an Daily - Thursday, March 13, 1997 - 19A .Forgotten 'M' divers seek respect By John Friedberg Daily Sports Writer Half of the Michigan men's swim- ming and diving team is forgotten. Experts associate Michigan swimming with Olympians like John Piersma and Tom Malchow, not divers Brett Wilmot and Al Fleming. Yes, the divers are hardly even thought about when there are discus- sions surrounding the success of the team, but they should be included. The diving team will attempt to earn ,soxne respect at the Diving Zone Meet in Minneapolis on Friday and Saturday. The Zone Meet is the only chance for the divers to earn a spot in the national championships. The Zone Meet provides an opportu- nity for the best divers of the Big Ten Conference and the Mid-American Conference to gain a berth in the national finals in two weeks. The top three finishers in the meet will advance. REVIEW Continued from Page 15A Guevara would lead the Wolverines on a permanent basis by removing "inter- im" from her title. The start of Big Ten conference play in January brought stiffer competition, and Michigan had problems being con- sistent. The Wolverines beat Illinois - which finished in a first-place tie with Michigan State and Purdue - and won for the first time ever at Carver- Hawkeye Arena. However, Michigan also lost to even- tual 10th-place finisher Ohio State, and lost three times to an Indiana team that finished below .500 in the conference. While Michigan's shooting was erratic at times, its effort was fairly con- sistent. Guevara's enthusiastic attitude rubbed off on her players. Michigan played with emotion and a competitive fire all season, even when it was suffer- ing from one of its all-too-frequent shooting slumps. * Against Michigan State on January 19, Michigan was down by as many as 21 in the second half, but fought back to make the final score a respectable 76-67. Michigan finished Big Ten play with a 7-9 mark, tied for eighth with Indiana, and lost to the Hoosiers in the first- round of the Big Ten tournament - the Wolverines third-straight first-round exit. While the Wolverines were disap- pointed that they didn't make a longer run in the conference tournament, the season on the whole can only be viewed as a successful one. Michigan's go-to lady all season long was junior center Pollyanna Johns, who led the team in scoring and rebounding. The only way to stop her in the post was *OUTDOORS. Continued from Page 15A Outdoor tracks are 400 meters long, as opposed to the 200-meter length of indoor tracks, making for longer straightaways and smoother cornering. Many athletes also com- plain about the stuffy, cramped con- ditions of indoor tracks. "Especially for the half, it's so crowded," Ouellet said. "Like in the finals of the Big Tens, everyone was basically the same caliber. We want- ed to run to run in the same place. It was just really bumpy. "Outdoors there's a lot more room, the air is much fresher, the track is softer. I can't wait to get out- doors," she said. As much as the Wolverines may prefer the outdoor to the indoor sea- son, weather can always be a prob- lem. This early in the year, especial- ly in Michigan, there are no guaran- tees. Sunshine one day can easily turn into a blizzard the next. Ouellet, who is used to the condi- tions of her hometown in Ontario, Canada, is not concerned. "(Monday) I ran in a t-shirt and shorts," Ouellet said. "Back home, we have nine feet of snow, so this was a treat. I'm used to racing in shorts when it's snowing, so actually any day (here) is a treat for me." HURRICANES Continued from Page 15A thought we'd be playing them so I never really watched them that closely. They struggled like us towards the end (of the season)." Taylor was more specific, noting a potentially worrisome aspect of the' Wolverines' opponent. "They're an athletic team, they have a lot of guys who can run and jump," the' junior forward said. "They play real hard on the defensive end." "Sometimes they get erratic, but Despite their strong impact at the conference championships, the divers were overshadowed by the excellence of their swimming teammates. Without the contributions of Wilmot, Fleming and the other divers, the conference crown may not have returned to Ann Arbor. Wilmot finished seventh in the three- meter competition and a more impor- tant third in the platform competition. Joining Wilmot in the top 10 in the plat- form were sophomores Fleming and Nate Shepard. All four Michigan divers that head to the Zone Meet made important contri- butions throughout the dual-meet sea- son. Michigan divers won events at every meet except against Michigan State and Ohio State. The Wolverine divers swept the top three spots against Purdue, California and Stanford. In the Cal and Stanford meets, Michigan swept both diving events. However, the biggest contribution the divers made this season was during the Purdue meet. The Wolverines had never lost to the Boilermakers and the meet was much closer than anticipated. The clutch div- ing of Wilmot, Fleming and freshman Josh Trexler provided much of the 14- point margin. "The diving really helped," Michigan swimming coach Jon Urbanchek said that day. "Without the diving we would have lost." Indeed, the 16 points that the divers provided gave the flu-stricken Wolverines the win. Michigan enters the Zone Meet with- out an NCAA champion in any diving event since 1984. Olympian Kent Ferguson took the three-meter title that year. Cracking the top three in the Zone will be difficult, but the divers have been up to the challenge all year. JONA HAN SUMMEH/Uaily The Michigan women's basketball team lost In the first round of the Big Ten tourney. to make sure she didn't get the ball. Johns was named to All-Big Ten second team for the second year in a row. Another Wolverine receiving post- season accolades was freshman Stacey Thomas. She became the first Michigan player to be named Big Ten Freshman of the year. All season she frustrated Wolverine opponents with her offensive rebounding and quick hands, averaging almost three steals per game. The Michigan seniors, Catherine DiGiacinto, Amy Johnson, Mekisha Ross and Silver Shellman, were the first class in seven years to win their final home game. Captains DiGiacinto and Shellman provided leadership all season, and Johnson leaves Michigan tied with teammate Jennifer Kiefer for the lead in career 3-point field goals made. Although only Shellman was starter a this season, they can all leave Michigan proud of this season, and proud that they were a part of 'A New Beginning.' JEANNIE SERVAAS/Daily The Michigan women's track team is preparing to begin its outdoor season. The Program in Film and Video Studies at The University of Michigan Announces The Sidney J. Winer Scholarship for Business and the Arts The Program in Film and Video Studies is accepting applications for a two-year scholarship to be awarded to an outstanding undergraduate student with academic and professional interests in the business aspects of the arts and entertainment industry (film producing, arts management, music producing, theater management, etc.). The scholarship recipient will receive $2000 ($500 per term for two years). Sophomores entering their junior year are invited to submit: