Anonymous Wolverines plan to extend run of excellence in cross country

By Ryan C. Moloney

Daily Sports Writer

For the better part of the 90's, the Michigan men's cross country team churned out successful fall seasons like a summer blockbuster movie series.

Unlike in Hollywood, the sequels got better and better. With each year, heros such as Kevin Sullivan, John Mortimer, Jay Cantin and Steve Lawrence gradually moved in, starred, then gave away to new protagonists.

The familiar faces this time around are far and few in between - media guides should be passed out at the entrance.

But coach Ron Warhurst enjoys the lowered national projections and has wasted no time tossing the team's five freshmen into the fray.

"That's life in the big city," Warhurst said. "You don't go to military school to practice war and they can't get away with BSing (on the collegiate level).

"I'm sure they got to the three-mile-mark and said 'hey it's over, it's high school,'" Warhurst said at the end of yesterday's Wolverine Invitational.

Most collegiate men's cross country races span ten kilometers or 6.2 miles. The invitational, however, was five miles long.

The meet is traditionally the opener for the season and for all intents and purposes, functions as a hyped-up time trial. Both senior Mike Wisniewski and junior Mark Pilja gave the appearance of professional runners, sporting their own uniforms as opposed to the usual maize and blues.

Though the Michigan golf course is closed for other home meets, the course stayed open yesterday, providing a peculiar site for spectators - runners filtering past foursomes searching for lost golf balls.

The Wolverines return Pilja and senior John Butsic, both key top five runners from last year's team. Wisniewski, in all likelihood, will redshirt this season according to Warhurst.

"He could be top ten at this year's NCAA, but I'm banking on going with nine solid guys next year - hopefully we can challenge for the whole thing in two years."

Wisniewski and Pilja went 1-2 in the race, five seconds apart. Mason Ward, perhaps the team's top incoming freshman, took third.

Butsic, nursing an ear infection, finished in back of the pack.

"I'm concerned about him," Warhurst saidAdditionally, junior Tom Caughlan and sophomore David Cook are crucial to the depth and durability of the top five. Both are challenging for spots behind Pilja who, if Wisniewski is redshirted, will most likely inherit the number one spot from the departed Jay Cantin.