Track conquers west coast

For the first time this outdoor season, it was a victorious Saturday for the Michigan men's track and field team.

The Wolverines dominated the distance and field events en route to an upset of Washington and a demolition of New Mexico in the San Diego State Quad Meet.

"It was a real good meet for us," Michigan coach Jack Harvey said. "We had quite a few big performances."

For one of the first times this year, the big performances came mainly from Michigan's upperclassmen. The Wolverines got three first-place finishes from their elder statesmen, including wins in the 5,000 meters and 4x400 relay that allowed the team to eke out a seven-point victory.

"We were in a dogfight right until the end of the meet," assistant coach Ron Warhurst said.

Although the sprinters did not fare as well as the rest of the squad, it was a special weekend for freshman sprinter Ike Okenwa.

Okenwa competed for the first time as a Wolverine in his hometown since graduating from Morse High School in San Diego.

"It was great," Okenwa said. "The whole entourage came out for the meet. It was good to see everyone again."

Although the team didn't win any sprint events, they put together some encouraging performances, especially in the hurdles. Sophomore Jon Cohen and Freshman Derek Applewhite finished second and fourth in the 110 hurdles, respectively.

"My times were pretty vast improvements over last time,'' Applewhite said. "Next week I just want to do better, you know, take baby steps."

All American Jay Cantin, the reigning Big Ten indoor mile champion, was victorious in the 1,500 and 800, important events that set up Steve Lawrence's dramatic victory in the 5,000.

Lawrence, drained after finishing second in the 1,500, came back and won the 5,000, an event that along with the 4x400 put Michigan over the hump.

04-13-99