Weekly Release #4: Michigan Ready to Run at Notre Dame
9/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Friday, Oct. 3 -- Notre Dame Invitational (South Bend, Ind.), 5 p.m.
After traveling to New York, N.Y., and winning the Br. Doyle Meet of Champions on Sept. 20, the No. 8-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team will travel to South Bend, Ind., to compete in the 53rd running of the Notre Dame Invitational. The 8,000-meter scored race will be held on Friday afternoon (Oct. 3) at 5 p.m at the nine-hole Notre Dame Golf Course on the Notre Dame campus.
The Wolverines will look to win their second race in a row against 25 other schools, including seven nationally-ranked squads. Other ranked teams racing in the more difficult Blue Division include No. 9 Georgetown, No. 19 Providence, No. 26 Florida State, No. 27 Notre Dame, No. 28 Texas A&M and No. 29 New Mexico.
Wolverine to Watch
| Senior/Junior Sean McNamara Sean McNamara has been near the front in each of the Wolverines' three races this season. The senior/junior finished fifth at the Michigan Open, fourth at the Spartan Invitational and sixth at the Br. Doyle Meet of Champions. McNamara, who was one of U-M's stronger runners in the 8,000-meter races in 2007 with a team-leading best time of 23:48.8, has been one of the most steady runners for the Maize and Blue and a threat to win in every race. |
Leading the Pack
The Wolverines have had a runner finish in the top three in each of the three races that they have run in this season. The last time that Michigan placed a runner in the top three in three straight races was 2002 when future Olympians Nick Willis and Nate Brannan led the way for U-M.
Michigan Among Nation's Elite
In the USTFCCCA's first poll of the season, Michigan is ranked eighth in the nation and first in the Great Lakes Region. U-M is one of three Big Ten schools in the top 30, along with No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 14 Minnesota.
| USTFCCCA Men's Division I Cross Country National Poll | ||||
| Ranking | Team (first place votes) | Region/Rank | Totals | Previous |
| 1. | Oregon - (12) | West-1 | 360 | 1 |
| 2. | Oklahoma State | Midwest-1 | 346 | 2 |
| 3. | Colorado | Mountain-1 | 326 | 3 |
| 4. | Iona College | Northeast-1 | 301 | 4 |
| 5. | Alabama | South-1 | 300 | 5 |
| 6. | Wisconsin | Great Lakes-2 | 279 | 6 |
| 7. | Portland | West-2 | 277 | 7 |
| 8. | Michigan | Great Lakes-1 | 269 | 8 |
| 9. | Georgetown | Mid-Atlantic-1 | 249 | 10 |
| 10. | Stanford | West-3 | 244 | 11 |
| 11. | Iowa State | Midwest-2 | 224 | 29 |
| 12. | Virginia | Southeast-2 | 198 | 13 |
| 13. | North Carolina State | Southeast-1 | 194 | 16 |
| 14. | Minnesota | Midwest-3 | 188 | 9 |
| 15. | BYU | Mountain-3 | 187 | 30 |
| 16. | Northern Arizona | Mountain-2 | 177 | 17 |
| 17. | Texas | South Central-1 | 167 | 14 |
| 17. | UTEP | Mountain-5 | 167 | 12 |
| 19. | Providence | Northeast-2 | 160 | 18 |
| 20. | California | West-4 | 149 | 19 |
| 21. | Auburn | South-2 | 114 | 25 |
| 22. | William & Mary | Southeast-3 | 106 | 23 |
| 23. | Cal Poly | West-5 | 85 | 21 |
| 24. | Arkansas | South Central-3 | 75 | 22 |
| 25. | Villanova | Mid-Atlantic-2 | 73 | 26 - tie |
| 26. | Florida State | South-3 | 60 | 24 |
| 27. | Notre Dame | Great Lakes-5 | 57 | 20 |
| 28. | Texas A&M | South Central-2 | 51 | 26 - tie |
| 29. | New Mexico | Mountain-4 | 48 | 15 |
| 30. | Syracuse | Northeast-3 | 37 | 28 |
Last Time Out
Michigan ran away with the Br. Doyle Meet of Champions as they placed five runners in the top 15 to claim the top spot over such teams as No. 4 Iona and No. 18 Providence.
The Ron Warhurst File
This is U-M head coach Ron Warhurst's 35th season at the helm of the men's cross country program. Warhurst has won seven Big Ten Championships and two NCAA Regional Championships. He has 12 NCAA Championship top-10 finishes and 21 NCAA Regional Championship top-three finishes. In his 35 years Warhurst has been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year four times and the NCAA Regional Coach of the year three times, including last season. Warhurst has coached 39 NCAA All-Americans and has a record of 2,823-595-7 at Michigan.
Upcoming Schedule
The Maize and Blue next travels to Terre Haute, Ind., on Saturday, Oct. 18, to run in the Pre-National Invitational.
Contact: Joe Arancio (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
