6 - The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, March 21, 1994
4Crowds ignite swimmers
Stanford, Texas fans create spark for their teams
Py MARC DILLER Stanford cheerleader-as his t-shirt so aptly advertises-
DAILY SPORTS WRITER and he and his wife help coordinate all the Cardinal cheers
INDIANAPOLIS -To be fanatical is to be unreason- for the other 50-plus Stanford fans in attendance.
ably enthusiastic and overly zealous. Such fans around the "I was appointed team cheerleader because I was the
NCAA have been known to intimidate opposing teams with loudest," Edwards said. "It just seemed natural because the
alenigratingcheers and malicious signs. team needed someone to coordinate the yells, and the first
As if this wasn't enough to destroy the opposing team's year I was at NCAAs, I was seated in the front row."
morale, the home team gets an extra boost by the crowd's In a call-and-response type cheer, Edwards elicited the
applause. crowd's rally cries. The front row stood to spell out, "GO
Many would be surprised to realize that this scenario STANFORD,"with each parentholdingup aseparateletter.
extends outside the realm of the high profile sports and into "If we can encourage them with the audience, it gets their
the realm of less prolific, but equally intimidating sports, adrenaline pumping and it can mean the differencein three-
like swimming. fourths of a second," Edwards said.
The rowdy crowds were on hand this weekend at the And the swimmers on both teams did surge each time
NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at that their fans urged them on. In the most exciting race of the
the Indianapolis University-Purdue University at India- meet, Stanford's two-time Olympic gold medalist, Jenny
napolis (IUPUI) Natatorium. Thompson, won the 100-yard freestyle by .45 seconds over
After flying in from all around the country, fans from second-place finishers, 1994NCAA Swimmerof the Year
Stanford and Texas were almost as competitive in the stands Amy Van Dyken of Colorado State and the all-time leader
astheirrespective teams were in the pool. Stanford, with 512 in All-America honors from Florida, Nicole Haislett.
points, ended the meet on top of Texas' 421, but you would "I know my brother, my mother and the entire Stanford
'iever have known it from the crowds' reactions. contingency were up there cheering for me," Thompson
The Longhorns' cavalry call was led by senior cheer- said."That means a lot tome, and it means a lot to the team
Ieaderandteamparent, Terry Fisher. The New Jersey native to have its parents here and have all that support."
passed out a sheet of Texas team cheers to the rest of the The Longhorn's support group was conveniently seated
faithful, leading his section in one tumultuous rendition of next to the Cardinal fans, thus allowing the competition to
the Texas fight song after another. To the 50 Longhorn really materialize. The two competed to have their cheers
supporters in attendance (despite only 15 Texas swimmers heard over the other. Texas waved its orange towels as rally
competing), cheering on the team is not just a pastime, but flags, and Stanford countered with its red and white pom-
a livelihood. poms.
'"We cheer them in and outof the hotel when they go over "We both try to keep our voice," Fisher said. "We get
to the pool," Fisher said. hoarse from hooping and hollering so much. It gets the
Fi$her's followers were on hand foreach ofthe six racing parents involved and that's the important thing."
essionsduring thethree-day meet. Still,no matterhow loud Reaction to the crowd is not exclusive to just the swim-
the Longhorn contingent cheered, they still couldn't fight mers. The coaches recognize the effects of the cheers as well.
efftheir pesky counterparts from Stanford. "There is no doubt that (the crowd) has an impact,"
The Cardinal had its own rally leader, Tom Edwards. A Stanford's national championship coach Richard Quick
native ofPortola Valley, Calif., Edwards habitually attends said. "For the athletes that have their parents there, it makes
at least one-third of the meets each year. He is the official a tremendous difference."
CHRIS WOLF/Daily
The Michigan women's swimming and diving team finished eighth in the 43-
team field at the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis.
SWIMMING NOTEBOOK:
Wolverines end season on
By MARC DILLER
DAILY SPORTS WRITER
Afteran impressive regular season,
the Michigan women's swimming and
diving team (8-0 overall record)
dropped its No. 4 national ranking at
this past weekend's national champi-
onships held atthe Indiana University-
Purdue University at Indianapolis
(IUPUI) Natatorium.
The Wolverines plummeted to a
disappointing eighth-place overall fin-
ish.
"There is a lot more balance in the
meet this year thenthere was last year,"
Michigan coach Jim Richardson said.
"We knew we were in agroup of teams
that on a given day, anything could
happen."
In a year highlighted by adversity,
Michigan battled the disappointment,
pf health woes and the unfamiliarity of
anew team marked by its 12 freshman.
Withstanding these problems, the
Wolverines were still able to garner
some individual accolades.
The Wolverines amassed six All-
American awards - Rachel Gustin
3), Alecia Humphrey, Jody Navta
end Anne Kampfe - and 30 honor-
able-mention All-America honors.
HOOIvELD SURPASSED: In another
tecord-setting time, Poland's Beata
Kaszuba from Arizona State displaced
vichigan's Lara Hooiveld's 200 breast
stroke NCAA record, set last year, by
the narrowest of margins, .01 seconds.
"No, I'm not really disappointed,"
liooiveld said. "Records are made to
be broken."
Hooiveld, who has been plagued by
the flu all season long, was unable to
compete in the event.
"I'll be staying in Michigan over
the summer to train," Hooiveld said.
"I'll be going to summer nationals here
end I should be in pretty good shape for
next year."
HISTORY INTHE MAKING: This meet
marked the first time that any team
other than the Big Three (Stanford,
Texas and Florida) has ever won a
women's relay title.
Not only did it happen once, but in
two separate relays, new teams were
victorious.
Auburn's 1:40. 12 second 200-yard
medley relay time just nipped
Stanford's 1:40.20finish in amomen-
tous .08 second victory. The Lady
Tigers halted the Big Three's relay
streak at 62.
Inspired by the Tiger's upset,
Southern California's 800-yard
down swing
freestyle relay team handily displaced
the big three from their thrones with a
time of 7:11.89. Florida's relay team
finished second in the event with a time
of 7:12.33.
MICHIGAN FAN CLUB: CBS sports
reporter Andrea Joyce broadcasted
the championships this weekend.
Joyce, a graduate of Michigan, still
feels her school spirit.
Before the meet, Joyce went to the
Michigan lockerroom togave the team
some words of encouragement.
"Before the meet starts, I try to talk
to the team and show them my "GOt
BLUE" key chain," Joyce said.
SWIMMING
Continued from page1
who set an NCAA record in the 50-
yard freestyle, captured Swimmer-of-
the-Year honors, and her coach John
Mattos was recognized as NCAA
Coach of the Year forguiding the Rams
to a surprising 12th-place finish.
Backstroker Alecia Humphrey
earned the Wolverines' highest indi-
vidual finish, duplicating her perfor-
manceofayearagoby finishing fourth
in the 200-yard back. Humphrey also
finished ninth in the 100 back.
She was also a memberof the Wol-
verine quartet that gained ninth in the
200-yard medley relay and 12th in the
400 medley relay.
"I'm a little disappointed,"
Humphrey said Friday after the 100
back. "I don't really feel fast this meet
in the water. But the 100 was a really
fast event, and even if I swam my best
time, I would've finished eighth."
As has happened in many meets
this season, Michigan's freshmen
stepped up.
Rachel Gustin had a spectacular
showing, setting a new mark for Wol-
verine swimmers by scoring (placing
in the top 16) in every event she was
entered. Gustin's top finishes were in
the 200-yard individual medley and
100-yard breaststroke, in which she
placed sixth and seventh, respectively.
Richardson had nothing but praise
for his rookie swimmer.
"I can't say enough about Rachel
Gustin," Richardson said. "I really think
she gave her individual performances
for the sake of the team with her relay
swims, because you shouldn't have a
breaststroker swimming a freestyle re-
lays."
Anne Kampfe also did well, with
her best showing in the 400 IM, where
she finished second to USC's Kristine
Quance. Kampfe expected a tough
battle with Quance, since their rivalry
dates back a long way.
"Kristine and I have swum to-
gether for the past four or five years,"
Kampfe said. "Usually she and I are
almost always one and two. It's
pretty much the way I expected it to
happen."
Jodi Navta turned in a strong per-
formance, with a fifth-place finish in
the 200 breast. Navta said that she was
elated with her swim in that event, but
wished she had done better in the med-
leys, where she finished 19th in the
200, and 20th in the 400.
However, the Wolverines could not
compete with the Cardinal.
Thompson led Stanford with four
first-place finishes, two seconds and a
third. She established pool records in
the 100-yard butterfly and 100 free,
and was the second-highest individual
point scorer of the meet.
After a second-place finish Thurs-
day in the 50 free to Van Dyken, Th-
ompson came out motivated the next
two days of the meet, finishing first in
three of her final four events.
"After last night, I was glad for her,
but I was sad it wasn't me (that won),
and I wanted a personal win for my-
self," Thompson said Friday. "After
tonight, itwas a sense of relief (forme),
and I think it gave momentum to our
team."
Trio of
swimmers
stands tall
above rest
By RAVI COPAL
DAILY SPORTS WRITER
INDIANAPOLIS -Although the
women's NCAA swim meet this past
weekend showcased the elite of colle-
giate women's swimming, three swim
mers stood above the rest.
USC's KristineQuance, Stanford's
Jenny Thompson andFlorida's Nicole
Haislettdemonstrated to thecrowd that
they were simply the best. 0
Quance, a freshman, captured four
overall first-place finishes, and scored
in all seven events in which she com-
peted. Her200-yard breaststroke time
of 2:10.69 established a new NCAA
record, breaking the oldtime of2: 11.54.
She had a hand in 168 of USC's 240
points.
She was the reason that her team
leapt from a 14th-place finish last year.
to a sixth-place finish this time around.
All this is incredible for anyone to
accomplish, much less a freshman.
Quance, however, downplays her
lack of collegiate experience.
"I'm a freshman, but that doesn't
matter," she said.
The top high school swimmer in
the nation last year, Quance registered
1993's best time in the world in the 400
IM. USC coach Mark Schubert real-01
izes the special talent he is coaching.,
"Kristine can do it all," Schubert
said. "She is one of the world's top
talents and she will makeeveryone else
on ourteam perform atahigher level."
Thompson, ajunior, was atthefore-
front of the Cardinal attack. One of the
top sprint freestylists in the nation, she
also captured four overall first-place
finishes, and was in the top three in alo
seven of her events.
At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona
she won two gold medals in the 400-
meter free relay and the 400 medley
relay, and won a silver in the 100 free.
She has been instrumental in the last
three NCAA championships for
Stanford.
The fact that she is entered in an
event strikes fearinto anopponent.Just
ask Colorado State's Amy Van Dyken
Although Van Dyken won the 50 free
and set an NCAA record in the process,
her mind was on the girl wearing the
Stanford cap in lane 5.
"I was really concerned about her,"
Van Dyken said. "She's such a tough
competitor. She can come out of any-
where and do anything."
Stanfordcoach RichardQuick real-.,
izes what Thompson brings to his team,9
in terms of sheer talent.
"Jenny is an extremely valuable
athlete who is among the best in the
world," Quick said.
Haislett, a senior, turned in a phe-
nomenal performance. She captured
three overall first-place finishes, and
like Thompson, was in the top three in
all of her events.
She became only the first woman in.
NCAA history to earn All-American
honors 28 times, the maximum total
possible for acollegiate swimmer who
competes all four years of her career,
and who makes the finals of every
event she competes in.
Her victory in the 200 free made her
only the third swimmerto win the same
event four times.
Florida coach Chris Martin real;
ized the magnitude of this feat.
"It's a rare accomplishment for her
to win an event all four years," Martin
said. "Not many people have done that,
and that's why it's such a big thing."
Haislett also won the most gold
medals of any U.S. Olympian at the
1992 Games, winning the 200 free, and
swimming legs on the winning 400
free relay and 400 medley relay teams
Her three golds equaled the numbeg
won by any female at the 1992 Games.
Haislett and Thompson are fdrmer
Olympians, and both hope to go the
AtlantaGames in 1996. Quance looks
to be a solid contender for a spot on that
team as well.
As Olympians, they will have a
chance to prove to the world that they
are simply the best.
CHRIS WOLF/Daily
Michigan freshman swimmer Rachel Gustin scored in every event she participated in at the NCAA Championships.
r m " - m - m - """m m"mmm m m in m mm m m mm-
Best o Ann Arbor Ballot '94
1Please return by April Ito the Daily at 420 Maynard, 48109. Results will be printed in the April 14 Best of Ann Arbor issue of Weekend. Thanks for your time.
Best Restaurants/Bars for... Records MSA member
Coffee Used records Speaker/lecturer in past year
Burgers Men's clothing Computing center
French Fries Women's clothing Student group/organization_
Pizza Thrift/used clothing Fraternity to party with
Hot og Bicycle sales/repair Sorority to party with
Wings Books Co-op
Cheap beer Textbooks Ugliest building
Bar Drinks Used books Bathroom
Ice cream/Frozen yogurt Haircut Lecture Hall
IChipati First-run theaterI
Sandwiches video store Best (and worst) Entertainment '
Subs Liquor/party store Local band
Cookies Photocopying Dancing spot
Italian food Sporting goods Concert in past year
fMiddle Eastern food Groceries Radio station
Chinese food Florist Place to go when in an altered state
Korean food Travel Agency
Mexican food Magazines Best (and worst) dating stuff
Vegetarian food Michigan items (sweats, mugs, etc.) Place to meet a mate
Deli .-Posters Pick-up line
I-