Michigan
Wisconsin adidas Invitational
Wolverines Claim Ninth Place at Wisconsin Invite
10/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Oct. 3, 2009
Site: Madison, Wis. (Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course)
Meet: Wisconsin adidas Invitational (8,000 meters)
U-M Finish: Ninth of 13 Teams (234 points)
Top U-M Individual: Bobby Aprill, 35th (24:49: 2)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Oct. 9 -- at Michigan Intercollegiate (Grand Rapids, Mich.), 11 a.m.
MADISON, Wis. -- The University of Michigan men's cross country team earned its second top-10 finish of the season at the inaugural Wisconsin adidas Invitational on Saturday (Oct. 3), claiming ninth place (234 pounds) at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course. For the second time in as many meets, sophomore Bobby Aprill (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) led the Wolverine contingent to the finish line, taking 35th place with a time of 24:49.2.
The Wolverines quickly fell off the initial pace -- 4:36 over the first mile -- but stayed together in a tight pack among the 126-man field. The Wolverines' first four across the line finished within a 22-second window.
Michigan's top five included a pair of true freshmen as Brendon Blacklaws (Wellington, New Zealand/Wellington College) and Zach Ornelas (Cedar Park, Texas/Vista Ridge HS) claimed 40th and 57th place, respectively, in their first legitimate 8,000-meter collegiate race, finishing as U-M's second and fourth runner, respectively. Fifth-year senior Brandon Fellows (Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island HS) and sophomore/freshman Geoff Burns (Traverse City, Mich./West HS) rounded out the scoring contingent in 47th and 99th place, respectively.
The Wolverines will return to action next Friay (Oct. 9) at the Michigan Intercollegiate in Grand Rapids, Mich. Hosted by Calvin College, the men's 8,000-meter race is scheduled for a 4:15 p.m. start at the Gainey Athletic Complex.
Team Standings
1. Syracuse 21 2. Georgetown 60 3. Wisconsin 94 4. Arkansas 174 5. Iowa 176 6. Illinois 192 7. Texas A&M 207 8. Lamar 221 9. MICHIGAN 23410. UW-LaCrosse 23711. Nebraska 25612. Auburn 26613. Marquette 326
Top 10 Individuals
1. Andrew Bumbalough, Georgetown 23:54.0 2. Jeff Thode, Iowa 23:54.8 3. Tito Medrano, Syracuse 23:55.8 4. Mark Dennin, Georgetown 23:56.4 5. Brad Miller, Syracuse 24:01.7 6. Maverick Darling, Wisconsin 24:02.8 7. Ben Cheruiyot, Auburn 24:05.4 8. Griff Graves, Syracuse 24:05.9 9. Francis Kasagule, Lamar 24:08.010. Dan Busby, Syracuse 24:10.1
Other Michigan Individuals
35. Bobby Aprill, U-M 24:49.2 40. Brendon Blacklaws, U-M 24:53.4 47. Brandon Fellows, U-M 25:04.1 57. Zach Ornelas, U-M 25:11.6 99. Geoff Burns, U-M 26:08.9112. Derek Henning, U-M 26:49.9115. Dan Tyler, U-M 26:56.7
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Ron Warhurst
On the team's performance ... "Well, we had four of our top seven out sick, so that clearly hurt us today. I think we're a lot better than what it would appear on paper. The race went out fast in the early stages -- a lot faster than we have been training. We were a bit over our heads, but that's where we are right now. They ran together, but we've got to move up about 20 seconds. We'll get there. Based on how we train and knowing what I know about this team, I'm confident we'll get there."
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
