The Michigan Daily- Thursday, October 8, 1992-- Page 8
Crew teams begin fall season
by Seth King
Just as a track athlete runs cross
country in the fall to prepare for reg-
ular spring competition, the Mich-
igan men's and women's crew teams
participate in fall "head races" to
condition for their upcoming season.
The Wolverines' first race is the
Head of the Rock competition this
weekend in Rockford, Ill.
This regatta will feature some of
the Midwest's premier crew teams,
including Cincinnati, Iowa, North-
western, Purdue, Wichita State and
Wisconsin. According to women's
head coach Mark Rothstein, the
Badgers will be the team to beat.
"The main competition here is
Wisconsin," Rothstein said. "They
are the only team in the Midwest
which competes at a national level,
and they are far and away the domi-
nant program in the Big Ten."
Crew president Lee Donaldson
expressed similar sentiments for the
men's races.
"Wisconsin is really tough," he
said. "They recruit all over the na-
tion, and most of their team rowed in
high school. This type of experience
helped them win a national champi-
onship two years ago."
'(Wisconsin is) far and
away the dominant
program in the Big
Ten'
-Mark Rothstein
women's crew coach
Although Michigan did not com-
pete at the Head of the Rock last
season, Rothstein holds high hopes
for his team's performance this year.
"Last year, the first three boats
were Wisconsin's first boat, Wiscon-
sin's second boat, and Wisconsin's
third boat," he said. "Our goal is to
beat their second boat."
Fall crew regattas are similar to
time trials, where teams begin every
15 seconds, and the crew with the
best time over the three-mile course
wins. Rothstein has several objec-
tives for Michigan's abbreviated fall
season, which includes only three
regattas.
"We are keeping the spring in
mind as we prepare in the fall," he
said. "We want to test what kind of
speed we have and work some of the
kinks out."
Unlike the fall, teams compete
head-to-head over a 2000-meter dis-
tance in the spring.
"The spring races are more like
the Olympics," Donaldson said.
"Everyone starts at the same time,
and it's a big race to see who crosses
the line first."
Last spring, the men's team
placed 15th out of 50 teams in the
Dad Vail League Championship
Regatta in Philadelphia; the wom-
en's crew finished 17th. In addition,
the men's lightweight squad missed
the finals (top six) by only one sec-
ond, and the women's JV placed
fourth.
After a summer in which many
team members rowed for clubs in
Boston, Detroit, and Philadelphia,
Donaldson believes the Wolverine
crews have excellent chances to per-
form even better this season.
"Magazines pick us as a team to
watch," he said. "Besides Wiscon-
sin, we are the most dominant team
in the Midwest. We are the up-and-
coming crew in the rowing world."
0
The Michigan men's and women's crew teams travel to Rockford, Ill., this weekend for the Head of the Rock
regatta. The Wisconsin Badgers will present a tough challenge for the Wolverines.
Richardson
to assess
tankers in intrasquad
by Michael Rosenberg
Once.again, it looks like another
long year for the rest of the women's
swimming teams in the Big Ten.
Despite the loss of five swim-
mers to graduation, Michigan is fa-
vored to win its seventh consecutive
conference crown this year. The rea-
son? Seven seniors and eleven ju-
niors return from last year's squad.
Coach Jim Richardson will find
out if his team can live up to expec-
tations in tomorrow's intrasquad
meet.
"The meet is basically just to see
what we've got," assistant coach
Chrissy Rawak said. "We want to
see who we can count on."
Three swimmers the Wolverines
will need to step forward if they have
any chance at another championship
are co-captains Mindy Gehrs,
Jennifer Zakrajsek and Margie Stoll.
But what separates Michigan from
the rest of the Big Ten is its depth.
The Wolverines have the ability to
challenge in almost every event. But
that is not to say that Michigan does
not have weaknesses.
"We lost Jennifer Love (to gradu-
ation)," Rawak said. "She specialized
in freestyle sprints. That is our
weakest area right now."
T he team is hoping freshman
Erin Meyers can fill the void created
by Love's absence.
But for every weakness, the team
still has many strengths.
U OF M
SKI TEAM
MASS
MEETING
Thurs. Oct. 8
7:30 p.m.
Michigan Union, Pond
For more info., call 741-9252
FOR SERIOUS
SKIERS, OR -
JUST FOR .-
FUN
In what has to be one of the Big
Ten's most mind-boggling statistics,
Michigan has won the 200-yards
breaststroke at the conference cham-
pionship for seven straight years.
Lara Hooiveld, who won the event
as a freshman last year, hopes to ex-
tend the streak with a repeat perfor-
mance next spring.
The backstroke is another area of
Michigan superiority. Alicia
Humphrey shattered the Big Ten
record in both the 100- and 200- me-
ter backstrokes last year. Beth
Jackson and Jenny Almeida could
also place in those events this year.
The Wolverines' closest competi-
tor should be Northwestern, which
brought in a strong recruiting class
this year. However, inexperience
figures to hold back the Wildcats
this year.
Michigan begins its quest to de-
fend its title next weekend, when the
season opens with a double-distance
meet against Michigan State.
Griddes!
Drop off your picks at 420
Maynard and you could win a $15
gift certificate to O'Sullivan's
Eatery & Pub.
1. MSU at Michigan
2. Illinois at Ohio St.
3. Wisconsin at Iowa
4. Indiana at Northwestern
5. Minnesota at Purdue
6. Miami (Fla.) at Penn St.
7. North Carolina at Florida St.
8. California at Washington
9. Clemson at Virginia
10. Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
11. Alabama at Tulane
12. Louisiana St. at Florida
13. Stanford at UCLA
14. Rutgers at Syracuse
15. Oklahoma St. at Nebraska
16. Georgia Sthrn. at Georgia
17. Georgia Tech at Maryland
18. Auburn at Mississippi St.
19. Arkansas at Tennessee
20. Brown at Princeton
Tiebreaker:
MSU at Michigan
Total points:
Name:
Phone:
Women's swimming coach Jim Richardson should have a fair idea whether his team can make a run at its seventh
consecutive Big Ten championship following tomorrow's intrasquad meet
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'M' netters vie for
Eck Challenge title
Women
send best
to Philly
Rugby Fest,
by Rachel Bachman
Imagine a clash between two of
the country's best teams in a sport
that's a cross between padless foot-
ball and a kind of martial arts. This
image will come to life this weekend
when 11 members of the Michigan
women's rugby team participate in
the Philadelphia Pumpkin Fest.
The women will leave for
Philadelphia tomorrow, each with
the hope that she will be selected as 0
one of the Midwest's best players.
Rather than competing in regular
team matches, the women will play
two exhibitions Saturday. Michi-
gan's representatives will play with
and against the best individual play-
ers from other Midwestern colleges.
The top 15 players from the
Midwest, to be chosen by two offi-
cials from Chicago, will play Sun- *
day against the best players from the
East, coming from such power-
houses as Yale, Princeton and
Boston College.
Last year, five Wolverines quali-
fied for the Midwest team, more than
any other school. Similar results are
expected this year, which makes the
rugby team optimistic about its
chances.
"(Michigan) is bringing the most
individuals of any school this year
because we have a strong team," co-
captain Leah Niederstadt said.
Another reason the Wolverines'
outlook is positive is the team's de-
ceptive 3-2-1 record.
"The only two teams we lost to
were non-collegiate - or club -
teams. They're usually made up of
people who are older and out of col-
lege," Niederstadt said.
In addition to competitive match
play, the tournament will offer a col-
legiate camp Saturday. The camp,
organized by the Midwest Women's
Rugby Committee, will offer in-
struction for players in areas such as
game strategy and tackling skills.
by Tim Spolar
and Ken Sugiura
Daily Sports Writers
Some might find it a little late for
"How I spent my summer vacation"
tales, but Bitsy Ritt is still willing to
listen. No, she is not looking for
ideas for her next Harlequin romance
novel, but merely wants to see how
her Michigan women's tennis team
improved over the summer.
Ritt's Wolverines will open their
fall campaign down the road in
Notre Dame, Ind., at the Eck
Challenge. Also competing in the
six-team meet starting tomorrow are
Kentucky, Illinois, Purdue, Western
Michigan and the host Irish. The
challenge's format does not include
team scoring, so Ritt will be content
to merely chart her team's progress
since last season.
"It's a great way to start the sea-
son," she said. "We can see how
much our returning players im-
proved over the summer and how
good our freshmen are."
Thus far, Ritt likes what she has
seen - particularly from sophomore
Simone Lacher.
"I think Simone Lacher has done
a good job this summer. She seems
to be playing well," Ritt said.
"Actually, everyone seems to be
solid right now."
Lacher will be the top Wolverine
seed in the top singles bracket,
which includes at least four players
from each school in the 32-player
draw. Following Lacher in the top
draw are Kalei Beamon, Angie
Popek and Liz Cyganiak.
However, if Ritt's prognostica-
tions prove prophetic, her players'
seedings will not be of great import.
"I think our strength this season
is that we don't have a superstar. I
really think we're solid at every po-
sition," Ritt said. "I think we have
the kind of depth where our seventh
player can beat our first player in
practice. That's going to be our
biggest asset."
That depth includes Michigan's
doubles pairings as well, where
Cyganiak and freshman Tara Graff
will team up at the top doubles post
this weekend.
COLLINS
Continued from page 8
what other guys are doing behind
me, so I can learn the whole
defensive concept."
Along with the normal adjust-
ments a freshman has to make and
learning the intricacies of a college
defense, Collins has had to adjust to
the size difference at this level. The
smallish Collins - at 6-foot-3, 213
pounds - compensates for his lack
of bulk with extraordinary speed
(approximately 4.5 in the 40-yard
dash). But because of his relatively
diminutive stature, Collins will not
start against Michigan State.
"They are on me about my
'I've learned most of the defenses. I'm a quick
learner and I think the key to learning plays is
getting reps. You have to make the mistakes
before, and now having gotten yelled at so
much I know it.'
- Shawn Collins
weight," Collins said. "They aren't
on me too hard, but they want me to
gain weight. Usually when you're a
freshman you come in here pretty
light but you gain weight after a
couple of years. That's why fresh-
men usually wait to play."
Just this week, the training staff
gave Collins instructions on how to
gain weight, and he is working on
adding about 20 pounds to his frame.
"I will grow eventually. I'm not
looking to rush it because if I think
about it too much, I'll try to find an
easy way to gain weight. And that
might be something illegal," he said.
"I'm taking my time and it'll hap-
pen. I can hit you just as hard as
anyone, but maybe sometimes I just
- can't push you back. It is a factor. I
can see it in practice because the
This is one reason Collins some-
times wisheshe could redshirt this
year instead of playing. If he were
sitting out the season, Collins feels
he would have more time for his
studies, social life and adjusting to
the physical rigors of college ball.
"There were so many times when
I wanted to tell the coach, 'Listen,
coach, let me redshirt. Put me on the
demo team. I don't want to travel,'"
Collins said. "I don't even have Fri-
day nights. These guys get a fifth
year, I don't. I have to maintain my
credits, whereas they can take the
time or whatnot. I can't mess
around. These guys mess around on
Friday nights. These guys are my
freshman class and I don't get to see
them much. I feel like sometimes I
don't even know them."
However, that is all starting to
change. Collins is now getting play-
6
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