Weekly Release #2

Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, Oct. 13 -- NCAA Pre-Nationals (Terre Haute, Ind.), 11 a.m.
Friday, Oct. 19 -- EMU Classic (Dexter, Mich.), 4 p.m.

This Week: The NCAA Pre-Nationals ...
The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team will send 12 runners to the NCAA Pre-Nationals on Saturday (Oct. 13) in Terre Haute, Ind. Hosted by Indiana State at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center, the 8,000-meter race will use the same route as the NCAA Championships on Monday, Nov. 19.

Running this week for the Wolverines will be senior/junior Victor Gras (Belmont, Mass./Belmont HS), junior/sophomore Brandon Fellows (Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island HS), junior Lex Williams (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter HS), senior Mike Woods (Ottawa, Ontario/Hillcrest HS), junior John Black (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Brother Rice), 5th-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/sophomore Sean McNamara (Elmhurst, Ill./York HS), junior Tony Nalli (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter HS), sophomore/freshman Ciaran O'Lionaird (Cork, Ireland/De La Salle HS), junior Justin Switzer (Waterford, Mich./Kettering HS).

Williams, Woods, Fellows, O'Lionaird, Black, Gras and McNamara with headline the Wolverines in the men's 8,000-meter white race Saturday, Oct. 13 at 11:40 a.m. 

Last Year at the NCAA Pre-Nationals ...
Lex Williams led the Wolverines across the finish line, helping U-M earn a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Pre-Nationals (Oct. 14) at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Ind. Williams completed the 8,000-meter course in 24:02.7, taking 23rd place. The field consisted of 246 runners, with Michigan placing five of its runners in the top 100 spots.

Recapping the Notre Dame Invitational ...
The 25th-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team earned a fourth-place finish (138 points) in the 20-team Blue division at the Notre Dame Invitational Friday, Sept. 28, on the Notre Dame Golf Course. Mike Woods led the Wolverines across the finish line to take third overall, clocking 23:49.

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 (10/9/07)

Rank, Team (first-place votes) Points 1. Oregon (10) 385 2. Wisconsin (1) 372 3. Colorado (3) 370 4. Iona 340 5. Stanford 329 6. Oklahoma State 323 7. Notre Dame 309 8. Alabama 295 9. Arkansas 287 10. North Carolina State 253 11. Texas 243 12. Georgetown 238 13. Portland 224 14. Providence 218 15. Northern Arizona 199 16. William & Mary 189 17. Louisville 178 18. MICHIGAN 153 19. UCLA 150 20. (tie)Arizona State 132 20. (tie)UTEP 132 22. Villanova 109 23. Iowa State 108 24. Minnesota 85 25. Florida State 78 26. Weber State 77 27. Washington 61 28. Syracuse 46 29. Virginia 40 30. Cal Poly 35

On the Horizon ...
The Wolverines will head to Dexter, Mich., for the EMU Classic Friday, Oct. 19. The meet is slated for a 4 p.m. start.

Contact: Jeremiah W. Hergott (734) 763-4423