BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The seventh-ranked University of Michigan
men's cross country team won the 25th Annual Lehigh University Paul Short
Run on Saturday (Oct. 3), tying state rival Michigan State for top honors
in the 42-team race. Both Michigan schools, which are among the nation's
top 10 teams, tallied 90 points to run away with the title. No. 20
Georgetown finished third, 55 points behind Michigan and 10th-ranked
MSU.
The Wolverines placed two runners in the top five and four in the top 20
to aid in their winning effort. Senior All-American Todd Snyder
(Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) won the individual title, edging out
Stephen Ondieki of Mt. St. Mary's College by 27-hundredths of a second.
Snyder's time of 23:44.15 set a new course record, smashing the old mark
of 23:59.6.
U-M senior All-American John Mortimer (Londonderry,
N.H./Londonderry HS) was U-M's second finisher, placing fourth in a
field of 293 individuals.
Top 10 Team Standings
1. MICHIGAN 90
Michigan State 90
3. Georgetown 145
4. James Madison 183
5. Princeton 186
6. Navy 212
7. North Carolina 221
8. Army 223
9. Mt. St. Mary's 241
10. West Virginia 253
Top Individuals
1. Todd Snyder, Michigan 23:44.15
2. Stephen Ondieki, Mt. St. Mary's 23:44.42
3. Ryan Taylor, Michigan State 23:46.59
4. John Mortimer, Michigan 23:50.96
5. Justin McCarthy, Georgetown 23:56.69
Other Michigan Individual Finishes
15. Steve Lawrence 24:15.03
19. Jay Cantin 24:19.36
51. Mark Pilja 24:44.09
66. Mike Wisniewski 24:53.30
91. Chris Bunt 25:12.49
NOTES
Saturday's win was the first of Todd Snyder's career at
Michigan. As a junior in 1997, he earned All-America status with a
21st-place finish at the NCAA Division I National Championship. He was
also fourth at the NCAA Regional Championship and 11th at the Big Ten
Conference meet for All-Big Ten Second-Team honors.
Michigan cross country standouts John Mortimer and Katie
McGregor (Willoughby, Ohio/Willoughby South HS) will be
featured on "Wolverine Weekly" on Tuesday (Oct. 6) at 7 p.m. on
Fox Sports Detroit. The 30-minute show, featuring Michigan's 23 varsity
sports, premiered on Sept. 29, 1998.
