Weekly Release #8
11/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Upcoming Schedule
Monday, Nov. 21 -- at NCAA Championships (Terre Haute, Ind.), Noon
This Week: NCAA Championships
Sophomore Mike Woods (Ottawa, Ontario/Hillcrest HS) will represent the University of Michigan men's cross country team at the 2005 NCAA Championships on Monday (Nov. 21) in Terre Haute, Ind. Hosted by Indiana State, the 10,000-meter men's race is slated to begin at noon at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course.
Scouting the Field at the NCAA Championships
Thirty-one teams, comprising 18 automatic and 13 at-large bids, will compete for the 2005 NCAA Championship. Automatic qualifiers include Alabama, American, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Dartmouth, Florida State, Georgetown, Iona, Iowa, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Texas, UTEP, Virginia, William & Mary and Wisconsin. Joining the field as at-large team selections are Arizona State, Brigham Young, Butler, Eastern Michigan, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Loyola (Illinois), Minnesota, Ohio State, Portland, Tennessee and Washington. Additionally, sophomore Mike Woods is one of 38 individuals whose teams did not qualify for the NCAA Championships. These individuals will have the chance to race after finishing among the top 25 individuals in their respective NCAA regional championships, irrespective of their teams' finishes. Meet Sites: NCAA | Indiana State
Last Year at the NCAA Championships
Battling wet and muddy conditions, the Wolverines placed 26th (535 points) in the 2005 NCAA Championships team competition. Senior captain Nate Brannen paced U-M to the finish line, claiming 17th place with a time of 31:24.3 to earn his third consecutive All-America certificate. Freshman Mike Woods rounded out Michigan's scoring as the fifth man across the line, clocking 33:22.0 in 174th place. Colorado captured the NCAA team trophy with a score of 90 points.
Recapping the NCAA Regional
Michigan claimed eighth place (209 points) at last weekend's NCAA Great Lakes Regional (Nov. 12) and missed the cut for an at-large NCAA bid. Sophomore Mike Woods registered his best-ever NCAA performance with fourth-place finish, improving 12 spots on his performance from last year's NCAA regional. The Wolverine sophomore clocked a time of 31:11.7, 20 seconds behind winner Brian Olinger from Ohio State. Also scoring for Michigan were freshman Justin Switzer (Waterford, Mich./Kettering HS) in 42nd place, fifth-year senior Rondell Ruff (Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford HS) in 46th, freshman/sophomore Victor Gras (Belmont, Mass./Belmont HS) in 57th and freshman Lex Williams (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter HS) in 60th.
Following the Leader
Sophomore Mike Woods has led Michigan across the finish line in five consecutive races -- every scored meet this season. Woods moved into the role after serving as the Wolverines' No. 2 man in three of five scored meets last season. He was the top U-M finisher at this season's Roy Griak Invitational, Notre Dame Invitational, NCAA Pre-Nationals, Big Ten Championships and NCAA Great Lake Regional with top-25 performances in each event.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
