8E - The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition -Fall 2004 SPORTS Relay team sets new world record I March 15, 2004 By Phil Kofahl Daily Staff Writer FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - When sophomore Nick Willis blew by Arkansas's Mike Taylor with 200 meters to go in the distance medley relay, he hushed the Arkansas crowd. And the Michigan faithful in atten- dance let everyone know who was the national champion. In a world-record time of 9:27.77, the distance medley relay destroyed the world-class competition at the Randall Tyson Track Complex, guiding Michi- gan to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Junior Nate Brannen gave the Wolverines the lead during his 1,200- meter leg of the race, handing off to junior DarNell Talbert with a 15-meter lead. Talbert held his own during the 400-meter leg but allowed Arkansas to take a five-meter lead going into the third leg. Sophomore Andrew Ellerton stayed stride-for-stride with Arkansas' James Hatch for 700 meters, not allowing Hatch to get more than 10 meters ahead. When Willis received the baton, every Wolverines fan in the house was screaming, even though a sense of relief fell over them. Willis has the fastest collegiate time in the mile this season, and only 1,600 meters separat- ed him and his teammates from the national title. He sat on the heels of the Razorbacks' final runner for 1,400 meters, running completely relaxed. When the bell rang for the final lap, Willis took off. He flew past the Blue faithful on the backstretch and pointed the baton in their direction to thank them before taking home the title and running a victory lap afterwards. "It's what we came here to do - it was our focus the entire season." Eller- ton said. "I just kept us in the race, and Willis finished the job for us." The parents, athletes and coaches who were there could not hold back when their men came to the stands to thank them. Talbert's mother, father and brother smothered him, crying tears of happi- ness and pride. It was Warren Talbert's first time seeing his son race while wearing a Michigan uniform, and the experience left him speechless. "I couldn't have asked for a better time to see him," Warren said. "Just watching him run was amazing. I just could not be prouder of him." And that was just Friday. On Saturday, Willis and Brannen both worked towards individual titles. Given the chance to repeat as nation- al champion in the 800-meter, Brannen cashed in with a time of 1:47.61. He cruised through the preliminaries on Friday and stood at the starting line, thinking to himself that the race was his to lose. He sat in the field for the first 600 meters, and with one final lap, he proved once again that he was the strongest runner on the track. He pushed to the front of the pack and finally pulled away to take home the win. Willis's road wasn't as easy. The sophomore had previously set the national record in the 3,000-meter until Alistair Cragg of Arkansas broke it just two weeks later. Cragg won the 5,000-meter on Friday by a landslide, and the crowd was ready for the showdown in the shorter dis- tance race. Willis and Cragg sat at the back of the pack for the first 1,400 meters. Then, Cragg made a surge and Willis followed. With every lap, the two distanced themselves from the field. With only 200 meters to go, the crowd was ready for Willis's kick, but Cragg managed to hold him off for the win. "In my race I realized how big the occasion was and how much (the team) needed the points," Willis said. "I gave him everything I could and I'm really proud of that." DAVID TUMAN! Daily Michigan junior Nate Brannen competes in the Big Ten Cross-Country Championships in East Lansing on Nov. 2, 2003. I No Super Six, but Ray celebrates uneven bars victory April 19,2004 By Melanie Kebler Daily Staff Writer LOS ANGELES - The mood Satur- day night before the NCAA women's gymnastics individual event finals was light. In warmups, Michigan junior Elise Ray played tag with members of the UCLA team on the floor mat, and coaches and competitors from all teams chatted freely. It was a stark difference from the atmosphere on Thursday, when the Wolverines competed in the preliminar- ies, hoping to qualify for the Super Six team competition the following day. Michigan drew the most difficult rota- tion for the second meet in a row, and it failed to qualify in the preliminary meet. The disappointment of Thursday was forgotten momentarily as Michi- gan cheered on teammates Ray and Lindsey Bruck as they competed in the balance beam final. Ray, who was the event's national champion in 2002, led off the event and scored a 9.900, which was good enough to tie for third. Bruck followed up with a 9.850 per- formance, which earned her a tie for sixth place. Ray also qualified for the uneven bars. She earned a 10.0 in the event at the Big Ten Championships, and in the NCAA event finals, she nearly replicat- ed that result. After adding a more com- plicated dismount to her routine, Ray performed nearly flawlessly, earning a final score of 9.975, good enough to earn Ray her third national champi- onship in four years. "I didn't like it all Friday sitting in the stands. I'm glad I can end on this note," Ray said. Bar scores weren't nearly so high for Michigan on Thursday night. I U Voted the Best Bank/Credit Union and #1 in Customer Service in Ann Arbor The team tallied scores of 9.700 and 9.750, and deductions were taken because of steps during landings. Ray's 9.925 performance anchored the rota- tion and allowed the Wolverines to total a 49.025 on the event. "We made our routines, but we count- ed so many deductions on dismounts that it just kind of deflated us," Michi- gan coach Bev Plocki said. Michigan had a decent start on floor, earning a 49.225 total. The team tried to continue to build momentum on the vault. Sophomore Jenny Deiley's 9.900 lead the team, and the Wolverines com- piled a 49.150 score. After two events, Michigan trailed second-place Utah by just a few tenths of a point. Defending champion UCLA had jumped out to an early lead with a two-event total of 99.000. But then Michigan had difficul- ty on the bars. "I thought that we came out and did the best job that we could on floor and vault," Plocki said. "I thought we had a lot of momentum going into bars. We just kind of lost our momen- tum on bars." The pressure piled on even higher after sophomore Becca Clauson fell off the balance beam during Michigan's third routine. Deiley, senior Calli Ryals and Ray anchored the lineup without a fall, but small mistakes again added up. "We didn't have to count any falls on beam but we had a couple of wobbles," Plocki said. "I just think we didn't keep our momentum going" Failing to qualify for the Super Six for just the third time in the last 10 years meant that Michigan found itself in an unfamiliar position - sitting in the stands, watching as UCLA cruised to its fourth team national championship in five years. "Overall, we did well," Plocki said. "But this is a national championship, and you have to do great." Luckily the Wolverines didn't have to end on a bad note. "Not making the Super Six was a dis- appointment for our whole team, and to be able to come back in the finals was great," Plocki said. "For Elise to get another national championship was fan- tastic. This ends it all on a positive note." I AP PHOTO Michigan's Elise Ray holds up her first-place plaque for the Individual uneven bars during the NCAA national championships on April 17, 2004. campus, & more " Access to over Co-op Network 19,000 surcharge-frei ATMs in the U.S. " Saturday hours available at 305 E. Eisenhower We have 4 offices in Ann Arbor: * Central Campus at 333 East William * North Camnus in the Piernont Commons e 9y4 - 20p4 i Mffll%10111.:1 PIP ammm J