The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 13, 1996 -11 ,Michigan looks to repeat on ,te Ilinks Wolverines fly out to Falcon Invitational Y T.J. Berka For the Daily Two years ago, the Michigan men's golf team used a season-opening third- lace finish at the Falcon-Cross Creek nvitational as a springboard to its first ever central regional tournament berth. The Wolverines travel to Eisenhower Course on the base of the Air Force Academy once again this weekend to try to recapture the glory of the 1994- 95 season. For the second season in a row, Michigan returns nine out of 10 top tournament players. However, ,lichigan looks to a new-found This cohesiveness to improve from wee last season's Who: Michigan fourth-place tie hm's glfi team in the Big Ten What: Thes Falconrr tournament. Invitational "We have When: Today, nine capable tomorrow and players that can Sunday, a day tep up at any e Corado i m e any n o Michigan coach Jim Carras said. "If these guys play the way they are capa- ble of, anything less than a top-three finish in the Big Ten will be very dis- appointing." Before the Wolverines think about the Big Ten tournament, business lies ahead in Colorado Springs, Colo., where Michigan will battle with 23 ther teams to capture the tournament. Experience will be a big factor for Michigan in Colorado, as all five qual- ifiers, Isaac Hinkle, David Jasper, Kyle Dobbs, Michael Harris and Brent Idalski have previous tournament expe- rience from last season. Hinkle led the team last week at the qualifying tourna- ment with a three-round total of 252. A mild surprise for the Wolverines is the absence of Keith Hinton, who made the U.S. Amateur in August and is rguably the most talented Michigan golfer. "Keith had a few tough rounds last week which kept him out of the tourna- ment this week," Carras said. "These things happen to all golfers though. (Hinton) had a great summer and will be a big factor this season." Even without Hinton, the Wolverines are extremely confident of their hances this weekend. Although efending champion Rice and runner- up California are returning, expecta- tions are high. "We're not going out just to have fun, we are going out to win," Carras said. Along with Rice and California, other teams bent on competing for the title include host Air Force, central regional qualifiers Iowa State and Nebraska, and Big Ten foes Illinois and Purdue. Despite the quality of the competi- 40n, Carras feels that the Wolverines, with one of their most talented squads ever, have the potential to do some damage to the Eisenhower Course. "We should have five capable youngsters out on the course at all times," Carras said. "Top to bottom, this is one of the strongest teams I have ever coached, with the possible excep- tion of the 1994-95 team." A repeat of that team's performance in Colorado would be an impressive feat for Michigan. Two years ago, the Wolverines finished third, with current undergraduate assistant coach Chris Brockway winning the individual title. After a collegiate amateur tourna- ment yesterday, where one player from each school plays against local golfers from the Colorado Springs area, the tournament kicks into full force at 10 .m. today with the beginning of the irst round. The tournament runs through Sunday afternoon, with start- ing times on Saturday and Sunday also at 10 a.m. 'M' takes Jayhawk jaunt Women confident in face of top-notch competition By Mark Snyder Daily Sports Writer Michigan freshman Julie Froud has yet to run in a collegiate cross-country meet, but she is sure of who has a chance to beat the Wolverines at the Jayhawk Invitational on Saturday. "Nobody" she said. Her confidence is well-founded. Despite having a roster with 12 fresh- men, the Michigan women's cross-coun- try team is off to a fast start. The Wolverines trounced the Spartans in East Lansing last Saturday, 19-42. Michigan finished in five of the top six places while Michigan State was left in the Wolverines' dust. Such domination is not regular in cross-country meets, but with Michigan, it may become a habit. All five of the runners were either freshmen or sophomores, which may mean exciting things for the Wolverines this weekend. Both first-place finisher Allison Noe and third-place finisher Elizabeth Kampfe are new additions to the Michigan squad. By following the lead of sophomore Katie McGregor, last season's Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Kampfe has an experienced runner to copy. McGregor finished fourth in the meet, reinforcing Michigan's depth. That depth may be the team's greatest asset. The three seniors, Molly Lori, Jennifer Barber and Tanya Manson, did not run against the Spartans and will make their debut Saturday. Barber and Tomorrow Lori might have Who: Michigan the experience cross-country to help lead the teams Wolverines to a What: The league champi- Jayhawk onship, because invitational they've been in When: 10 a.m., the freshmen's women, 10:30 position. In a.m., men 1992, as fresh- Where: Lawrence, men, they were Kan. a part of the squad which won the Big Ten title. Presently, the team's expectations are pretty high. Froud, who did not attend the Wolverines' first meet against Michigan State, believes this weekend is Michigan's chance to shine. "I think we're going to get in the top three," she said. While the top three may be a lofty goaf, this team showed last weekend it has the talent to reach that standard. The mix of youth and experience does have its advantages - it makes practic- ing much easier for the Wolverines. "There is such a variety of people to train with," Froud said. "Everyone is so helpful with tips, ideas and any sugges- tions they can offer." Michigan's overall youth makes the team concept slow in developing, how- ever. Most teams run in a group to pace themselves off of each other, and that technique takes practice. "(The team) tries to get a fast start out, and then they break into a faster group and a medium group (according to abili- ty)," Froud said. The winning philosophy begins with the coach. "(Coach McGuire) not only helps us with the physical preparation for the meets,' Froud said. "He helps us with the mental (aspect) as well." McGuire's attitude is ingrained in the minds of his runners. Froud's confidence reflects that point. "I think we have a really strong team. she said. "Once we all pull together, we'll do quite well." Men favored with absence of No. 1 Razorbacks MARKfR IEDMAN/Daily The X men Michigan's Eric Frickel gets crossed up with a Madonna defender yesterday at Mitchell Field. The Wolverines won, 2-1, but they won't be featured in many newspapers today or interviewed about the game. Men's soccer still isn't a varsity sport at Michigan, and players like Frickel, who was recruited by several schools to play soccer as a stand-out player in high school, simply compete for the fun of it. Wolverit'nes host Wolvenne Invitational Women to play 54 holes at Michigan course By Jacob Wheeler For the Daily The Michigan men's cross-country team will travel to Kansas tomorrow for what is expected to be an easy victory. Without the presence of top-ranked Arkansas, which was originally sched- uled to participate, the Wolverines are the odds-on favorite. No other Big Ten teams will be run- ning, but that doesn't downplay the importance of the Jayhawk Invitational. "We've just got to go out there and make a statement," Michigan coach Ron Warhurst said. The Wolverines would like to show conference nemesis Wisconsin what kind of competition it will have to face for the Big Ten championship on Nov. 2. Only getting one chance at their main c6mpetition may be an advantage, since there will not be an intimidation factor from a previous meet. The Badgers lost their top two runners from last year, but Michigan's loss of Kevin Sullivan may have neutralized any advantage that would have given the Wolverines. Wisconsin has won the last two Big Ten championships and 11 out of the last 14. Michigan last won the confer- ence in 1993. The Wolverines have two weeks off after tomorrow, so they would like to rest on a positive note. But unlike the Michigan football situation, a bye week is not always a bad thing. "This early in the season, we're not in tip-top shape, so we can always use an extra week of practice," Michigan senior David Barnett said. "When you feel real tired after practice this time of year, it's reassuring knowing you won't have to go into a meet feeling tired the next day." Along with Kansas and Michigan, the Jayhawk Invitational will feature the U.S. Naval Academy, Kansas State and Southern Illinois. "Hopefully, our top guys, (sopho- more John) Mortimer and (senior co- captain Scott) MacDonald, can win the top two spots tomorrow," Warhurst said. Mortimer was the best freshman in the nation last year, finishing 37th over- all at nationals. He won -the Michigan Invitational last Saturday. Michigan should find the flat Kansas terrain comforting after running on a hilly course in wet, muddy conditions last week. "But you never know, it could be a monsoon out there too," Warhurst said "Cross-country is like that sometimes:" Barnett agreed: "It's hard to get into a solid rhythm when you run the Michigan Invitational because it's so hilly, but every runner faces the same conditions. No matter the situation, the best people usually come out on top" With that in mind, the Wolverines are expected to come out victorious tomor- row. Running for Michigan in Kansas will be Mortimer, MacDonald, Barnett, Steve Lawrence, Ryan Swan, Ryan Burt, Jeff Beuche, Nic Watson, Todd Snyder, Jeff Rogers, Chris Bunt and Mike Mahler. After tomorrow, the Wolverines' schedule resumes Oct. 4 at the Notre Dame Invitational. Sullivan stays behind this weekend to begin his rehabilitation. The All- American - who was operated on Wednesday morning - should begin jogging in six weeks and running at full tilt by December. By Jason Katz For the Daily The Michigan women's golf team tees off this weekend in Ann Arbor, where they will host the Wolverine Invitational. The tournament begins Saturday and concludes Sunday with a total of 54 holes played. The Wolverines are optimistic, as they take on the improve upon last year's suc- cess in the Big Ten. K a t h y Teichert begins her fourth sea- son as coach and is the reigning Co- Coach of the Year in the Big Ten. She earned the challenge of trying to This weekend Who: Michigan women's golf and invitees. When: Tomorrow and Sunday, all day Where: Michigan Golf Course, Ann A rbor will rest primarily with Westfall and sophomore sensation Sharon Park. "Park and Westfall had our low averages among returning players, and lead by example," Teichert said. Park has the lowest returning strokes per round average, at 80.50, followed by Westfall, at 82.25. Other key returnees include seniors Molly Vandenbark and Ashley Williams, junior Nicole Green and sophomore Sarah Lindholm - who, along with Westfall and Park, make up the squad's "Big Six," and will see most of the action in the fairways and on the greens this season. "Molly Vandenbark and Nicole Green really worked hard and improved over the summer, and I'm excited to see them play," said Teichert, who also added that senior Jodi Smith and junior Laura Hess might see some action. Teichert has a positive outlook on the season as a whole. "I would like to finish in the top five at the Big Ten championships," she said. "I would also like to see us vie for tournament wins each week." While she is optimistic, Teichert is keeping things in perspective and understands what is most important. "Probably most importantly, I would like to see everyone improve their stroke averages, which would help us solidify our place in the middle to upper Big Ten, and even give us a shot at winning the conference champi- onship," Teichert said. "I expect each and every one of our athletes will give 110 percent. We have some very respected kids, and I would like to see a couple of them make the All-Big Ten and Academic All-Big Ten teams." Bv& BARR gU 1? -A BRAND NEW LOCATION rand Opening honor by guiding her squad to its first- ever upper-division finish (fifth) in the conference a year ago. The Wolverines captured three tour- nament victories to help their cause last year. This year's team will have to cope with the loss of last year's captain and All-Big Ten selection, Shannon McDonald, as well as the loss of a cou- ple of transfers, including last year's Big Ten Freshman of the Year Katy Loy. "I w'as very happy with last season, as it was one of our best seasons ever," Teichert said. "(But) last year was last year." Senior Wendy Westfall, a member of the Academic All-Big Ten team last year, takes over as captain. Teichert said the leadership roles of the, WORLD'S LARGEST University of Michigan CLOTHING STORE (14,000 sq. feet)' PLUS! Catch the Daily's coverage of the Michigan-Colorado football game, gilrh frnm Rnu ikr. II 1