Men's cross country searches for respect

Montana. Where the buffalo roam and the deer, the antelopes and the Wolverines play.

That's right, the Michigan men's cross country team travels to Missoula, Mont., this weekend, but not to play.

"If there is one thing we don't do is play," Michigan's Chris Bunt said. "We don't play, and we don't have games. We run, at meets."

That said, the Wolverines are looking for a little respect. Not just from their opponents, but from students. And why shouldn't they?

The team travels hundreds of miles nearly every weekend, runs 12 miles a day and still manages get good grades.

"We were fourth in the nation last year for team GPA," Don McLaughlin said.

The Wolverines were also voted the No. 5 team in the nation by the coaches poll.

Some of that respect may have been earned yesterday, when the Big Ten announced Michigan's John Mortimer as September's athlete of the month. Mortimer set a record at the Jayhawk Invitational two weeks ago and finished second last week at Illinois.

If the Wolverines are looking to strengthen their national respect, this weekend is the perfect time to start. The Montana Invitational features a strong field of teams.

Among some of the field featured this weekend is No. 4 Oregon, No. 8 Weber State and 19th-ranked Arizona.

Oregon finished third last year at nationals but lost last year's regional champ, Karl Keska to graduation. But that doesn't mean the team has lost any of its credibility. The Ducks are expected once again to finish in the top five at nationals this season.

Arizona, last year's NCAAs host, returns a strong team and may have a chance of sneaking into the top 10 at nationals this year. Although the preseason poll placed the Wildcats at No. 19, the team was riddled with injuries last year that may carry over to this season. A healthy Arizona team could mean trouble come November.

As for Weber State, the Wolverines know little about the school from Utah, but the coaches' poll has them positioned in the eighth spot.

With all of this talent, do the Wolverines still expect to win?

They said it's not out of the question.

"First place is not out of our range if we run well," McLaughlin said. "The polls don't give us that great of a reading on the other schools.

"We don't really know how good they are until we match up against them."

Sophomore Jay Cantin believes that the Wolverines have a chance because of their top two runners.

"We have probably the best one-two punch with Sullivan and Mortimer," Cantin said.

The tandem of Sullivan and Mortimer finished first and second, respectively, last week, but it is the supporting cast that helps improve the team's final score.

"Our No. 3 and 4 guys are like the one and two guys at a lot of other schools," senior Cory Brown said.

Because the scoring system at a cross-country invitational counts the top five runners, it is advantageous to have a deep team. Each runner receives a point corresponding to the place he finishes. Then the points are added together and the lowest total wins.

Another factor in the Wolverines' success this weekend is the course. The Montana course has not been run by very many of the current Wolverines.

"I think the only one of us who has run at Montana is Sullivan," McLaughlin said. "We really don't know much about the course. We do know that there is a very big hill along with some obstacles, logs, near the end of the course."

This weekend may help the Wolverines earn some respect, but the success of Michigan's season lies in the team's performance in the Big Ten and NCAA championships at the year's end.

10-02-97