is the two-time defending NCAA indoor champion in the event, and ranks behind only Texas Tech's Jonathon Johnson, who captured last season's outdoor crown. Ellerton won the 2004 Big Ten outdoor title en route to NCAA All-America honors with a fifth-place performance at the NCAA Championships in June.
Without yet running a collegiate race on the track, freshman Mike Woods (Ottawa, Ontario/Hillcrest HS) earned the seventh spot in the mile in the initial Dandy Dozen list. Woods enters his rookie campaign with a 4:01.95 personal best in the event and recently registered a successful freshman cross country season, consistently finishing as the Wolverines' second man.
The Trackwire Top 25 ranking projects a hypothetical score for the NCAA Indoor Championships, factoring in injury reports and other variables supported by information gathered from coaches and NCAA-qualifying competitions. The ranking is generated by scoring the Dandy Dozen, a power ranking of the top 12 athletes and relay squads in each NCAA event.
The factors used to build the Dandy Dozen include quantitative values that measure performances in past major competitions (conference championships, national championships, Olympic competition), durability and freedom from injuries, demonstrated ability to compete well in multiple rounds of competition, ability in other events, head-to-head competition with other top athletes and personal or seasonal bests. The Dandy Dozen and Trackwire 25 are compiled by respected track and field statistician Gary Verigin.
The Wolverines continue their 2005 campaign across town on Saturday (Jan. 15) for the EMU Invitational in Ypsilanti, Mich. Competition is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at Bob Parks Track.
Trackwire 25 (1/12/05)
1. Arkansas 67 2. Florida 34 MICHIGAN 34 4. Indiana 33 5. Texas 29 6. Oregon 28 7. Tennessee 26 Louisiana State 26 Wisconsin 26 10. Brigham Young 23 11. Arizona State 20 12. Stanford 17 13. Auburn 16 14. Nebraska 15 15. Arizona 14 East Carolina 14 Wyoming 14 18. UCLA 13 Southern Cal 13 20. Texas Tech 12 Texas Christian 12 22. Mississippi 11
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
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