The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 23, 1997 -- 17A Supporting cast crucial to success of Michigan men harriers this year a y . , ., . 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 W7WV~7W - rT~vKT7-r-\ E -.