I
Page 8 - The Michigan Doily - Wednesday, September 21, 1983
Steep competition no worry
to Diemer
By JOE EWING
For most athletes, the Olympic
Games are a mere dream. For
Michigan track and cross-country star
Brian Diemer, the Olympics are
quickly becoming a reality.
Diemer, a four-time track and two-
time cross-country All-America,
rocketed to prominence this summer in
the 3,000-meter steeplechase by win-
ning that event at the NCAA Champion-
ships with a time of 8:26.95 and placing
second at The Athletic Congress Cham-
pionships with an 8:22.03 clocking.
THOSE PERFORMANCES won him
a trip to Helsinki, Finland with the U.S.
national team for the World Track and
Field Championships, where he placed
eighth in a semi-final heat with a time
of 8:23.78. His recent output has also
qualified him for the U.S. Olympic
trials to be held next summer at Los
Angeles.
"I think (the Olympics) was always
something way off in the distance, until
this past spring when it became a
reality," Diemer said.
"I was real surprised to make the
world championship team and then all
of a sudden everything came into
place," he added. "I started running a
lot faster. Getting on the team opened
my eyes a lot to world competition."
IT ALSO OPENED up the eyes of
cross-country coach Ron Warhurst,
who also coaches the distance runners
on the Wolverine track squad. Warhur-
st sees Diemer's Olympic chances as
excellent and believes the fifth-year
senior will only get better.
"He's got an excellent chance," said
Warhurst. "He should make the Olym-
pic team in '84 and will really be com-
petitive in '88.
"It's really hard to say how he'll do at
the Olympics. It all depends on how he
improves."
BUT IMPROVEMENT seems to be
something Diemer specializes in. Prior
to his Big Ten and team record 8:26.95
clocking at the NCAA finals, Diemer's
personal best in the steeplechase was
an 8:36.4 at the Domino's Pizza Relays
in March. Last year, he had run no bet-
ter than an 8:47.
"He's always improved every year,
year after year," said Warhurst. "But I
think the improvement he made this
season was outstanding."
"One of the advantages Brian's got is
he is young. Most distance runners
don't peak until they're 27 or 28. There's
no doubt he'll get better and better
every year."
ALONG WITH improving his times,
Diemer has also become consistent.
While in Helsinki, he ran an 8:24
steeplechase the day before his 8:23.78
semi-final run. These times were run
right after his personal-best 8:22.03 at
the TAC Championships.
According to Diemer, though, it
should take more than consistent times
in the 8:20 range to get him on the squad
that will represent the United States in
Los Angeles in 1984.
"I think I'm going to have to improve
the time even more," Diemer said.
"It's probably going to take below 8:20
to make the team."
THAT SUB-8:29 time is a very
reasonable estimate for the Olympic
trials with the competition Diemer
must face, including former Brigham
Young standout and American record-
holder Henry Marsh who beat Diemer
at the TAC Championships. Former-
Wolverine Dan Heikkinen should also
figure in the race.
But the threat of good competition
does not scare the Grand Rapids,
Michigan native - he thrives on it.
"In workouts, I hardly ever finish in
the top ten," he said. "But in races, I
don't want anyone to beat me. I'm
really competitive."
"HE'S TENACIOUS when he gets in-
to races. You can't tell that in workouts,
because he sometimes has problems
with workouts. He just gets into races
and really wants to win. That's being
competitive."
I
Diemer
... chases dream
'M' hosting olympic tryout
Ask the
Michigan will host tryouts for the 1984
U.S. Olympic baseball team Saturday,
September 24 at 10:00 a.m. at Roy L.
Fischer Stadium. Registration starts at
9:15 a.m. The camp, one of 65 around
the country for the squad, is open to all
players with amateur status.
Michigan baseball coach Bud Mid-
daugh will be the tryout coordinator for
the Olympic team. He has been the
Wolverine coach for the last three
seasons. He led the team to a Big Ten
championship and a third-place finish
at the College World Series last spring.
Baseball will make its debut into the
Olympics in '84 as an exhibition sport.
MASS MEETING
SEPT. 20 & 21
Alumni Center 7:30pm
1) ANDRES VILLAREA
should be more widespreao
properly announced. I find
teams need to be in by since I
2) LONNIE CLIFTON -
gives a chance to those pe
varsity teams. It is thet
provement necessary.
3) BOB ABLOVE - LS&
horrible in most sports, esp
should use a flag rather tha
Does the Intramural Sports
Fan:at 'M' need improving?
L - Coll. Eng. junior - It 4) MICHAEL NORD - LS&A senior - The program is
d across the campus, it's not Y'set up well. They should devote more time to teaching the
it hard to find out when the referees how to officiate. Sports are too underpublicized,
r'm not in a dorm or fraternity. basically, because they already have too many teams.
- IM teams are good because it 5) ROBERT SCOTT - Grad student - The schedule
ople not good enough to make in sports such as football, basketball and softball should be
best program around, no im- longer than say two or three games and the playoffs.
Basically, it's well-organized with great facilities.
A sophomore - Officiating is 6) JESSE BOGDANOVITCH - Programs are good ex-
ecially football. In football they cept women should be more involved in the co-rec sports in
n one-hand touch. basketball and volleyball.
Student Alumni Council
763-9740
"STUDENTS HELPING STUDENTS"
MMWMR
SCORES
American League
Detroit 14, Baltimore 1 (5 inn.)
Toronto, Seattle 3
New York 3, Boston.2
Tigers wash out Birds
Daily Classifieds Bring Results!
By JIM DAVIS
Special to the Daily
DETROIT - "Totally Awesome"
didn't even suffice to describe the
punishment the Detroit Tigers inflicted
upon the Baltimore Orioles last night at
Tiger Stadium.
Thanks to an 11-run first inning, the
Tigers blew out the 0's 14-1, in the rain
shortened five inning opener of the
double header.
THE TIGERS' bats had been in a
state of slumber lately, but a refor-
ssefThisyear, t
will bremRM't
unerthe following
yearbook h" g.
-
Pz ~
mation broke out fast in the first game
of the twin bill.
After one was out in the opening
frame, f2-consecutive Tigers
proceeded to reach base,the first 11 ()f
whom scored. Two home runs, tw4
triples, seven singles and a pair of
walks were produced in the inning.
Dan Petry was the recipient of the
generous supply of ruis. The righthan-
der raised his record to 18-8 by surren-
dering four hits, one walk and a single
while striking out three, a sterling per-
formance compared to the beating in-
curred by Baltimore's Dennis Martinez
(seven runs, six hits) and Jim Palmer
(seven runs, nine hits).
LOU WHITAKER started the DetroiA
batting renaissance by grounding out to
second. Alan Trammell followed with a
line single and proceeded to steal
second and third. Larry Herndon
walked and then swiped second. When
catcher Joe Nolan threw the ball into
centerfield trying to get Herndon at
second, Trammell scored and Herndon
went to third.
Lance Parrish singled in Herndon,
Kirk Gibson tripled Parrish across and
Enos Cabell plated Gibby with a single.
Chet Lemon then hit a drive which
bounced off the flag pole at least 10 feet
above the yellow stripe. Umpire Darrel
Cousins called the ball in play and
Lemon had to settle for a run scoring
triple.That blown call kept the score at
5-0.
No matter, Lemon scored anyway on
Glenn Wilson's single. Wilson moved to
third on Wayne Krenchicki's single,
then both rode home on Whitaker's line
drive homer. The Tigers lead was now
9-0.
BUT THAT wasn't all. Trammel
singled again, then Herndon crashed a
homer. Detroit 11, Baltimore 0. John
Wockenfuss's walk and Cabell's single
were wasted, but by then Petry had all
thA smnnrt he-needed.
Those Not Pictured.
AA