Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Wolverine Men Runner-Up at Big Ten Championship
10/30/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
The men ran tightly up to the three-mile mark. Seniors Jay Cantin (Camlachie, Ontario/St. Clair SS) and Steve Lawrence (Consecon, Ontario/East Northumberland SS) ran in the top five through the first three miles. Cantin led the way for the Wolverines, placing third with a time of 25:16.25. Junior Mike Wisniewski (Temperance, Mich./Bedford HS), who trailed the pack in the first two miles of the race, tore into the top 10 at the three-mile mark and finished in fifth at 25:30.29. Lawrence followed closely to cross the finish line in sixth place at 25:34.75.
Down the chute, junior Mark Pilja (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North HS) and sophomore Tom Caughlan (West Des Moines, Iowa/Mason City HS) made impressive finishes. Pilja, who trailed Wisconsin's Jason Vanderhoof, caught the Badger to finish in 11th at 25:50.83. Caughlan, sprinting down the home stretch, flew past Wisconsin's Nicolas Winkel to finish in 15th place at 25:57.64.
Cantin, Wisniewski and Lawrence earned first team All-Big Ten honors by finishing in the top seven, while Pilja won All-Big Ten second team distinction by placing in the second group of seven.
The men will continue their postseason on Saturday (Nov. 13) at the Great Lakes Regional Championship in Terrre Haute, Ind., at 11 a.m.
Team Finishes
1. Wisconsin 38 2. MICHIGAN 40 3. Minnesota 61 4. Ohio State 118 5. Indiana 143 6. Michigan State 147 7. Penn State 186 8. Illinois 187 9. Iowa 210 10. Purdue 233
Top 10 Individuals
Place, Runner Time Score 1. Matthew Downin (UW) 24:57.20 1 2. John Schoenfelder (UW) 25:06.11 2 3. JAY CANTIN (U-M) 25:16.25 3 4. Thomas Chorny (Indiana) 25:24.11 4 5. MIKE WISNIEWSKI (U-M) 25:30.29 5 6. STEVE LAWRENCE (U-M) 25:34.75 6 7. Jared Cordes (UW) 25:42.01 7 8. Eric Pierce (Minn) 25:43.31 8 9. Jeremy Polson (Minn) 25:45.16 9 10. Jason Addington (OSU) 25:47.30 10
Other Michigan Finishes
Place, Runner Time Score 11. Mark Pilja 25:50.83 11 15. Tom Caughlan 25:57.64 15 41. David Cook 26:45.58 41 52. Nick Stanko 27:05.88 50 75. Nate Hoffman 28:07.73 -- 76. John Butsic 28:14.07 --
Complete Results from Penn State: Individual | Team
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Ron Warhurst
On the team's performance ... "I thought the team ran great. We knew it was going to be a fight the whole way. They (Wisconsin) were heavily favored after having seven guys return from last year. All of our guys stepped up an did a tremendous job. We've gotten better and better with every meet. Today we ran the best meet that we have all season, and I anticipate that we will run better in the next two weeks."
Senior Co-Captain Jay Cantin
On his final Big Ten Cross Country Championship ... "It would have been nice to finish with a team victory, but on a personal note, I think I ran pretty well. I was pleased. It was my best finish ever. I think I ran a tough race the whole way. It was nice to see the team dig down against a team (Wisconsin) that returned all seven of its men. I don't think we were intimidated by them at all. It shows that our team has a lot of courage. I think we ran pretty well as a team. It was nice the way it ended."
Senior Co-Captain Steve Lawrence
On the team's runner-up finish ... "It was my best performance since I've been here at Michigan. It was kind of a heartbreaker to lose by two points to Wisconsin, but I think we all ran well. This was just one of those few cases where you have a good team and you run really well and still don't come out on top. We finished on a solid note, even if we didn't win."
Contact: Adrienne Gutierrez (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
