14- The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 20, 1997 Y JNxWomen start second seasoq By Chris Farah Daily Sports Writer In the world of collegiate women's track, there is no rest for the weary. Track, unlike most sports, has two seasons of competition per year - indoors during the winter and out- doors during the spring. Michigan just finished its indoor season two weeks ago, ending with an emotionally draining second-place finish in the Big Ten championships. This weekend, however, none of that will matter. The Wolverines will face their first challenge of the out- door season tomorrow in Winston- Salem, N.C., at the Wake Forest Invitational. Michigan coach James Henry said the Wolverines have adjusted their training during the brief respite between seasons to deal with the added strain of starting outdoor com- petition. "We try to get them off the emo- tional high of peaking for the indoor season," Henry said. "We try to get them some rest in between rounds, so we try to go back to the basics of get- ting some endurance training in." Because of the emphasis on condi- tioning over the past two weeks, Henry said he isn't expecting a top performance from Michigan this weekend. The slow start should, however, pay off in the long run. "We might not see the types of per- formances that normally I would want to see nice and early in the out- door season," Henry said. "I'm look- ing forward to the start of being com- petitive, but we'll probably be two or three weeks behind." The Wolverines may be pleasantly surprised this weekend, however. The Demon Deacons, who traditionally do well at home, will present Michigan with a challenge, but the Wolverines should definitely not be overwhelmed by the talent level at Winston-Salem. The toughest competition will probably be faced by freshman Lisa Ouellet and sophomore Sarah Hamilton in the 800-meter run. The two Wolverines will be up against Wake Forest's Chrissy Person and Mia Richardson, who are both ACC champions in the half-mile. Even if freshman sprinter Maria Brown doesn't get off to a fast start at Wake Forest, she should be well on her way to an outstanding season. Brown, who hails from Jamaica, had never competed indoors before this year. Despite her lack of experi- ence, she still managed to break Michigan's indoor records for the 55 and 200. Brown said it may take time. to build momentum during the outdpor season, but that she expects to further the trend she began indoors. "I think it will take a little period of adjustment, but I think (my times will improve) in the long run:" Brown said. "I'm more used to the outdoor race, because we don't have indoors in Jamaica. I didn't have much of a choice before, but now that I do, I would say I prefer indoor." Brown said she is confident that both she and Michigan will ultima ly find success, no matter what k of start they have at the Wake Forest meet. "My goal going into the meet is to gradually improve," Brown said. "I don't want to set a goal that is too unrealistic. As a team, I think we'll have a good start. That'll prob- ably set the tone for the rest of the season, to finish off strong At pig Tens." JEANNIE SERVAAS/Daily Edzra Gibson and the Michigan men's track team won't be indoors this weekend. The Wake Forest invitational, tommorow in Winston-Salem, N.C., will be Michigan's first meet of the outdoor season. 'M' heads south for outdoor meet By TJ. Berka Daily Sports Writer As the focus of the Michigan men's track program shifts from the air condi- tioning of indoor meets to the unpre- dictable whims of Mother Nature, Michigan is trying to make the transition as smoothly as possible. After a fifth-place finish at the Big Ten indoor championships, the Wolverines will head south to begin their outdoor season tomorrow at the Wake Forest Invitational in Winston-Salem, N.C. 'This meet is important from the fact that it is a chance to compete in decent weather," Michigan coach Jack Harvey said. "We have had only three or four out- door practices thus far, so we can't tell where we are right now outdoors until this weekend." Leading the way for the Wolverines are senior hurdler Neil Gardner and junior distance runner Don McLaughlin. Gardner, a member of the Jamaican Olympic team last summer in Atlanta, took the 55-meter hurdles at the NCAA indoors and is the defending NCAA out- door champion in the 400 intermediate hurdles. McLaughlin, who took the top spot in the mile at the Big Ten indoors, looks to team up with senior Scott MacDonald to give Michigan a formidable one-two punch in the 800 and 1,500. The meet also marks another turning point for the Wolverines, as senior Kevin Sullivan and sophomore John Mortimer will be making their first appearances on the track after missing the indoor season. Sullivan, a three-time NCAA indoor champion and a member of the Canadian Olympic Team, returns from surgery to compete in 3,000 and 5,000 events. "(He) isn't quite up to full speed yet, but this will be a good indicator of how far along he is;" Harvey said. The return of Mortimer from pneumo- nia is another positive point for the Wolverines for the upcoming season. Mortimer finished second in the 3,000 steeplechase at last year's Big Ten out- door championships. Michigan is also looking for the field events to team up with the improved run- ning lineup that will be present at Wake. Major players in these events include senior high jumper Damon Devasher, whose highest mark during the indoor season was 7-foot-I. The Invitational, which features 30 college and club teams, starts tomorrow morning and runs through Saturday afternoon. While the lack of familiarity with the great outdoors gives the Wolverines little indication of how they stand, they are confident that the work from the indoor season will translate to outdoor success. "The fact that we are in good shape from the outdoor season will help us this weekend," Harvey said. "There will be some good performances this weekend, and I think we can compete well." LaLo leads gymnasts to Big Tens, I By Sara Rontal Daily Sports Writer While winning isn't everything, it still constitutes something. The Michigan men's gymnastics team isn't about to win the Big Ten champi- onship this weekend in Minneapolis, but the Wolverines sure don't expect to lose to everyone. The Wolverines, ranked 17th in the nation, will face stiff conference compe- tition, including an Ohio State team that boasts the return of 35 of its 36 routines. But Michigan, which placed last at Big Tens last year, is determined not to let history repeat itself. "The Big Ten is very strong," Michigan coach Kurt Golder said. "But, there is no reason we should place lower than seventh in the meet." And the reasons have dwindled even further after the Wolverines' excellent performance against Illinois-Chicago last weekend. Michigan bettered its previous sea- son-high score by 0.9 points at 222.1. The Wolverines also raked in their best performance ever on the parallel bars. Unfortunately, however, Michigan has no chance of making the regionals as a team. But individually the team stands strong. Two new recruits, LaLo Haro and Timothy DeGraw are the team's best bets. Haro scored a season-high 9.85 on the parallel bars against UIC. "With scores like these, he is capable of going to the national championship meet," Golder said. But a look ahead at this weekend's tal- ent is all Michigan is concentrating on. "LaLo is capable of being All-Big Ten in the all-around, or even winning an individual event in the horizontal bars," Golder said. Haro has a good chance of making it to the regional meet also. Right now, he is in the No. I position to qualify for the all-around in the East Region. JOE WESTRA;TE/Daily Flavio Martins and the Michigan men's gymnastics team will need a balanced attack at the Big Ten Championships this weekend in Minneapolis. _1 But all hasn't been easy for Haro. A recruit from Mexico, the judges are not familiar with his style or his name - yet. "Gymnastics is so tough, because this sport is so subjective," assistant coach Rich Dopp said. Tim DeGraw is also a good bet to make the regional meet, He is the No. 2 qualifier for the region in the floor exer- cise. "Tim may be able to win in the floor, but he is nursing an injury," Golder s' The injury has not impeded his per- formance, however. Last week, DeGraw scored a season-high 9.5 on the floor, Jason McDonald has the possibility of making the regionals on the high bar, but he needs a stellar performance. "We expect LaLo and Tim to make the region, and anyone else will be a pleas- ant surprise," Golder said. 'M' hopes to repeat as Big Ten champ' the world is getting smaller smell better. By Jacob Wheeler Daily Sports Writer This weekend, the Michigan women's gymnastics team will find itself in the thick of the madness at the Big Ten championships in Minneapolis. The Wolverines have a streak of five consecutive Big Ten titles to defend. Michigan appears to be in the dri- ver's seat, shifting into fifth gear in the quest for another title. Despite losing three consecutive road meets two weeks ago, the Wolverines own a 3-0 Big Ten record and a national ranking that has climbed all the way to third. Based on this season's scores, no other Big Ten team has been men- tioned in the same breath with Michigan. Ohio State, the next best team, aver- aged a full 2.335 points lower per meet than the Wolverines. The Buckeyes sport only one nationally ranked gym- nast in any event. Susan Eckman is No. 4 on vault, an apparatus in which Michigan recorded the second-highest team score in NCAA history a week ago. With the home-gym advantage, Minnesota may present Michigan with its biggest threat. The 20th-ranked Golden Gophers, however, are acclaimed nationally only in the floor exercise - Michigan's second strongest event. The Gophers boast No. 9 Mindy Knaeble, but her scores on the floor haven't been in the same class as those of Michigan's Heather Kabnick and Sarah Cain, ranked third and fourth in the nation. "The Gophers will be in their facili- ty with largely their fans, so they'll be in their comfort zone," Michigan coach Bev Plocki said. "But if we hit our routines, nobody should be ablo to compete with us." Michigan is fairly healthy enterihg this weekend. The only pain this Lek was experienced by freshman.Sir Elizabeth Langford, who hyper ed her knee in practice last Thum . "Sarah is experiencing 'ild swelling in her knee,"Plocki said:,"I don't know yet if shell compete~bis weekend." As for the rest of the lineup,.1poki probably won't pull any big surpres out of her hat. Michigan's peror- mances have been solid all neon, reflected in its 14-5 overall recodrdfr "We will stick, for the mo tC , with what we've been doing," Ply said. "We're going' to look at #pple who have been the most consisto.aup to this point. "We need to hit, and we need e'be consistent:' Michigan should be consisten-4 the Big Ten championships, becGq it enters Minneapolis with its bestdaw in years. Saturday, the Wolverines wi-T the same apparatus order they dZd- ing each one of their home mets at Cliff Keen Arena. Michigan wiH14dm- pete on vault, uneven bars, .baance beam and the floor exercise !n that order, with a couple byes in bet en. That means Michigan will ejin The Asian American Ar Socieiy at the. University of Michigan cordially invites you to attend the reception of Te10 th 0 4llj~ Annuaf °.