10 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 15,_1995
Women's track captures first at Quad Meet
Wolverines satisfied with performance, but worry about winning Big Tens
By Eugene Bowen
Daily Sports Writer
For the women's track and field
team, last weekend was a time of
smiling faces and tearful realiza-
tion. The Wolverines won the Quad
Meet, held at Michigan State, but a
sadness still lurked. They won the
battle, but many worry if the war
(the Big Ten Championships) can
be won as easily.
The Spartans, Notre Dame and Penn
State were the only other teams to
compete in the second-to-last meet for
Michigan before the Big Ten Champi-
onships. The championships will be
held the Saturday after Spring Break.
The Wolverines finished in first
place with a score of 149. Neverthe-
less, Michigan is chagrined by what
can be viewed as somewhat lackluster
performances on the part of the compe-
tition.
"Unfortunately, Penn State and
Michigan State didn't give us the type
of competition we wanted and needed
going into the Big Tens," Michigan
coach James Henry said.
This is not to imply that the Wol-
verines performed as spectacularly as
the coaching staff would have liked.
"We had a numberof performances
that were adequate enough to win this
Unfortunately, Penn State and
Michigan state didn't give us the type
of competition we wanted and needed
going into the Big Tens"
- James Henry
Michigan women's track coach
meet," Henry said.
This weekend pitted the Wolver-
ines against the Spartans for the third
time this season. This was Michigan's
first meet against the Nittany Lions.
Penn State came in second over the
weekend with 141.5 points, followed
by Michigan State (117.5) and Notre
Dame(115).
Perhaps the greatest positive for the
Wolverines was the recovery of their
ailing sprinting team, whose perfor-
mances in the last few meets have been
subpar at best.
Particularly uplifting for the team
was the performance of top sprinter
Tearza Johnson, who won the 55-
meter dash with a time of 7.19. Her
time was over two-tenths of a sec-
ond faster than second-place fin-
isher Michelle Donaldson (7.42) of
Michigan State. Johnson also
clinched first-place in the 200-meter
dash, with a hand-timed 24.20. She
beat the second-place finisher, the
Spartans' Chandra Burns (25.3), by
over a full second.
Wolverine high jumper Monika
Black won herevent, but she fell short
of her goal of jumping 6 feet.
"It's hard to be at a focused level
when everyone was finished before
she started," Henry said, sympathiz-
ing with her disappointment.
Black had already won her event
when she attempted tojump 6 feet. The
second-place finisher, Penn State's
Holly Jones, finished with a height of
5'4 1/4". In fact, no highjumper made
5'6", the height Black achieved on her
first jump.
The three Wolverine freshmen
who ran the 400-meters were not as
fortunate. Brandy Taylor (58.00),
Anica Felton (59.40) and Ndu
Okwumabua (1:00.10) came in
third-, fifth- and seventh-place po-
sitions, respectively.
Tri-captain Karen Harvey proved
to be a bright spot for the Wolver-
ines. Harvey won the 800-meter dash
with a time of 2:11.68. Harvey was
also a member of the first-place dis-
tance medley team, running with
sophomore Lamika Harper and
freshmen Deanna and Pauline
Arnill. The group's time of 11:31.09,
an NCAA provisional qualifying
time, was a point of minor conten-
tion.
"I was pretty ticked off after the
distance medley," Harvey said. "The
officials asked me if I got the time. I
thought to myself, 'Isn't that why
they're here?' This was the first meet
of the day."
The officials made no more timing
mistakes for the rest of the meet.
DeannaArnill also finished in first-
place in the mile (4:58.22), while twin
sister Pauline came in second behind
Harvey in the 800-meterrun(2:14.61).
Harper, besides competing in the
distance medley, also finished sixth in
the 600-meters (1:37.78) and ran aleg
for the second-place mile relay team
(3:55.57). Her opinions of last week's
performance are the mostpositive ones
she has had all season.
"I was okay," she said. "My legs
didn't lock up the way they usually do.
It felt good."
ActuallyHarper's times last week-
end were one to two seconds below her
average.
"It's just that it's been two years
sinceIran competitively," she said. "I
know I'm capable."
Middle distance captain Tanya Clay
had a good day, taking second place in
the 600-meters (1:35.66) behind Notre
Dame's Erica Peterson (1:33.45). She
also ran perhaps the best leg of the mile
relay for the Wolverines. JuniorJayna
Greiner performed well taking first in
the shot put with a distance of 14.43
meters.
Though the Wolverines won the
Quad Meet, it won't guarantee a Big
Ten win and a chance at reclaiming
the triple crown (conference titles
in cross-country and indoor and out-
door track) victory they won last
season. In fact, the Wolverines are
already beginning to have pre-Big
Ten jitters. Their foremost fears are
Wisconsin's middle-distance run-
ners and Illinois' sprinters, jumpers
and throwers.
"They're going to blow us away,"
said Harvey. "We are extremely
young. I would have to say right
now that we won't win, but for a
team this young to get second or
third place is good."
TONYA BROAD/Daily
rRaft te Rvers I"i id~
The women's track team captured the Quad Meet, held at Michigan State,
with a score of 149 this weekend. The distance and mile relay teams
captured first place in each event.
Fncing ompeteti vein
weekend tournament
YOST
Continued from page 9
this project. Seating will probably be
reduced by 100-200, but the exact num-
berwill bedetermined upon the project's
completion in October. Secondly, pri-
vate donations will absorb about three-
quarters of the expected three to four
million dollars needed. The one million
contributed by the Athletic Department
will be offset by a two dollar increase in
ticket prices.
Part of the renovations will bring
the building up to standard codes for
wheelchair accessibility and an eleva-
tor will be installed. These subtle im-
provements also include a North End
upper concourse with concessions and
restrooms.
Through every step of renovation,
one thing will not change when the ice
is reinstalled in July. The regulation ice
size (200 x 85 feet) can never be en-
larged becausetheenvelopeofthe build-
ing is too narrow. If the ice surface were
to be widened, one side of seats would
have to be removed.
By Keith Smith
For the Daily
Fencing at Michigan is a club
sport, but the Wolverine fencers
showed that they are just as com-
petitive as varsity fencing teams at
Wayne State Saturday.
Michigan competed against Chi-
cago, Purdue, Northwestern and
Lawrence. The men were victorious
against Purdue and Lawrence, but
lost to Northwestern and Chicago.
The Wolverines lost by only one
bout to the Wildcats, who are one of
the top fencing teams in the Mid-
west.
The women defeated Chicago
and Lawrence, but lost to North-
western. The Wolverines struggled
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2 Blocks off of State
against Chicago and faced a
Lawrence team that was short-
handed. Michigan also came up with
surprising individual victories
against the Wildcats.
Michigan had a number of
standout performers. Seth Baldwin
won eight out of twelve bouts, Nick
Arvin won seven of his twelve bouts
at the foil, and Brandon Barnett
won nine out of his eleven bouts at
the sabre for the men. Jamie Snyder
and Tamyra Rhodes at the foil and
Kelly McFarland at the epee were
the standout performers on the
women's side.
"The team has been improving
in the past four years," senior Nick
Arvin said.
The Wolverines have proven to
be as competitive as varsity fencing
teams and will have two more op-
portunities to make their point. Their
biggest tournament takes place at
Notre Dame Feb. 25th and 26th.
Michigan will fence Notre Dame
for the first time and will also have
a chance for redemption, as it will
again meet Chicago and Northwest-
ern. The Wolverines will also com-
pete against Michigan State, Ohio
State, Purdue, Case Western Re-
serve, Cleveland State, Wayne State
and the University of Detroit.
"We want revenge," club presi-
dent Seth Baldwin said.
Michigan's last tournament is on
March 4, which is the Midwest Col-
legiate Fencing Championship at
Lawrence University.
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