Men's track falters in Kalamazoo, places fifth By David Mosse Daily Sports Writer The Michigan men's track and field team suffered it's first setback of the season at the Central Collegiate Championships. The Wolverines placed fifth out of nine teams with an overall team score of 76.5 points. Michigan soared into the competition on a high after an impressive performance at the Red Simmons Invitational on Jan. 22. The strong showing earned the Wolverines a top 25 ranking for the first time this season. Saturday was a different story as Michigan struggled mightily at the Jack Skroog Arena in Western Michigan. Only one Wolverine captured first place in his individual event. That honor went to Jeremy Schneider, who won the 800 meters with a time of 1:54:54. Michigan's other triumph came in the distance relay, where the team of Tom Caughlan, Phil Stead and John Butsic placed first with a time of 10:07:56. The 800 meters proved to be Michigan's best event, as the Wolverines managed three of of the top six spots. Dan Snyder placed fourth while Steve Moffat finished sixth. Michigan had a host of third place finishes including Patrick Johannson in the 35-pound weight throw and Derrick Applewhite in the 60-meter hurdles. Charles Dewilt, who won the pole vault at the Red Simmons, managed third at Western Michigan. Sprinting sensation Ike Okenwa had a rare off week, placing third in the 200 meters and fourth in the 60 meters. "Overall, we didn't perform as well as we would have liked," Dewilt said. "It just wasn't our day." While the Wolverines struggled, Eastern Michigan ran away with first place behind victories in three individual events. Kent placed second, followed by Western Michigan and Central Michigan. Michigan will have little time recover as they travel to South Bend next week for the Meyo Invitational. Originally on page 7B in the 1-31-2000 issue of the Daily.