be Li-i&gunAtig M iti'a, Pax .-. Mih14lse Pg m MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily Alaska-Fairbanks did not pose much of a challenge to the Michigan hockey team, which muscled its way to 8-1 and 11-0 wins over the Nanooks in the first round of the CCHA playoffs. hICrs ano os 111 first rund Dan Stillman 1y Sports Writer The regular season did mean something after all. Consider the Michigan hockey team's reward for finishing on top of the CCHA - a first-round conference playoff series with Alaska-Fairbanks. On paper, it was no contest between the No. 1 seed Michigan and the eighth-seeded Nanooks, making their first- ever CCHA playoff appearance after joining the conference last season. On the ice at Yost Ice Arena it wasn't even close, as the Wolverines swept the best-of-three series with an 8-1 thrashing * Friday, followed by Saturday's 11-0 blowout. The Nanooks, now 0-12 lifetime against the Wolverines, have lost the three games they have played at Yost since join- ing the league by a combined score of 32-2. While Alaska's (8-18-1 CCHA, 14-22-1 overall) playoff stint is over, Michigan (21-3-3, 32-3-4) has advanced to Friday's semifinal game against Bowling Green at Joe Louis Arena. The fifth-seeded Falcons swept their first-round series, pulling off the mild upset of the No. 4 seed, Lake Superior. Saturday's game was the last atYost this season and with the victory, Michigan completed its first undefeated season at *me in Yost's 25-year history. ,Michigan forward Jason Botterill, playing in his final home giitpe along with the eight other seniors, led the Wolverines with four goals, giving him 101 for his career, and an assist. Btiterill continued his late-season push with a total of eight poimits in the weekend's two games. - The Wolverines, already in command with a 5-0 lead after two periods, rode a wave of momentum to the final buzzer. Senior forwards Warren Luhning, Mike Legg, John Madden and Botterill each recorded a goal in the first four minutes of the third period extending the lead to 9-0. "Our seniors as a class have really played well," Michigan each Red Berenson said. "I think they can see the end in sight. They're working hard, they're leading our team by exam- ple." After Botterill scored again later in the period, left wing See NANOOKS, Page 4B A head ,above the rest By Chris Farah D iy Sports Writer icole Forrester is not one to blend into a crowd. Actually, standing at a height of 6-foot-2 1/2, the star high jumper for the Michigan women's track team doesn't exactly have much of a choice. Sure, 6-2 1/2 might not be unique for the women's basketball team, but in a sport like track, Forrester tow- ers above her teammates. Her slim physique and espe- cially long legs help to add to her stature and also helped to inspire the nickname her fellow Wolverines and Michigan coach James Henry have playfully given r - "Sticks." "I got that nickname when I came here last year," Forrester said with a laugh. "I was so skinny - not that I'm not right now, but I was incredibly skinny, so James used to call me 'Sticks.' Now I'm 'Pole,' because I'm not as skinny as last year. He called me 'Sticks,' but the name just stuck around and now everyone calls me that." Win over Ohio State hardly a consolation By Will McCahill Daily Sports Editor COLUMBUS - Even though the ball bounced the right way for a change, it didn't have enough spring to get the Michigan men's basketball team into the Big Dance. The Wolverines (9-9 Big Ten, 19-11 overall) came back from a 12-point deficit to beat Ohio State, 86-81, in overtime yesterday, thanks to late-game heroics from their three guards and their big man in the middle. Sophomore center Robert Traylor scored nine points in a Michigan run that tied the game at 67 after the Wolverines trailed, 53-44, with just under 1 minutes remaining in regulation SMichigan 86 in front of 12,570 at St. ME~h'an $6 John Arena. Ohio State 81 Traylor grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in to tie the game with 2:46 to play. The bucket broke Traylor's career- high of 19 points, and he finished the contest with 22. But Ohio State (5-13, 10-17) did not let the Wolverines' momentum propel them into the lead. Sophomore guard Neshaun Coleman nailed a 3-point- er with 42 seconds left to give the Buckeyes a 72-69 lead. When Michigan guard Louis Bullock missed a hur- ried trey on the Wolverines' next trip downcourt, Traylor was forced to foul Ohio State guard Otis Winston. Winston sank both free throws to put the Buckeyes up, 74-69, with 30.5 seconds remaining, and Michigan's run seemed to have come to an end. But after junior guard Brandun Hughes' driving layup cut the deficit to three with 19.4 seconds left, Bullock and junior forward Maceo Baston forced a turnovers which resulted in a held ball. The possession arrow was in Michigan's favor, giving the Wolverines one last shot. And that opportunity fell to Bullock, who had been mired in somewhat of a late-season slump. With just over eight ticks on the clock, Bullock nailed his only three of the game - in seven attempts - to tie matters at 74 and send the game into overtime. The Buckeyes grabbed a 79-77 lead with 1:10 left in the extra frame, after sophomore forward Shaun Stonerook hit one of two free throws. But Traylor - with a season free-throw percentage of 44.9 - tossed one in from the stripe to knot the score at 79. See BUCKEYES, Page 9B SARA STILLMAN/Daily Brandun Hughes finished with 16 points, helping lead the Wolverines past Ohio State in overtime, 86-81, yesterday. But the win was not enough to earn the Wolverines a bid to the NCAA tournament. * ad t roye OLUMBUS - Let me be the first to congratulate the Michigan bas- ketball team. Yesterday, the. Wolverines made one of the best deci- sions they have made all season - to accept the NIT's invitation. Many members of the media expected Michigan would be arrogant enough to turn down the invitation. We all thought the Wolverines believed it was their god- given right to be in the NCAA tourna- ment. But, for the first time since December, Michigan impressed me with its desire to compete, something I thought it had lost weeks ago. It was a difficult decision for Steve Fisher and the rest of the team to make. It may appear to some that the Wolverines have nothing to gain and everything to lose. With all apologies JOHN to Syracuse, LEROl Michigan is far and Out of away the best team in Bounds the NIT. Win the _______________m whole thing and it will be expected. Lose in any round and the Wolverines look like a bigger flop than they already do. So why go? How about pride? How about proving to everyone - including themselves - that Michigan is not a team of egotistical, overrated players who think that baggy yellow shorts are as much a part of college basketball as John Wooden? How about sucking it up and saying, "We blew it late in the Big Ten season, but we're not going to cry about it." If the Wolverines belong in the NCAA See LEROI, Page 9B The Top Ten Oh, come on. Going to the NIT isn't so bad for Michigan. There are a lot of reasons to be happy. Here are 10: 10. Chance to repeat 1984 heroics 9. More home games 8. Chance to get past first round 7. No sunny Southern 6. Games will give big-time exposure to small-time schools 5. Fans can concentrate on hockey team 4. Steve Fisher can give another plea for crowd support 3. Players can catch up on homework 2. Nike's ticked 1. Chance to finish the season ranked as high as No. 65 Men's tankers reclaimRtitl e By U. Berka Daily Sports Writer BLOOMINGTON - For one year, the Michigan men's swimming and diving team has been tuning up for this meet, trying to prove that it was not ready to relinquish its domi- nance in the Big Ten. The Wolverines rationalized last season's loss to Minnesota in the Big Ten championships, claiming that Olympic train- ing weakened their squad. No rationalization was necessary this year. The Wolverines reasserted their dominance last weekend by coming from behind to defeat the Golden Gophers, 648-631, at the Big Tens in Bloomington. The victory was Michigan's 11th in 12 years. "We were down the first day and we were down the second Grapplers grab ffth-place finish By Tracy Sandier Daily Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS - Looking to continue a 61-year streak as Big Ten Championship finalists, the Michigan wrestling team found its saviors in a crisp Bill, strong Bones and an aspiring Dr. Richardson. All-American wrestlers and tri-captains 150-pound Bill Lacure, 167-pounder Jeff "Bones" Catrabone and heavy- weight Airron Richardson represented the Wolverines in the conference championship finals yesterday at Williams Arena, leading Michigan to a fifth-place finish. Lacure lost to Iowa's two-time NCAA champion Lincoln Mcllavry, 19-7, and strained his hip in the match. Catrabone was at the losing end of a hard-fought, 4-3, battle with Wisconsin's Kevin Wilmot, while Richardson lost to Penn State's NCAA champion, Kerry McCoy. "Pio hn T ovn adA i,rmn ctavtcn here, (their AP PHOTO The Wolverines, aftter losing to Minnesota last year in the Big Tens, defeated the Gophers this year to win the title. I