The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 23, 1997 -- 17A
Supporting cast crucial to success
of Michigan men harriers this year
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By Chad Kujala
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan men's cross-country team set
three goals at the beginning of the season. The
Wolverines wanted to win the Big Ten, win dis-
tricts and finish in the top five at nationals. So far,
Michigan has been taking the right steps toward
achieving these goals.
The Wolverines have been cruising thus far this
year and are steadily approaching their season
goals. The team has been just that, a team.
Michigan has consistently placed its first five
runners in the top-15 each week. The Wolverines
are advancing in the polls with each victory, slow-
ly creeping up on No. 2 Arkansas.
Last weekend, senior Kevin Sullivan and junior
John Mortimer both broke Michigan's course
record. Shattered may be a better word to describe
it - each finished with a time of 24:12 - 22 sec-
onds ahead of the previous best.
The significance of this time could foreshadow a
positive outcome at nationals in late November.
The previous record at the Michigan Golf
Course was set in 1994. The man who set that
record, Martin Keino of Arizona, went on to win
the individual championship at nationals that year.
The dynamic duo of Sullivan and Mortimer have
controlled every race in which they have competed
this year. They have crossed the line together and
seemingly alternated victories.
Don't think that this is an accidental occurrence.
"We are equal in our abilities and we find it
advantageous to run together," Mortimer said. "We
have the same goals. We encourage each other
when we run together."
Mortimer hopes that their strategy will pay off in
the future. "Pushing each other I think will pay off
at bigger events like Big Tens and nationals,"
Mortimer said.
Although Sullivan.and Mortimer have led the
team in victories, it is the Wolverines' supporting
cast that has made the difference this season.
"Although it is Mortimer and Sullivan who get
the headlines, it is the rest of the guys that have
made the difference between this year and last,'
Michigan coach Ron Warhurst said.
"Cross-country requires a mental attitude. These
guys decided last summer that they wanted to run
better this year," Warhurst said.
And this determination provided an easy transi-
tion from the off-season to training for this year.
"The team came into camp in August already in
shape. This gave us a tremendous head start in our
conditioning," Warhurst said.
The Wolverines have used this head start in con-
ditioning to rack up victories in every meet this
season. "There is a quiet confidence on this team,"
Warhurst said.
"Although they are confident, they are by no
means overlooking any competition. They know
that they will have their hands full at Big Tens."
The Wolverines will have a chance to accom-
plish their first goal when they travel to Columbus
in two weeks for the Big Ten championships.
To better prepare for the weeks to come, the
Wolverines will take this week off from competi-
"Although it is Mortimet
and Sullivan who get
the headlines, it is the
rest of the guys that
have made the
difference between this,
year and last."
-- Ron Warhurst
Michigan men's cross country coach
tion. When Michigan travels to Ypsilanti this
Friday, they won't be running their top nine run
ners.
"I'm going to give them the week off from com;
petition," Warhurst said.
Michigan will be sending its B-team to Eastefn
Michigan to compete in the EMU invitationa;
which begins at 4 p.m. on Friday.
Warhurst's strategies have worked so far th
year and the Wolverines hope their mental focu.
and physical rest will pay off for Big Tens.
The Wolverines' victories in the other racks
should not be downplayed, however.
"There is nothing like winning to build confi-
dence," Warhurst said.
LOUIS BROWN/Daily
The Michigan men's cross country team is counting not only on its star runners,
but the supporting cast as well, to move into the top two teams in the NCAA.
Flachs is the star of this made-for-Hollywood field hockey team
By Evan Braunstein
Daily Sports Writer
There have been countless sports
movies produced over the years, but for
some strange reason, nary a field hockey
movie has hit the big screen. If a produc-
*ever happens to take a look at the
Michigan field hockey team this season,
we might see the first.
The Wolverines' season has everything
necessary to make a great flick, including
a star, a supporting cast, drama, excite-
ment and adversity.
The excitement began as the team won
its first three games en route to a 10-2
start. Along the way, it knocked off Iowa,
a team the Wolverines had lost to 31
Wight times. More than halfway
t rough the season, the Wolverines were
sitting pretty on top of the Big Ten.
Senior midfielder Julie Flachs quickly
established herself as the star of the team,
leading the Wolverines in scoring,
including three game-winning goals. On
Oct. 17, Flachs scored her 22nd goal of
the season, making her Michigan's all-
time goal-scoring leader.
"During the game it wasn't on my
Ond,"Flachs said. "But right after I
scoredthe goal it was kind of emotional
for me. I almost lost it when (coach)
Marcia (Pankratz) asked for the ball."
The Wolverines hit some adversity
beginning Oct. 5, with three straight loss-
es to conference teams. Two of the losses
came in overtime. Still, they rebounded
immediately with two conference wins,
topping Northwestern and once again
stunning Iowa. The 3-2 victory over the
Hawkeyes came on a last-second goal by
Flachs, giving her 24 on the season.
Now the Wolverines (12-5 overall, 4-3
Big Ten) are in second place in the con-
ference behind Penn State, and who do
they face Friday but the fourth-ranked
Nittany Lions at Phyllis-Ocker Field.
Flachs basically summed up the feeling
of the entire team with one statement.
"We know this is the biggest game of
the year" she said.
Not only did Penn State hand the
Wolverines their worst defeat of the sea-
son Oct. 12, but the team has only beaten
the Lions once in 12 games.
"Right now, Penn State is one game
ahead of us, and we need to beat them if
we have any hope of winning the confer-
ence," Pankratz said.
One thing the Wolverines have going
for them is their home-field advantage.
The team is 6-1 at home this season, with
the only loss coming to top-ranked North
Carolina.
"We lost to (Penn State) 4-1 last time,"
Pankratz said. "But I think on our home
field it will be a different story. We know
the ins and outs of the turf, and we have a
great home crowd"
'The team will be counting on Flachs to
lead the scoring drive against the Lions'
stingy defense. Penn State goalkeeper
Jaime Smith has a 2.18 goals-against
average and a .784 save percentage.
"(Flachs) has put this team on her
shoulders when it counts at the end of the
game," Pankratz said. "She is a clutch
performer and always comes through for
us.
On paper, the Wolverines already have
a victory over Penn State, as the Lions
have lost to Northwestern and Iowa. The
Wolverines have defeated both of these
teams twice. But the game must be
played, and it will probably decide
whether this movie-like season has a
happy or sad ending. The Wolverines are
hoping the momentum from their two
previous victories will carry them back to
the top of the conference.
"Coming off the Iowa win, this past
weekend was really good for us," Flachs
said. "We are looking to give it every-
thing we've got on Friday"
FILE PHOTO
The Michigan field hockey team has all the makings of a good movie: a star, a solid supporting cast, dramatic finishes, and,
most important, widespread interest.
Women's CC, 1n part, goes East
By Josh Borkin
For The Daily
;#Following last week's competitive
Michigan Interregional, Michigan
women's cross country coach Mike
McGuire will send a smaller team of
women runners to Friday's novice
event in Ypsilanti
The portion of the team that is
running will compete at Eastern
Michigan on Friday at 5 p.m. in the
Eastern Michigan Classic.
Eastern Michigan will host
'ichigan, Cleveland State, Oakland
University, and several other smaller
schools.
This week's race will not include
any runners that are going to be par-
Soccer wins
jn blowout
By Jacob &. Wheeler
Daily Sports Writer
The Motor City can be a big, seary
place. But the Michigan soccer team
wasn't intimidated by Detroit yesterday.
The Wolverines (6-1-1 Big Ten, 14-2-1
overall) rolled into town and took care of
the Titans, 6-0.
"We pretty much dominated,"
ichigan coach Debbie Belkin said.
3ut Detroit had beaten Butler earlier
this year and were ranked fourth in our
region. So I didn't know it was going to
be this lopsided."
Belkin had reason for concern
because the Wolverines needed overtime
to beat Butler way back on Sept. 12. But
the Michigan offense has come alive
-:--- 4U-.
ticipating in the Big Ten
Championships. "I am sending
younger runners and some girls that
are recovering from injuries,"
McGuire said.
While this race does not a put a
large emphasis on the team's overall
performance, "it is a very important
individual event for some of our up-
and-coming runners," McGuire said.
The race will feature some of
Michigan's younger runners, among
them a recovering Allison Noe.
Noe, a sophomore, suffered severe
tendonitis in her Achilles last winter,
and was forced to redshirt her out-
door season.
As a freshman, Noe placed 12th in
the Big Ten cross country champi-
onship with a time of 18:24. Last
season she also recorded a first-
place finish at the MSU Invitational
with a time of 18:09.
Noe will begin her comeback dur-
ing Friday's novice race. "I am very
excited to be back running again,
and I will use this race to build my
strength and confidence back up,"
Noe said.
"This will be a good race for
Allison to gain some confidence and
begin to return to last year's form,"
McGuire said.
The remainder of the team will
continue its usual practice schedule
this week.
RIVALRY
Continued from Page 14A
family as the white picket fence in front of its house, remem-
ber that players like Ray, the out-of-staters, compose more than
half the team. Many grew up knowing that this was a rivalry,
but not the life- and-death situation that they discovered upon
suiting up for his team's first practice.
"The rivalry thing is something that I had to learn," said
junior tight end Jerame Tuman, who came to Ann Arbor via
Liberal, Kan.
Tuman was more familiar with the Nebraska-Oklahoma
rivalry growing up. But a rivalry across state lines does not
carry with it the same zest that the one in which Tuman is about
to take part, he says.
"You don't feel the intensity and hatred of the rivalry back
home"Tuman said. "as far as not feeling the rivalry from being
out of state, that lasts your first year. After that, you start to
realize that every guy from out of state is part of this team and
has made a major commitment to it."
Even Lloyd Carr can recall his first Michigan-Michigan
State memory, one that predates the birth of his players.
It was 1969, the first year of the Bo Schembechler era at
Michigan, and Carr was friends with Spartans graduate assis-
tant Woody Widenhofer. He told Carr to come down to East
Lansing from where he was living in Flint and a ticket-would
be waiting for him.
"When I got there, there was no ticket," Carr said. "So they
let me into the tunnel and watched the entire game in the tun-
nel. The thing I will never forget is that Bo brought the team
out of the tunnel.
"I'll never forget the intensity of both teams taking.the field.
But to stand in the tunnel and feel the intensity of both teams
coming out on to the field is a memory that I will not forget."
I
Lecture
otes
available for these classes:
Bio Anthro 364
Chem 210
Chem 215
Econ 101 - Sec 200
Econ 101 - Sec 300
Econ 102 - Sec 100
Econ 102 - Sec 200
Geol Sci 107
Geol Sci 111 (starts Oct.23)
Physics 126
Poli Sci 140
M-
Psych
111
Psych 330
Psych 335
Psych 340
Psych 345
Psych 350
Psych 370
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