SWIMMING The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, March 25, 1996 - 7B he Cardinal rule: Stanford women reign supreme By Chris Murphy Daily Sports Writer At the conclusion of the 100-yard backstroke Friday night, Stanford coach Richard Quick made his way to the *edge of the pool, gave both his swim- mers , congratulatory kiss, and pro- ceeded to pump his fist as he walked back down the deck. That one scene went a long way to- ward summing up what transpired this weekend at the NCAA Women's Swim- ming and Diving Championships: Stanford would swim, Stanford would win, Stanford would celebrate. This may seem redundant, but swim- mers and spectators alike were advised to get-used to it. Quick acted in a similar fashion a pumber oftimes these past few days. Of cout'iq, he had reason to; he watched his team easily prevail, scoring an astound- ing 478 points to win its fifth straight national championship. "We came here to swim the best we could swim," Quick said. "We don't want to settle for just scoring a certain number of points or enough to win a meet, we want to swim well. That's what you train for all the time." The Cardinal swimmers systemati- cally amassed point after point as they utilized unparalleled team depth. While other teams featured impres- sive individual performances, Stanford's strategy involved placing as many swimmers in the finals as pos- sible in order to score points. Moreover, what is remarkable is that the Cardinal was able to sustain its intensity throughout the weekend. "1 think the team effort helps the team to swim well," Quick said. "But there's no secret about motivating a We don't want to settle for just scoring a certain number ofns. we want to swim well." - Richard Quick, Stanford women's swimming coach, on his team's dominant victory at the NCAA championships team that wants to swim well; you just talk to them about the goals they've been working for all year long." Leading the pack for the Cardinal were senior Jessica Tong and junior Claudia Franco. Tong's best swim came in the 100-yard backstroke; she won that with a time of 54.09. Franco won the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 49.39. Both Tong and Franco were part of Stanford's winning 200-yard med- ley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay. The key to Stanford's success could have been the motivation that the team received even before the meet began. Competing against powerhouses Michi- gan, USC and Southern Methodist, the Cardinal was not even favored to win. "It's satisfying because this team came together to work real hard toward a goal even though we weren't favored to win," Quick said. "But we took that as a challenge and really turned it into a lot of fun." The Stanford team also rode the mo- mentum of an Olympic qualifier, senior co-captain Lisa Jacob. "When (Jacob) made the Olympic team, she wasn't favored to do that either," Quick said. "I proved to every- body that what's written and what's said doesn't make a difference; it's what you do when it counts." When it counted most, Quick and his team were simply able to get thejob done. This weekend's championship is the sixth in Stanford history. However, for Quick it is just another chapter in a long, long book of NCAA successes. In 23 years of coaching on the collegiate level, Quick has won 10 NCAA titles. In the past 13 years, the lowest he has finished at the championships is third place, and he hit that low only once during that time period. "I've been blessed with great athletes and two institutions, first University of Texas then Stanford, that think women's swimming is real important. I've just been a small part of a puzzle that comes together with great athletes and great leadership from the institutions." Quick will look to continue his ex- cellence this summer when he coaches the women in the Atlanta Olympics. le will be joined by NCAA competitors, Jacob, UCLA's Annette Salmeen, Southern Cal's Christine Quance and Florida's Allison Wagner. Certainly Stanford deserved to stand in the spotlight. Even with Southern Methodist putting in a consistent per- formance that kept them close to the top for most of the weekend, and Michigan surging back from sixth place to cap- ture third in the final event, it was ap- parent who demanded the most respect at the conclusion of the meet. It was Stanford, the team at the top of the podium. 4. Mis in400 TM atOlymic trial sours Quances3NCAtimh By Donald Adamek Daily Sports Writer Kristine Quance dominated at the women's swimming NCAA Championships, winning the Swimmer of the Meet distinction. Despite her 60 points, victories in the 200-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard and 400-yard individual med- leys, her heart was at another meet. "Nothing could evermake up for not making the Olympics (in 400 IM)," the Southern Cal junior said. "I guess I proved a little bit more (at the NCAA championships)." Quance will swim in Atlanta this sum- mer. At the Olympic trials she qualified' in the 100-meter breaststroke and the 200-meter IM, but was looking for a berth SW11m" i in one more event. She swam well enough in the 400 I M Notebook - she finished ahead of all other com- petitors - but not clean enough. A con- troversial technical disqualification for an illegal turn left her with only two spots on the U.S. Olympic team. "I think sometimes I didn't do a very good job (at the Olympic trials)," she said. "All my emotions were in one meet. It was hard to get ready for this meet. The trials are for yourself, the NCAAs are for the team." Winning all three of her individual events at the NCAA championships was not enough for Quance. Perhaps she was upset that her relay teams failed to win. Or maybe it was that Southern Cal lost a late lead to Michigan and fell to third place overall. Or perhaps not - she sat out the Pac 10 championships to rest for the Olympic trials. So in an ironic sense, her efforts ended up backwards. Her trials performance motivated her for the NCAAs -helping her team. Her NCAAs performance earned her a personal award- but didn't let her team place in the top three for the meet. ; WORLD RECORD HOLDER STILL WAITING FOR GOOD DAY: Nebraska senior Penny Heyns wasn't completely happy with her performance at Olympic trials either. But her situ- ation is a bit different. For starters, she wasn't in Indianapolis - her Olympic trials came at the South African trials. And while most people would be disappointed with a technical disqualification like Quance's, anybody else in the world would be satisfied with Heyns' time at trials. Especially since nobody else has ever recorded a time as good as Heyns' 1:07.49 in the 100-meter breaststroke. "I was happy with the time, but not happy with the swim," Heyns said. "I'm sure I can beat that on a good day." Apparently Friday was not a good day for the world record holder. Although she won the event, and set the Canham Natatorium record;she "only" swam a 1:00.27, which in the 100 yards is a full two seconds off her personal best. It was good enough to make her the first female Cornhusker swim- mer to ever strike NCAA gold. Heyns is South Africa's best hope foran Olympic gold this summer, which she is certainly capable of if she has a "good day." UCLA SWIMMER HAS A HOME COMING: Swimming in Ann Arbor was nothing new to UCLA's Annette Salmeen. The senior used to live in Ann Arbor, but chose to go to UCLA instead of Michigan. "UCLA offered the opportunity with academics, and go- ing was a better option than staying in Ann Arbor," she said. "I lived here for four and a half years." Salmeen finished second in the 500 freestyle, and also qualified for the U.S. Olympic team. MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily Jodi Nafta and the Michigan women's swimming team managed to snag third place at this weekend's NCAA championships, held in their home pool, but they were far from posing a threat to dominant Stanford. Oympics could make Dolan a star Sucess at Games would steal Michigan tanker's amateur anonymity p By wiog Stevens Daily~ prts Writer By the end of the summer, Tom Dolan coulde a household name in the United Stateg At"Michigan. like at every other insti- tution across America, sports fans arrive in droves to cheer on their men's basket- balld football teams. These are the marue teams. Every diehard knows which ball play- ers will make All-American and which athletes could ultimately reach the pin- nacle of their sport, succeeding at the Oprofessional level. To many students who attend a big- time sports school, it is truly a big deal to run into one of these athletes on campus. It is alWays fun to see someone whose face is consistently plastered in the news- papers and on television. Unfortunately for Wolverine fans, rarely could they take pride in seeing arguably the most accomplished athlete t the.school. This is not because he doesn't take classes. It is not because he doesn't stand out. It is because no one recognizes him. In the world of men's swimming, Tom Dolan is a giant, and not simply because his 6-foot-6 frame makes him one of the tallest on the Wolverines' squad. His resume is as packed as any other colle- giate swimmer in the nation. The list is endless ... 1994, 1995 U.S. Swin merofthe Year, worldrecord holder nthe400individual medley,1 995 NCAA Swimmer of the Year, five-time NCAA Champion, seven-time Big Ten Cham- pion, 1995 Michigan Athlete of the Year, 1994 World Championship gold medal- ist, key member of 1995 NCAA Cham- piof team ... In fact, the only thing missing from his resume is the elusive Olympicgoldmedal. Two weeks ago, Dolan took a giant step forward toward achieving that end. He qualified for a trip to Atlanta by winning r three events at the U.S. Olympic trials. Dolan showcased his talents in front of a national television audience as he took the 200 1M and 400 freestyle, in addition to his marquee event, the 400 IM. While his performance in both the 400 free and 400 IM were expected, the win in the 200 IM was a pleasant surprise, considering that he has been competing in that event for less than a year. Dolan's 200 IM win is even more special if you consider that he has never really competed in anything shorter than 400 meters. Throughout his college ca- reer, the junior has focused on such events as the 500 and 1,650 freestyle. "I was surprised with my performance in the 200 IM," Dolan said. "Sprinting takes a lot out ofmy body. I was not sure I would have enough speed." While every one knows what a big dealtheOlym- > ? pies are, for Dolan it is an unbeliev- Dolan able opportunity. Unlike in other sports in which there is the potential to compete as a professional, in swimming the Olympics are the ultimate. "Every swimmer's long-term goal is the Olympics," Dolan said. "Winning an Olympic gold is the pinnacle in any swimmer's career. If I win an Olympic gold medal, it will be the pinnacle achieve- ment for me." One would imagine thatthe prospect of having an Olympic gold medal wrapped around your neck with the Star-Spangled Banner playing and the hometown crowd cheering in front of a worldwide televi- sion audience would be enough incentive to motivate a guy like Dolan. However, for him, the Olympics represent a lot more than personal glory. Being someone who has dedicated his entire life to swimming and has earned a spot among the world's best, it is under- standable that Dolan wants to benefit financially from his accomplishments. Given his outgoing personality, ath- letic success in Atlanta will undoubtedly make Tom Dolan a very marketable fig- ure. Although swimming gets virtually no national attention in a non-Olympic year, American gold medal winners of the past have achieved considerable fame and fortune for their achievements. People like multiple gold medal win- ners Mark Spitz, Matt Biondi, and Janet Evans have been on Sports Illustrated covers, endorsed products and benefited financially from their accomplishments at the Olympics. Unlike in other nations in which swim- mers are as heralded as basketball and football players are in the United States, American swimmers need to take advan- tage of any opportunity that comes their way. In fact, Dolan noted that the guy who finishes right behind him in the 400 IM at the Olympics will probably be a millionaire. But things are improving. "U.S. swimmers are the only true ama- teur athletes left but a lot more money is coming into the sport," Dolan said. "I'm coming along at the right time. Success at the Olympics will open up a lot of doors. It is just a matter of taking advantage of it while it is here." While it might be presumed that the combined pressure of potential national fame and significant financial benefits would be overwhelming for Dolan, he is handling it quite well. "Expectations are only from ourselves," Dolan said. "The pressure is motivating. It is an honor and a privilege to be men- tioned with those names." If all goes as planned, maybe in 20 years some budding collegiate All-Ameri- can will be honored to be considered the next Tom Dolan. INTRAMURAL i SPORTS . PRO GRAM BREATHTAKING ! UPCOMING ACTIVITIES Entry Deadline: Thurs 4/11 4:30pm IMSB Main Office Entry Fee: $5.00 per individual Course Length and Location: 3.1 m/5k Mitchell/Gallup Race Date and Time: Sat April 13 9:00 a.m. CROSS COUNTRY RUN The deadline for submitting your nomination(s) for the Athlete- and Manager-of-the-Year is Friday April 19 at the IMSB Main Office. Based on the nominations submitted, outstanding athletes and managers representing each of the IM divisions - Independent, Graduate/Faculty/Staff, Residence Hall, Co-Recreation, Fraternity and Sorority -- as well as the overall Outstanding Male and Female Athletes will be recognized at the IM Sports Program year-ending Awards Ceremony! If you are going to be around during the Spring & Summer Terms, plan on participating in Softball, Sand Volleyball, 3-on-3 Basketball, Tennis, Golf and the Cross Country Run! SWIMMERS Continued from Page 18 (2:00.53). Hal described the meet as emotionally overwhelming. (49.36), finishing just behind Stanford's Claudia Franco's pool record-setting time of 49.04 and Southern Methodist's Martina Moravcova's performance of49.23. She also picked up a fourth-place finish in 200 Yard freestyle. The sophomore freestyler realized that team needed a