Michigan
NCAA Indoor Championships (Day 2)
Willis Wins NCAA Mile Title; Brannen Denied Three-Peat
3/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- University of Michigan junior Nick Willis (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Hutt Valley) used a strong kick to run away from the field in the final lap and win the men's mile run Saturday (March 12) at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at Arkansas' Randal Tyson Track Complex. Willis posted a time of 4:00.69 to capture his first NCAA individual title and give U-M its second win of the meet.
| | Willis cools off after winning the mile for Michigan's third NCAA individual event title over the last three seasons. |
After briefly holding the last position among the 10-man field through the opening 300 meters, Willis made a slight push down the backstretch to pick up a few positions and move into sixth entering the third lap. The Wolverine held his ground until the 1,000-meter mark, when the field picked up the pace and began jockeying for position. Willis used the backstretch to move into third place and stayed on the heels of the leaders until the bell, when he shot around the first turn to move to the front of the pack, kicking away from the competition to win by 20 meters. Willis' nearest competition -- runner-up Sean Jefferson, who nipped the Wolverine at the line two weeks ago at the Big Ten Conference Championships -- finished nearly a second behind.
Senior Nate Brannen (Cambridge, Ontario/Preston) was denied his third straight title in the 800-meter run, finishing fourth despite clocking the third-fastest performance of his indoor career (1:47.71). Starting in the inside lane of the outer box, Brannen had to accelerate his pace at the break to catch up to the lower group -- which took the field through a fast 24-second opening lap -- and tucked into the sixth position, approximately 10 meters off the lead. The Wolverine simply maintained his ground throughout most of the race, experiencing great difficulty in passing on the straightaways as the eight-man field would repeatedly spread across three lanes. Brannen turned up the pace in the final 200 meters and picked up a couple spots to finish just 0.31 seconds out of the runner-up position.
Brannen and Willis each pulled double duty in day two, both returning to compete in the 3,000-meter run as the final individual race of the weekend. Brannen lined up to begin the 3,000-meter competition a little over an hour after the conclusion of his 800-meter run performance, while Willis earned an extra 10 minutes rest after his win in the mile. In the final indoor event of an impressive collegiate career, Brannen took 10th place with the third-fastest time of his career, clocking in at 8:05.89, while Willis surprised everyone by dropping out with five laps remaining and did not finish the race.
Both Wolverines were positioned at the rear of the 15-man field as the packs converged around the second bend with Willis in the very last spot and Brannen just a couple places ahead. The pair remained in their positions through the first 1,000 meters and didn't start to move until the seventh lap, when Willis responded to a surge by the frontrunners to pick up a couple spots into 11th. Shortly thereafter, the leaders accelerated again, and with five laps remaining, Willis unexpectedly stepped off the track into the infield.
Meanwhile, Brannen -- who had slightly fallen off pace but hung tight with a chase pack of three -- held his tempo as several competitors starting falling off the back. Brannen used a big closing kick in the final 200 meters to gain one more position, and flying down the home stretch, he nearly caught several more but ran out of room. The Wolverine senior finished just 1.15 seconds out of eighth place, the final scoring position.
The Wolverines will take a two-week hiatus before hitting the road to kick off the outdoor portion of their 2005 season at the Raleigh Relays on March 24-27 in Raleigh, N.C.
Final Standings (Top 10 Teams)
1. Arkansas 56 3. Florida 46 2. Wisconsin 43 4. Auburn 37 5. Indiana 30 6. Oregon 29 7. Nebraska 28 8. Florida State 26 9. MICHIGAN 25 10. Arizona 20 Texas 20
Michigan Results (Day 2)
800-meter Run
1. Kevin Hicks, Florida A&M 1:46.97 2. James Hatch, Arkansas 1:47.40 3. Sherridan Kirk, Auburn 1:47.64 4. NATE BRANNEN, U-M 1:47.71 5. Mike Inge, Kent State 1:47.84 6. Jonathon Johnson, Texas Tech 1:47.92 7. Jeremy Mims, Kansas 1:48.28 8. Aldwyn Sappleton, Oklahoma 1:48.37
Mile Run
1. NICK WILLIS, U-M 4:00.69 2. Sean Jefferson, Indiana 4:01.56 3. Jonah Maiyo, Arizona 4:02.07 4. Kurt Benninger, Notre Dame 4:02.24 5. Tom Lancashire, Florida State 4:02.32 6. Said Ahmed, Arkansas 4:03.32 7. John Jefferson, Indiana 4:03.96 8. Bryan Lindsay, Brigham Young 4:07.23 9. Alphonsous Suravicz, St. Francis (Pa.) 4:07.74 10. Leonel Manzano, Texas 4:13.91
3,000-meter Run
1. Chris Solinsky, Wisconsin 7:53.59 2. Peter Kosgei, Arkansas 7:54.45 3. Matt Tegenkamp, Wisconsin 7:55.72 4. Richard Kiplagat, Iona 8:02.28 5. Josh McDougal, Liberty 8:02.72 6. Adam Perkins, Arkansas 8:03.43 7. Eric Logsdon, Oregon 8:04.27 8. Rod Koborsi, Georgetown 8:04.74 9. Josh Rohatinsky, Brigham Young 8:05.67 10. NATE BRANNEN, U-M 8:05.89 11. Robert Cheseret, Arizona 8:09.22 12. Stephen Haas, Indiana 8:11.52 13. Bryan Lindsay, Brigham Young 8:15.71 14. Ryan Hall, Stanford 8:17.31 -- NICK WILLIS, U-M DNF
Day 1 Results
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
