The Michigan Daily - Thursday, January 16, 1997- 9A
Goph ers burrow
lONi Keen for 'M
B Sara Rontal
e Daily
In 1996, the Michigan women's
gymnastics team lost three times in
the Big Ten. Two of the losses were
to Minnesota.
This year, the Wolverines will try
to avenge last season's losses against
the Golden Gophers in their Big Ten
opener 7 p.m. Saturday at Cliff Keen
Arena.
Of last year's performance,
higan coach Beverly Plocki said,
e were not in our best form."
Fortunately for the Wolverines, it's
a new year.
Unfortunately, the Wolverines are
injury plagued, and according to
Plocki, "won't necessarily be in top
form this year either."
Two stars of the team, freshman
Kate Nellans and senior captain
Andrea McDonald, have not trained
* couple of weeks.
"Kate is fine, but she will notice
the effects of three and one-half
weeks off of training," Plocki said.
"She is not quite up to speed."
As for McDonald, Plocki said "her
stress fracture is healed, and she may
see action in as many as three events
this weekend."
Also, sophomore Nikki Peters
strained a tendon in her leg at West
Virginia and did not practice
Monday. The injury could be quite
detrimental to the Wolverines. She
placed in the top 15 in all of her
events last weekend.
Because of the loss to West
Virginia, Plocki said the team needs
to regain its confidence during prac-
tice.
But if prac-
tice makes
perfect, the
Wo I v er ine s
seem to be
headed for
another loss at
Minnesota. ,
"The team
can't come in
with a bad
practice and
expect to end
up winning....
Practice is
where it hap-
pens and
doesn't hap-
pen," Plocki said.
This
weekend
Who: Michigan
vs. Minnesota
What: Big Ten
opener
Where: Cliff
Keen Arena
When: Saturday,
7 p.m.
Notable: The
Wolverines begin
their quest for an
unprecedented
sixth consecu-
tive Big Tei
championship
into
'' [pe
sixth consecutive Big Ten champ
onship, something that the
Wolverines hope to achieve.
Junior Heather Kabnick is ready to
help achieve that goal.
"She is progressing. Last week she
looked complete in the bars and
beams," Plocki said.
Her teammate, sophomore Ka
Burke, "also looked good on
beams," Plocki said.
This seems promising for a ea
with a lot of depth - and imprei e
freshmen.
One of the Wolverines' rookies
Sarah Cain, made a fantastic deb
last weekend in West Virgin
receiving a 38.200 all-around o
which was good for sixth-pla!ein
the competition.
Teammate Sarah-Eiaeth
Langford also had a great debu
placing seventh in the vault.
With numbers like these and the
will to succeed, Plocki said she is not
concerned about the weekend meet
against Minnesota.
"All the mistakes made last ek-
end were 'mental,"' Plocki said
"And this is not a team that likes to
lose. But I am more concerned xxih
them being prepared to do their ro -
tines rather than having.them c us
on winning."
WARREN ZiNN/Daily
Maichow was pretty tired. But he was exhausted afterthe
e rested enough to make a splash in Dallas.
s Mlchigan to
la wim C assic~
"Monday the girls were sore and
achy. (Tuesday) I thought we would
have a better practice. I was disap-
pointed with the effort, however."
But, heck, this is a new year and a
fresh chance at an unprecedented
BOILERS
Continued from Page 8A
embarrassing loss to the defending
conference champs.
"I'm not afraid of anything,"
Traylor said. "Basically, I don't want
to let the game get like it did last
year."
The Wolverines (2-2 Big Th n. I 1-
overall) are looking at tonight's gain
as an indication of how the team wil
play the rest of the season.
"This game is not going to b
about execution," junior forward
Maurice Taylor said. "It's not going
to be about plays, about who does
what or who outcoaches who.
"It's going to be about heart and
desire. If we don't come out with the
intensity we need to, they're going to
beat us."
' To beat the Boilerma kers
Michigan must not only shut down
Austin, but the Wolverines will alo
have to take care of junior CCnti
Brad Miller, Purdue's leading scor
Although Miller may be the only
one of the Boilermakers' big men
who is of the same caliber as anyon
on Michigan's front line, Purdue can
nevertheless throw some eftecliVa
bulk at the Wolverines.
Manning the forward spots for the
r: Boilermakers are a pair of freshmen,
6-foot-8 Brian Cardinal and 6-6 Mike
Robinson. Cardinal has fit into
Keady's system well and is already
putting up almost 12 points per game.
Robinson is no slouch either, averag-
ing 10.7 points per game.
Taylor and Bullock have no doubts
about the importance of tonight's
game.
"(This game) is going to determine
if we want the Big Ten title or if we
want to come in second or thirdf
Taylor said. "How we play s..
going to show what type of team we
are "
Bullock agreed that the Wolverin
are at a critical juncture.
"We're at a point where we can Tc
either way," he said. "We can get bet
JONATHAN SUMMER/Daily ter or we can get worse.
ere is no doubt that Robert Traylor has a lot of mass. But do Traylor and his "It's pretty much up to us if we can
teammates have a lot of heart? They say we'll find out tonight, get better."
Purdue Pete says ...
JOI T
......DAIM ..Y
Mass meeting 7 o'clock, tonight
Student Publications Building
420 Maynard St.
~xpect More from Your MCAT Preparati
(i 1, against California this past
d If the Wolverines do have a
, it is in the sprint events, but
ive a chance to see how they
ah pin the shorter races.
A ,e meet will feature finals and
aon heats only. There will be no
e'iinary heats.
oter faet that makes the Classic
e is its size. All the teams bring
vy eig~h swimmers and one diver as
p o the full team. Michigan will
snor captain John Piersma, fresh-
m Mike McWha, sophomores Tom
, John Reich and Andy Potts,
rs Ry ~ Papa and Derya
yukunc, senior Chris Rumley, and
>phmre Brett Wilmot, a diver.
Malow and Piersma have yet to lose
:1 eents. Maichow has yet to be
ged in the 200-yard butterfly.
is ardly a surprise when you con-
as tune lie was not first was in
ypiv. e won the silver.
has taken the 200-yard
Ie in each meet this season.
aw canme closest to beating his fel-
ympian when he was only .08 sec-
end in the California meet. Both
T y ian a program very similar
n we run at Michigan,"
dson said. "They're very aca-
mI oriented, and they're very
e oented. They care about
as people first, and as kids
Saturday, though, the
es better focus on swim-
g ease they have their hands
wh a stronig Georgia team.
(The Classic)
brings some of
th nation's best
together"
- Jon Urbanchek
Michigan men's
swimming coach,
Malchow and Piersma should be chal-
lenged for the first time all season this
weekend.
"This meet should be a lot of fun,'
Urbanchek said. "All of these guys love
to compete, and this meet should be a
great experience for them'"
Michigan should be a lot more rested
for this meet than it was over the week-
end. The team has finally started to read-
just to the time difference, and the jetlag
should be gone.
"I was real pleased with the effort over
the weekend," Urbanchek said.
"Everyone gave their best. Consideiing
the circumstances, I was pleased."
ox
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