The Michigan Daily/New Student Edition -Thursday, September 5,1991- Page 9 Young wrestlers boast trio of all-Americans Spikers struggle, but show improvement by Josh Dubow -Daily Sports Writer Entering the postseason, Michi- gan wrestling coach Dale Bahr was hoping for a second-place finish in the Big Ten and a top 10 finish in the NCAAs. The Wolverines accom- plished their first goal, but fell two spots short of capturing the latter. On the whole, Bahr was pleased with his young squad's performance. "We came into the season with a *younger team than last year, but we did a lot better," Bahr said. "We knew these guys could wrestle, but we weren't sure if they could show it this year." Seven Michigan's wrestlers qualified for the NCAAs based on their performances in the Big Tens. Four Wolverines were conference finalists: seniors Salem Yaffai (118 pounds) and Fritz Lehrke (190), *sophomore Joey Gilbert (134), and first-year wrestler Sean Bormet (158). The other three qualifiers were sophomores Phil Tomek (HWT), Lanny Green (177), and James Rawls (142). Another sophomore, Brian Harper (150), narrowly missed the NCAAs, placing sixth in the Big Ten. While Bahr could count on those eight classes as strengths, the Wolverine coach was unable to patch holes at 126 and 167. The loss of sophomore Jason Cluff (126) to academics in January forced rookie Mike Mihalic into the starting lineup. "Losing. Jason really hurt us," Bahr said. "We didn't want to force Mihalic into the lineup that early, =but we had no choice." Out of the seven qualifiers, three - Gilbert, Green, and Lehrke - earned all-American status, with Gilbert placing third in the nation. Gilbert's only two postseason losses came at the hands of Big Ten and NCAA Champion Tom Brands of Iowa. The Big Ten final between these two 134-pounders provided both intensity and controversy. At the outset of the match, Gilbert took Brands down and put his back to the mat for the first time in the Hawkeye's career. While holding Brands down for over 30 seconds, Gilbert appeared to have pinned the two-time National Champion, but the referee did not see it that way. Brands eventually escaped and tired out Gilbert for a 24-14 vic- tory. At the NCAAs, after a close first period, Brands pulled away for a 33-19 victory. "I need to keep more focus and work in the off-season to get big- ger," Gilbert said. "My goal is to win the National Championship, and I'll need to work hard to achieve that." The wrestler with whom Bahr was most pleased to see succeed was Green. After moving up from 167 last season, Green fought his way to all-American status. "Nobody works harder than Lanny," Bahr said. "He deserves any success that comes hisnway, and I think more will be coming." Bahr was pleased with the per- formances of both his seniors. "I was really happy that Fritz was an all-American," Bahr said. "He worked so hard over his career that it was good to see him re- warded. I wish that Salem could have done a little better at NCAAs, but on the whole, they both had out- standing careers." by Albert Lin Daily Sports Writer The 1990 season was supposed to be a new beginning for the Michigan volleyball team. The hiring of head coach Peggy Bradley-Doppes sig- nalled an end to the chaos of the Joyce Davis era. Bradley-Doppes was coming off two consecutive NCAA bids at North Carolina and 1989 ACC Coach-of-the-Year honors. In addition, James Smoot, who had 14 years of coaching experience, was hired to assist Bradley-Doppes, and sophomore Chris White fol- lowed Bradley-Doppes to Michigan, transferring from North Carolina. But despite all these changes, the Michigan volleyball team contin- ued to struggle, finishing with its worst overall record ever, 6-25, while going 2-16 in the Big Ten. The squad started off before classes began at the Boise State Tournament. After dropping all four contests there, the Wolverines returned home, only to fall to the Akron Zips. Then it was on to the Central Michigan Tournament, where, after losing to Louisville in the first round, the spikers came back to defeat New Mexico State in the consolation match for their first victory of the year. Following a non-conference loss to Eastern Michigan, the Wolver- ines began the Big Ten season, hop- ing for a better finish than the pre- vious two seasons' 1-17 marks. "Everybody we talk to ... tell(s) us how much we have improved," assistant coach Smoot said before the start of the conference season. "It's hard to believe when you are still losing, but I think that we are starting to believe that we can beat some of these (Big Ten) teams." Michigan kept believing, but the desired results never came. When the first half of the conference's double round-robin schedule fin- ished Oct. 17, there was still a goose egg under the 'W' which signified the Wolverines' Big Ten victories. Their overall record was a dismal 1- 16. "The consistency is a problem, but we have three people (Michelle Horrigan, Kristen Lang, Heather Wells) out for the season (because of injury)," Bradley-Doppes said. "Thus, the inconsistency will be there. We are only one or two starters away from being good, but we have one or two starters out, so that makes it frustrating." It was time for Michigan to take a break, so the squad travelled to Marquette, Mich., to play a series of matches. Much to their delight, the Wolverines came home with three victories, sweeping Oakland and host Northern Michigan, while go- ing an extra set to top Michigan Tech. "This was a good lift," Bradley- Doppes said. "It was supposed to be a weekend off, so to make the long trip and to play well is great." Another non-conference match, a loss to Western Michigan, pre- cluded the second half of the Big Ten schedule. The Wolverines dropped three in a row to fall to an 0-12 conference mark. But then came the break Michigan needed. Sixteenth-ranked Illinois arrived in Ann Arbor on the tail end of a road trip. The Illini had swept their first two opponents, but on the night of Nov. 3, it was Illinois' turn to be broomed. The Wolverines pre- vailed, 15-13, 15-13, 15-10. "We played intensely the whole match, instead of in spurts like usual," first-year hitter Fiona Davidson said. "We kept to the gameplan and outhustled them." Three matches later, Michigan faced traditional rival Michigan State. Four sets later, the Wolver- ines had their second conference vic- 'Everybody we talk to ... tell(s) us how much we have improved. It's hard to believe when you are still losing, but I think that we are starting to believe that we can beat some of these (Big Ten) teams' , . 'b fp ' 4 }! % V i , Although the record did not reflect it, things began looking up for the Michigan volleyball team last season, beginning with an improved attitude and ending in a highly-touted recruiting class. Recruits salvage painful season for women's track by Jeff Williams Daily Sports Writer The. Michigan women's track team did not experience much suc- *cess last year. Both the indoor and outdoor seasons were characterized by injuries and poor performances. The Wolverines lost the services of a number of their athletes to in- juries. During most of the year, Michigan competed with only about half of its scholarship athletes. The Wolverines placed fourth at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. "We had a disastrous indoor sea- son," coach James Henry said. "The number of injuries we had really hurt us. Outsiders will say we don't have much here, but we had a very good team before all these unfortu- nate things happened to us." Among the injured was sopho- more Molly McClimon. In her first year McClimon garnered all- American honors as a distance run- ner. A knee injury ended her indoor season, and she did not compete at all in the outdoor season. "Losing (McClimon) was a big loss," Henry said. "She could have won the mile at the Big Tens and probably would have placed in the half-mile." Despite the team's problems, one of the Wolverines was able to com- *pete, and do well. Junior Julie Vic- tor was the most consistent and suc- cessful performer for Michigan. Victor finished second in the shot put and third in the discus at the Stanford Invitational. Victor was the only Wolverine to qualify for the NCAA Championship. The most successful part of the year for Michigan was the recruit- ing season. The Wolverines made a number of additions who promise to contribute right away. Dorchelle Webster, a transfer from Florida-Gainsville, leads this year's recruiting class. Webster comes in with an impressive set of credentials. She was an NCAA run- ner-up in the 400 intermediate hur- dles and was also a member of the NCAA championship mile relay team. Florida is ranked in the top three nationally, and Webster's ex- perience at that level should help the Wolverines. "She'll come in as a veteran right away," Henry said. "She's used to winning nationals as a team and an individual. Her attitude is that the Big Ten season is a warm up for the NCAAs. That kind of attitude will help us a lot'." Michigan's other recruits in- clude Rhonda Meyers, from Elkhorn, Neb. Meyers throws in the shot put and discus will place her in the top three on the team. Theresa Hall, from Byron, Mich., will also compete in the shot and discus. -James Smoot,' Asst. volleyball coach: tory of the year, 15-11, 15-8, 10-15 15-3. Three more losses ended the Michigan season. Injuries played a role in the disappointing year, but those injuries gave experience to the large group of first-year Wolver- ines. Particularly impressive were hitters Davidson, Marita McCahill; and Andrea Lucadum. After a solid recruiting class, in- cluding two players from Califor- nia, Michigan's 1991 season should be a drastic improvement over the last several years. This year's team will play with the knowledge that Bradley-Doppes will be leaving af- ter the season. She was named Asso- ciate 'AthleticsDirector for: Women's Athletics in the spring and will assume her duties in that capacity full time Dec. 1. Bradley-Doppes hopes to leave her successor with a program that has finally turned the corner. Senior Barquist leads way as 'M' men hit stride by Chris Carr Daily Sports Writer The return of senior Brad Bar- quist, avoiding injuries, and in- creased depth in the field events led to marked improvement for the Michigan men's track team this sea- son. After a ninth-place finish at the Big Ten Indoor meet and a sixth place finish at the outdoor meet last season, the Wolverines improved to fourth place at the indoor meet in late February. "Considering our performance last year, I am fairly pleased with what we have accomplished this sea- son," Michigan coach Jack Harvey said. Michigan finished in 12th place at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Indianapolis in early March. Four Wolverines re- ceived all-American honors at the meet. Senior Brad Barquist, who was redshirted last season and a two- time all-American in the 3,000 me- ters, earned a spot for the third time on the team with a fifth-place finish in the 5,000 meters. Senior Neal Newman claimed a spot on the team in the 800 meters. Newman also set a Big Ten confer- ence indoor record by posting a time of 1:47.86 in the semifinal heat. Ju- nior Brad Darr and sophomore Dan Reddan rounded out the all-Ameri- can honors for the Wolverines. Darr finished fourth in the pole vault, and Reddan placed third in the high jump in his first national meet. "I tried not to think about it be- ing the NCAAs," Reddan said shortly after the meet. "For me, it was just another meet. It was a mat- ter of getting hot and building my confidence early, and I did that by clearing the first three heights on my first attempt." In the running events, the Wolverines were able to avoid in- juries which plagued them last sea- son. Junior Jerry Douglas emerged as a force in the 110 meter high hur- dles, placing first at the Crimson Classic and later at the Kansas Re- lays. Newman anchored the middle distance runners with some strong performances in the 800 meters while also running a leg on the 4 x 400 meter relay team. The distance corps was anchored by Barquist, who qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., with a fourth place finish at the Penn Relays in the 10,000 meters, posting a time of 28:58.4. Senior Jeff Barnett also qualified for the NCAA outdoor meet, placing fifth at the Penn Relays in the 3,000 me- ter steeplechase, covering the dis- tance in 8:47.6. Frosh Shawn Mackay looks to fill the void left by Barquist's departure next season. The field events became a strong source of points for the Wolverines. With two pole vaulters able to clear 17 feet consistently in sopho- more Toby Van Pelt and Darr and two high jumpers able to clear seven feet consistently in senior Brad Holwerda and Reddan, Michigan was near the top at every meet in the two events. Senior Alex Sarafian (javelin) and junior Mike Hennessey (shot put and discus) rounded out the depth for the Wolverines in the field events. MICHIGAN . ii 0 ..."_. V G 7 - " v® v r .1 ,., i. Special Rates for Group & Birthday Parties Open 7 Days All Year Miniature Golf (best course around!) Video Games * Pinball e Skeeball Food & Snacks Galore From Ice Cream To Nachos. No matter If Its Golf or a Game, Fun Is The Name 2675 Washtenaw, Ypsilanti (t-//2 miles east of US. 23) 434-2838 i CYCLE CELLAR Authorized dealer for: jBRIDGES OBE Bancf The Athlete's Business Suit OUR SPECIALITY-Whether you're a bodybuilder or simply in good shape, WE CAN FIT YOU with largest selection of athlete's suits and sport coats in Southern Michigan, including the new "competi- tive 10 & 12" for the extreme muscular build. Sizes to 54 X-Long. SPECIAL GROUP OF _ 1Q hi mAM ..BA. 10% OFF U of M DESIGN 1 T-SHIRTS -- -- MANY COLORS AND STYLES TO CHOOSE FROM EXP. 10/59 j ogq.-y LDL CgIv CVCa.B MNI7bU GA -r Racing, Triathlon, Touring, Recreation, & All-Terrain *FELCH N *Clothing, parts, and accessories *Full repair services-all brands *Custom frames-built on premises * Frame repair, braze ons and repainting STATE COUPON