Athletics: Hutt Valley runner off to Michigan

Talented Hutt Valley middle-distance runner Nick Willis is taking up a University of Michigan scholarship.

Willis, with a best time of 1min 48s for 800m and 4min 1s for the mile, is taking up the scholarship with the aim of getting into the university's highly rated business school.

The university's assistant athletics coach is Canada's fifth-placed Sydney Olympics 1500m runner Kevin Sullivan. Willis' training partners will be the world's top-rated 18-year-old Alan Webb, and Canadian star Nathan Brannan.