- ---Thursday, November 18, 1999 - The Michigan Daily - 15A MARCHING FOURTH BY JON SCHWARnz * DAILY SPORTS WRITER n cross-country running, it is some- times easy to overlook the fourth runner. As it stands, the first and sec- id runners are usually the team's stars, runners who are possibly mpeting for the conference, regional, even national title. The third man is usually the team's presentative in the second pack, try- g to push to the front as much as pos- ble and close the gap between himself d the top runners. And the fifth man the one that ties it all together by set- ig the team's pack time. But the fourth man is often left with- t a role. & Mark Pilja, Michigan's fourth rner, the goal is to shed the position at gives him no fame. Pilja came to the Wolverines from >rth High School in Naperville,. Ill., ere as a senior, he was one of the tion's top recruits. Before Pilja set >t in Ann Arbor, Michigan's runners re well aware of the his impressive dentials. 'It was a big deal when we finally did *him," senior co-captain Steven wrence remembered. "We were all ited about that" But when Pilja started working out :h the team, the new 'star' was not all t he was cracked up to be. The new e on the team made virtually no impact. While Pilja's performance wasn't terrible, they were not what people were expecting from a 'star' runner.. Much of this, team members said, was due to an injury that he had been nursing over the summer after his senior year of high school. The ailment prevented him from training as heavy as he would have liked. "I wasn't happy last season, but I had a poor base from the summer" Pilja said. "I don't think I was strong enough mentally." Lawrence, for one, stood up in his teammate's defense. "When you're not running well, you don't feel the competitive edge," Lawrence said. "You don't draw the same experience when you run poorly as you do when you run well." The only race that Pilja was satisfied with his freshman year was the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, where he fin- ished fifth for the Wolverines and 29th overall. Coming into this season, Pilja was looking to prove, if only to himself, that he was better than what he'd shown as a freshman. He succeeded, running as a steady fourth man all season long for one of the best programs in the country. "We're really lucky to have a fourth man as good as Mark," Lawrence said. "On a lot of other teams in the country, Mark could be the one or two guy on the team." Lawrence characterizes his teammate as easygoing, but after Pilja got a second chance at the course he owned last year at this past Saturday's NCAA Great Lakes Regional, the sophomore was hardly satisfied. While the 25th-place finish was admirable in the 194-person field, Pilja was looking for much better results. "My goal was top 15, Pilja said. "I have to make some adjustments. I have to run better than I did this week." In the long run, as Lawrence pointed out, no one really cares about how any- one does at regionals. While he did agree that Pilja could have and probably should have run better, he noted that Michigan still has one race left this sea- son for Pilja to redeem himself. The real show is saved for the NCAA Championships, to be run this Monday in Bloomington, where Lawrence sees his teammate finishing in the 50-70 range. "Nationals needs to be a big 'up' race for us' Pilja said. "You have to run well, so I'll get myself up for it." Looking ahead to next year, Pilja is going to have to become the runner that coaches salivated over during the 1997 high school season. With the impending graduation of the team's two stars, co-captains Lawrence and Jay Cantin, it's going to be up to the younger runners to respond in much the same way that this year's squad responded to losing Don McLaughlin, John Mortimer, and Todd Snyder last year. "I think he and Mike (Wisniewski) will be finishing one-two next year," Lawrence said. "He's going to get in the mindset that he can run with the best guys in the country. The day will come when he'll be the number one man." Outside of college, Pilja is consider- ing participating in the Olympic Trials before he finally hangs up his shoes. "Jay is an inspiration," he said, in ref- erence to Cantin's attempt to represent Canada in the Olympic Games. "If I ever get good enough, certainly I'll try." Pilja feels lucky to be on a team like Michigan, where he is running with some of the nation's elite. He compared Cantin and Lawrence to the coaches that he learns from all the time. "I can just follow what they do, and I know they're doing things right," Pilja said. "Everything from training to pre- race preparation to actually racing, I just gauge everything off of them. "They're my teammates. It's reassur- ing to run with them." LOUIS BROWN/Daity After watching him improve steadily this season, the men's cross country team is counting on Mark Pilija to lead them in the seasons to come. )ne last race, one last c Men's cross country ck for two 'M' seniors signs three recruits Ryan C. Moloney Ron Warhurst said, though Michigan is 4=By Ryan C. Moloney 1:52 800-meters to his credit. ly Sports Writer ranked eighth in this week's . j Daily Sports Writer Hughes was a question mark Around the beginning of May next MONDO/coaches poll. "I think we can The Michigan men's cross country yesterday afternoon, when ar. when Ann Arbor finally emerges goanywhere from third to 25th but it's. team turned another na e in its his- nhnen his decision tomch until he R n >m the doldrums of winter and the air arks with the excitement of gradua- n, Steve Lawrence and Jay Cantin will ck on their cross country lives at I gan. Two Big Ten titles, a Great Lakes gional title, and two fourth-place team ishes at the NCAA final meet. But what will stick out the most in the nds of the two departing captains will what events transpired on Nov. 22 in oomington - the last time they nned the block 'M' for a cross country going to take career races from every- one." A hefty task to be sure, but General Warhurst is lightening up on the troops this week, doing what was unheard dur- ing most of the season - reducing the mileage. "Ron's told us, 'no more than eight miles a day!"' Cantin said. "He keeps reiterating that the work is already done and there's no sense in getting uptight" In fact, if there's a luxury in being the 25th team going in, it's in knowing that wax :e. nobody will expect to look back and see n today, four days before the a blue singlet around the four-mile mark rines meet their season's destiny, - a priceless intangible for the wrence and Cantin understand the Wolverines. isiderable implications of the NCAA "There's pride on the line, but there's Steven Lawrence will need to run al meet. no pressure," Cantin said. "Two years team is to place in the top five te 'It's probably the one Steve and I will ago, we were feelin' it - we had a super aember the most for the rest of our team and we were built up by other national meet. As many as 25 r rs," Cantin said. 'We should run our schools as a contender." could pass in an interval of 10 s t ever." As usual, Warhurst refuses to make - not exactly a soothing pr Anything less could spell trouble for any predictions. Yesterday, he deftly thought. Wolverines, as this year's field is as dodged an inquiry about where he Michigan's famous strategy ofs as any in recent memory - expects the team to finish, slow and surging in the end can w sas is the preliminary favorite with "Anywhere between first and last" the patience is there. rth Carolina State, Stanford and Warhurst said with a wink. "It's going to be crucial tc sconsin among the upset candidates. Probably closer to first, but stranger focused in this one,"Tom Caughlii 'We're ranked 25th going in," coach things have happened in the hit-or-miss "At nationals, it's like Bulls on Pa [olleyball reassesses final goals fter difficult Big Ten season LOUIS BROWN/Daily the race of his life if the men's cross country ams in the NCAA Championships on Monday. unners econds .me e-race WIN a$000 shopping sprees tarting wan w w.ourGiftlist.com/mi ork, if stay YourGiftListcorn n said. The E-way to share your rade. . Chitas lsta no.rm.f tory, inking three recruits yesterday on the last day of the early signing period. Joining the Wolverines for the 2000 season are Brian Turner of Omaha, Neb., Mason Ward from Cincinnati, and John Hughes of Traverse City. Turner was the individual state cross country champion of Nebraska n his senior campaign, running 4:09 n the mile and 1:52 in the 800 meters as a junior. Ward was an Ohio state champion in the 3200 meters as a junior. He holds a 4:12 mile and a pna inns c ision to coacn Ion Warhurst. Hughes was a state cham- pion in the mile last year, clocking a 4:10 personal record. He also ran the 800 meters in 1:53. "We've never signed anyone in the early period before," Warhurst said. "These three are very intriguing because their track PRs are times from their 11th-grade year. "We've got a whole other season to watch them progress." Both Ward and Turner have also run under 49 seconds for 400 meters - a pre-requisite for college milers, Warhurst said. JOHN GUESS AGENCY INSURANCE FOR EDUCATIONAL EMPLOYEES Beard Haddad y Sports Writer nference titles, tournament berths such distractions no longer plague the chigan volleyball team. The young lverines have earned the privilege of ishing their season free of the pres- that comes with these possibilities. hough such a modest goal may be a cry from the potential shown at the 's outset, Michigan still has pride a for. In its final homestand of the season, chigan will attempt to halt its five- itch losing streak when the Illinois and iana visit Cliff Keen Arena this ekend. And the Wolverine's get their ance for retribution. The Wolverines' most recent outing a sweep at the hands of Ohio State - urred Michigan coach Mark Rosen to Ice some negative comments about his 0 performance, a rarity for him. "Ohio State was a set back," Rosen d. "We didn't play well or execute at , we didn't play very hard, and our ort was low." Rosen has praised his team's penchant fighting back when it's down, and ming off of the disappointment in >lumbus, the Wolverines have an ideal portunity to showcase this skill. But r the net, the Illini provide a formi- tobstacle to resiliency. Sitting in fourth place in the confer- ce standings, Illinois (10-6 Big Ten, -8 overall) already has a home victory er Michigan in its pocket, dispensing the Wolverines in four games. Illinois was carried by its attackers in me one, establishing a trend that would maintained throughout the match. ichigan was able to capture game two hind a .324 hitting percentage, but ABo dgames three and four, as Illinois td the favor, registering a sizzling 57 over the two-game stretch. "We won the second game, came out d played well, then we just didn't e*e- te well at all," Rosen said of the team's st matchup. "We have to be more :ady and consistent in execution, cause they will." Rosen feels that Michigan's chances victory against Illinois and Indianaare m dent on similar factors. e most important thing we need to Annie Maxwell and the rest of the Michig five-match losing streak when they host i do is work hard, and that's the bottom line," he said. In keeping with this theme, Michigan's previous meeting with the Hoosiers played out a little like the one with Illinois. In Bloomington, the Wolverines were swept to drop out of a fifth-place tie with Indiana in the confer- ence. Again, Indiana got off to a strong start in game one and withstood a Michigan comeback to preserve the win. "We were right with Indiana, ahead of them most of the first game, but we let them break through;' Rosen said. Despite the earlier results, he remains confident in Michigan's prospects for the rematches. "I think that both are very beatable teams. We're pretty even with them if we execute well," Rosen said. "The key is being able to execute for a longer period an volleyball team will try to kill their llinois and indiana this weekend. of time- they're good at that?' According to Rosen, the Wolverines are aiming for different objectives in the later part of the season. Because of its mediocre record, Michigan's outlook has changed by necessity. "At this point, a lot of your long-term goals really go out the door. This is a team that wanted to get in the NCAA Tournament and finish in the top half of the Big Ten, and those aren't possible goals right now," Rosen said. But, it isn't as if the Wolverines are lacking aims or motivation. It is just a matter of resetting those goals. "What we're trying to do right now is to finish strong, give ourselves a good note to go out on;' Rosen said. "All four of our remaining matches are winnable. Earning redemption against Illinois and Indiana would be an excellent start.