The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - January 26, 2004 - 7B
'M' track
bounces
back over
weekend
By Matt Venegoni
Daily Sports Writer
A team shows a lot more charac-
ter in adversity then in triumph. For
the Michigan women's indoor track
team, the Red Simmons Invitational
was about bouncing back from a
disappointing showing last weekend
in the Indiana Quad.
After the second-place finish last
week, it was important that the
Wolverines produced good scores
from everyone although the invita-
tional was not team-scored.
The team claimed five event titles
in the meet. Sophomore Katie Erd-
man had a strong showing in the
800-meter run, posting an NCAA
provisional qualifying time of
2:07.21, while claiming first place.
"It has been quite a while since
I've been able to race an 800, so the
change was a lot of fun," Erdman
said.
Erdman, the 2003 Big Ten Con-
ference Indoor Freshman of the
Year, broke from the pack at the
start line and was never challenged,
crossing the finish line 5.71 seconds
ahead of junior Anna Jones.
"Katie probably had the perform-
ance of the day in the 800-meter, I
thought that it was outstanding,"
Michigan coach James Henry said.
Erdman was not the only Wolver-
ine to have success Saturday as
Lindsay Gallo took the top spot in
the mile when she turned in a sea-
son-best time of 4:49.88. Much like
Erdman in the 800-meter, Gallo
nearly ran the entire race by herself
as she won by nearly seven seconds.
In an exciting 400-meter run, jun-
ior Theresa Feldkamp took first
place, .65 seconds ahead of team-
mate senior Vera Simms. Feldkamp
ran most of the race fourth, waiting
until the final turn to make her
move. Exiting this turn, Feldkamp
began her sprint and gained control
of the race with less than 50 meters
remaining.
WRESTLING
Continued from Page 18
move his feet, and tried to encour-
age him. That was a big match for
us - he dug down deep to win that
match. We needed something at that
point in time. He really pulled that
one out for us."
Churella's intensity carried over
to the 165-pound matchup. Michi-
gan's senior Pat Owen (ranked
fourth nationally) scored a fall as
he pinned Iowa's sophomore Cole
Pape in just 47 seconds.
The Wolverines held onto a one-
point lead going into the final
match-up, and sophomore heavy-
weight Greg Wagner sealed the vic-
tory with a 4-1 decision.
"It was nice to get a win against
Iowa, there's no doubt about it,"
McFarland said. "I still think we could
have wrestled better than we did."
Minnesota was Michigan's sec-
ond dual victim on Saturday. The
only points Minnesota scored came
in junior Bobbe Lowe's 125-pound
victory against Moos' back-up, jun-
ior Shaun Newton.
Owen earned another fall, as he
pinned junior Casey Flaherty in
1:33.
That brought his fall total to
eight for the season.
"(Pinning) is not a strategy,"
Owen said. "It's just some people's
style of wrestling. You end up in
situations where you get pins. My
style and the way I wrestle on top I
end up getting guys on their back,
and usually when I get guys on
their back I'm pretty good at fin-
ishing."
Like Owen's technique, Michigan
has been successful at finishing.
However, as it heads into this Fri-
day's meet against Michigan State,
it has to improve on gaining a lead
early.
"We have to really concentrate on
going out and scoring first,"
McFarland said. "Some of the
matches we lost, the difference was
those guys got out and scored early
on us and were able to hold on to
that lead."
FOODFOR THOUGHT
Who was the
Better Fighter?
In io ankr n"n Klillinre Thy?
Sullivan, Brannen highlight race
By James V. Dowd
Daily Sports Writer
After an emotional start to the meet
- a race was dedicated to a fallen
Wolverine - the Michigan men's
track and field team ran with heart all
day long. There might not have been a
team score for Saturday's Red Sim-
mons Invitational, but race after race it
became apparent that this year's squad
is something special.
Spectators were treated to a special
start to the meet, as Canadian
Olympian and Michigan alum Kevin
Sullivan ran alongside Olympic-hope-
fuls junior Nate Brannen and sopho-
more Nick Willis in the Kris Eggle
Invitational 3,000-meter run. Sullivan
was in town to run in honor of his for-
mer teammate, Eggle, who was killed
while protecting the United States-
Mexico border. This was the first race
of the indoor season for Brannen and
Willis, and perhaps they made it look
easier than it really was.
"I felt good, but it is hard," Willis
said. "Mentally, I'm not used to the
pain right now."
Willis fought through the pain for a
win, edging Sullivan by a mere .07
seconds, with an NCAA provisional
time of 8:00.28.
Though Brannen finished fourth in
the 3,000-meter run, his performance
in the 4x400 relay left coach Ron
Warhurst in awe.
"(Brannen) ran 48.4 (in the 4x400-
meter relay) and 8:02 (in the 3,000-
meter run) - that's pretty amazing,"
Warhurst said. "There's not too many
guys in the country who can do that."
Another familiar Wolverine returned
to the track Saturday as well. Junior
Braylon Edwards finished fifth in the
60-meter dash, and is confident things
will only get better from there.
"I felt a little tight," Edwards said,
"But once I get into it for a bit, I'll be
alright."
Edwards also expressed lofty goals
for his team, which will host the Big
Ten Championships next month.
"I want to win everything I can,"
Edwards said. "To come and win the
Big Ten would be big. Michigan hasn't
won it for a while."
The Wolverines also took two of the
top four places in the 800-meter run,
with sophomore Andrew Ellerton taking
first and junior Rondell Ruff taking
fourth. Warhurst was pleased with Eller-
ton's efforts in taking control of a race.
"The (800-meter run) went well -
it was the first time (Ellerton) was
really taking the pace and pushing it,"
Warhurst said.
With Brannen and Willis redshirting
for the outdoor season, much of the
middle-distance burden will fall on
Ellerton. A victory on Saturday might
have been just what he needed.
"The last 400 was tough," Ellerton
said. "It makes it a little easier, and
gives me confidence."
Other Wolverine event winners
included freshman Jeff Porter in the
60-meter hurdles, junior Nathan Taylor
in the 200 dash, freshman Stann Wait-
he in the 400-meter dash and freshman
John D'Arcy in the 600-meter run.
Michigan also boasted several field
event winners. Senior David Malonson
won the long jump by a convincing
margin, and freshman Michael White-
head won the triple jump.
Michigan will now prepare for next
week's Boston Invitational, when sev-
eral Wolverines will have a chance to
compete against some of the country's
most elite runners.
RYAN WEINER/Daily
indsay Gallo, pictured in front, ran a season-best time of 4:49.88 in the mile over
the weekend at the Red Simmons Invitational.
Senior Robin Landfair also
earned a first-place finish in the 60-
meter hurdles.
"Robin did very well today,
bouncing back strong from a diffi-
cult week in Indiana," Henry said.
The team ended the meet on a
strong note as the 4-by-400-meter
relay team of sophomore Shavonne
Maclin, junior Mora Arnold, Erd-
man and Simms took home first
place.
Saturday showed both effort and
results unlike last week when Henry
saw effort, but few results.
"Last week we did not show the
improvement that I had hoped for,
but this week was definitely an
improvement," Henry said. "They
redeemed themselves, but they can't
get full of themselves, just like they
couldn't get down after a poor
week."
Henry admits that it is up to the
coaches to make sure the team is
ready for its road meets. That is
especially important since the Big
Ten Championships will be held in
Iowa City. If the Wolverines want to
defend their title Feb. 28 and 29,
they will have to keep improving as
they did on Saturday.
RYAN WEINER/Daily
Rondell Ruff, pictured in front, finished fourth (1:53.18) in the 800-meter run this
past weekend.
Tribute paid to fallen Wolverine
By James V. Dowd
Daily Sports Writer
To be an intercollegiate runner you have to be dedi-
cated. Mile after grueling mile, regardless of pain or
weather, runners must push to the physical limit, as
that is the sole way they will be able to get faster when
it comes to race day. The late Kris Eggle took this ded-
ication to every aspect of his life.
In high school,,Eggle was a valedictorian, a highly
acclaimed cross-country and track runner at Cadillac
High School, and a three-year letterman in cross-coun-
try and track at Michigan. But perhaps Eggle's true
legacy was his respect for human kind.
"(Kris Eggle) was like that all through life," Eggle's
mother, Bonnie, said. "His teachers always said 'I wish
we had more Kris Eggles.'"
Said coach Ron Warhust: "(Eggle) is the only runner
in 30 years who called me 'Coach Warhurst' for four
years - that's just the way he was, the way he was
brought up," Warhurst said. "His influence was felt
through his tremendous passion, integrity and honesty.
He was just genuinely very nice."
After graduation from Michigan, Eggle proudly took
on the task of helping others by working for the
National Park Service. Due to his honorable service,
he was promoted to the Organ Pipe National Monu-
ment on the Arizona-Mexico border, and graduated at
the top of his class at the Federal Law Enforcement
Training Center.
Organ Pipe, however, is one of the most dangerous
places to work in the country - it's a hotbed for cross-
border drug smuggling. The dangers of this region
have been well chronicled and on Aug. 9, 2002, a
nightmare came true.
Border Patrol in the Organ Pipe region received a
call for help, saying two men were fleeing from the
Mexican police and headed towards the border. One
man was easily apprehended, and Eggle was being
guided by a helicopter to the spot where the second
man was fleeing. When Eggle approached, the man
opened fire and hit below Eggle's body armor.
Before he could be transported to a Tucson hospital,
the world had lost a great man.
Eggle was killed doing what he loved: Protecting
his country.
This past Saturday, the Michigan men's track team
paid homage to the former Wolverine by running the
Kris Eggle Invitational 3,000-meter race at the indoor
track building in his honor.
The race was run in addition to the traditional race,
and competitors were current Michigan stars junior
Nate Brannen and sophomore Nick Willis, Eggle's
teammate Kevin Sullivan and several other handpicked
runners.
"We're humbled; it is a very wonderful tribute, a
great memorial," Kris's father Bob Eggle said.
The race was a celebration of life, friendship and
opportunities of a lifetime. Most important of all
though, the race was a fitting tribute to a fallen
Wolverine.
Though his family couldn't come, as they were visit-
ing a friend of Eggle's in Arizona, the race was a
touching tribute with many of his friends and team-
mates on hand. Former teammate and world-class
miler Sullivan travelled from out of town and ran, por-
traying Eggle's ability to touch the lives of those
around him.
"Coach Warhurst and the kids tell us how special he
was, and it means a lot," Bonnie Eggle said. "Those
are some top-notch people, and this is what they tell us
about Kris."
" "
DAVID TUMAN/Daiiy
Michigan's Chase Verdoorn was defeated Friday by Iowa's Ryan Fulsaas but
recovered Saturday to defeat Minnesota's Mike Schmidy.
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