The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 14, 1996 -17A
HARRIERS
Vontinued hrnp Page 16A
"We still have the pack mind-set, but
we're going to try to get out at the front
more," Barber said. "We did a little bet-
ter at Big Tens, but we need to do it
even more. We have to get out quickly,
find each other, and then work on
speeding up."
McGuire said that he does not want
Michigan's legacy of success to intimi-
date the team, but at the same time, he
jecognizes that qualifying for nationals
for the ninth year in a row would place
the Wolverines in prestigious company.
"I'm not under any pressure, and I'm
not exerting any on our athletes,"
McGuire said. "We're definitely capa-
ble of getting there, (and) every year
that I've been head coach, we've either
been first or second.
"We want to continue our tradition.
Not many teams can lay claim to the
et that they've been to the nationals
fight years in a row. We want to be
among a select group."
Blue men's harriers hope to crack open Champaign
By Jacob Wheeler
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan men's cross country
team will get one more shot at con-
ference nemesis Wisconsin this
weekend at the NCAA District V
Championships.
Big Ten powerhouses Michigan
State, Illinois, Wisconsin and
Michigan , along with Ohio and
Notre Dame, will head the pack of
38 teams Saturday in Champaign.
The top three teams will move
onto the NCAA championships on
Nov. 23.
There is a possibility that a fourth
team will be allowed to race.
"I'm not even considering the pos-
sibility of us not going (to the NCAA
championships) as a team,"
Michigan coach Ron Warhurst said.
Based on regular-season events,
Michigan is the second-best team in
its district. The Wolverines narrowly
lost to Wisconsin in the Big Ten
championships
"We didn't
run well last
m e e t , "
W a r h u r s t
said. "But
we can't cry
over spilled
milk.
"T h a t 's
what being
athletes is all
about. We
know what
we have to
do."
on Nov. 2.
This
weekend
What: The men's
NCAA District V
Championships
When: Saturday, all
day
Where: Champaign
Notable: The
Wolverines finished
second at the Big
Ten Championships
The Wolverines' top three runners
have been consistent all season.
The rest have shown glimpses of
brilliance but did not race up to
expectations against Wisconsin, the
most crucial race thus far.
Between Jay Cantin, Steve
Lawrence, Jeff Beuche and Dave
Barnett, two will need to race up to
potential for any hope of victory.
"We can't let the No. I and 2 run-
ners from the weaker schools sepa-
rate our fourth and fifth guys,"
Warhurst said.
"It'll take under 90 points to make
it to nationals, so we'll need five run-
ners in the top 40."
With quality outings from the
fourth- and fifth-place runners,
Michigan could win its first district
championship.
The top three spots are not a great
area of concern.
Michigan's top-three runners have
consistently anchored the team t6'
solid performances.
In John Mortimer, No. 1 at Big
Tens, and Scott MacDonald, No. 2 at
Big Tens, the Wolverines have the
backbone to upset Wisconsin.
Mortimer is still a sophomore, so
the future looks bright.
"The rest of our guys just need to
run with the competition man-for-
man because John and Scott will
clean up in the front," Warhurst said.
"They should both finish in the top
three."
Mortimer has won all but one race
this season. His one loss came
against Notre Dame.
MacDonald didn't finish quite as
high earlier in the season against the
Fighting Irish, but he has improved
since then.
"Scott was a different runner six
weeks ago," Warhurst said. "He's in
much better shape now."
Michigan got a big surprise from
Todd Snyder two weeks ago when he
placed ninth at the Big Ten champi-
onships.
"It would be nice to get Todd in the
top 15 again," Warhurst said.
Continued stellar performances
from Snyder, MacDonald and
Mortimer, along with improvement
from the fourth and fifth spots, could
propel Michigan to a long awaited
upset over the Badgers.
"We've finished second to
Wisconsin most years since I've been
here," Warhurst said.
After slipping to fourth last year,
Michigan has a chance to turn histo-
ry around Saturday.
What Michigan has to do is fill in
a couple patches at the bottom of its
ship.
F
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