Michigan
Roy Griak Invitational
Woods Leads Michigan to Fifth at Roy Griak Invitational
9/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. -- With an early-morning rain shower subsiding just prior to the starting gun, the No. 22-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team claimed fifth place (196 points) in its first scored meet of the season at the 20th annual Roy Griak Invitational on Saturday (Sept. 24) at the University of Minnesota's Les Bolstad Golf Course. Brigham Young won the team competition with 117 points.
After coming through the opening mile well back in the 225-man field, the Wolverines surged in the later stages of the 8,000-meter competition to put their five scored runners among the top-50 individual finishers, crossing the finish line within a tight 22-second window.
Sophomore Mike Woods (Ottawa, Ontario/Hillcrest HS) paced the U-M contingent in his season debut, staying within striking distance of the leaders throughout the race to collect 23rd place with a time of 24:54. Sophomore/freshman Victor Gras (Belmont, Mass./Belmont HS) shaved four seconds from his personal best as the Wolverines' second man, clocking 25:02 to claim the 32nd overall spot.
Approximately 14 seconds later, Michigan closed its scoring in the blink of an eye as the Wolverines' next three men crossed the finish line to together, claiming 46th, 47th and 48th place. Freshman Justin Switzer (Waterford, Mich./Kettering HS) finished just a step ahead of senior/junior Andrew Bauer (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) as both runners registered time of 25:15. Freshman John Black (Bloomfield Hill, Mich./Brother Rice HS) rounded out Michgian's top five with a personal-best 25:16, bettering his Spartan Invitational mark by eight seconds.
Freshman Lex Williams (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter HS) and senior/junior Andrew Ellerton (Sudbury, Ontario/Confederation HS) also turned in strong performances as Michigan's sixth and seventh men across the line, clocking 25:18 and 25:19, respectively, in 53rd and 54th place.
The Wolverines will continue their 2005 campaign on Friday, Oct. 30, at the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Ind. In the 50th running of the annual event, the men's 8,000-meter race is scheduled for a 5 p.m. EST/CDT start at Burke Memorial Golf Course.
Team Standings (Top 10)
1. Brigham Young 117 2. Wisconsin 151 3. Iowa 157 4. Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo 190 5. MICHIGAN 197 6. Ohio State 204 7. Minnesota 232 8. Kansas 235 9. Arizona State 241 10. Providence 258
Top 5 Individuals
1. Simon Bairu, Wisconsin 23:43 2. Benson Chesang, Kansas 24:05 3. Josh Rohatinsky, Brighman Young 24:06 4. Seth Pilkington, Weber State 24:07 5. Stuart Eagon, Wisconsin 24:15
Michigan Individuals
23. Michael Woods 24:54 32. Victor Gras 25:02 46. Justin Switzer 25:15 47. Andrew Bauer 25:15 48. John Black 25:16 53. Lex Williams 25:18 54. Andrew Ellerton 25:19 65. Rondell Ruff 25:27 77. James Reichardt 25:35 94. Seth Thibodeau 25:47 118. Ethan Brown 26:07 179. Mark Pokora 27:03
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
