Page 6-The Michigan Daily/New Student Edition-Sports - Thursday, September 10, 1992 Wrestlers end on disappointing note by Tim Rardin Daily Sports Writer What began as a season full of promise ended as one ftill of disappointment for the Michigan wrestling team. SAfter it finished second in the Big Ten and 12th at tile NCAA Championships the previous season, Michigan coach Dale Bahr had high expectations for his tiam, which returned two All-Americans in 134- ounder Joey Gilbert, who finished third in the NCAAs, ,Ind Lanny Green (177), who captured sixth. However, 4ter a solid dual-meet season, Michigan faltered in the M.g Tens and NCAAs to end the season on the downside. Experience prevailed at nearly every weight class, N ith the only exceptions coming at 118, 167 and 190. R~dshirt frosh Matt Stout and true frosh Dan Leemaster ared the duties at 118, while first-year wrestler Jesse Rawls, Jr., son of former Michigan Big Ten wrestling champion, Jesse, Sr., took over at 167, and redshirt f6sh Jehad Hamdan held down the spot at 190. At 126 pounds, Jason Cluff returned from a solid 15- 1record the previous year, and at 142 was another gawls product, James - a returning NCAA qualifier. Brian Harper returned at 150, as did Sean Bormet at 0$8, who finished second in the Big Ten his first year did was named the Amateur Wrestling News' Fzeshman of the Year. Phil Tomek, the lone senior on the squad, finished out the lineup in the heavyweight division. , After a tough early-season schedule that included a trip to the Las Vegas Classic, the young but fairly expe- rienced squad performed well throughout the season. The Wolverines improved on last year's 11-6 dual meet record with a 13-4-1 overall mark, holding down the sixth spot in the nation for most of the season. The four losses all came against top-10- ranked foes, two of which occurred at the Cliff Keen National Team Duals, which were held in Ann Arbor. Michigan lost two heartbreakers in matches that both came down to the final weight class. The first was to then No. 3-ranked Penn State, 18-17, and the second dame against then No. 10-ranked Ohio State, 19-18. The Wolverines returned to the Big Ten Chain- ionships knowing that Iowa was in a class all its own, but also knowing that they could compete with any fther Big Ten team for second. However, that would not be the case, as Michigan finished in a disappointing sixth place, and qualified only five wrestlers for the NCAAs. With Sean Bormet out after sustaining a knee injury just before the Big Tens, the Wolverines sent only Gilbert and Green, as well as first-time qualifiers Cluff, Harper, and Hamdan to the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City. After four days of wrestling action, only Gilbert earned All-American status, though he too faltered on ihs way to a sixth-place finish after a third-place effort tke year before. a Women's basketball suffers diSmal season by Tim Spolar Daily Basketball Writer If the Big Ten were a profes- sional league, at least the Michigan women's basketball team would have a high draft pick. However, the Wolverines have no such consolation after their dismal 7-21 season with only three victories in 18 conference games. After opening the season with a nonconference mark of 3-4, Michi- home contest against Northwestern in which they rallied from a half- time deficit only to lose in the waning moments - to blowouts suffered at the hands of power- houses such as Iowa and Wisconsin. One of the few bright spots of the season was the consistent domi- nance of center/forward Trish An- drew. Andrew led the team in scoring, rebounding, and blocked The Wolverines lost in every way possible, from heartbreakers ... to blowouts. gan headed west for the Washing- ton Husky Classic. Although they suffered a first-round loss to the host team, the Wolverines scored a major upset in the consolation match, defeating eventual national runners-up Western Kentucky. Michigan coach Bud VanDeWege labeled the upset "the greatest vic- tory in Michigan women's basket- ball history." However, things turned ugly quickly for the Wolverines, as they dropped their first four Big Ten matches. While Michigan did man- age two victories over Minnesota and one against Indiana, the re- mainder of the conference season was an excercise in futility. The Wolverines lost in every way pos- sible, from heartbreakers - like the shots, establishing herself as one of the conference's premier perform- ers. Andrew became Michigan's all-time blocked shots leader as a sophomore and notched the Big Ten mark late last season. While other players shone from time to time, none were able to sustain the high level of play necessary for the team to pull itself out of the cellar. As the season drew to a close, VanDeWege decided to hand over the reins after eight years at Michi- gan's helm. Newcomer Trish Roberts, a former All-American at Tennessee and All-Pro in the de- funct Women's Basketball League, has guided Maine to 20-win sea- sons in each of her four years as coach. The Michigan women's basketball team finished 7-21 last season. Michigan field hockey team breaks even against tough schedule by Andy Stabile Daily Sports Writer The Michigan field hockey team's .500 season seems better than .500 be- cause most of the teams they played were supposed to beat them. Of the 13 teams the Wolverines faced this season, six finished ranked in the na- tion's top 20. Michigan finished the sea- son 9-9 down from 1990's mark of 12-7- 2. "At one point we were 14th in the country and that was a real bright spot for us." Michigan coach Patti Smith said. "We had a very tough schedule - and that's no excuse - but I think we could have done better." The early season saw Michigan play well against eastern powers such as Springfield College, New Hampshire, Duke, and Virginia before coming home face a tough conference schedule. "We started off playing really well out East," Smith said. "But we couldn't sustain that level of play throughout the season." It wouldn't be until the seson's last two games - victories over Michigan State and Northern Illinois - that the Wolverines could play at the same level that put them into the national rankings early in the year. Two losses characteristic of Michigan's play this season came against Ohio State and Iowa. Against the Buckeyes, Michigan needed a victory but couldn't put away Ohio State. "We were really battling for third in the conference but lost in OT," Smith said. On the other end of the spectrum, Michigan went into a game against Iowa without high expectations but forced an extra period before losing. "We played out of our socks against Iowa," Smith said. With the addition of Penn State to the Big Ten next season, the conference will boast three of the nation's top ten teams (Penn State, Iowa, and Northwestern). With Michigan knocking on the door, it could be the nation's most competitive conference. The Wolverines will need to play at a high level more consistantly to compete. To make that step up into the confer- ence elite in the 1992 season, Smith will look to an experienced senior class to lead the way. Offensive firepower should come by way of forwards Katie Thomas and Katie Vignevic. "They'll be seniors and they've been on the forward line ever since they've been at Michigan," Smith said. On the other end of the field, senior Mary Beth Bird will anchor the Michigan defensive corps. "She has got real good instincts and really solid skills," Smith said. "She'll help us out defensively." Leading the whole team will be co- captains Keely Libby and Thomas. IE [CHIGAN ILY i .r - 4! 4 II MICHIGAN UNION BOOKSTORE Everything you need at one place. w 4 i h ... ti' AOW i " , . ft TEXTBOOKS REFERENCE BOOKS SCHOOL SUPPLIES C pAM ELECTRONICS MICHIGAN CLOTHING & SOUVENIRS HEALTH & BEAUTY AIDS FOOD GREETING CARDS 40 - ----N I I - mmwlm '," v 0 S UI 1 MICHIGAN UNION BOOKSTORE Ao --- 1 rl - -- - r g7 - 1- -' - - T T -