ahe £icigrni ai1g Sports Desk: 647-3336 Ch "Pch3gaw D;Sy Kampfe, McGregor finish 1-2 in region By Josh Borkin Daily Sports Writer BLOOMINGTON - The Michigan women's cross coun- try team fought through bitter temperatures and muddy con- ditions in Bloomington on Saturday to earn a bid to next week's national championship in Greenville, S.C. The temperature did not make it out of the low 30s during Saturday's District IV regional championships, and a blister- ing wind-chill created a hostile environment. The Wolverines ran with "monster spikes," according to fifth-place finisher Julie Froud, to compensate for the saturated ground. Michigan finished second with 56 points, 12 behind Wisconsin. Michigan's Elizabeth Kampfe captured first place with a time of 17:45. Teammate Katie McGregor fin- ished a close second in 17:47. McGregor was concerned about the course before the race, but said, "In the beginning the course was a little slippery, but See REGIONAL, Page 713 Sullivan, Mortimer lead 'M' to title By Chris Duprey I aiyd Sports Writer Michigan freshman Josh Asselin battles for a loose ball. Men's baSketball gif to shaky sta rt By Dan Stillman Daily Sports Writer On Thursday, Robert Traylor proclaimed Michigan would be a "Final Four team." By the end of the evening Saturday, the AlamoDome in San Antonio - the site of this season's Final Four - seemed light years away. A second-half collapse against Western Michigan left the Wolverines 0-1 for the first time since they lost to Arizona to the 1989-90 season. 'e 12,237 in attendance at Crisler watched the Wolverines let an 11-point second-half lead disappear and turn into a 68-63 Western Michigan (1-0) victory. "Definitely not the way you want to start," Michigan interim and first-year coach Brian Ellerbe said. While the Wolverines collapsed down the stretch, Broncos swingman Saddi Washington capped off a brilliant night with 14 points in the final 12 minutes and finished the game with 33 points, including six 3-pointers. - Washington is one of four seniors on a veteran squad with j pne true freshman. Rashod Johnson, also a senior, was the Scncos' second-leading scorer with 20 points. "Once you get over the fact that you're playing against the University of Michigan, you're playing at Crisler Arena - all it is, is a regular basketball game," Washington said. "Down the stretch, we just stayed mentally focused, making plays when we needed them" Just when it appeared the Wolverines were about to pull away for good, everything came out from under them - including the ball. With 10:28 left in the game, Louis Bullockcapped off a 15-6 Michigan run with a fall-away jumper, his only field goal qe night, giving the Wolverines a 53-42 lead - their biggest e game. "That one stretch in the second half-I wasn't sure we were See BASKETBALL, Page 68 BLOOMINGTON - It had all the ingredients of an upset. Muddy, sloppy weather conditions; the dropping out of one of Michigan cross country's most consistent runners, and Wisconsin, the longtime nemesis of the Wolverines, trying hard to snatch victory out of Michigan's hands. But it was not to be. As a matter of fact, it wasn't even close. The Wolverines used a combination of stunning individual performances and a devastating 30-second pack time to crush the Badgers and the rest of the field at the NCAA District IV championships. The finish earns Michigan a team spot in next Monday's NCAA national championships. "Today was the best performance by a Michigan cross coun- try team in my 24 years of coaching," Michigan coach Ron Warhurst said. The district championship was Warhurst's first as coach of See CHAMPS, Page 78 LOUIS BROWN/Daily Michigan harriers clinched an NCAA berth at regionals. 10 down, I to'go x Next game is still 774e BI~ One for Blue M ADISON - As Lloyd Carr made his way from the bar- rage of television cameras -aand headed for the lockerroom of Camp Randall Stadium, he and rookie defensive coordinator Jim Herrmann spotted one another. The two embraced proud- ly and congratu- lated themselves in front of the raucous Wisconsin crowd as Michigan had ALAN just clinched a share of its first GOLDENBACH Big Ten title The Bronx since 1992. Bomber For a program that many thought would continue a downward spiral that had begun with '.# its first of four straight four-loss sea- sons the year after that last Rose Bowl appearance, Michigan's stunning charge to the top of the national polls is all the more incredible. Carr and Herrmann deserve to pat each other on the back. It is simply a marvelous effort on their parts and because of it, they should be considered top candi- dates for Coach of the Year and the Broyles Award (the nation's top assis- tant coach). Quarterback Brian Griese said that winning a share of the title is "what Michigan needed." The Wolverines needed a label like this to tangibly restore their confidence. Saturday evening was a moment when Carr and Herrmann rightfully stopped what they were doing and rel- ished the moment. "I simply say that these guys, it's tough when you're down and when you have all the critics who tell you you're mediocre, that you don't have it anymqre, you can't coach, you can't play," Carr said. "All those things make it tough for guys to continue to believe." Because of that, Carr should be MARGARET MYERS/Daily lauded not just for his talent with x's r Wisconsin. See BOMBER Page 48 ANOW 4M JOHN KRAFT/Daily Bubba Berenzweig threw his weight around yesterday. iers take three goints from Ferris By Sharat Raju Daily Sports Writer GRAND RAPIDS - No one can say that Michigan hock- ey games aren't exciting this season. In two overtime games this weekend, the Wolverines (4-2-1 CCHA, 7-3-1 overall) came away with a -2 home victory on Friday night, but gave up a three-goal lead and had to settle for a 3-3 tie in yesterday's game against Fer-is State (3-4-2, 3-7-2) in Grand Rapids. In the victory, Bill Muckalt scored the game- winning goal, but no such heroics came forth in yesterday's dlock., The Wolverines experienced both sides of the coin in Van Andel Arena. After storming out to a 3=0 lead thanks to two goals from Bobby Hayes and another by Muckalt, it looked as if victory for Michigan was assured. But after a Ferris State three-goal flurry in the second period, the Wolverines were in serious danger of losing yesterday's game. Midway through the disastrous second, two Bulldogs - Kenzie Homer and Joel Irwin - scored goals in a span of 20 seconds. Shortly thereafter, Brent Wishart added a third to tie the score. Wishart's goal came after Michigan's Sean Ritchlin eived a five-minute major penalty for slashing. "I thought it was just a sloppy period, and obviously the penalty did not help," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "Ferris came out and played a good second period" A scoreless third period forced overtime. At 1:47 into the extra period, Michigan's Mark Kosick was whistled for slash- ing. Although they were out-shot in the period, 6-0, the Wolverines managed to kill off the penalty and avoid defeat. Friday night's game at Yost was just as exciting, if not more Michigan fullback Chris Floyd (left) and running back Anthony Thomas celebrate the Wolverines' 26-16 victory ove I Dream season ends in first round By Jacob R. Wheeler Daily Sports Writer Even the best dreams come to an end sooner or later. But the Michigan soccer team's 5- 1 first-round NCAA tournament loss to Nebraska yesterday did little to diminish Michigan's dream season. Backed by the momentum of a team-record 15 regular-season victo- ries and a Big Ten tournament cham- pionship, the No. 15 Wolverines marched into Nebraska and hung with the Cornhuskers for almost a half. But Nebraska used a potent offen- 3.89 goals per game this season and they haven't lost at home in more than two years. "We played with them in the first half, though Nebraska certainly had some more dangerous shots," Michigan coach Debbie Belkin said. "But towards the end they dominat- ed. We didn't come out looking very sparked in the second half." The seventh-ranked Huskers came out in the second stanza and proved what tournament experience can mean for a young program. Nebraska scored three more goals and nailed down Michigan's coffin in the The Huskers and Wolverines both began their programs four years ago. Both teams had phenomenal seasons and finished second in their respec- tive conferences. Each team boasts one of the best scorers in the nation. But when it came time for the tournament, the Huskers held a big advantage. They gained experience last year, beating Minnesota, 3-2 in double overtime, and Duke, 3-0 in last year's national tournament, whereas this is Michigan's first trip to the season finale. Nebraska played a higher level of soccer yesterday and breathed life 7 ~