Weekly Release #7

Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, Nov. 11 -- at NCAA Great Lakes Regional (Ypsilanti, Mich.), noon
Monday, Nov. 20 -- at NCAA Championships (Ames, Iowa), 12:15 CST

This Week: NCAA Regionals
The Michigan men's cross country team will travel across the county to Ypsilanti, Mich., this weekend for the 2000 NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Saturday (Nov. 11). Eastern Michigan University will serve as the host, and the 8,000-meter race will start at noon at Eagle Crest Golf Club.

At Stake
Michigan can automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships (Nov. 20) by finishing in the top two in its region. Thirteen additional teams will be selected at large on Monday (Nov. 13) based on five pieces of criteria: Regional finish, number of wins against teams qualified for nationals, results of head-to-head competition between teams being considered for selection, record against common opponents from teams being considered for nationals, and top individuals who can score highly at nationals.

An individual can qualify for the NCAA Championships by having his team already qualify for the team competition. If his team does not qualify, an individual may still run at nationals from this criteria: Finish in the top four of his region. Two additional qualifiers will be selected at-large based on the highest non-qualifying finish in regional qualifying meets. All individual qualifiers must finish in the top 25 in their region.

Probable Wolverines
Coach Ron Warhurst's lineup for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional includes:

   Mark Pilja (Naperville, Ill./Naperville HS)
   John Hughes (Traverse City, Mich./Traverse City Central HS)
   Dave Cook (Portage, Mich./Northern HS)
   Thomas Greenless (Milford, Mich./Milford HS)
   Ryan Hesselink (Freeport, Mich./Thornapple-Kellogg HS)
   Nate Hoffman (Allegan, Mich./Allegan HS)
   Andrew Martin (Belmont, Mich./Rockford HS)
   Dave Sage (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston HS)
   Mason Ward (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain HS)

Last Year
Last year at Indiana State University's LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, Michigan came in third overall at the Great Lakes Regional. Jay Cantin (1996-99) was U-M's top finisher, in third place. Returning this year for the Maize and Blue are Mark Pilja and David Cook, who finished 25th and 67th, respectively last year at the regional.

Michigan Success
Since 1993, Michigan has finished no worse than fourth place at the NCAA Regionals. U-M won the regional in 1997 and was runner-up in 1994 and 1998. The Wolverines had the individual winner five straight seasons (1993-97) with current assistant coach Kevin Sullivan (1993-97) winning the event in 1993, '94, '95, and '97, and John Mortimer (1996-99) taking the title in 1996. The highest Wolverine finisher each year since '93 has placed in the top three.

Big Ten Championships
Michigan came in seventh place on Sunday (Oct. 29) at the Big Ten Conference Championships at Yahara Hill Golf Course in Madison, Wis. Mark Pilja was the top harrier for the Wolverines, finishing fourth overall, 12 seconds behind the individual winner. No. 6-ranked Wisconsin took the team title for the second straight season, with 45 points. The Badgers had the two top finishers, including individual champion Jason Vanderhoof. This is the third straight year that Wisconsin has boasted the individual champion.

The Streak Has Ended
Mark Pilja, a two-time Big Ten Conference Athlete of the Week this year, had won his previous three meets in which he competed prior to the Big Ten Championships. Pilja came in fourth in the Big Ten Championships (Oct. 29) to end his steak of three individual titles. Had Pilja won, he would have been the first U-M harrier to win four straight individual titles since Chris Brewster (1983-86), who won five consecutive meets during the 1986 season. Brewster went undefeated through the NCAA District IV race but did not run in the NCAA finals that year.

Big Honor
With his fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships (Oct. 29) Mark Pilja was named to the All-Big Ten First Team, improving upon his All-Big Ten Second-Team honors in 1999. In the 1990s, the Wolverines had 19 All-Big Ten First-Team citations, three of which came last season with Jay Cantin (1996-99), Steve Lawrence (Consecon, Ontario/East Northumberland HS) and Mike Wisniewski (Temperance, Mich./Bedford HS) taking the honor.

Big Challenge for Fresh Legs
Of the seven runners at the Big Ten Championships (Oct. 29) for the Maize and Blue, five were freshmen. Thomas Greenless was U-M's top freshman and placed second overall for Michigan behind Mark Pilja, coming in 29th. Making their first trip to the Big Ten Championships were Mason Ward, Dave Sage, John Hughes and Andrew Martin.

Contact: Steve Grialou (734) 763-4423