SWIMMING
The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, January 29, 1996 - 7B
.
Nimson Tide, Tig
'ichigaunexpec
Wverines can't splash by SEC teams
fyMtsa Ltghtdale plained the losses by pointing to the
Daily Spprts Writer, different stages of the training sessions
Theicond-ranked Michigan women for the three teams.
swivicrs found themselves in an un- "Alabama and Auburn swam ex-
usualposition after being upstaged by tremely well, but they are 10 days away
the Tieers and Crimson Tide. from their conference meet,"
Instead of dominating their oppo- Richardson said.
enis the Wolverines became entangled Events like the 200 medley revealed
i rivalry of two SEC powerhouses- the extreme quickness ofthe SEC squads.
A ur and Alabama - and dropped Alabama won the race, followed by Au-
twodual meets. burn and, finally, Michigan.
"Anytime Alabama and-Auburn get Richardson pointed out that as a team
together, it brings out the best in both," arrives at its conference meet, its fit-
Alabamaheadcoach Chuck Horton said. ness, quickness and stamina should be
"Michigan has a great team, but they peaking. Michigan has not reached this
got caught in one of the biggest rivalries stage.
today." Nevertheless, the Wolverines put up
The first upset of the Wolverines a number of inspired performances, in-
came at the hands of 10th-ranked Au- cluding that of Kerry Hale, who cap-
e , 88-52, at the Martin's Aquatic tured the 1650 freestyle, finishing al-
t ter in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Later, the most 10 full seconds ahead of the near-
Michigan swimmers lost to No. 12 Ala- est competitor, Alabama's Ann-Soefie
bama, 81-59. Joensson.
Although both losses were frustrat- Talor Bendel achieved a career best
ing, head coach Jim Richardson ex- when she broke 1:50 with a time of
ers hand
ted losses
in dual meet losses
1:48.64 en route to victory in the 200
freestyle. In addition, Linda Riker gar-
nered a fourth-place finish in the 100
backstroke (57.1).
Freshman Cathy O'Neill picked up a
fourth-place finish in the 100 back-
stroke when she finished two seconds
behind Auburn's sophomore Michelle
Hall.
"I swam well considering I had prob-
lems early in the week with my back,"
O'Neill said.
However, the highlights of the dual
meet were not the real story for the
Wolverines. Michigan remains plagued
by illness and a slew of injuries.
Both Jodi Navta and Rachel Gustin
sustained injuries that prevented the
two swimmers from making the trip,
while Beth Jackson tested positive for
mononucleosis.
"We're concerned about Rachel's
tendinitis in her shoulder," Richardson
said. "She did her first swimming on
Friday."
The Michigan women's swimming team went down south this weekend but was too cold to beat hot Aubun and Alabama.
The ability to swim against top com-
petition with so much adversity facing
the Wolverines poses a challenge to the
mettle of the team.
"It's a good test to run into teams that
are ranked and see if we can stick to our
guns," Richardson said.
Richardson looks forward to a re-
energized squad and a different result
in the NCAA tournament.
"You never like to get beat."
Richardson said. "These are teams that
we will be acng in the end
Michigan's Melissa Stone summed
up the team's performance.
"We stood up when we need i o,"
Stone said. "We are pleased where v4,
are.
M senioi
By Doug Stevens
Daily Sports Writer
There are many characteristics of a
team that make it stand out. The Fab
Five was known for its incredible talent
and confidence. The Pittsburgh Steelers
of the; 1970s were heralded for their
"Steel Curtain" defense.
This year's Michigan men's swim-
g and diving team is known for
ing perhaps the most prolific pro-
gram in the country, as well as the
presence of numerous All-Americans
and a 1995 NCAA title.
Despite this being the identity of the
Wolverines, their leadership brings a
different reputation to the table. This
year's senior class, which was honored
at this past weekend's meet with Indi-
ana and Michigan State, is composed of
five unique individuals.
tblex Bogaerts, Joe Janik, Shuichi
Matsumoto, Royce Sharp and Jan
Wenzel have all competed four years
for the Wolverines and, with the excep-
tion of Sharp, who is an eight-time All-
j atson Wy
Worldwide
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r svwvn= ejrrs honore f'6 work .nip i "" 1 1 ?
ti!1,
"They're all
overachievers.
They have
incredible work
ethics and ... (help
the team GPA="
-Jon Urbanchek
Michigan men's
swimming coach
American, none of them has ever been
looked to as a major point-getter on the
team.
However, these five men have con-
tributed to the Wolverines in many other
ways and have served as model student-
athletes for the swimming and diving
program.
"They are all over-achievers," Michi-
gan coach Jon Urbanchek said. "They
have incredible work ethics and defi-
nitely help the team's GPA. They are
the intellectual members of the team."
Perhaps no one exemplifies the lead-
ership of the Wolverines better than
their captain, Jan Wenzel. Wenzel has
steadily improved each year during his
four campaigns at Michigan and last
year, he made his first appearance in the
NCAA Championships, finishing 18th
in the 1650 freestyle.
In addition, Wenzel received the
Slykehouse Scholarship this year,
honoring team leadership and aca-
demics. Despite his commitment to
swimming, Wenzel has managed to
excel in his dual-major of political
science and German, and plans to go
to law school.
"It's been great swimming here four
years," Wenzel said. "It was all worth
it. It was just a really big honor to be
elected captain of this team."
Another athlete who exemplifies this
year's senior class is Joe Janik. Janik,
who finished third in the 500 freestyle
in this weekend's victory over the Spar-
tans and Hoosiers, is a two-time Aca-
demic All-Big Ten honoree. He is a
cellular and molecular biology major
enrolled in the Honors Program and
hopes to eventually go to medical
school.
"Joe Janik is one of the most re-
spected and liked kids on the team,"
Urbanchek said. "He is definitely an
overachiever."
Matsumoto is the only potential
Olympian in this graduating class. He is
hoping to make the Japanese team in
the 400 IM.
"(This year) has been more excit-
ing," Matsumoto said. "I'm just trying
to have more fun. My big focus is al-
ways on the Japanese trials, which are
in the first week in April."
Although Matsumoto won't be swim-
ming in the NCAA Championships be-
cause it conflicts with his nation's tri-
als, he is trying to keep the team to-
gether and focused on defending its
title.
"As I could see (this weekend), our
team has really come together well,"he
said. "It is hard when some of the lead-
ership is not some of the big point-
getters.
Alex Bogaerts has done a particu-
larly strong job this season leading the
Wolverines' diving arsenal. As the only
senior on a contingent composed pri-
marily of freshmen, Bogaerts has done
an admirable job filling in for Abel
Sanchez as the team's leader and help-
ing the new divers make the transition
to collegiate competition.
Like many of his fello, seniors
Bogaerts has improved steadily every
season at Michigan._He made Honor-
able Mention AlL-America in, hisjun-
or season, placng 14th on the plat-
form.
Alex is diving real wel diving
coach Dick Kimb ,1 said. "I'm real
pleased with the way he is compet-
The tmost heralded swimmer exit
ing at the conclusion of this season
Sharp. Sharp is an eight-time All-
American and a ive-time Big Ten
Champion. in addition to being a
meniber of the U.S. Olympic Team in
1992, his resume includes an 'Ameri-
can record in the 200-meter back-
stroke and a bronze medal at the 1994
Wordhamironships.
Join a 105-year tradition.
Pa
The University of Michigan
Department of Recreational Sports
att
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MICHIGAN CLASSICS
1996
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Summer SoftDall
DIVISIONS:
Men's -- C (Single game and Doubleheader leagues)
Men's -- D (Single game leagues only)
CoRec -- C (Single game leagues only)
Women's -- C/D (Single game leagues only)
INOTE: Women's Icgue will be frmed only i s ror more teams register/enre i
MANDATORY FOR ALL TEAMS - Returning and New !
MANAGER'S
MEETING:
REGISTRATION/
ENTRIES
TAKEN:
ENTRY FEE:
[Due at day,
date and time
of Entry]
PLAY BEGINS:
Thursday March 5, 1996
6:00 p.m.
U of M Intramural Sports Building - IMSB (606 z1 !oover Street
Thursday March 5, 1996 -- Following Mandatory Manager's Meeting
All Teams ---- Returning -- approximately 6:45 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
New -- approximately 8:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
INOTE: In order for a team to be registered, that team must be represented at the nidatory Mgr's MIgI
Single Game Leagues ---- $495.00 per team
[NOTE: 10 Round Robin League games and I Playolf game l
Doubleheader Leagues ---- $990.00 per team
[NOTE: 20 Round Robin League games and I Playoff game
No Individual Player Fees! Game balls provided! Uniforms not required!
ENTRY FEES DUE AT DAY/DATE/TIME OF REGISTR ATION/ENTRY!
Monday May 13, 1996 [NOTE: Ends approximately August 1, 19961
[NOTE: Practice Days/Dates: Monday May 6- Friday May 1. Sign-ups at Manager's Meting]
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