Men's cross country to settle rivalry with Badgers

The Michigan men's cross country team opened up the 1997 campaign with three goals in mind:

1. Win the Big Ten championship

2. Advance to NCAA championships

3. Place in the top four at the NCAA championships

So far, the Wolverines are one-for-one on their hit list. Saturday, Michigan gets a crack at No. 2 when it competes in the NCAA District IV championships in Bloomington. More than 30 teams will be at the championships, including Big Ten rivals Wisc

LOUIS BROWN/Daily One sight has been a constant this season for the Wolverines: Kevin Sullivan and John Mortimer in front.

onsin and Michigan State. Two teams will earn automatic berths to NCAAs to be held Nov. 24, while the others will have to hope for one of four at-large bids.

Kevin Sullivan and John Mortimer have their strategy ready for the district meet. Knowing they will race again nine days from Saturday if they qualify for nationals, neither of Michigan's dynamic duo wants to push the pace more than necessary.

"We want to make it as relaxed a race as possible," Sullivan said. "We'll probably sit in the pack for a while, then make a break for it."

Michigan State's Kyle Baker is the only runner who could pose a problem for the twosome. But Baker has been known to fade after strong starts, staying up with the front pack for only half of the Big Ten race.

The Wolverines were able to fend off the Badgers when they clashed at the Big Ten championships Nov. 1. Michigan used a 1-2 finish from Sullivan and Mortimer to sink Wisconsin by 13 points. The Badgers made a valiant effort, taking five of the next six spots after Sullivan and Mortimer, but it was not enough.

Wisconsin will have a golden opportunity for revenge at the district meet. With such a large field, the Badgers' pack will have more of an effect. In a big meet scenario, Wisconsin's small pack time will do a better job of neutralizing the Michigan superstars.

The Wolverines' middle runners - Steve Lawrence, Todd Snyder and Jay Cantin - will have to step up and give the Badgers a challenge.

"Hopefully, our 3-4-5 guys can beat Wisconsin's top man or finish within 10 seconds of him," Sullivan said.

But, the Wolverines aren't taking a victory over Wisconsin for granted by any means.

"We were fortunate to beat them (at Big Tens)," Mortimer said. "They're a very good team."

Michigan comes into the district meet in top shape. All runners are healthy, including Snyder, who ran well at Big Tens despite being ill. The Wolverines had two weeks to prepare for Saturday, which enabled them to involve some short, quality speed intervals in their training.

If there's one advantage Michigan has over the Badgers, it's been training. Michigan coach Ron Warhurst has had the team preparing for the 10,000-meter race the entire season. The distance is a change from the 8,000 meter races most other teams compete in throughout the year.

"We're more suited for the 10,000 meters than (the Badgers) are," Sullivan said.

The Wolverines are probable bets to earn one of the automatic bids, but nothing is guaranteed. If they do fail to win an automatic bid, they will still most likely receive an at-large bid.

While advancing to nationals is the ultimate goal, "it'd be a lot sweeter to win," Sullivan said.

11-13-97