Photo: Brian Sell, pictured at the 2006 Boston Marathon, has the top
qualifying time among Michigan entrants.A large field of 134 men are entered in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials --
Men's Marathon which will be Saturday, November 3 in New York City.
The top three finishers will earn a trip to the 2008 Olympic Games in
Beijing. The course for the trials is five loops-- mostly in Central Park.
Nearly 1 in 6 of the field is a Michigan resident or competed for Michigan
high school or colleges. One qualifier, Carl Rundell, has not entered the
trials race.
In order by qualifying time:
Brian Sell
High School: Woodbury, PA
College: St. Francis College, Loretto, PA '01
Team: Hansons-Brooks
Residence: Rochester Hills, MI
Qualifying Time: 2:10:47, Chicago '06
Sell surprised analysts when he led the 2004 trials, but his 9th place at
the 2005 World Championship marathon in Helsinki, 4th place at Boston
in 2006, and two USA 25K championships at the Fifth Third River Bank
Run establish Sell as a leading contender for a spot on the Olympic
team.
Dathan Ritzenhein
High School: Rockford, Michigan '01
College: University of Colorado
Team: Nike
Residence: Eugene, Oregon
Qualifying Time: 2:14:01, New York '06
Ritz qualified for the trials in his debut marathon at ING New York last
year. Although he lacks experience at the marathon distance, a healthy
Ritz is always a contender.
Clint Verran
High School: Lake Orion HS
College: Eastern Michigan '98
Team: Hansons-Brooks
Residence: Lake Orion, MI
Qualifying Time: 2:14:12, Boston '06
Verran has the most trials experience among Michigan contenders: 11th
in 2000 at Pittsburg; 5th in 2004 at Birmingham.
Jim Jurcevich
High School: Defiance, Ohio '95
College: Michigan State University '99
Team: Columbus Running Company
Residence: Columbus, Ohio
Qualifying Time: 2:14:28, Austin '06
Jurcevich was a member of the US Team at the World Championship
Half Marathon in Brussels, Belgium, 2002 and enters the marathon trials
for the second time.
Ryan Shay
High School: Central Lake, Michigan'98
College: Notre Dame '02
Team: unattached / Saucony
Residence: Flagstaff, Arizona
Qualifying Time: 2:14:58, Twin Cities '06
Shay's injury interfered with his performance at the 2004 trials in
Birmingham, but he's back on track after representing the US at the
2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, Kenya. Shay
recently married elite runner Alicia Craig.
Chad Johnson
High School: Chetek, WI
College: University of Minnesota
Team: Hansons-Brooks
Residence: Royal Oak, MI
Qualifying Time: 2:15:03, Chicago '06
After several years of success at a variety of distances, Johnson
returned to the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project to focus on the
marathon. Johnson represented the US at the 2005 World
Championship Marathon in Helsinki.
Mike Morgan
High School: Lincoln Pius X HS, Nebraska
College: Nebraska Wesleyan University
Team: Hansons-Brooks
Residence: Rochester Hills, Michigan
Qualifying Time: 2:15:11, Chicago '06
Morgan represented the US at the 2007 World Championship marathon
in Osaka in August and also served on the 2005 US Half Marathon
Team.
Kyle O'Brien
High School: Dansville, IL
College: Eastern Illinois
Team: Hansons-Brooks
Residence: Shelby Township, MI
Qualifying Time: 2:15:13, Chicago '06
O'Brien represented the US at the 2007 World Championship marathon
in Osaka in August and finished 3rd at the 2004 Detroit Free Press
Flagstar Marathon.
Luke Humphrey
High School: Sidney, MI
College: Central Michigan University
Team: Hansons-Brooks
Residence: Rochester, MI
Qualifying Time: 2:15:22, Chicago '06
Humphrey's 11th place finish in Boston helped the Hansons Brooks
Distance Project gain a new sponsor.
Patrick Moulton
High School: Pelham HS, NH
College: Providence College
Team: Hansons-Brooks
Residence: Rochester Hills, MI
Qualifying Time: 2:15:35, Austin '06
After qualifying for the trials, Moulton moved from New England to join
the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project.
Jason Hartmann
High School: Rockford, Michigan
College: University of Oregon
Team: Nike
Residence: Colorado
Qualifying Time: 2:15:50, Chicago '06
Ritz's Rockford teammate represented the US at the World Cross
Country Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, 2006.
Nicholas Arciniaga
High School: Fountain Valley HS, CA '01
College: Cal State University, Fullerton '05
Team: Hansons-Brooks
Residence: Rochester Hills, MI
Qualifying Time: 2:16:58, Chicago 06
Arciniaga took up marathoning shortly after college; he's one of the
youngest with an "A" qualifier.
Marty Rosendahl
High School: Fridley, MN
College: Minnesota State U., Mankato, MN
Team: Hansons-Brooks
Residence: Rochester, MI
Qualifying Time: 2:17:05, Chicago 06
Rosendahl represented the US at the 2007 World Cross Country
Championships in Mombasa, Kenya.
Michael Reneau
High School: Hudson HS, Wisconsin
College: University of Wyoming
Team: Hansons-Brooks
Residence: Rochester Hills, MI
Qualifying Time: 2:17:46, Twin Cities '06
Reneau earned his qualifier with no high school or college running
experience; however, he was a wrestler in college. Mike's father placed
10th at the 1968 trials.
David Ernsberger
High School: Petoskey, Michigan
College: Central Michigan
Team: unattached
Residence: Little Lake, MI
Qualifying Time: 2:18:56, Chicago '06
Ernsberger was the first American at the 2007 Crim Festival of Races 10
Mile (and second Michigander after Boaz Cheboiywo).
Trent Briney
High School: Manitou Springs HS, Colorado
College: Univ. of Colorado, Colorado Springs, '01
Team: Hansons-Brooks
Residence: Rochester Hills, MI
Qualifying Time: 2:20:10 - Boston 06
Briney has a habit of running his best when it counts; his 4th place finish
at the trials was a surprise in 2004.
Patrick Rizzo
High School: Schaumburg, IL
College: North Central College, Naperville, IL
Team: Hansons-Brooks
Residence: Rochester Hills, MI
Qualifying Time: 2:20:12 - Chicago '06
Rizzo, 24, is one of the youngest qualifiers.
Nick Stanko
High School: Wyandotte Roosevelt HS, MI
College: University of Michigan "04
Team: unattached / Brooks
Residence: Haslett, Michigan
Qualifying Time: 2:20:37, Chicago '06
Stanko made a 2:20:29 debut in the marathon at Detroit in 2004-- just
after completing his college career at Michigan where he was team
captain for three years.
Chris Wehrman
High School: Pinckney, Michigan
College: Michigan State '98; Michigan State law school '02
Team: Nike Central Elite Racing Team
Residence: Chicago, Illinois
Qualifying Time: 2:20:55, 'Chicago '06
Wehrman will be competing in his second trials. In 2004, he was the
only Illinois resident to qualify.
Todd Snyder
High School: Pioneer HS, Ann Arbor, MI
College: University of Michigan
Team: Hansons-Brooks
Residence: Shelby Township, MI
Qualifying Time: 2:21:00, Chicago '06
Snyder lowered his marathon time by 2 minutes to qualify for the trials
last year in Chicago.
Kyle Baker
High School: Highland HS, Anderson, IN
College: Michigan State'99
Team: unattached / Brooks
Residence: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Qualifying Time: 2:21:02, Twin Cities '06
Baker qualified for the trials in 2004, but injuries kept him out of the race.
Tommy Greenless
High School: Milford, Michigan
College: University of Michigan
Team: unattached / Reebok
Residence: Walnut Creek, California
Qualifying Time: 2:21:16, P.F. Chang's Arizona '06
Greenless made a visit to Michigan July 4th and took the Volkslaufe
20K.
Nathan Usher
High School: Grass Lake, MI
College: Michigan State '04
Team: Front Line Racing Team
Residence: Lansing, Michigan
Qualifying Time: 2:21:21, Virginia Beach 07
Usher is known for his Memorial Day weekend double: win the
Bayshore Marathon on Saturday and win The Great Race Half Marathon
on Monday.
Michael Wardian
High School: Oakton HS, Vienna, VA
College: Michigan State University '96
Team: Pacers / Brooks
Residence: Arlington, Virginia
Qualifying Time: 2:21:29, Virginia Beach '07
Wardian ran the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2004 and
was inspired by Michal Kapral's Guinness World Record marathon with
a baby jogger. Wardian set a new baby jogger record with his son
Pierce at the Frederick Marathon in May 2007: 2:42:21.