It was a misfortune for the Michigan men's cross country team that it was unable to finish the season on a sweeter note than it did in the hot desert sand.
Instead, the college careers of seniors Scott MacDonald, Dave Barnett and Jeff Beuche ended at the national championships in Tucson, Ariz.
Circumstances might have been different had the 1996 NCAA Championship been held in a climate more to MichiganŐs liking.
Instead, the Wolverines were forced to run in 70-degree temperatures all day -- en route to a 14th- place finish at nationals.
Michigan was shooting for a spot in the top eight overall, and hoped to land two runners in the top 10.
But John Mortimer and Scott MacDonald both suffered from heat exhaustion, and ran their worst races of the season.
After winning all but one race in the regular season, Mortimer fell to 116th at the championship. He almost passed out during the race.
MacDonald finished 43rd in Tucson, his last race as a Wolverine.
"I just couldn't move up at the end of the race," the senior co-captain said. "The heat and dry weather hindered me. I didn't have my muscles firing like I wanted them."
Appropriately, the two Michigan stars suffered together.
Mortimer and MacDonald worked as a team all season, carrying the Wolverines near the top of the Big Ten and the District V Region. The so-called "M and M" partnership pulled its weight as a tandem -- week-in, week-out, and with distinctly different styles.
Mortimer, undoubtedly the fastest Wolverine, began each race in the top 10 but wouldn't move up to claim his lead until midway through the affair.
"It takes a lot of the pressure off me that way," Mortimer said.
He honed his trade to perfection, especially toward the end of the season, winning four consecutive races heading into the NCAA championships. Mortimer lost only two races all season -- at the Notre Dame Invitational and at the NCAA championship in Tucson.
MacDonald, on the other hand, was a quick starter. He jumped out to early leads often, taking some of the pressure off his younger teammate Mortimer. MacDonald placed in the top 10 in all but one race in 1996.
With the consistency of Mortimer and MacDonald virtually a sure thing all season, Michigan coach Ron Warhurst was prompted to worry more about the other runners on the team.
"The rest of our guys just need to run with the competition man-for-man because John and Scott will clean up in the front," Warhurst said. "They should both finish in the top three."
In this scenario, Michigan's fate was usually decided by the runners bringing up the rear. But Todd Snyder, Jay Cantin, Steve Lawrence, Beuche and Barnett didn't always fare well at crucial times.
Often, the result was only one or two solid performances to accompany high finishes from Mortimer and MacDonald.
Despite the ability of the "M and M" boys to capture two of the top three spots in almost every race, the lack of consistency through the top five or six spots in Michigan's lineup prevented the Wolverines from unseating perennial conference champion Wisconsin.
Knocking off the Badgers has become the primary goal of Michigan men's cross country in recent times, but each year the Wolverines have fallen short.
"They are a good team, but they are not better athletes than us," Warhurst said.
Michigan lost MacDonald -- its second best runner in '96 -- when he graduated in May. But the loss is hoped to be mitigated by the return of two-time All-American Kevin Sullivan. Sullivan missed all of last fall due to an injury to his bursila.
09-03-97
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