Michigan
Notre Dame Invitational
U-M Places Sixth at Notre Dame Behind Personal Bests
9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The No. 14-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team earned its second straight top-10 finish, claiming sixth place (195 points) among the 25-team field in the Blue division race at the 50th annual Notre Dame Invitational on Friday (Sept. 30) at the Notre Dame Golf Course. Displaying the strongest individual performances of the season, each of the Wolverines' top seven runners improved or matched his 8,000-meter personal best.
The Wolverines went out fast from the gun, hanging among the leaders in a tight pack as they passed through the opening mile at blistering 4:30 pace. Sophomore Mike Woods (Ottawa, Ontario/Hillcrest HS) led the Wolverines for the second straight week, holding onto the 23rd position through the entire race as both teammates and opposing competitors began to drift back into the 200-man field. Woods boasted a personal-best showing of 24:21, shaving 26 seconds from his previous best.
Freshman Justin Switzer (Waterford, Mich./Kettering HS) showed the greatest improvement of his personal best, registering a time of 24:30 to shave 30 seconds from his previous mark. Switzer claimed the 31st spot to post his third top-50 finish in three collegiate meets.
Senior/juniors Andrew Ellerton (Sudbury, Ontario/Confederation HS) and Andrew Bauer (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) crossed the finish line together, in the 40th and 43rd positions, respectively. The pair started to drift off the initial pace around the mile-and-a-half mark with Bauer falling back slightly deeper into field before surging during the fifth mile to catch up to his U-M teammate. Ellerton clocked 24:42 to earn his first team-scoring performance and recording a nine-second personal best. Bauer shaved 18 seconds from his previous mark, registering a time of 24:44.
Fifth-year senior Rondell Ruff (Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford HS) rounded out the Michigan top five, finishing 58th overall with a time of 25:01. Ruff shaved 13 seconds from his previous 8,000-meter best.
Sophomore/freshman Victor Gras (Belmont, Mass./Belmont HS) and freshman John Black (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Brother Rice HS) also boasted strong performances as the Wolverines' sixth and seventh men. Gras matched his personal-best 25:02, which he clocked at last weekend's Roy Griak Invitational (Sept. 24), to claim 63rd place, while Black shaved nine seconds from his best time, taking 68th place at 25:07.
Earlier in the afternoon, Michigan placed three runners among the top six in the JV race as sophomore Seth Thibodeau (Milford, Mich./Milford HS), freshman Tony Nalli (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter HS) and junior/sophomore Ethan Brown (Lowell, Mass./Lowell HS) finished 4-5-6, respectively.
After a two-week hiatus, the Wolverines will return to action in the NCAA Pre-Nationals on Saturday, Oct. 15, in Terre Haute, Ind. A preview of the NCAA Championships, the first of two 8,000-meter men's races is slated to begin at 11 a.m. EST/CDT at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course.
Team Standings (Top 10)
1. Arizona 70 2. Notre Dame 104 3. Florida 121 4. Florida State 159 5. Wisconsin 174 6. MICHIGAN 195 7. Alabama 197 8. Duke 292 9. Missouri 295 10. Colorado State 310
Top 5 Individuals
1. Chris Solinsky, Wisconsin 23:21 2. Obed Mutanya, Arizona 23:30 3. Vincent Rono, South Alabama 23:30 4. Tonny Okello, South Alabama 23:33 5. Kurt Benninger, Notre Dame 23:42
Michigan Individuals
23. Mike Woods 24:21 31. Justin Switzer 24:30 40. Andrew Ellerton 24:42 43. Andrew Bauer 24:44 58. Rondell Ruff 25:01 63. Victor Gras 25:02 68. John Black 25:07 78. Lex Williams 25:17 160. James Reichardt 26:26
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Ron Warhurst
On the team's performance ... "It was great weather and a fast course. It was a good experiment to get out fast. We've had two really competitive races in consecutive weeks, and I think we're progressing very nicely. We're running against the best teams in the country and we're hanging in there."
Sophomore Mike Woods
On the race ... "That's the fastest I've gone out by at least 15 seconds. We were right with the leaders, maybe about 15 spots back. It was basically just a grinder right from the gun. I just held on and held my position the whole race."
On the number of personal-best individual performances ... "We came in knowing that we would probably PR, just because they have just a fast course. It's really flat, and a lot of guys just ran really fast, not just on our team. The winner was at 23:21, which is a phenomenal time. Obviously, it was a fast course. It was a big confidence boost, but it was also more of reality check, telling us where we are and where we have to be in a couple weeks."
On the team's recent success ... "I think we're proving our depth. If we have one person running poorly, we have another to step up and help them out. I think to reach the next level, and for people to really respect us as a national program, we need to step it up more, and personally, I need to make a bigger and better contribution."
Senior/Junior Andrew Ellerton
On the race ... "That was the first time I've ever really put myself in a cross country race. Usually, I just start at the back and work my way up through the field. So mentally, it was a learning experience for me. I think it showed that I could go out comfortably. I fell off a little bit more than I would have liked, but for the future, I think I can do a better job to stay on pace."
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
