Wolverine Trio Excels at Canadian National Championships
7/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Senior Andrew Ellerton (Sudbury, Ontario/Confederation HS) and former standouts Kevin Sullivan and Nate Brannen represented the University of Michigan men's track and field team in impressive fashion with three top-four finishes at the Candian Championships this weekend (July 15-17) at the University Stadium.
Ellerton clocked 1:48.95 to claim fourth place in the 800-meter race and earn his second straight top-four finish at the annual meet. Gary Reed won the event with a time of 1:46.94.
The 1,500-meter race turned into a head-to-head dual between the former Wolverines -- the two most-decorated runners in U-M history -- as Sullivan just narrowly edged out Brannen at the line to capture his ninth Canadian 1,500-meter title. Both runners held the middle of the pack at the break as Colin Sullivan, Kevin's younger brother, built an immediate gap on the 12-man field despite clocking a slow 62-second opening split. Sullivan moved into the fourth position after 600 meters with Brannen on his heels as the chase pack gradually closed the gap to the leader.
As the tightly-bunched pack created continuous contact between the runners at the 800-meter mark, Brannen found himself boxed in along the curb while Sullivan continued to move toward the front. Brannen freed himself in the final backstretch, and, cutting to the outside lane, sprinted from the fifth to first position to put a 10-meter gap around the bend. Already on Brannen's heels, Sullivan began his kick entering the home straightaway and caught his former training partner just 20 meters before the finish line. He won the race with a time of 3:48.07, just 0.26 seconds ahead of Brannen.
Both Sullivan and Brannen have their sights set on the IAAF World Championships, scheduled for August 6-14, in Helsinki, Finland. Sullivan has registered all necessary qualifying standards to earn a position on the Canadian national team while Brannen has until July 25 to hit the 'A' standard (3:36.20). He blazed a personal-best 3:37.85 to win the 1,500-meter run at the American Milers Series (July 9) in his first race since injurying his foot at the Big Ten Conference Championships nine weeks earlier.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Ellerton clocked 1:48.95 to claim fourth place in the 800-meter race and earn his second straight top-four finish at the annual meet. Gary Reed won the event with a time of 1:46.94.
The 1,500-meter race turned into a head-to-head dual between the former Wolverines -- the two most-decorated runners in U-M history -- as Sullivan just narrowly edged out Brannen at the line to capture his ninth Canadian 1,500-meter title. Both runners held the middle of the pack at the break as Colin Sullivan, Kevin's younger brother, built an immediate gap on the 12-man field despite clocking a slow 62-second opening split. Sullivan moved into the fourth position after 600 meters with Brannen on his heels as the chase pack gradually closed the gap to the leader.
As the tightly-bunched pack created continuous contact between the runners at the 800-meter mark, Brannen found himself boxed in along the curb while Sullivan continued to move toward the front. Brannen freed himself in the final backstretch, and, cutting to the outside lane, sprinted from the fifth to first position to put a 10-meter gap around the bend. Already on Brannen's heels, Sullivan began his kick entering the home straightaway and caught his former training partner just 20 meters before the finish line. He won the race with a time of 3:48.07, just 0.26 seconds ahead of Brannen.
Both Sullivan and Brannen have their sights set on the IAAF World Championships, scheduled for August 6-14, in Helsinki, Finland. Sullivan has registered all necessary qualifying standards to earn a position on the Canadian national team while Brannen has until July 25 to hit the 'A' standard (3:36.20). He blazed a personal-best 3:37.85 to win the 1,500-meter run at the American Milers Series (July 9) in his first race since injurying his foot at the Big Ten Conference Championships nine weeks earlier.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
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