'M' track needs young and old for victory

The moment of truth has finally arrived for the Michigan men's track team. This weekend, the Wolverines want to put an exclamation mark on a season filled with pleasant surprises.

All season, this young, freshman-laden squad has silenced critics and performed beyond expectations. But when they travel to Madison for the Big Ten championship meet, they face their most daunting challenge yet.

Surprisingly, the freshmen provided the bulk of Michigan's scoring this year. But due to the competitive field, the Wolverines' elder statesmen might have to lead the way.

"Going into the Big Ten meet you can't really count on freshman," Michigan coach Jack Harvey said. "They will make their mistakes. The key is minimizing those mistakes."

Two upperclassmen, juniors Jay Cantin and and Todd Snyder, have distinguished themselves in recent weeks.

Last week at the Wolverine Open, Cantin captured the 800-meters by running the fastest time of any Wolverine all season. He also won the mile at the Michigan Intercollegiate, posting a team-leading time of 4:08.

Snyder posted back-to-back wins in the 5,000 at the Michigan Invitational and Meyo Classic. With their combination of talent and experience, Cantin and Snyder seem to be candidates for strong showings.

While the Wolverines would like solid upperclassman performances, it's no secret that the Wolverines need their freshmen to continue to exceed expectations.

The most impressive of these freshman has been silky-smooth sprinter Ike Okenwa. Okenwa brings a streak of four consecutive meets with a victory.

Earlier this week, Okenwa suffered a major scare when he reinjured his achilles' tendon in practice. While the same injury may have kept any other athlete from competing, Okenwa will be ready to go this weekend.

"Even if I broke my foot, I'd be running in that meet," Okenwa said. "There's no way in hell I'm missing that meet."

Okenwa is not the only freshman with something to prove. Triple jump specialist Oded Padan, currently ranked seventh in the country, has overwhelmed inferior competition all season. But Padan will have his hands full at Big Tens where three of the best triple-jumpers in the nation will compete.

A less-heralded freshman may actually have the best chance to win his event. Patrick Johansson is expected to challenge in the weight throw.

"If Patrick has two more feet in him, and I think he does, he could win the title in his event," Harvey said.

Other Wolverines expecting a big weekend are freshmen Jeremy Schneider and Mike Wisniewski and sophomore Charles DeWildt, and junior Dan Snyder.

This will be the last Big Ten indoor championship in the illustrious twenty-five year career of head coach Jack Harvey. Yesterday, Harvey announced that he would retire on Jan. 1, 2000.

02-19-99