Sullivan, Mortimer lead 'M' to title

BLOOMINGTON - It had all the ingredients of an upset. Muddy, sloppy weather conditions; the dropping out of one of Michigan cross country's most consistent runners; and Wisconsin, the longtime nemesis of the Wolverines, trying hard to snatch victory out of Michigan's hands.

But it was not to be. As a matter of fact, it wasn't even close.

The Wolverines used a combination of stunning individual performances and a devastating 30-second pack time to crush the Badgers and the rest of the field at the NCAA District IV championships. The finish earns Michigan a team spot in next Monday's NCAA national championships.

"Today was the best performance by a Michigan cross country team in my 24 years of coaching," Michigan coach Ron Warhurst said.

The district championship was Warhurst's first as coach of the Wolverines.

Michigan finished with 21 points to capture the crown in businesslike fashion. It was a dominant performance by a team that hasn't lost all year.

Kevin Sullivan, pacing with Mortimer the entire way, edged his teammate to win the individual title of the 10,000-meter race in a time of 31:30. Both Wolverines fended off a small challenge from Eastern Michigan hopeful Ben Reese, who was unsuccessful in pushing the pace beyond Sullivan and Mortimer's comfort level.

"I tried to steal it," Reese admitted.

With two Wolverines in the finish chute, the spotlight turned to Ann Arbor native Todd Snyder, who turned in a solid 31:43. Earlier this month, Snyder's finish at Big Tens, despite being ill, helped secure the conference championship for the Wolverines. This time, Snyder used a burst of speed to lose the second-tier pack and move up into contention, Warhurst said.

"It was the first race I've run healthy in about a month," Snyder said.

Steve Lawrence was the fourth Michigan finisher to come in under 32 minutes with a time of 31:56, good for sixth place overall. Jay Cantin rounded out the top five for the Wolverines, finishing eighth overall in a time of 32:00.

Cantin's finish was vital to the Wolverines' success, in the absence of one of Michigan's key runners. Don McLaughlin dropped out of the race with a calf strain, putting the pressure on Cantin to sew up the victory.

Before the season began, one of the Wolverines' top goals for their season was to place at nationals. Even amidst their success, their sights have not changed.

Sullivan, a senior, shares that goal for his final race as a Wolverine. But he's not taking time to savor Saturday's victory.

"It's just another meet to me," Sullivan said. "Next week, I'm sure it'll be a different story."

11-17-97