Leader of the pack

By Ryan C. Moloney
Daily Sports Writer

Ask Jay Cantin about the most memorable race in his Michigan career and it won't take long before the 1998 Penn Relays are recounted to you in detail.

It was time for the distance medley relay which Michigan hadn't won at Penn in 38 years.

Only a sophomore, the young Cantin had to hold his own with two Michigan legends - Kevin Sullivan and John Mortimer.

"We were on a mission - just stay close enough so that our anchor Kevin could work his magic," Cantin said. "I was so nervous, I didn't want to let those guys down."

Lo and behold, in the last 100 meters Sullivan smoked Arkansas' Senecca Lassiter to capture first place and international recognition for the Michigan track program.

"I'll never forget taking a victory lap in front of 45,000 people," Cantin said.

But those kinds of accolades are rare. If you love attention and fanfare, you are probably not a distance runner. Cantin, the senior co-captain of the Michigan men's cross country team, may be the best athlete you've never heard of on campus.

Though he's an All-American, a Big Ten champion and an Olympic trial finalist, years of running in the shadows of the Big Three - Kevin Sullivan, John Mortimer and Todd Snyder hasn't exactly granted him big-name status.

"That's kind of true," Cantin said. "But I came here in the first place to run with those guys and be part of a good team."

Some, perhaps most, people would become jealous of the attention bestowed upon their teammates. For Cantin, the feeling is something else entirely - gratitude.

"I am almost proud to have been overshadowed by Sullivan, Snyder and Mortimer," Cantin said. "They are all incredible people and it was an honor to compete with them.

"There's nothing like taking your warm-up jog at a meet with Sullivan and Mortimer on your shoulders, guys on other teams shaking in their boots."

But now it's Cantin's turn to lead the Wolverines and he's doing it in the same way he's done everything else in his Michigan career - quietly and professionally.

"Jay is a motivation for the rest of us to do well," sophomore Mark Pilja said. "That's the biggest thing - he treats everybody on the team equally and is a friend to everybody."

Co-captain Steve Lawrence has run with Cantin since their high school club days in Ontario. Even in those days, Cantin oozed respect.

"He's always done things in a quiet fashion," Lawrence said. "Everyone definitely respects him and his opinions."

In many respects, this is the most challenging season of Cantin's career. This season a big question will be answered - can the Wolverines win without a front-runner?

Cantin has yet to prove he can run in the front of the pack on a consistent basis and he is crucial to the delicate, five-runner balance Michigan coach Ron Warhurst is attempting to build.

"He's basically a miler," Warhurst said. "He's been through this for four years now and I'm looking for him to have a breakthrough season.

"This is his turn."

Whatever inconsistencies may have plagued him early in his career, Cantin believes he has found the answer with strength training and other endurance workouts. Of course, having a miler's kick never hurts.

"Early in my career, being a miler hurt me in cross country races," Cantin said. "But coming into the last 1/2 mile of the race I know I will win because that's my specialty."

In fact, it might be the reputation that gives Cantin an edge.

"Ron likes to yell 'who's the four-minute miler?' whenever I'm in a pack with a mile left," Cantin said. "It's great intimidation."

If the Wolverines surpass everybody's expectations this year, it will be due in large part to Cantin. But if you ask Warhurst, Cantin already possesses the main intangible.

"This game is all about confidence and Jay has it," Warhurst said.

Quiet confidence, that is.

09-23-99