That's a wrap

Men's cross country never missed a beat

They say there are two sides to every story.

For the 1999 Michigan men's cross country team, there is a correct side and a better side.

Statistically, the Wolverines were down this year - second place at Big Tens after two straight years of titles, a third at the Great Lakes regional after a second-place showing last year, and a drop from fourth to fifth in the national standings.

LOUSI BROWN/Daily Senior Steve Lawerence stepped up this season along with fellow captain Jay Cantin to fill the shoes of departed stars John Mortimer and Todd Snyder.

But to judge the Wolverines solely on their numbers this year is to lose sight of what this team, and what this sport, is all about.

The Wolverines were a team in the fullest sense of the word.

When they ran well, it was collective - nobody took the credit above anybody else.

When they ran badly, it was more of the same - nary a finger was pointed.

After watching the Wolverines throughout a typical race day, from warm-ups, to the race, to the cool-down, to the awards ceremony, you got the feeling that the final score was actually secondary to something much more important - brotherhood.

"We're like a family," Jay Cantin said. "This team is one of the best in Michigan's history and we really didn't know for a while if we could do well this season."

The element of camaraderie isn't as trivial as you might think - not every team has it.

Even at Michigan, some teams are content to compete together in practice and in races, then scatter when it's over.

Compare them with this team, which lives together in two houses.

A team's success, as well as its cancer, usually starts at the top. Give credit to the two captains, Cantin and Steve Lawrence. The "Canadian connection" shouldered all the expectations left over from the Sullivan-Mortimer-Snyder days and they did it with the typical humble grace of a couple of guys from Ontario.

And let's not forget about coach Ron Warhurst, for whom the phrase "tough-love coaching" was created. Even the eternally optimistic cross country legend couldn't have imagined such a season after half the program graduated or used up their eligibility last year.

Now that Cantin and Lawrence are moving on, there's reason to worry, right? Deja vu all over again?

"We're excited," Mark Pilja said. "We know we're going to rise to the occasion."

This story just gets better and better.

11-29-99