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Woman golfer grabs title
Michigan's Katie Loy, a freshman on the women's golf team, won her
first collegiate individual title Monday, shooting rounds of 76 and 78 for
a total of 154. Loy led the Wolverines to a first-place finish at the
Saluki Invitational at Southern Illinois.
11
Thursday
March 28, 1996
9A
- 1996 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS -
Wolverines look to take two
Swimmers try to
uepeat as champs
By Doug Stevens
Daily Sports Writer
Perhaps the most difficult and challenging aspect of being
achampion is dealing with top contenders the following year.
After finishing in the top 10 in the nation for eight straight
years, the Michigan men's swimming and diving team was
able to surpass Stanford and win its first national champion-
'p since 1961 last season.
ow the Wolverines must deal with all of their ambitious
chajlengers who are determined to earn the title that they
worked for years to attain.
At the NCAA national championships that begin today in
Austin, Texas, the No.2 Michigan squad will have to contend
with the likes of fellow top five teams, Auburn, Texas,
Stanford and Tennessee.
The 1996 Wolverines have already discovered the diffi-
culty of defending titles. At the Big Ten championships in
February, Michigan lost its 10 year stranglehold on the event
when it was defeated by a determined Minnesota team.
While the Wolverines are mentally tough heading into this
meet, their biggest hindrance may lie in their lack of man-
power.
They took only 11 swimmers down to the Lone Star State.
Although this list includes the likes of Olympic qualifiers Tom
Dolan, John Piersma, Tom Malchow and Derya Buyukuncu,
plus Big Ten champions Jason Lancaster and Joe Palmer, there
are iumerous holes in the Wolverines' lineup.
Michigan is going to sorely miss last year's sprinting super-
star, Gustavo Borges, who won the 50, 100 and 200-yard
estyle events at the 1995 meet, and breaststroker Steve West,
a graduated with Borges last May.
"Gustavo's loss is worth about 200 points," Michigan coach
Jon Urbanchek said.
The loss is going to hurt even more considering the team will
be without an entry in both breaststroke events and the 50 and
100 free. To compound their troubles, the Wolverines will be
without distance freestyler Owen von Richter, who is competing
in the Canadian Olympic Trials this weekend.
In addition to those four races, Michigan will not enter anyone
in the 200 free relay or the three diving events.
In order to defend theirtitle, those Wolverines competing will
e to dominate the events in which they are entered.
"We're not contesting eight events," Urbanchek said. "We
don't have any divers. We can do well in the events that we
are strong in, but we have to hope that the other teams fight
eachother for spots in the sprint events. After everyone beats
themselves up in the sprint events, we hope we can come in
the back door to win. For us to come in first, everyone has got
See NCAAS, Page 12A
Legg ' goal was nie, but
icers betterforget about it
C INCINNATI - The goal was
great. It made Mike Legg
famous for 15 minutes,
plastered the Michigan hockey team
all over the press, and helped the
Wolverines win a crucial quarterfinal
game.with Minnesota, 4-3.
Nearly everyone who watched
Michigan's practice yesterday at
Riverfront
Coliseum
wanted to>
know who
Legg was.T
They wanted
to see the kid
who scored?
what ESPN:
called "The NICHOLAS J.
Greatest COTSONIKA
Hockey Goal The Greek
of All Time." Speaks
They wanted
Legg's time
and his comments.
He has been interviewed by radio,
television and newspaper people from
all over the United States and Canada.
Everyone is interested in how he put
the puck flat on his stick blade,
whipped it through the air and dunked
it in the net.
"How did you do it?" they asked.
"How often do you practice it?"
"Could you show us how you
scored the goal?"
Legg is no longer another player on
another team trying to win a national
title. He is now the guy who scored
"The Goal."
"Which one is the guy who scored
the goal?" asked Boston University
defenseman Shane Johnson, while,
watching the Wolverines skate
yesterday. "That was something
else."
With all of the chatter and hubbub
over "The Goal," another goal has
been washed out by all of the TV
lights and camera flashes. Michigan
is trying to win its first NCAA
championship since 1964. Although
Legg's stick tricks helped the
Wolverines get this far, it has now
become a distraction.
"The media has really jumped on it,
because it's a highlight goal,"
Michigan coach Red Berenson said.
"It's been great exposure, but I wish
it could have come a few weeks ago
rather than now."
Berenson has been teaching his
team all season about the role of
emotion. The Wolverines can't get
too high when they score or win, and
they can't get too low when they are
scored upon or lose.
Michigan has to be a group of
flatliners to stay alive in the playoffs.
Momentum in hockey games this
time of year comes and goes like
waves, and a team that is unprepared
can end up in the undertow.
"It's important that we stay focused
and don't get too caught up in other
things," Michigan captain Steven
Halko said. "Focus, even when things
aren't going well, is important."
So far, the Wolverines have not had
a problem. They have been consistent
all season.
The most telling signs of their
healthy mental approach came in the
last two weeks. Michigan beat both
Lake Superior and Minnesota after
giving up tying goals in the third
period.
But the regular season, CCHA
playoffs and NCAA quarterfinals are
not the semifinals. No team has
presented the challenge Boston
University will present tonight.
The Terriers are much like
Michigan. They have stars like Jay
Pandolfo, Mike Grier and Chris
Drury who can score and score often.
They have a solid, sophomore
See COTSONIKA, Page 12A
WAL~\tH VANVYKt/LDaily
Let me give you a little advice ...
Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson finds time to chat with right wing Warren Luhning yesterday at
practice in Cincinnati. The Wolverines face off tonight at 8 o'clock against defending national
champion Boston University in NCAA semifinal action at Riverfront Coliseum. The game will be
televised live by ESPN2 as will the first semifinal matchup between Vermont and Colorado College at 2
p.m. Michigan is trying to advance to the NCAA title game for the first time since 1977. The
Wolverines last won the NCAA championship in 1964.
Michigan softball faces Iowa in league opener
By Mark Snyder
Daily Sports Writer
The sign from the coaches all week
had been to swing away. But the Michi-
gan women's softball team will have to
keep the bat on its shoulder for another
few days.
Inclement weather and cold tempera-
tures forced the cancellation of
yesterday's game against the Fighting
Irish in Notre Dame, Ind. The Wolver-
ines had the bus loaded up and ready to
leave when they received word of the
cancellation.
The contest, scheduled to be played
on Notre Dame's Ivy Field at 2 p.m.,
was to be a doubleheader and a rematch
of last season's NCAA Region I tour-
nament matchup. Michigan ousted the
Fighting Irish in two games.
The Big Ten season now begins in
earnest for the Wolverines as they take
on Iowa this Saturday in conference
action. Michigan is the defending con-
The conference season consists of28
games between the competing schools.
This season, Wisconsin will compete in
Big Ten softball for the first time.
The top four conference teams ad-
vance to the Big Ten tournament to
decide who receives the conference's
automatic berth to the NCAA tourna-
ment.
So now the Wolverines turn their
attention to a more formidable foe -
the H awkeyes. Iowa comes to Ann Ar-
bor for a three-game series against
Michigan. The Hawkeyes are currently
No. 16 in the nation, third among Big
Ten teams.
Saturday the teams will play a
doubleheader beginning at I p.m. on
Alumni Field. That will be followed
up by a single game Sunday also at i
p.m.
The Wolverines are out for revenge
against the Hawkeyes. Iowa elimi-
nated the Wolverines from the NCAA
Women's College World Series last
season in a 14-inning contest. The 9-
7 final ended Michigan's bid for the
national title.
The Wolverines did, however, de-
feat Iowa twice at Alumni Field in
last season's Big Ten tournament.
Because of the unpredictable spring
weather, Michigan's early season
games were all played in tournaments
on the road.
The home field gives Michigan a
distinct advantage with this weekend's
games being the first this season at
Alumni Field. The Wolverines went
23-3 at home last season and cur-
rently have a nine-game home win-
ning streak.
This weekend's games against Iowa
also hold personal significance for
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins.
Hutchins was an assistant coach in
1981 on Iowa coach Gayle Bevins'
staff at Indiana.
ference champion and the
ranked Big Ten team at No. i1
highest
1.
fbcocola
Barbers
615 E.Liberty
"near State St."
N AI
N o W A IT ING
- - -- -- -- -
FPJ's B-day is March 13th i
I so we're having a I
BIRTHDAY O
I °- SA LE! he:U
I I2 XAwa Mpn
I 2Xwad jner
2 n".~. April 1 fill~t.1.3
Adult Entaier
ANY ONE ITEM WITH THIS
COUPON
I Marchs13th thru March 31st I
I PXS RECORDS &
I USED CDs
I 617 Packard / Upstairs
from Subway I
not valid w other discounts
I ~or coupoins
L 6-34 ;: ..* ~J rnh ~
The Michigan softball team will open the Big Ten season at home this weekend,
weather permitting.
SUMMER-JOB
,OPPORTUNITIES
ARE HEATING UP
nWEATHERVANE