The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 3, 2003 - 7B CelmcE tn mi wmwn Leading in East Lansing C4#EN, 'M' harriers defend conference title By Anne Uble Daily Sports Writer EAST LANSING - Senior Lindsey Gallo crossed the finish line with a huge smile on her face. "I saw Rebecca (Walter) finish, and Sarah (Pizzo) was right behind me," Gallo said. "And I just knew we had won" Yesterday, the Michigan women's cross coun- try team successfully defended its Big Ten championship title in East Lansing, outscoring second-place Michigan State by 26 points. Last year Michigan narrowly beat out the Spartans to win the championship title by three points. This year the Wolverines went into the Champi- onships as the underdog behind rival Michigan State. Michigan came out ahead again, earning the respect of the conference. Rebecca Walter, a sophomore finished first with a time of 20:40 to capture the team win and earn herself the Big Ten individual title. Walter also became Michigan's first Big Ten individual champion since 1998. "I felt really good today," Walter said. "I worked with the front-runners and was able to keep a close race." Competing against Walter for the win was Michigan State's Michelle Carson, who attempt- ed to earn a second consecutive title. But Carson lost ground with Walter about half a mile left, handing the win over to Walter. "I had a lot of help from Lindsey (Gallo) and Jessie (Allen-Young)," Walter said. "They pushed me really hard, and we won it together." Gallo, Allen-Young and Walter have been training together during practices and planned on sticking together during the race. "We've had some great training over the past few weeks," Walter said. "And we stuck together during the race, and it paid off." Before the race, the team had a meeting and captain Andrea Parker told the girls, "We don't put in these miles for nothing." "She told us that we've worked harder than anyone to get here," Allen-Young said. "We all have to put everything out on the course. And I think we all did." Michigan coach Mike McGuire didn't have much to tell his runners before they raced. "They were prepared," McGuire said. "They've done their work, and it was time to be tested:" Jessie Allen-Young, a senior, finished third overall in her first appearance at the Big Ten Championships, earning All-Big Ten honors and providing the Wolverines with a solid hold on the team title. "It was a tough race," Allen-Young said. "It was really wet and muddy out on the course. But I think overall I ran well, and I was happy with my performance." The rain and mud made a more difficult race for many of the runners, but Michigan was used Blue men close gap behind Wisconsin By Phil Kofahl Daily Sports Writer EAST LANSING - While Michigan State may have been the host of yesterday's Big Ten Cham- pionships, it was Michigan that made itself at home. Despite heavy rains and dipping temperatures at Forest Akers Golf Course in East Lansing, Michigan- finished second overall behind Wis- consin, which won its fifth straight Big Ten championship, placing three runners in the top five. Junior Nate Brannen led the Wolverines with a second-place finish, his best of the season. Senior Tom Green- less and sophomore Nick Willis were the other Wolverines in the top ten, finishing seventh and eighth, respectively. Brannen and Greenless earned first-team All-Big Ten for their finishes, and Willis was named to the second team. Senior captain Nick Stanko finished 16th, his best finish ever at the Big Ten Championships. Rounding out the scoring was senior Alex L'Heureux, who finished 26th in his first Big Ten Championship meet. Michigan was only 17 points behind champion Wisconsin, who finished 55 points ahead of the Wolverines at last year's meet. "Seventeen points isn't too shabby to lose to the number-two team in the country," Michigan coach Warhurst said. Brannen's second-place finish shows the dramatic recovery that he has made since an iron defi- ciency forced him to sit out early in the year. In seventh place with 1,000 meters to go, Brannen dug in and out kicked all but one of the runners in front of him. "I hung in with the lead group towards the end, and then took off," said Brannen. "I think I got the best finish of anybody in the Big Tens, I'm not going to get out- kicked. I'm starting to feel really good. This is a positive sign going into the end of the season, feeling good." Warhurst was more than happy with the way his team ran. "Nate ran tremendous, he's back," said Warhurst. "And what can you say about Tommy, he's been great all year." Michigan fans took over the course, wearing their maize and blue and shouting at the top of their lungs. Having the Big Ten Championships in East Lansing gave many parents a chance to see their sons run. Pat Greenless, Tom's mother, waived her maize- and-blue "M" flag and cheered on her son to his first All-Big Ten selection. DAVID TUMAN/Daily Top: Rebecca Walter accepts her medal as Big Ten champion. Left: Nate Brannen runs toward a second-place finish. EVERYDAY FINANCE 101-WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Now TO BECOME FINANCIALLY SAVVY! You've seen them on TV. You've heard them on the radio. Now see them in person! Meet Real Estate and Business Insiders David Hall, Bob Walters and Stephen Luigi Piazza on campus for discussions including: Join us Tuesday, November 4th 6:30-7:30 pm in Angell Hall Auditorium A. - Understanding Credit: What you do today can WRECK your credit tomorrow - Renting to Buying: First time home buying tips " Advantages of Buying/Investing early You'll get valuable information to begin life after college. But if that's not enough, we're not above blatant bribery. 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