The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 4, 1996 - 23 * FILE PHOTO Thee-time All-American Kevin Sullivan will not run for the Michigan cross-ountry team this season after a lower-leg Injury. He will receive a medical redshirt as a result of the injury, leaving him with one year of eligibility. Sullivan lost for cross-country season with lower-leg injury fo r By Mark Snyder Daily Sports Writer For three years, Kevin Sullivan has anchored the Michigan cross-country program. But the Wolverines will have to do without their star this season. The three- time All-American will receive a med- i redshirt for bursitis in his ankle. hebursa, a muscle next to the Achilles tendon, has plagued Sullivan for some time. Since Sullivan made the decision to skip last spring's outdoor track season for other reasons, the injury has persisted. A native of Brantford, Ontario, Sullivan's intention was to use the spring as a training ground to prepare fQr the Olympics. ,,Jnfortunately, he never even made it the track. His original plan had been to com- pete at the Canadian Olympic Trials in both the 1,500-meter and the 3,000- meter events. But those hopes were dashed when the pain wouldn't disap- pear. "After he wasn't going to make the Olympic (team), we figured we'd wait- and-see if it would heal without surgery," Michigan coach Ron Warhurst said. The wait and see attitude did not pay off. The results were the same as the initial prognosis and Sullivan will have surgery on the bursa today. Yet Sullivan's career is far from over, despite being sidelined for the upcom- ing cross-country and indoor track sea- sons. After one of the most prolific cross- country tenures in school history, the three-time NCAA champion intends to return. "We knew (Sullivan) was going to be here another year anyway," Warhurst said. "So he'll miss cross-country and indoor track and then will have outdoor track and a full fifth year (in 1997- 98.)" Sullivan has garnered nearly every award the Big Ten has to offer during his Michigan career. A three-time Big Ten Athlete of the Year, Sullivan has surpassed the accomplishments of even the most sto- ried Michigan distance runners. One more individual cross-country title would make Sullivan only the third runner in the history of the conference to win the individual championship four times. But for now, Sullivan will put aside his ambitions of entering the record books and settle for being a sideline cheerleader. Without Sullivan, cross-country team faces adversity from outset iichigan will try to overcome with returners, talented freshmen INTRAMURAL SPORTS PROGRAM Each week throughout the year, the Intramural Sports Program will place information in the Michigan Daily using the format as in this ad. The information will consist of upcoming IM activities/sports as well as officiating opportunities. Be on the lookout each Monday so that ou can be part of the fun and exciting action during the year. Also, information can be obtained by visiting the Rec Sports World Wide Web site at: http://www.recsports.umich.edu. UPCOMING ACTIVITIES By Mark Snyder Daily Sports Wrnter Championship athletes come in all shapes and sizes, and for the Michigan men's cross-country team, this season is no different. From the outset, the team faces rt:ersity. Senior All-American Kevin ,ivan will sit out the season after li'aying surgery to correct bursitis in his ankle. Michigan coach Ron Warhurst sees the loss as an obstacle, but not a stumbling block, in the team's path to the Big Ten Championship. "Without Kevin in there, it's going to make it a little more difficult," Warhurst said. "But the way the fellas did their (own training) this summer, we'll do really well." he Wolverines lost only two signifi- c nt members of the squad to gradua- tion, Warhurst said. Despite the return of Michigan's top runners, Warhurst was determined not to stay put. After a 1995 freshman class that included All-American John Mortimer and Todd Snyder, Warhurst actively recruited through- out last season and garnered a couple of outstanding prospects. *The off-season went really well," he said. "We had a really good recruiting year. We got two new Canadian athletes, one who has run 3:42 for 1,500 meters -- a sub-four- minute mile." Warhurst is speaking of Jay Cantin of Camlachie, Ont., who finished fifth at the Canadian Olympic Trials earlier this year. His recruitment was a major coup for the Michigan pro- gram, and he is already drawing com- parisons to the sidelined superstar. "He's almost as fast as Sullivan was during his freshman year," Warhurst said. The second of the two upstarts is Steve Lawrence, also a native of Canada. Lawrence's resume is impressive as well. He clocked a 4:07 in the 1,500 meters to go with an 8:56 in the 3,000. His second-place finish at the Canadian cross-country cham- pionships grabbed Michigan's atten- ti on. Warhurst sees the squad as extremely developed and is excited at the prospect of reclaiming what was once the Wolverines. "Wisconsin's been our nemesis for the last nine years," Warhurst said. "We've won (the Big Ten Championship) once in that time. (Wisconsin) has won it all the other (seasons). It's been that way for years, except when we won in 1993." The starting lineup is anchored by co-captains Scott MacDonald and David Barnett. MacDonald and sophomore John Mortimer are the top two returning runners in the coach's eyes. "I'd like (Mortimer) to improve about 20 places at the national cham- pionships," Warhurst said. "Last year he was 37th and this year I'd like to see him in the top 20 (nationally) along with MacDonald." When breaking down the Big Ten, the Badgers are the primary competi- tion for Michigan. While the Wolverines have improved with their new talent, Wisconsin was not as suc- cessful, losing its top two runners to graduation. "We should be stronger than last year," Warhurst said. "We'd like to win the Big Ten Championship, be in the top two or three in the district, and the top six in the nation. "We've goth(almost) everybody back, but the problem is that we don't have Kevin Sullivan," he said. In another season, that may have spelled doom for the Wolverines, but this year the prospects aren't half bad. 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