v When was the last time the Michigan football team was 3-0? (Answer, page 2) M' Sports Calendar AP Top 25 Q & A Forrest Fires Fall Sports Preview Football Basics College Football Women's Soccer 2 2 3 3 4 5 6 7 Crosscountry places 2nd at EMU By DOUG STEVENS Daily Sports Writer The Michigan men's cross country team, coming off a 1993 season that produced their first Big Ten title in 13 1ars, began their 1994 campaign in impressive fashion. The Wolverines placed second at the Eastern Michigan Invitational friday in Ypsilanti. The Wolverines finished second behind Eastern Michi- gan despite competing without three of their top five runners including Kevin Sullivan, Scott MacDonald, and Theo Molla. Both Sullivan and MacDonald are taking September off from competition after a tough summer spent practicing for the Commonwealth Games held in their home country, Canada. Captain Ian Forsyth led the way for Michigan, bring- ing home first-place honors with a time of 25:21 on the 8 kilometer course. Also finishing in the top-five scoring places for the Wolverines was David Barnett (11Ith place), Kris Eggle (15 th), Don McLaughlin (18th), and Jon AuBuchon (30th). McLaughlin, a graduate of Ann Arbor Pioneer, run- ning in his first collegiate race, was the only freshman competing for the Wolverines. "I was very happy. It was the first time I ran this distance. I wanted to see if I could stay with Kris (Eggle) Od I did for the most part. I just want to go out there and do the best I can," McLaughlin said. The Wolverines finished second in the nine team field which included Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, and Windsor. "It was a good, quality meet. A lot of good teams and good individuals were there," Forsyth said. "Everyone ran solidly and it was our best start as a team in three or four years." "Judging by this meet, things are going well and we uld get our goals high for this season," Forsyth said. Brockway wins Falcon Invite Dy DKKY LLI~NIW~IJIA By BARRY SOLLENBERGER Daily Sports Writer A long victory drought came to an end yesterday for the Michigan golf team. While the Wolverines actually finished third as a team at the Falcon Invitational in Colorado Springs, Colo., junior Chris Brockway became the first Michigan golfer in nearly three years to medal in a tournament. The junior from Ann Arbor Pioneer H.S. fired a three-over par 219 to win the 54-hole, par 72 event played Friday through yesterday. Brockway's performance is the best indi- vidual finish by a Wolverine since Dean Kobane won the Spartan Invitational in 1991. In the tournament hosted by the Air Force Academy, Michigan finished with a team score of 893 (298-294-301), six strokes behind win- ner Minnesota 887 (292-292-303) and three strokes behind second place Kansas 890 (300- 297-303). The outcome also marked Michigan's best finish since placing third at the Buckeye Fall Classic two years ago. Brockway fired rounds of 72-74-73 at the 6,966-yard Eisenhower Blue Golf Course to win the event by one stroke over Minnesota's Aaron Barber (72-75-73) and Utah's Jon Wright (70-74-76), who each finished tied for second at 220. Brockway was not the only Wolverine to help Michigan to its impressive finish. Senior Bill Lyle, also from Pioneer H.S., tied for sixth place with a six-over-par 222 (74- 72-76). In his collegiate debut, sophomore David Jasper tied for 22nd with six other golfers at 225 (77-72-76). Sophomores Kyle Dobbs and Brent Idalski rounded out the Wolverines' scoring with scores of 228 (74-72-76) and 236 (79-81-76), respectively. Last season. Dobbs was the only Wolverine to play in every tournament. The sophomore from Saline was one of the top freshman in the Big Ten and led Michigan with a 76.12 strokes per round average. A year ago, Brockway was second on the squad with a 76.83 scoring average in 30 rounds of play. Lyle also saw action in 30 rounds and ranked close behind his former high school teammate with a 76.93 average. In 1993, Idalski saw action in 18 rounds in six tournaments and finished with a 78.94 average. While the Wolverines could only muster a seventh place finish at the Big Ten Champion- ships a year ago, coach Jim Carras said that they will be competitive this fall. "We could have a very good team this year," Carras said. "We also have perhaps the most overall talent up and down the roster since I've been at Michigan. The men's cross-country team started their season off on MOLLY STEVENS/Daily the right foot. Soccer debut spoiled Buckeyes ruin Blue's first-ever Big Ten home game By MARC DILLER Daily Sports Writer Hordes of loyal Michigan fans showed up at Elbel Field on Friday for a peek at the newest sensation in the Michigan Athletic Department. Unfortunately those fans didn't get what they really wanted to see - a win. In its first-ever Big Ten home game, the Michigan women's soccer team lost its opener to Ohio State, 2- 0, on Friday afternoon. "We have all the skill," freshman forward Debbie Flaherty said. "We just can't seem to pull it out when it counts." Buckeye forward Lori Helle scored the game-winning goal from 30 yards out just 5:01 into the game. Helle received a pass from her own backfield and was able to catch the Wolverine defense off-guard in the transition. Her shot sailed into the top left corner of the net, past Michigan goalkeeper Alicia Smith. "We just weren't ready for it," Flaherty said. "They just caught us on our heels." , Michigan dug itself into a hole at the 20:42 mark of the first half when it allowed a second goal. Ohio State Y freshman All-American Jodie Stranges faked out Wolverine de- fender Jamie Ross in the Michigan backfield and booted the ball past Smith for the final score of the game. "We were overplaying and going for the fake," Wolverine coach Debbie Belkin said. "Jamie went for the fake but no one was there to cover her." The Wolverines weren't without their own chances, though. Michigan dominated the second half in the Buck- eyes' backfield, but was unable to connect on ten second-half shots on goal. "We need to finish the chances like they did," Belkin said. "That's the mark of a young team." Michigan's best opportunity came with just under three minutes to play in the game. Flaherty passed the ball off to sophomore forward Clare Loftus in the left corner. Loftus eluded one Ohio State defender and chipped the ball into the goal post. Michigan for- ward Betsy Axley was there for the rebound but Buckeye goalie Stacey Smith made a remarkable save. Smith fell on the ball, preventing the five Wolverine players converging on the site from scoring. The Wolverines came into the game fatigued from their 120-minute overtime game just 48 hours earlier against Detroit-Mercy. 'We just weren't ready for it. They just caught us on our heels. - Debbie Flaherty freshman forward In an attempt to counter her team's exhaustion, Belkin played 19 of her 21 available players. "We played 120 minutes last game without really subbing anybody," Belkin said. "That last step for us, taking that 100 yard run in the box, we were struggling. Luckily for the Wolverines, they have five days off before they face their next opponent, Tiffin (Ohio), at home on Wednesday, the third game of their five-game home stand. Since the women play varsity soccer, should the men have a e " f DOUGLAS KANTER/Daily women's soccer team is going through a season of firsts. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, this weekend's first was their first-ever Big Ten home loss. Student-athletes How Wolverines measure up Dumb Jocks? Balancing athletics and academics can be one of the many difficult things about college life. Here is a comparison of how Michigan's, athletes compare to other schools in the classroom. H.S. core GPA L Graduation rate Graduation rate (Ai Students) (Athletes) varsity team? Read Pitts Stop for one man's opinion. - pg. 7. Volleyball takes two of three at By SCOTT BURTON Daily Sports Writer Former Michigan basketball guard Rumeal Robinson will be forever embedded in Wolverine folklore for overcoming his free- throw shooting problems in the most dramatic way possible. For all of the 1988-89 season - in moments of pressure or during colossal blowouts - when the All- nerican stepped to the charity stripe, it was a horror story. He'd twitch, he'd sweat, and he'd throw up bricks. That is, until he had to make the most important throws of his life - in the finals of the NCAA tournament against Seton Hall, with his Wolverines up by one in the waning seconds of the game. At many universities, where academics are but an extracurricular activity for athletes, Robinson may not have graduated. But at Michigan he did, thanks to an extensive athlete academic support system and an athletic administration that is relatively concerned about the demands facing scholarship athletes. "I think academics and athletics go hand in hand at this university - it is like a marriage," associate athletic director Peggy Bradley-Doppes said. "We have strong athletic programs because of the strong academic reputation of Michigan." Robinson's academic success is one reason why Dr. Jack Gourman in 1993 ranked Michigan the fourth-best non-Ivy League school for balancing academics and athletics. Gourman, a retired political science professor at California State-Northridge and well-noted for his Michigan Stanford Duke C - Y +5 Va. Tech By RODERICK BEARD Daily Sports Writer Women's volleyball coach Greg Giovanazzi knew that the injuries to three of his key players would make it hard to win three matches at the Com- fort Inn Hoakie Classic. In the end, however, injuries did not play such a crucial role, as the Wolverines man- aged to win two of their three tourna- ment matches anyway. "The weekend was an absolute Penn State Rman{ III kmi on4 , mer{ fn ,: _ _ _ _ ~.-