Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Michigan Finishes Runner-up at Big Ten Championships
10/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The 18th-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team earned a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday (Oct. 29), scoring five runners in the top 30 at the Indiana Cross Country Championship Course. Wisconsin, which is ranked No. 1 in the country, won the team title for the eighth consecutive year.
Sophomore Lex Williams (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter) crossed the finish line first for the Wolverines, placing sixth overall with a time of 24:29. Junior Mike Woods (Ottawa, Ontario/Hillcrest) followed shortly behind, capturing eighth place (24:41).
Also scoring for the Wolverines were junior/sophomore Victor Gras (Belmont, Mass./Belmont), who took 18th with a time of 25:01; sophomore/freshman Brandon Fellows (Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island), who placed 28th with a mark of 25:24; and sophomore Justin Switzer (Waterford, Mich./Kettering), who took 29th with a time of 25:26.
Williams' sixth-place finish was good for an All-Big Ten first team citation, while Woods' performance earned him All-Big Ten second team honors.
The Wolverines will have a two-week hiatus before traveling to Bowling Green, Ohio, to run at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships on Saturday, Nov. 11. The men's race is scheduled to begin around 11 a.m.
Team Standings
1. Wisconsin 27 2. MICHIGAN 85 3. Minnesota 98 4. Michigan State 114 5. Iowa 136 6. Indiana 151 7. Ohio State 169 8. Illinois 188 9. Penn State 207 10. Purdue 274
Top 14 Individuals
(All-Big Ten: Top seven finishers are first team, next seven are second team)
1. Chris Rombough, Minnesota 24:05 2. Stuart Eagon, Wisconsin 24:06 3. Micah Vandenend, Iowa 24:20 4. Tim Nelson, Wisconsin 24:26 5. Christian Wagner, Wisconsin 24:27 6. LEX WILLIAMS, U-M 24:29 7. Chris Solinsky, Wisconsin 24:39 8. MIKE WOODS, U-M 24:41 9. Matt Withrow, Wisconsin 24:41 10. Eric MacTaggart, Iowa 24:44 11. Brandon Bethke, Wisconsin 24:44 12. Tim McLeod, Indiana 24:46 13. Antonio Vega, Minnesota 24:50 14. Stephan Shay, Michigan State 24:51
Other Michigan Individuals
18. Victor Gras 25:01 28. Brandon Fellows 25:24 29. Justin Switzer 25:26 47. James Reichardt 25:52 53. Tony Nalli 25:59
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Ron Warhurst
On the race ... "We were a really young team last year at this point and now we've grown up and done a lot of hard training. I think anything third or lower would have been disappointing, so getting second place is a treat. The kids are happy and I'm happy. We ran without John Black, the third man; he'll go back into the lineup for the next meet. We also ran without Sean McNamara, who was in the middle of everything and went down a hill and reinjured his groin. But with two of our top five out, we still managed a second-place finish. It really looks encouraging for the future of Michigan's team."
Contact: Tim Trunzo (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
