Junior Nate Brannen and sophomore Nick Willis often seem like
big fish in a relatively little pond in Ann Arbor. Both have
established themselves as world-class middle-distance runners and
potential Olympians. Both have achieved All-America honors, and
Brannen won an indoor NCAA championship in the 800-meter run.

This Saturday, the pair, along with four teammates, will step
into a slightly bigger pond. They are traveling to Massachusetts to
compete in the Boston Indoor Games at the Reggie Williams Track and
Field Center.

“I think Nate is looking to run as fast as he can,”
Michigan coach Ron Warhurst said. “(Willis) will compete
against the best in the country.”

Perhaps “best in the country” is a bit of an
understatment—some of the best in the world might be more
accurate.

The 3,000-meter run will feature Willis, competing for New
Zealand, along with Michigan alum Kevin Sullivan, who will
represent Canada. The two raced in last Saturday’s Kris Eggle
Invitational 3,000-meter run, with Willis winning by a mere .07
seconds. The pair will be challenged this week by defending
champion Alistair Craig of Ireland, and other top-10 finishers from
last year’s games. Willis won last week’s race with a
time just over eight minutes, while Craig won last year’s
race at the Boston games with a time of 7:45.22. Willis hinted that
he and Sullivan have a little more in them, and that last
week’s 3,000-meter race was basically preparation for this
week.

“We wanted to share the pace,” Willis said of
himself, Sullivan and Brannen. “It was important to have
solid workout.”

Brannen will also have quite a race in the 1,000-meter run.
Representing Canada, he will race against a formidable American
team and against two strong opponents — Berhanu Alemu of
Ethiopia and Kenya’s Nicholas Wachira. The American
delegation will include last year’s NCAA outdoor 800-meter
run champion Sam Burley and 2003 world indoor 800-meter champion
David Krummenacker.

The four other Wolverine competitors will compete in the
prestigious college distance medley relay. The team will consist of
junior DarNell Talbert, senior Tom Greenless, junior Rondell Ruff
and sophomore Andrew Ellerton. In last year’s distance
medley, Michigan finished second, less than a second behind
Arkansas. The Razorbacks set a new meet record.

The relay appears to be in good shape after strong performances
last weekend. Talbert ran on the winning 4x400-meter relay and
Ellerton earned an impressive victory in the 800-meter run.