The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 4, 1991 - Page 13,
BARRowMAN EYES 400-METER BREASTSTROKE
Another world record?
by Ken Sugiura
Daily Sports Writer
Imagine expecting to break a
world record. Now imagine plan-
ning to lower it by two minutes.
Michigan's favorite world
record breaker, former Wolverine
Mike Barrowman, is at it again.
Until now, Barrowman has been
content with proprietorship of the
200-meter breaststroke world
record, having set or reset the stan-
dard five times in just over three
years.
Tomorrow at the Michigan State
Invitational, the fifth-year senior
will attempt to double his pleasure
by taking aim at the 400-meter
breaststroke world mark. Here is
where the story becomes somewhat
odd.
"The thing of it is that the event
was a major event in the Olympics
for the first quarter of the century,
since the Olympics started. And
America never won a medal in the
event," Barrowman said. "And
what happened was I said, 'Hey,
here's a chance to get a little revenge
on the spirit world."'
In 1924, the race was discontin-
ued because of safety precautions.
The strategy of the day was to swim
as much of the race underwater as
possible, and the threat of hyperven-
tilation and blackouts precluded the
event from getting sanctioned.
Thus, the actual world record,
set by Germany's Walter Bathe at
the 1912 Summer Olympics, has re-
mained in tact.
"Obviously, (my time won't be)
a recognized world record, so I
won't be able to actually hold the
title of that event," Barrowman
said. "But if I break it, I mean, I
break it, and that's all there is to it.
"I should be able to bust
through that thing pretty well. But
I don't know," Barrowman said.
"But I'd just really like to do it, and
U.S. Swimmer-of-the-Year lowered
the 200-meter mark to 2:10.60, so a
time of 4:30 for the 400 is certainly
reasonable.
The former Wolverine captain
said his attempt to break the record
is also an attempt to expose the
record's improbable age, thereby
drawing media attention to the low-
profile sport.
In addition, Barrowman covets
the Sullivan Award, the annual
honor bestowed upon the nation's
best amateur athlete. Two years ago,
Barrowman finished fifth in ballot-
ing and last spring he was runner-up
to wrestler John Smith.
"Any little thing to press for
the Sullivan Award, too, is always
nice. It's going to be tough, with the
guy who broke that long jump
record," he said in reference to Mike
Powell, who surpassed Bob
Beamon's 23-year old mark in
August.
But Barrowman has compiled a
respectable 1991 resume for him-
self. He has twice reset the 200 me-
ter world mark, captained the
Wolverines to their sixth-straight
Big Ten title, earned his third
straight NCAA 200-yard breast-
stroke championship, been named
Big Ten-Jesse Owens Athlete-of-
the-Year and U.S. Swimmer-of-the-
Year, received the Michigan Medal
of Honor, and maintained his studies
as an English concentrator.
Fans cheer for Michigan at Crisler Arena last season. In hopes of making Crisler's crowd more lively, the
athletic department has moved the student section and will host Midnight Madness Oct. 14.
Midnight Maneshits 'M'
Fisher hopes to stirfans with Oct.14 exhibition
by Albert Lin
bring home a world record for
Michigan."
Bathe, since retired, clocked a
6:29.6, well within Barrowman's
reach. At the national champi-
onships this summer, the three-time
Daily Basketball Writer
For years, Michigan basketball fans have been ac-
cused of being passive, a mass of lethargic people seated
firmly on their hands. Last year, Michigan coach Steve
fisher accompanied his calls for more student in-
volvement with several changes, such as shifting the
student section behind the team benches.
Details of the next step were made official yester-
day. The athletic department will hold Midnight
Madness at Crisler Arena starting at 8 p.m. Monday,
Oct. 14, and extending into the early morning hours of
Oct. 15. The event, which culminates with the
Wolverines' first NCAA-allowed team practice, has
met with huge success at other schools, such as Kansas
and Kentucky.
While Fisher acknowledges a winning team as the
ultimate draw of fans, he hopes the festivities will en-
courage excitement among students about the team.
"We'll see what happens with it," Fisher said. "We
don't anticipate getting the numbers that a Kentucky
gets, but if 100 more students come to the games as a
result of what they see, that's what we're looking for.
We're just trying to get more students interested and
involved"
In addition, student season passes go on sale at a cost
of $65, which does not include admission to the Dec. 21
game vs. Rice during winter break. As they enter the
arena, students will receive an application that will be
processed immediately. Approximately 4,000 passes
have been allocated for sale to students, each of whom
will receive a complimentary "Blue Crew" t-shirt.
The 1989 highlight video The Battle in Seattle will
b shown on two big-screen televisions during the first
half hour of the event.
At 8:30, past basketball and football Wolverines
will play a legends game. Those who have already
committed to participate include Phil Hubbard, Marty
Bodnar, Dave Baxter and John Wangler.
The current Michigan squad will sign autographs
beginning at halftime of the legends game, at approxi-
mately 9:15, in the main concourse area.
Two professional comedians will entertain the
crowd at 10, followed by a Karoake contest at 10:30
that will involve regional winners from four different
campus sites. A $500 prize goes to the winner.
The Michigan Marching Band will perform along
with the Michigan cheerleaders at 11. At 11:30, emcee
Jim Brandstatter, host of Michigan Replay and former
Wolverine offensive lineman, will introduce the 1991-
92 basketball team's players and staff.
Fisher will address the crowd five minutes before
midnight, after which he will bring the team onto the
court for its first official practice. The squad will do
layup drills and dunks, and perhaps have a three-point
shooting contest. Fisher said he does not expect to run a
scrimmage during the half-hour exhibition.
Fisher said he has been asked to stage Midnight
Madness in the past, but had always been reluctant to
try. With the hype surrounding the team's five highly-
regarded rookies, Fisher felt the crowd would better
receive such an event this season.
"My arm had to be twisted a little to say I'll do
it," he said. "I hope we'll get a lot of people to come
out, including students."
Associate Athletic Director for Internal
Operations Bob DeCarolis organized the event.
Members of his staff came up with ideas, and they were
cleared with Fisher.
Stickers gear up for Ohio State
by Tim Spolar
Daily Sports Writer
Coming off a 3-1 victory over
Northern Illinois that ended its
three-game scoreless losing streak,
the Michigan field hockey team
faces tough competition this week-
end against conference rival Ohio
State.
The Wolverines (1-1 in the
Midwest Collegiate Field Hockey
Conference, 4-4 overall) travel to
Columbus to face the Buckeyes
Sunday afternoon. The squads split
their two matches last year, with
Michigan winning, 3-2, in overtime
in Columbus and dropping the home
match, 1-0, in the season finale.,
Michigan is anticipating another
close match Sunday.
"They always play very tough
against us," junior forward Katie
Vignevic said. "There is a very
strong rivalry between the schools,
and it definitely exists between the
two teams."
The Wolverines' No. 17 national
ranking, coupled with Ohio State's
absence from the Top 20, seems to
indicate that Michigan should be fa-
vored in the match. However, the
Wolverines downplay the signifi-
cance of such recognition.
"No matter what the standings
might say, the rivalry always makes
the games close," Vignevic said.
"Everybody on each side is really up
'No matter what the
standings might say,
the rivalry always
makes the games
close'
-Katie Vignevic,
Michigan forward
for the game, and the high emotions
really even out any advantages one
team has over the other. And, of
course, we're playing them on the
road."
In what should amount to a
warm-up match, the Wolverines
play Eastern Kentucky Saturday af-
ternoon, also in Columbus.
"We're not taking them for
granted," Vignevic said. "They tied
us, 1-1, in a similar situation last
year (an early-October tournament
in St. Louis), so we will have to be
focused on them and not look ahead
to Ohio State."
Michigan's team morale is on the
rebound. After suffering three con-
secutive shutouts at the hands of
highly-ranked Duke, Virginia, and
Northwestern, in which they were
outscored by a combined 11 goals,
the Wolverines were able to bounce
back against Northern Illinois be-
hind junior tri-captain Katie
Thomas' hat trick. Despite the three
setbacks, Michigan continues to fo
cus on improving its defense and
team play.
"The team is feeling pretty con-
fident right now," Vignevic said.
"It's like we finally did something
good (beating Northern Illinois),
something which we knew we were
capable of in all of our other games,
but just couldn't quite pull off.
We're still concentrating on our in-
dividual marking on defense and.
functioning as a unit, and the victo-
ries should start to add up."
.
efurry up!
Time is
running out
on Griddes!
* : It's not too late to drop off your
1riddes picks, but it will be by
5: p.m. today. Hurry down to the
Student Publications Building
(that's 420 Maynard, for those of
you who don't know). The person
With the most correct picks wins a
$10 gift certificate to O'Sullivan's
Fatery and Pub.
1. Michigan at Iowa
2. Michigan State at Indiana
3. Wisconsin at Ohio State
4. Minnesota at Illinois
5. Purdue at Northwestern
6. Syracuse at Florida State
7. Oklahoma State at Miami
8. Arizona at Washington
9. Oklahoma at Iowa State
10. Clemson at Georgia
11. Notre Dame at Stanford
12. Penn State at Temple
13. Baylor at Houston
14. Southern Miss. at Auburn
15. Florida at LSU
16. Maryland at Pittsburgh
17. Ga. Tech at N.C. State
18. California at UCLA
19. Tenn.-Chat. at Alabama
20. William & Mary at UNC
TIEBREAKER SCORE:
A Different School of Thought
"Before I worked at Saturn, I was an intern at another company.
in that situation, students were pretty much brought in and given busy
work. Work, that if students didn't do it, wouldn't have been done
anyway.
"There was not much responsibility but a lot of animosity
between the new younger engineers and the older veterans. They really
didn't help you much.
"Here it's totally opposite. I go to product development team
meetings. I sit in there and people turn and look at me and say, 'What
do you think?'
"There is a ton of stuff that I'm doing that is important. Maybe
not today, maybe not tomorrow, but some time in the future, maybe -
my ideas could be actually implemented on the car. I could go to a
Saturn retail facility and say, 'See that right there?
I helped do that.'
"Day before yesterday, I had to drive a Saturn from the proving
grounds, which is about 45 minutes west of where we are located in
Troy, Michigan. As I'm driving down the highway, people are speeding
up and slowing down to get next to the car to look at it.
"There's so much interest. And to
get in on the ground floor of a company
that's sparking that kind of interest is an
opportunity I could not let go by."
- -m f m!N t
--
1 araati
r w.I.I -'-