8B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - October 12, 1998 Defending team title easy as one-two-three for Wolverines x Despite finishing 20 seconds behind last year's winning time at the Murray Keatinge Invitational, Michigan's John Mortimer finished first at the meet with 24:01. LOUIS BROWN/Daily By Chris Langrill For the Daily Running in a light drizzle all day and on a muddy course, the Michigan men's cross country team managed to successfully defend its 1997 team title at this year's Murray Keatinge Invitational in Orono, Maine this past Saturday. The sixth-ranked Wolverines, run- ning on Maine's course, finished with 27 points to second-place Iowa's 64. In addition to taking the team title for the second straight year, a Wolverine took the individual title at the event for the fourth consecutive year. Senior John Mortimer successfully defended his '97 crown, running the 8,000-meter course in 24:01. Actually, the Wolverines finished one-two-three in the race. Behind Mortimer, who was about 20 seconds off his record-setting course time from '97 (23:42), were fellow senior Todd Snyder (24:09) and junior Steve Lawrence (24:15). Close behind the front three was V' still rolls No stranger to big-meet competition, McGuire realizes the importance of the remainder of the season. "Our meet next week will really give us an idea of where we're at going into 'the playoffs,' as we call them: The last three meets of the season," McGuire said. "We know it will be our sternest test to date and I think we'll respond to that." But the Wolverines are already look- ing forward to Saturday's meet if, for no other reason, for location. "I'm glad we're not traveling any- where so that we won't have to worry about getting there," McGuire said. senior Don McLaughlin, who fin- ished in fifth place with a time of 24:45. Rounding out Michigan's scor- ing was sophomore fifth man Mike Wisniewski, who finished 15th with a time of 25:05. Although All-America Mortimer was off his record-setting time of last year, coach Ron Warhurst noted how most times were about a half-minute slower this year, thanks to muddy conditions. Warhurst wasn't that wor- ried about the times his runners post- ed. After all, they won. For the Wolverines, winning wasn't the only important part of this trip to the East Coast, though. "A trip like this gives the kids a chance to see different parts of the country ... to not be cooped up in the same area all year," Warhurst said. He added that the most important aspect of a meet such as this one is that it provides a "good tune-up" for the rest of the season - especially for this week's Wolverine Invitational (at the Michigan Golf Course) and the upcoming Big Ten Championships. The meet was also a perfect event to rest any runners who have been nursing injuries, with no other top-25 schools running against the top-14 squad. That's why senior Jay Cantin was left at home with some sore mus- cles. "We want to be healthy for Big Tens and nationals," Warhurst said. But Warhurst was quick to note that having no Top 25 teams in the field didn't mean an "automatic" win. He mentioned how, in many instances, pollsters have to make educated. guesses as to how good certain teams are. In many cases, some teams' best runners sit certain meets out, which affects where they finish and their subsequent rankings. "Rankings don't mean that much," Warhurst said. The Wolverines will take their No. 6 ranking.into this week's home invi- tationat. Michigan hosts a solid field, with No. 22 James Madison among the opponents. 01 Great Brands Polo Tommy Hilfiger Calvin Klein Student discounts on eye exams and eyeglasses Hours: Mon-Tues-Thu-Fri 9-5:30 Wed & Sat 9-1 320 S. State St. (lower level of Decker Drugs) 662-1945 Richardson's tCa Despite traffic, late arrival, ' TRAFFIC Continued from Page 1B for her plight then for ours because this is tough for her. We want to do every- thing we can to get her back and healthy so she can run at the level we all know she is capable of." Two runners performing especially well in Radkewich's absence were Marcy Akard - who missed last season because of an injury - and Lisa Ouellet. "That was by far Marcy Akard's best race of the year;" McGuire said. "She's really starting to catch fire. She's just gotta continue to train and race and it will come around for her." After the announcement of the final results, the Wolverines turned their attention toward the Michigan Interregional. The meet, which features many of the country's top teams will be held at the Michigan Golf Course -the Wolverines' home course - this Saturday. "It's time to step it up a notch because it's coming down to crunch time," Slater said. "It's a different atmosphere than this and people get a bit more nervous." "Mentally, we'll have to prepare on our own because there is going to be a lot better competition than this week," Noe said. WARREN ZINN /Dady For the first time all season, Katie McGregor didn't run away from everyone, but her team did - the Wolverines won the Michigan Intercollegiate in Kalamazoo. 4 WANT TO FLY? nas organizea an exciting anu Novi Hilton otel + "* The Air Force has an urgent need informative convention including Novi, Michigan (near Detroit) for pilots, navigators, engineers, and a musical recital by renowned managers! composer and performer, For more information, contact: Join Air Force ROTC and develop leadership Simon Shaheen, with invited speakers AAUG * 4201 Connecticut Avenue, NW and management skills. Great salary and Suite 303 * Washington, D.C. 20008 benefits. Call Captain James Munford at 764-2403 including Clovis Maksoud, E-mail: aaug@igc.org # Website: www.aaug.org for career info. Ramsey Clark and Hisham Sharabi. 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