Harriers to face MAC attack in quad meet

By Chris Duprey

Daily Sports Writer

Only once during the regular season will the Michigan women's cross country team fly to its weekend meet.

And that's the way Michigan coach Mike McGuire likes it. Aside from the Sundodger Invitational on Sept. 26 in Seattle, the Wolverines never leave the Midwest - that way, McGuire can buy his team race experience without paying for it in terms of jet lag, sore legs and lackadaisical performances.

Michigan will stay local again Saturday when it travels to Ohio to clash with MAC foes Ohio, Marshall and host Bowling Green in a quadrangular meet.

Ohio and Marshall are more of the same middle-caliber MAC schools that the Wolverines beat up on at the Sycamore Pride. Each has its own top runner to showcase and not much else.

Bowling Green is no stranger to Michigan. The Wolverines have already had the ho-hum pleasure of running with the Falcons at their first meet - or should it be said, running ahead of the Falcons - and the second time around should be just as much of a blowout.

So instead of worrying about the opposition, the Wolverines will be focusing on tightening up their pack time. Michigan's top five runners were separated by 1:17, a figure McGuire would like to see slimmed down a bit.

"Katie McGregor is as good of a No. 1 runner as there is in the country," McGuire said. "Obviously that will make our pack time a bit misleading. But we need to get our pack time under a minute, preferably 45 seconds."

Depth was the missing ingredient from the Wolverines' recipe in 1997. McGregor and Elizabeth Kampfe were able to carry the team by themselves for most of last season. But the lack of solid No. 4- and 5-runners cost Michigan a team berth at the NCAA Championships.

The Wolverines didn't lose any seniors to graduation last year, and they are reaping the rewards for it now.

"We're a year older and a year stronger," McGuire said.

McGregor is back for her final season, and it appears this time she has help. Freshman Katy Radkewich stepped up nicely at last weekend's Sycamore Pride meet, taking third in a time of 18:28, behind only McGregor and Kampfe. The transfer from Providence should provide some of the consistency that eluded the Wolverines' middle runners last season.

"I thought Katy did a great job," McGuire said. "She really has run only one race since high school, due to injury."

McGregor, Kampfe, Radkewich and Julie Froud will occupy the top spots in some order, while a platoon of Michelle Slater and Katie Clifford will close out the scoring five. Froud may be slow in returning to her '97 form due to a foot injury she suffered during indoor track season.

While McGuire expects to win the quadrangular, a higher priority is to allow the Wolverines to gain some confidence in their racing. Some of the times were slower than expected last weekend due to the weather, but those times could all be erased from memory with a solid showing Saturday.

Barring total collapse, it should be a happy bus ride home for the Wolverines.

09-10-98