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Sports Desk: 647-3336
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NCAAs
next for
men s
k1aners
Dy Chad Kujala
Daily Sports Writer
Waiting.
It's the hardest thing to do when a
team knows it's ready right now.
Well, the waiting is over for the
Michigan men's cross country team.
, Wolverines have been waiting all
son for today's race.
Michigan travels to Furman, S.C., to
compete in the fourth oldest champi-
onship sanctioned by the NCAA - it
is the 60th anniversary of the NCAA
men's cross country championship.
At the beginning of the season,
Michigan coach Ron Warhurst set three
goals for his team. The first was to win
the Big Ten championship. Done. The
second was to win NCAA Division IV
i cts. Done. The final goal was to
finish in the top five at NCAA champi-
onships.
Today, the Wolverines have a chance
to accomplish their final goal and cap
off a phenomenal season.
" The Wolverines' best finish ever at
NCAA championships occurred in
1992, when they finished fifth.
"We've got a great chance to finish
beter than fifth," Warhurst said. "We
0OId have to self-destruct to finish
any worse."
Since the beginning of October, the
Wolverines have been the No. 3 team in
the nation. The Wolverines finished
.With only 21 points last week, one of
District IV's lowest scores ever.
Michigan placed five runners in the top
eight and finished 53 points ahead of
second-place Wisconsin. Despite these
facts, the Wolverines dropped in the
1Wto No. 4.
olorado jumped over the
Wolverines due to its regional win, in
hich the Buffaloes scored 15 points.
vq'n with the one-spot drop, however,
Michigan picked up ground on No. I
Stanford.
"The polls really don't mean that
much this week," junior Chris Bunt
said.
The drop in the polls has made the
If verines even more anxious and
h grier for today's race.
"The team isn't getting any respect,"
Warhurst said. "I think the guys are
ready to go down there and prove that
they are for real."
And Michigan is definitely ready.
"Kevin Sullivan talked to me the
other day and said that he felt the team
wis ready now" Warhurst said. "When
the old man says their ready, it's time to
blt's gonna' be fun," senior Don
McLaughlin said.
"McLaughlin, who has consistently
finished in the top-20 all year, was
forced to drop out of last week's region-
al race. His calf muscle tightened up
See NCAAs, Page 3B
Did you see the Daily's
special Saturday post-
Sme collector's edition?
a
I9a
If you didn't get a copy
after the game or
yesterday morning, stop by
the Daily. You'll want to
keep this one forever.
Michigan edges
Ohio State, 3-2
By Chris Farah
Daily Sports Writer
COLUMBUS -The Michigan hock-
ey team has been struggling with consis-
tency. The Wolverines have been see-
sawing back and forth. Sometimes the
Wolverines' offense clicks, sometimes
their defense clicks. Sometimes they
hold onto their leads, sometime they lose
their leads.
One thing that has been consistent is
the play of Michigan's veterans. Players
like senior Bill Muckalt and junior
Bobby Hayes have taken the giant's
share of the offensive load on their
shoulders.
But during two road games this week-
end, the Michigan freshmen decided to
get off the see-saw and start playing with
the big kids.
Michigan's upperclassmen continued
to do well, but consistent contributions
from some Michigan freshmen - par-
ticularly Geoff Koch - helped the
Wolverines pull out an overtime victory
yesterday afternoon, 3-2, against Ohio
State, and beat Bowling Green on Friday
night, 4-2.
Ohio State fans still tasted the bitter-
ness of their loss to Michigan in football
when the hockey teams clashed yester-
day. Emotions ran high throughout the
crowd and among the two teams as the
underdog Buckeyes forced the
Wolverines into overtime during a scrap-
py, physical game.
Michigan and Ohio State battled to a
scoreless draw after the first period, with
the Buckeyes outshooting the
Wolverines, 16-5. Overall, Ohio State
did a good job of keeping the puck in
Michigan's zone and used the advantage
to get 11 more total shots than the
Wolverines, 42-31.
But after a period of tight calling from
the referees, in which Ohio State was
penalized five times and Michigan six
times - including a charging call
against Muckalt at 19:45 that provoked
the forward into a minor temper-tatrum
- the Wolverines loosened up during
the second and third periods.
"We knew we'd be a heart-attack
team, and I guess we proved that
tonight," Michigan coach Red Berensen
said. "You look back on the game, and I
guess winning takes some of the facts
out of the way we played. We had a poor
first period.
"We got a lot better in the second
period, but the third period I thoughtwe
did play well. We played harder, much
better, with more emotion, we quit wor-
rying about the referee and all the dis-
tractions.
"We came in and found a way to win
the game.
And the Wolverines demonstrated
their new attitude from the very begin-
ning of the second period. Michigan
took advantage of the Muckalt penalty
-- he sat out four minutes with an addi-
tional penalty for unsportsmanlike con-
duct due to his tantrum - to open up the
scoring at 3:53 in the second.
At the tail-end of the Buckeyes' power
play, Michigan right wing Troy Kahler
cleared the puck from their zone - right
to the stick of Muckalt, waiting next to
Ohio State's blue line for the pass after
leaving the penalty box. Muckalt sped
ahead of a Buckeye, deked Ohio State
goaltender Jeff Maund and scored the
goal top-shelf
But the Wolverines didn't enjoy their
See SWEEP, Page 48
PAUL TALANIAN/Daily
Josh Langfeld and the other Michigan freshmen had one of their best weekends of the season as the Wolverines picked up
two Important victories against Bowling Green and Ohio State. Freshman Geoff Koch scored the game-winning goal in both
games. Against the Buckeyes, his heroics came in the final minute of overtime.
Ellerbe, Bullock go back to Baltimore to play Towson
Michigan plays in its first road game of the season tonight against a new non-conference opponent
By Dan Stillman
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan-Duke, Michigan-Indiana, Michigan-Michigan
State.
Michigan-Towson?
Even though tonight's game between the Michigan men's
basketball team and the Tigers from Towson may not scream
out, "rivalry" or even "good game, the Wolverines' visit to
Towson, just outside of Baltimore, Md., will be special for both
teams.
The obscure matchup came to be when Towson (1-0) was
looking for a marquee opponent to christen its new hardwood
floor. Michigan (1-1) agreed to make the trip, not knowing that
it would turn into a coming home of sorts for its future coach.
Both first-year coach Brian Ellerbe and Louis Bullock will
be going home. Ellerbe hails from nearby Capitol Heights, Md.,
and Bullock, the junior guard, grew up in Temple Hills, Md.
Considering the chaotic events surrounding the Michigan
program during the past few months, a trip home may be just
what the doctor ordered for the two.
"I'd like to sink my teeth into some crab cakes," Ellerbe said.
Bullock would probably like to sink a 3-pointer, at least one.
Normally deadly from long range, Bullock has missed on all 11
of his 3-point attempts in the first two games.
Ellerbe said he thinks that while opponents tend to key on
"one of the leading returning 3-point shooters in the country,"
Bullock's main problem is that he's tired, which may sound
strange considering the season is only two games old. But the
Wolverines have only 10 players plus two walk-ons, and with
such a small team, no one gets much of a break during prac-
tices.
"I think it's his legs right now," Ellerbe said. "I just think he's
a little tired.
"Because we're so shorthanded on our team, it's really tough
to get him a (break), not just in games, but in practice. And I
think we need to be a little more conscious of that."
With guard Travis Conlan injured, it's been difficult to give
anyone in the backcourt much of a breather during practice or
games.
"People are going to try to wear our guards out," said Ellerbe,
who coached at nearby Loyola (Md.) the past three seasons and
has never won at Towson.
While the Wolverines are coming off their first victory of the
season, a 77-59 win over Cleveland State, the Tigers will look
to ride the momentum from Saturday's game, their first of the
season. A strong second half against American earned first-year
coach Mike Jaskulski's Tigers a 51-48 victory.
Behind, 28-14, at halftime, after going 6-for-20 from the
field, the Tigers made 12 of 17 shots and forward Ralph Biggs
scored 23 points in the second half as the Tigers pulled out the
win.
Ellerbe said he is excited to be near home but that he is focus-
ing on beating Towson.
Nevertheless, Ellerbe said he will take care of one matter.
There have been no takers yet for his Maryland home, which
has been on the selling block since Michigan hired him as an
assistant coach over the summer.
"I'm going to have a few words for my realtor" Ellerbe said.
"Realtors are like assistant coaches - they always tell you
when they're going to sign somebody."
Maceo Baston, a Dallas native, will get to fight for the ball near the hometowns of
Louis Bullock and coach Brian Ellerbe this weekend.
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