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6The Michigan Daily
!Friday, March 12, 1982
Page
PRW
Give Diemer an inch,
he'll take the mile
-_4
p...;
By JIM DWORMAN
Winning a national championship is
the goal of any college athlete. A runner
as only four years in which to achieve
that goal, and when one gets the oppor-
tunity to compete in a championship
meet, he usually gives his all in an at-
tempt to win.
Today at the National Collegiate
Athletic Association Indoor Track
Championships, Brian Diemer has two
opportunities to reach that goal. The
junior cross-country All-American
qualified. for the Naitonals in both the
mile run and as a member of the
istance medley team.
BUT DIEMER will forego his chance
for the individual title in the mile to
save his strength for the relay, an event
in which he believes the Wolverines
have an excellent chance to place. "If
everybody (Craig Camp, Bob Boynton,
Mike Shea and Diemer) runs what
they're capable of running, we should
place in the top three," said Diemer,
who does not mind watching the mile-
run from the infield. "It would be nice
to run in both races, but I'd rather run
in the distance medley.
"I watched two years ago and ran in
it last year. The crowd is almost all for
Michigan and they really make a lot of
noise if we get out in front. You hear the
yelling and it fires you up.'"'
Besides the crowd, Diemer is also
looking forward to running on
the new, wooden track at the Silver-
dome. "Boards mean it's a big meet,"
said the Grand Rapids native. "Run-
ning on them is fun. I don't know if it
would be every day-it's harder on your
ankles. But it's a different type of
feeling."
THE WOODEN track should also
produce numerous championship meet
records in the next two days. Struc-
turally, the track is reputed to be the
"fastest" ever at the championship
meet, much faster than the surface
used when the meet was held at Joe
Louis and Cobo Arenas.
Diemer, however, does not believe
that the times registered in his event
will be exceptionally fast. "It's going to
be more of a tactical race," predicted
Diemer. "There won't be any rabbits.
Everyone will be going trying for a win,
not going for a time."
If the times are fast, however, it will
be nothing new to Diemer. He has
already run an 8:42.06 two-mile,
missing NCAA qualification by .06
seconds, and a 4:04.15 in the mile-run.
Diemer bested his open mile time,
though, in the mile mile leg of the
distance medley where he ran a 4:02
split at the Western Michigan Relays.
EVEN THOUGH a 4:02 mile is
nothing to scoff at, assistant coach Ron
Warhurst, for one, believes Diemer can
shave four or five seconds off that time.
"Before he leaves here, I'd like to see
him run a 3:56-3:58 mile," said
Warhust. "He's got a range to do
anything, like Dan Heikkinen and Greg
Meyer. Right now he's not a world class
runner but he certainly has the poten-
tial." Keikkinen and Meyer are former
Michigan track All-Americans.
Harvey likens Diemer to another pair
of Wolverine greats. "He'll follow in the
footsteps of (Mike) McGuire and (Bill)
Donakowski. He'll probably knock their
records out of the books." McGuire is
the Big Ten record-holder in the three-
mile run, while Donakowski holds
Michigan marks at the distances of
5,000 and 10,000 meters.
Distances are probably Diemer's
single, greatest asset to Michigan's
track team. The environmental design
major can run competitively at many
different ones.
"HE'S VERY versatile," said Har-
vey. "He can run anything from three-
quarters of a mile on up to 10,000 meters
and even the steeplechase. That makes
him valuable in terms of doubling (run-
ning in more than one event at a
meet)." Diemer doubled and placed
second in both the mile and two-mile at
the Big Ten Championships.
Diemer believes the different distan-
ces are what makes track interesting.
"If I run just one distance I get a little
bored," he said. "The shorter races get
your speed up and it helps you in the
longer ones. It's good to have a mix."
With the conclusion of the indoor
season this weekend, Diemer is looking
ahead to the outdoor season, when he
hopes to repeat as the Big Ten cham-
pion in the steeplechase. In the long-
range, he is thinking about the 1984
Olympics.
"I-definitely want to go there, either:
to watch or to run," said Diemer. "II
don't know what times I'll have to run.I
don't read Track and Field. But I do
know they'll have to be a lot better. If I
run, I'll get my way paid. It'll be a lot
cheaper."
'M' HOSTS NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Nation's thinclads
By JEFFREY BERGIDA
Ten members of the Michigan men's
1982 Big Ten champion track team will
compete in the 18th annual NCAA In-
door Track and Field Championships
held today and tomorrow at the Pontiac
Silverdome. The competition should be
fierce as world record holders and
NCAA champions from all over the
country will be showcasing their talents
this weekend.
Qualifying for the second year in a
ow is the Wolverine mile relay team of
Robert Grainger, Mike Shea, Andrew
Bruce and Shelby Johnson as well as
the distance medley runners: Brian
Diemer, Shea, Bob Boynton and Craig
Camp. Bruce will also run in the 60-
yard dash.
ALTHOUGH Diemer qualified for the
mile run and Shea was eligible for the
1,000-yard run, they will participate in
the distance medley only. Assistant
coach -Ron Warhurst explained the
easonng behind this decision
"The last two years we've been third
in the NCAA's. The key to the distance
medley is your three-quarter and your
mile because that's most of the race."
Diemer is the miler on the distance
medley team while Shea runs the three-
quarters and Warhurst wants them
well-rested for the relay.
Other qualifiers for the Wolverine
thinclads include Vince Bean and
Derek Harper, long jump, Don
Chevillet, pole vaulter, and Johnson, 60-
A
yard high hurdles.
WOLVERINE head coach Ja
vey seemed content with the nu
athletes he is bringing to Pontia
"Sure, we would have liked to
more, but most of the other peop
qualifiers) equalled or did the
performances. the only other p
might have qualified are (Dave
and (Johnny) Nielson, whor
wrist."
Harvey did not venture an op
how his team might fare at t
saying, "A lot of it is just pui
whoever is hot at the time."
converge
HE DID HAVE praise f
ack Har- dome's new plywood tra
amber of given many officials theo
c. number of records will b
o qualify ,the weekend. "It wil be fa
ple (non- NCAA records are going
eir best down," predicted Harvey.
eople we In the past, the nation
e) Lugin been held at Cobo Hall a
hurt his Arena on a four-lane, 11-la
track. The new six-lane,l
pinion on mile oval will have a faste
he meet fewer turns, thusr
ire luck, possibilities of lowered ti
strong field.
on Silverdome
Among the favorites to take the
or the Silver- national title are last year's top two
ck which has finishers, Texas-El Paso and Southern
opinion that a Methodist. UTEP will be led by five-
e broken over time NCAA champion distance runner
ast. All of the Suleiman Nyambui, nationally
g to be shot second-ranked high jumper Milton Ot-
tey, and Bert Cameron, who is one of
al iheet had the nation's top 440-yard runners. The
nd Joe Louis Mustang's line-up features NCAA
ap-to-the mile champions Robert Wier, (35-pound
10-lap-to-the- weight throw), and Keith Connor,
r surface and (triple jump).
raising the Possible challenges to the two Texas
imes for the powers include Tennessee, Villanova,
Brigham Young, and Houston.
Diemer
. on the run
tI
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