Michigan
NCAA Pre-Nationals
Woods Leads U-M to Fourth Place at Pre-Nationals
10/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Senior captain Mike Woods (Ottawa, Ontario/Hillcrest HS)claimed seventh place (23:24.7) to lead the No. 18-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team to fourth place (208 points) in the White Division at NCAA Pre-Nationals Saturday (Oct. 13) at Indiana State's LaVern Gibson Championship Course.
Woods ran strong from the gun, hanging among the top-30 pack through the opening mile. The field began to string out at 5,000 meters into a lead pack. Woods kept pace with Notre Dame's top runner, Patrick Smyth, for the final 1,000 meters as they chased the leaders, who held a 20-second advantage on the rest of the field.
With junior Lex Williams (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter HS), one of the top Wolverine runners, out for health reasons, Woods was not the only Wolverine to step up to the challenge. Junior/sophomore Sean McNamara (Elmhurst, Ill./York HS) posted a solid run, finishing 28th with a time of 23:48.8.
Rounding out the rest of the Wolverines' scoring runners were junior/sophomore Brandon Fellows (Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island HS), sophomore/freshman Ciaran O'Lionaird (Cork, Ireland/De La Salle HS) and senior/junior Victor Gras (Belmont, Mass./Belmont HS), who placed 48th, 58th and 67th, respectively. Fellows' time of 24:03.1 was more than 20 seconds better then his mark at Pre-Nationals last season. O'Lionaird posted a career day, crossing the finish line at 24:09.3. Gras recorded a time of 24:14.3, topping his personal best at Pre-Nationals by 18 seconds.
Four other Wolverines competed in the 8,000-meter open race, with two finishing in the top-10. Junior Tony Nalli (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter HS) crossed the finish line third (24:41.1) and was followed by sophomore/freshman Peter Christmas (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) in eighth with a time of 24:51.0.
The Wolverines will wrap up regular-season competition with their final tuneup prior to the postseason Friday (Oct. 19) at the EMU Classic in Dexter, Mich. The 8,000-meter race is slated for a 4 p.m. start at Hudson Mills Metropark.
Top 10 Teams (White Division)
1. UTEP 129 2. Colorado 155 3. North Carolina State 182 4. MICHIGAN 208 5. Notre Dame 261 6. Stanford 264 7. Minnesota 289 8. Providence 301 9. Arizona State 305 10. Cal Poly 328
Top 10 Individuals (White Division)
1. Josh McDougal, Liberty 22:56.4 2. Jacob Korir, Eastern Kentucky 23:00.6 3. Stephen Pifer, Colorado 23:16.7 4. Brent Vaughn, Colorado 23:16.8 5. Patrick Smyth, Notre Dame 23:18.2 6. Max Smith, Providence 23:21.2 7. MIKE WOODS, U-M 23:24.7 8. Stephen Samoei, UTEP 23:28.4 9. Francis Kasagule, Lamar 23:32.4 10. Patrick Mutai, UTEP 23:33.4
Other Michigan Individuals (White Division)
28. Sean McNamara 23:48.8 48. Brandon Fellows 24:03.1 58. Ciaran O'Lionaird 24:09.3 67. Victor Gras 24:14.3 86. John Black 24:22.9 101. Justin Switzer 24:29.9
Open Division Winner/U-M Finishes
1. Brandon Bethke, Wisconsin 24:17.2 3. Tony Nalli, U-M 24:41.1 8. Peter Christmas, U-M 24:51.0 21. Mike Dobmeier, U-M 25:05.9 66. James Reichardt, U-M 25:53.3
Contact: Jeremiah W. Hergott (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
