Page 12-The Michigan Daily- Friday, March 191993 Men tumblers head into Big Tens healthy by Scott Burton Daily Sports Writer For much of the season, the Big Ten appeared to be dominated by two teams - Minnesota and Ohio State. And last Saturday, even Michigan men's gymnastics coach Bob Darden conceded that this weekend's Big Ten championship was the Buckeyes' or the Gophers' to win. However, in light of recent events in the Big Ten, Darden's opinion has changed. Iowa, a team near Michigan's level, beat Minnesota last Saturday. The night before, Michigan State put up a score in the 280s, which com- pares favorably with anyone in the conference. And the Wolverines produced their highest score of the season in last Saturday's Michigan Invitational (275.70). "One and two is up in the air, as are the rest of the positions," Darden said yesterday as his team finished its last home practice of the year. "It will be a very tight and hotly- contested Big Ten championship. Everyone is feeling the hype at the end of the season." As the gap between Minnesota and Ohio State and the rest of the conference has dwindled, the Wol- verines said they have placed their eyes on going into the Big Tens and surprising a few people. "If all goes according to plan and well and we're latched on to our consistent performance, I'm predict- ing a real high finish," Darden said. Sophomore Brian Winkler con- curred with Darden's high hopes. "We have the level to compete with anyone, we just have to have the consistency to hit every event," Winkler said. "If we do that, we're Big Ten champions." One cause of the Wolverines' optimism going into the meet is the fact that for the first time all season, they feature a completely healthy lineup. The team is so stacked with capable athletes, the coaches said they don't even know who will compete at the Big Tens. "It will be a real, real tough as- signment for me and (assistant coach) Mike Milodonis," Darden said. "We really don't know who's going to go in yet." The health kick began two weeks ago when top gymnasts Brian Winkler and Royce Toni competed for the first time all season. No one on Michigan is com- plaining about the abundance of healthy athletes on the sidelines. It is a luxury that every coach loves to have, and the gymnasts on the team said they look forward to sporting the best team possible this weekend. "For the first time all season, we are starting a lot of guys who are re- ally healthy," Toni said. "This is the best team we've had on the floor all season. We jumped five points last week - I can see us jump another three or four this week." The Big Ten championship fea- tures two days of competition. To- morrow, seven Big Ten teams (Minnesota, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Illinois and Iowa) will compete against each other for the title. Sunday, eight gymnasts on each team go on to compete for individual titles. Can women by Mike Rancilio Plocki expects her to have another Daily Sports Writer solid blars rotine tomorr Defending conference champion. The last time a Michigan women's gymnastics team had this title going into the Big Ten conference meet was 10 years ago. The Wolverines are hoping for better results this decade, as they host the Big Ten championships at Crisler Arena tomorrow night at 7 p.m. Michigan coach Bev Plocki feels the team's depth and health has it poised for a strong performance. "We are in good shape," Plocki said. "We've rested gymnasts all year long, and that has helped us stay healthy." If the team is to record a success- ful title defense, something that eluded Michigan in 1983, it will have to hold off 13th-ranked Penn State, as well as Ohio State and Michigan State. The meet will be the first Big Ten Championship for the Nittany Lions, who entered the con- ference this season. It will also serve as the season's rubber match between the Spartans and the Wolverines. Michigan suf- fered its only conference defeat at the hands of Michigan State at the Michigan State Invitational in February. Later during spring break in Florida, Michigan beat the Spartans. That leaves round three for this weekend. With all the underlying stories at- tached to this year's championships, Michigan will need a full-squad ef- fort to accomplish the goal of repeat- ing. Fortunately for the Wolverines, their younger gymnasts have devel- oped quickly and have gained ex- perience during the regular season. "I expect strong performances from all the freshmen," Plocki said. "They've all come on strong this season. Dianna Ranelli has filled in on vault, floor and bars - wherever we've needed her. And I think Wendy Marshall is ready to make an impact on the Big Ten." Tina Miranda has also performed steadily throughout the season, and qJi4u u *a tvuwttc Jiv JIJttuw. Beth Wymer, defending all around champion, enters the meet riding a high from the week ago. In a competition against Ball State, Oklahoma and Western Michigan, 0 . NCAA Softball Coaches Poll Njm Team (first place votes) Pts. 1. Arizona (6) 120 2. UCLA 114 3. UNLV 105 4. Florida State 98 5. Fresno State 92 (tie) Oklahoma State 92 7. Cal State-Northridge 89 8. California 79 9. Michigan 69 10. Southwestern Louisiana 66 Wymer she took the all-around crown and recorded a team record 9.95 score on the bars. Plocki expressed some concern over the All-American's health. Wymer has been under the weather this week. "She has a little cold, with a sore throat," her coach said. "She re- ceived antibiotics and we expect her to be ready." If Wymer is fully recovered, tommorrow night's meet will signify the second half of the Wolverines season-- rather than the end. Wymer, teamed with fellow all-Big Ten per- formers Kelly Carfora and Ali Winski and the rest of the deep squad, should lead the Wolverines to qualification for the national tourna- ment. The defense of the Big Ten ti- tle marks the first leg of the journey to the NCAA's. ELIZABETH LIPPMAN/Daily Debbie Geiger competes on the balance beam last Friday. Tomorrow at Crisler Arena, Michigan will try to win its second consecutive Big Ten title. I p / / I BR I DGET THE GOVERNMENT GAVE HER A CHOICE. DEATH. OR llFE AS AN ASSASSIN. NOW, THERE'S NO TURNING BACK. POI NT OF , A 0 , SPECIALS oPs: S ArA E rr~~ o2 r i mrce NO R - 808 S. State " State & Hill Ann Arbor " 668-6300 Hours Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. -1 a.m. Friday 8 a.m. - 3 a.m. WARNER BROS.ESCs AN ART INSON PRODCTION A JOHN BAD"AM flM BRIDGET FONOA "POINT OF NO RETURN" GABRIEL BYRNE DERMOT MUIRONEY wITH ANNE BANCROFT AEN HARVEY KEITEL co-PaoaocER JAMES HERBERT Music DY HANS ZIMMER FilM EITED 8Y FRANK MORRISS Saturday 11 a.m. - 3 a.m. Sunday 11 a.m. - Midnight PRODUCTION DESINED DBY PHILIP HARRISON i I' M