Defending team title easy as one-two-three for Wolverines

Running in a light drizzle all day and on a muddy course, the Michigan men's cross country team managed to successfully defend its 1997 team title at this year's Murray Keatinge Invitational in Orono, Maine this past Saturday.

The sixth-ranked Wolverines, running on Maine's course, finished with 27 points to second-place Iowa's 64. In addition to taking the team title for the second straight year, a Wolverine took the individual title at the event for the fourth consecutive year. Senior John Mortimer successfully defended his '97 crown, running the 8,000-meter course in 24:01.

Actually, the Wolverines finished one-two-three in the race.

Behind Mortimer, who was about 20 seconds off his record-setting course time from '97 (23:42), were fellow senior Todd Snyder (24:09) and junior Steve Lawrence (24:15). Close behind the front three was senior Don McLaughlin, who finished in fifth pl

Despite finishing 20 seconds behind his last year's winning time at the Murray Keatinge Invitational, Michigan's John Mortimer finished first at the meet with 24:01.

ace with a time of 24:45. Rounding out Michigan's scoring was sophomore fifth man Mike Wisniewski, who finished 15th with a time of 25:05.

Although All-America Mortimer was off his record-setting time of last year, coach Ron Warhurst noted how most times were about a half-minute slower this year, thanks to muddy conditions. Warhurst wasn't that worried about the times his runners posted. After all, they won.

For the Wolverines, winning wasn't the only important part of this trip to the East Coast, though.

"A trip like this gives the kids a chance to see different parts of the country ... to not be cooped up in the same area all year," Warhurst said.

He added that the most important aspect of a meet such as this one is that it provides a "good tune-up" for the rest of the season - especially for this week's Wolverine Invitational (at the Michigan Golf Course) and the upcoming Big Ten Championships.

The meet was also a perfect event to rest any runners who have been nursing injuries, with no other top-25 schools running against the top-10 squad. That's why senior Jay Cantin was left at home with some sore muscles.

"We want to be healthy for Big Tens and nationals," Warhurst said.

But Warhurst was quick to note that having no Top 25 teams in the field didn't mean an "automatic" win. He mentioned how, in many instances, pollsters have to make educated guesses as to how good certain teams are. In many cases, some teams' best runners sit certain meets out, which affects where they finish and their subsequent rankings.

"Rankings don't mean that much," Warhurst said.

The Wolverines will take their No. 6 ranking into this week's home invitational. Michigan hosts a solid field, with No. 22 James Madison among the opponents.

LOUIS BROWN/Daily

10-12-98