Weekly Release #3 (at EMU Classic)
10/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Oct. 19 -- at EMU Classic (Dexter, Mich.), 4 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 28 -- at Big Ten Championships (Columbus, Ohio), 11:30 a.m.
This Week: The EMU Classic ...
The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team will run in nearby Dexter, Mich., participating in the EMU Classic on Friday (Oct. 19). The non-scoring meet will be held at Hudson Mills Metropark, where the Wolverines hosted the Michigan Open earlier this season. The race is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
Running this week for the Wolverines will be fifth-year senior James Reichardt (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake HS), sophomore/freshman Peter Christmas (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS), sophomore Mike Dobmeier (East Amherst, N.Y./Williams North HS), junior Tony Nalli (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter HS), senior/junior Mark Pokora (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) and junior/sophomore Roger Billhardt (Elmhurst, Ill./York).
Last Year at the EMU Classic ...
Michigan sent three runners to the the EMU Classic on Friday, Oct. 20, 2006. All three harriers ran unattached in the 10,000-meter race, which was held at the Hudson Mills Metropark in Dexter, Mich.
On a day with beautiful course conditions, sophomore/freshman Ciaran O'Lionaird (Cork, Ireland/De La Salle) had a very strong showing, taking fifth-place overall with a time of 32:19. O'Lionaird ran the same course earlier this year at the Michigan Open (Sept. 1) and was able to improve on his time by 44 seconds. Mark Pokora rounded out the top ten with a time of 33:01.
Recapping NCAA Pre-Nationals ...
Senior captain Mike Woods (Ottawa, Ontario/Hillcrest HS)claimed seventh place (23:24.7) to lead the Wolverines to fourth place (208 points) in the White Division at NCAA Pre-Nationals Saturday (Oct. 13) at Indiana State's LaVern Gibson Championship Course.
Woods was not the only Wolverine to step up to the challenge. Junior/sophomore Sean McNamara (Elmhurst, Ill./York HS) posted a solid run, finishing 28th with a time of 23:48.8.
Big Ten Runner of the Week ...
Mike Woods was named Big Ten Conference Runner of the Week Tuesday (Oct. 16) for his top-10 performance at NCAA Pre-Nationals Saturday (Oct. 13) at Indiana State's LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Ind.
Woods claimed seventh place (23:24.7) to lead Michigan to fourth place (208 points) in the White Division. This is Woods' first career conference award.
Familiar Faces ...
Michigan returns 13 letterwinners from last season's squad, including the top three scorers from last season's NCAA Regional Championships squad: senior Mike Woods and juniors Lex Williams and John Black. Black was named All-Regional after he placed 19th in the Great Lakes Regional Championships.
Also returning to the U-M lineup are Victor Gras and Brandon Fellows, who have both demonstrated great potential in their competitive appearances, as well has senior Seth Thibodeau (Milford, Mich./Milford HS) and 5th-year senior James Reichardt.
Master of the House ...
Head coach Ron Warhurst is in his 34th season as the head coach of the Michigan men's cross country team. During his U-M tenure, Warhurst has produced six Big Ten Conference championships teams (1974-75-76-80 (tie)-93-97-98) and guided 12 squads to top-10 performances at the NCAA Championships. Individually, Warhurst has coached 21 different student-athletes to 39 NCAA All-America citations at Michigan.
USTFCCCA Division I Mens Cross Country Rankings (10/16/07)
Rank, Team (first-place votes) Points 1. Oregon (13) 390 2. Northern Arizona 363 3. UTEP 357 4. Iona 346 5. Colorado 342 6. Wisconsin 325 7. N.C. State 291 8. (tie)Arkansas 284 8. (tie)California 284 10. MICHIGAN 274 11. Virginia 248 12. Alabama 229 13. Notre Dame 224 14. Texas 218 15. Stanford 209 16. Georgetown 202 17. Tulsa 174 18. Oklahoma State 171 19. (tie)Louisville 148 19. (tie)UCLA 148 21. Portland 142 22. Minnesota 139 23. Providence 111 24. Iowa State 98 25. Arizona State 79 26. BYU 75 27. Cal Poly 63 28. William & Mary 46 29. Weber State 18 30. Florida 17
On the Horizon ...
The Maize and Blue will kick off the postseason on Sunday, Oct. 28, when they head to Columbus, Ohio, for the 2007 Big Ten Conference Championships. The 8,000-meter men's race will begin at 11:30 a.m. on the Ohio State Golf Course.
Contact: Jeremiah W. Hergott (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
