12A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 27, 1997

Knuble
answers
Wings' call
From Staff Reports
Former Michigan forward Mike
Knuble was called up by the Detroit
Red Wings on Tuesday from
Adirondack, where he lead the Wings'
IHL affiliate in scoring with 28 goals
and 35 assists in 68 games.
Knuble was handed jersey No. 22,
the same number he wore with the
Wolverines from 1991-95. The number
was last worn by Dino Cicarelli, a burly
scorer whose role the 6-foot-3, 216-
pound Knuble will try to help fill.
Knuble scored 103 goals and dished
out 72 assists during his four years at
Michigan, good enough for 15th place
Pn the Wolverines' all-time scoring list.
ROBITAILLE LEAVES MIAMI: The
Boston Bruins signed former Miami
(Ohio) center Randy Robitaille to a
$1.35 million contract on Tuesday.
Only a sophomore, Robitaille was
third in the CCHA in scoring.
Robitaille went straight to the NHL,'
making his debut last night against the
New York Islanders.

NCAAs pose final
challenge for tankers

By T.J. Berka
Daily Sports Writer
In the complex world that makes up
college swimming, the NCAA champi-
onships are the stuff of which legends are
made -- and of which hearts are broken.
The Michigan men's swimming and
diving team's shot at glory comes this
weekend in Minneapolis. While fifth-
ranked Michigan would like to recapture
the glory of its 1995 national champi-
onship squad, the Wolverines will have
}h their work cut out for them.
."Realistically, I believe we will finish
anywhere between fourth and sixth,"
Michigan coach Jon Urbanchek said.
The Wolverines will have 10 swim-
mers making the trip to Minnesota.
Senior captain John Piersma won the
100, 200 and 500-meter freestyle races at
the Big Ten championships last month.
Piersma will not be alone in the 500
free at the NCAAs, as six other
Michigan swimmers will join him in the
event - Tom Malchow, Andy Potts,
Owen von Richter, Chris Rumley, John
AP PHOTO Reich and Mike McWha.
The Michigan men's swimming team hopes to make some waves at the NCAA tournament in Minneapolis this weekend. Many Michigan swimmers will com-
Although the Wolverines won the national championship in 1995, capturing the title this time might prove to be too difficult. pete in other distance freestyle events.

Piersma, Malchow, Rumley and Reich
will compete in the 200 free and the 800.
Derya Buyukuncu join Piersma, Reich
and Rumley on the 100 free relay team.
Potts, McWha, Reich and Rumle
will swim the 1650 free - aneve
Potts won at the Big Ten meet.
Buyukuncu, the 1996 Big Tei swim-
mer of the year, is the best hope for the
Wolverines in the backstroke events.
Buyukuncu has swept the 100 and 200
backstroke at the Big Tens the past three
years. He will be joined by senior Toby
Booker and junior Ryan Papa.
The butterfly events will be spear-
headed by Malchow - Olympic silver
medalist and Big Ten champion in t
200 butterfly. He leads the Wolverine,
into the butterfly events along with von
Richter and Buyukuncu.
Potts and von Richter will be the only
Wolverines in the 400 IM, but Michigan
will have an entry in the 400 medley
relay. Buyukuncu, von Richter, Malohow
and Piersma will swim in this event.'
"On paper, we are probably the sixth-
best team, just like the women's team,"
Urbanchek said. "We don't swim
paper, though."
Michigan
track hopes
to s-oe
competiti on

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Ginger L. Zabel
For the Daily
The Michigan women's crew team
will be heading to Charlottesville, Va.
this weekend to launch the first official
meet of the varsity program's history.
Other teams competing on Saturday
include Virginia, George Washington
University and Ohio State. The
Wolverines will have two varsity teams
and will compete only against Virginia
and George Washington.
"We are expecting some very com-
petitive races," Michigan coach Mark
Rothstein said. "This will be the first
real race of the season and racing

against (Virginia) will be a good test of
our speed." -
Virginia is currently ranked first in
the Central region - the same region
Michigan is entering with a rookie var-
sity program.
But the underdog Wolverines will
not be easy pickings for their estab-
lished competition.
"They're going to expect us to be a
slow starting crew," Michigan rower
Heather Uhring said."We've been slow
starting up the line in years past, but
we're going to start strong on
Saturday."
This weekend's results will indicate

where the crew team's speed lies and
how far they must go to reach their
team goals.
Competing well against Virginia,
and later this season against Wisconsin,
will be a top priority if the rowers want
to make it to nationals in their first year
as a varsity program.
But Coach Rothstein would rather
take things one step at a time and focus
on the Regional Qualifying race later
this season.
This weekend will be the first step in
that direction if the crew team desires
to start a winning tradition from their
beginning as a varsity sport.

By Fred Link
Daily Sports Writer


The Michigan crew team will compete in its first official varsity meet this weekend..

Blue tennis hopes homestand halts eight-meet losing streak

By.Andy Latack
Daily Sports Writer
There's nothing better than a homes-
.a.d to curb a painful losing streak. At
least the Michigan men's tennis team
.hopes so.
The defending Big Ten champs have
dropped eight in a row, and are desper-
ately in need ofa win to right themselves
*and turn the season around. The
Wolverines (0-2 Big Ten, 2-9 overall)
have already lost more conference
games than they did all of last season.
Michigan will attempt to change that
_ :nd this weekend, as they host Ohio
State and Indiana in the newly-complet-

ed Preston Robert Tisch Tennis Center.
After opening their season with back-
to-back losses at the hands of Illinois and
Purdue, the Wolverines will look to their
Saturday matchup with the Buckeyes to
get their first win in the conference.
The Wolverines are an impressive 61-
13-2 overall against Ohio State, and have
won the last five matches in the series.
However, despite their past success
against the Buckeyes, Michigan coach
Brian Eisner says his team is not taking
this match lightly.
"They're always capable of beating
anyone, which makes them a dangerous
team," Eisner said. "We're not assum-

ing anything:"
The Buckeyes defeated conference
powerhouse Minnesota earlier in the
year, 6-1.
If the team is expecting a tough con-
test with Ohio State, then they should
anticipate war when Indiana comes to
town on Sunday.
Michigan defeated the Hoosiers
soundly last February in the O'Charley's
Tennis Classic, and have won their last
four meetings with the Hoosiers.
Since then, however, Indiana (3-0, 11-
4) has won seven of their next nine and
have outscored their opponents 23-I in
their last four victories.

The Michigan women's track team
heads into tobacco country this week-
end hoping to smoke the competition at
the Raleigh Relays.
Michigan is coming off a stron
showing in their first outdoor compel.
tion this season at the Wake Forest
Invitational, but ironically, Michigan
coach James Henry hopes that. the
Wolverines won't do quite as well at
this weekend's meet.
"Last weekend fit our needs quite
well,' Henry said. "I was pleased'with
our performances, but I want competi-
tion where the kids aren't winning. I
want them to work a lot harder, and it's
easier to work hard when there are p
pie in front of you than if there arc only
people behind you."
Among those who Henry hopes will
be pushed by the competition this
weekend are Tania Longe, who-won
three events last weekend, and Maria
Brown, who took first in both sprints.
In the 4 x 100-meter relay, the team
of Brown, Kenise Bocage, Brandi
Bentley and Aniya Bussey hops
improve on last week's time of 46J35 I
the third fastest time in Michigan'histo-
ry.
The Wolverines are also hoping for
more competition in the distance
events, where the Wolverines doiinat-
ed last weekend, taking the top four
places in the 3,000 and the top two
places in the 1,500.
Along with giving the team a chance
to push-themselves, Henry believes the
Raleigh Relays will - give t
Wolverines a much-needed chance
train outdoors - difficult to do in Ann
Arbor.
"The opportunity to compete in the
warm weather, and to get a couple of
training sessions in outdoors is some-
thing I hope this competition will give
us," Henry said.


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Take TheEasyWay
Out Of College.



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