_ _ _ _ _The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday, April 20, 1998 - 21
,ountdown to
championship
begins for 'M'
By Chris Duprey
Daily Sports Writer
Winning the Big Tlen championship has two effects
on the Michigan women's track team's reputation.
The title earned the Wolverines instant respect
around the conference, lofting expectations to the level
of perennial superpowers Illinois and Wisconsin.
But in winning the indoor portion, Michigan has
a* placed a big red hulls-eye on its back. Both the
Fighting Illini and the Badgers will be out for revenge.
The Wolverines will get some of their big guns back
at full strength in time for the conference meet from
May 22-24. Distance runners Julie Proud and Marcy
(kard have spent the outdoor season rehabilitating nag-
ging injuries and should be ready to go.
Unlike the indoor season, when the Wolverines did
not meet conference rivals prior to Big Tens, the out-
door campaign has provided opponents with many
chances to see Michigan up close. Ohio State has com-
peted against the Wolverines twice this season, while
Wisconsin and Purdue were on hand at this weekend's
Mt. San Antonio College Relays.
Potential suitors for the outdoor crown will have to
wait another month for a crack at the Wolverines.
oach James Henry has loaded up the schedule for his
squad with no off-weeks in the month before Big Tens.
Michigan's upcoming meets will be a bit closer to
home. After touring North America with trips to
Jamaica and a double-visit to California, the Wolverines
will be making a cameo appearance at the Drake Relays
rac scattered
for the weekend
By BJ. Luria
Daily Sports Writer
All puns aside, the men's track and
field team was difficult to keep track of
this weekend. With some members of
the team heading off to California for
the second time in three weeks and the
rest of the Wolverines participating in
the Michigan State Invitational in LIast
Lansing, head coach Jack Harvey
would have to be excused if he didn't
know exactly where all his athletes
were.
Luckily for the Wolverines, every
athlete managed to find his way to his
event, and several Wolverines were vic-
torious in East Lansing. the Michigan
State Invitational featured runners from
throughout the region, including partic-
ipants from Toledo, Western Michigan,
Central Michigan, Michigan State, and
community colleges in the area.
Charles DeWildt took first place in
the pole vault for the Wolverines with a
vault of 16-2.75. Taiwa Okusaya was
Michigan's other winner in the field
events, taking first in the triple jump
with a score of 44 feet 6.25 inches.
Michigan also fared well in the sprint
events, an area in which it has not
excelled so far this season. Josh Sellers
won the 400-meter hurdles with a time
of 54.15 seconds while the 4x400 relay
team placed first with a time of3:14.24.
Although the Spartans hosted the
meet, it was Michigan that stole the
show with the four individual champi-
ons. No other school at the event won
more than two events. Michigan State
finished no better than fourth in any
event. Two runners for Central
Michigan won their respective events..
While the Wolverines performed well
in East Lansing, they were without the
services of several key members of the
squad.
All-American Kevin Sullivan and
assistant coach Ron Warhurst led the
distance runners to the Mount SAC
Relays in Walnut, Calif: The group con-
sisted of Sullivan, fellow All-American
John Mortimer, Brian Theisen, Jay
Cantin, Don McLaughlin and Todd
Snyder.
The event was hosted by Mt. San
Antonio College and featured some of
the best collegiate and amateur runners
in the country. Several former
Olympians competed in the event. For
the Wolverines, the Relays were an
opportunity to prepare for the NCAA
Championships to be held June 4-6.
But unlike the Relays, Michigan will
be in one piece for NCAAs.
LOUIS BROWN/ Daily
in typical fashion, Tania .onge will lead the Michigan women's track team charge on to the Mt, San Antonio
College Relays this weekend. The Wolverines will be targeted until the Big Ten Championships on May 22-24.
in Ides Moines, Iowa, this Friday and Saturday.
I lenry is hopeful that winding down the travel in the
next month_- as well as the training -- will help his
team put forth its best effort at the big meets.
Two home events will provide Michigan's faithful
with an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the tricksters.
The Wolverines host the Phil Diamond and Paddock
Invitationals on consecutive Saturdays, May 9 and 16.
More than likely, the Paddock Invite will serve as a
taper-down the weekend before Big Tens. Henry's his-
tory shows he allows and encourages runners who need
the rest to take it, so the lineup may not be intact. The
invitational also serves as a final opportunity for run-
ners on the bubble to record a qualifying performance.
Weekend split drops Blue to 2nd place
y Mark Francescutti
Daily Sports Writer
It happened again.
All season long the Wolverines have
followed a certain path when they play
they destroy weaker teams and bare-
ly lose to stronger ones.
That was the case again this weekend
.when No 4-in-the-region Michigan (6-
1 Big Ten, 12-5 overall) took to the
oad and clobbered Wisconsin 5-2 yes-
erday. The win followed their first Big
Ten loss of the season, 5-2 to
Northwestern on Saturday in Evanston.
The loss dropped Michigan to sec-
ond place in the Big Ten behind
Illinois. Northwestern remains in third.
As in their loss to Notre Dame on
Thursday, the Wolverines came
extremely close to beating a higher-
ranked opponent.
And when a match is close, it's usu-
*y decided by the doubles point.
But this shouldn't have been a prob-
Blue QBs
effective
fOOOTBALL
Continued from Page 22
in one instance, however. After grabbing
a short pass and eluding several would-
be tacklers, Johnson sprinted away for a
45-yard score.
All four quarterbacks played on
Saturday, including Jason Kapsner and
walk-on Mark Bergin. Kapsner com-
pleted 6 of 8 passes for 52 yards.
But the ground game had a little
ore trouble gaining ground, due in part
T injuries at key positions.
"With four tight ends out, it was
tough to run the ball," Carr said.
Running back Clarence Williams
ran well throughout the game, however,
compiling 77 yards on 13 carries for a
5.9 average.
The spring game is used as a barom-
eter, more or less, for individual players,
arr said.
But the one thing that might be mis-
leading about these games is the
absence of the incoming freshman class.
Ranked as the top recruiting class in
the country by a variety of scouting pub-
lications, the Michigan newcomers will
undoubtedly have an impact on the line-
ups witnessed on Saturday.
The one name most bandied about
was Drew Henson, a Brighton High
School senior considered the top prep
Vuarterback in the country.
"We all know this guy is talented,"
Carr said. "He's already learned some
offense and terminology. I expect him to
compete from the first time he gets
here.
Forthcoming Title...
JAPAN'S
HIDDEN
FACE
A Call for Radical
lem for Michigan. After all, for the past
seven matches the Wolverines have
done just that mainly due to the
strong play at No.I doubles by seniors
Brook Blain and Arvid Swan, and the
No.2 doubles tandem of junior Jake
Raiton and sophomore Mat Wri 'hi,
But playing outside for the first time
in three weeks - against the No. 2
team in the region didn't help the
Wolverines.
'The No. 3 doubles team hadn't won
in the past four matches so Michigan
coach Brian Eisner decided to make a
change. The new duo of senior Dave
Paradzik and Will Farah fared a little
better against Notre Dame, but was
crushed by the team of Martin
Bengtsson and Derrick Nguyen 8-1.
Raiton and Wright's consistent play
was stopped by Northwestern's Marc
Silva and Ry Tarpley, 8-3.
Not even Blain and Swan could keep
their seven-match win streak alive,
falling to Alex Witt and Doug Bohaboy
in a tight 8-0 loss.
"At No. 2 and No. 3 doubles we did-
n't come out firing' Fisner said. "We
didn't have the confidence."
With a one-point deficit and six sin-
gles matches against some of the high-
est-ranked singles players in the coun-
try left, the outlook was bleak for the
Wolverines.
But just as in the loss to Notre Dame,
the Wolverines swung hard against the
Wildcats, but came up short in the end.
After losing his first match in his
past 12 on Thursday, Swan returned to
his winning ways when he defeated
Bohaboy 7-6, 6-3.
"He broke him down physically and
emotionailly" Eisner said. "We didn't
do enough of that today."
Blain continued his comeback with a
comeback win himself, 3-6, 7-6, 6-3
over Bengtsson, for his third straight
win.
"Brook played very well," Eisner
said. "By losing the first set and com-
ing back, it is a testament to what a
great fighter he is."
The rest of the Wolverines fought
hard but came up short against the
powerful Northwestern singles players.
Paradzik, who was up 4-1 in the first
and 5-2 in the second, looked to be
dominating the 18th-ranked Witt. But
the Big Ten singles runner-up went on
an unbelievable comeback run and
stole the match from Paradzik in
straight sets, 6-4, 7-6.
Sophomore John Long came close to
winning for the second straight match
against a stronger opponent, but he too
came up short in his 6-4, 6-4 loss to
Nguyen.
Northwestern's TarpIcy stole one
from Farah, 6-3, 7-5, to end the match.
"We had our chances," Eisner said,
"I just hope we can use this, not as a
negative, but as a positive."
DANA LINNANE/Daily
After leading 4-1 in the first set and 5-2 in the second in Northwestern, David
Paradzik fell to No. 15 Alex Witt as Michigan lost to the Wildcats on Saturday.
Women's tennis digs
By Drew Beaver
Daily Sports Writer
This is beginning to get ugly. Two
weeks ago, against some good competi-
tion, the Michigan women's tennis team
lost the doubles point in both of its Big
Ten matches. The Wolverines could
muster only one victory in six doubles
matches. Two of their losses were close
9-7 defeats,
This trend was supposed to end on
Saturday when the Wolverines took on
lowly Penn State in State College.
The Wolverines felt deja vu all over
again, however, and lost the doubles
point for the third time in a row.
The Wolverines (7-2 Big Ten, 9-9
overall) again had to play catch-up,
which they did successfully, reeling off
four straight singles wins en route to a 4-
3 victory in the match.
Their doubles play has been frustrat-
ing, though. Michigan dropped another
9-7 doubles match against Penn State (0-
7, 2-12), and it wound up costing the
doubles point.
Michigan's No. 3 doubles team of
Tumeka Harris and Erryn Weggenman
picked up the lone doubles victory for
the Wolverines.
"We keep getting off to a slow start in
doubles," Weggenman said. "I think it's
just a matter of getting a few points here
and there that we're not getting"
"It's definitely us," teammate Danielle
Lund echoed. "We're beating ourselves"
After falling behind 1-0 after the dou-
bles matches, the Wolverines took each
of the lower four singles flights in
straight sets.
Harris earned her 14th victory of the
season at No. 3 singles, and is now one
victory short of her career high.
Senior captain Sora Moon, who
moved up from the No. 5 to the No. 4
slot to replace the injured Weggenman,
won her fourth-straight Big Ten singles
match.
out victory
Jen Boylan, who moved up from No.
6 singles to No. 5, also hammered out a
two-set win, as did freshman Allison
Sinclair, filling in at the No. 6 slot.
With the match clinched for the
Wolverines at 4-1, Brooke Hart and
Lund each went to three sets at No. I and
No. 2 singles, respectively.
But both Hart and Lund dropped the
third sets of their matches.
This brought the final tally to 4-3 in
favor of the Wolverines, making the
match appear much closer than it actual-
ly was.
"The score is a bit misleading,"
Michigan coach Bitsy Ritt said. "They
won matches they had an opportunity to
win. Luckily we were able to come back
and win in singles."
While, the doubles play has been less
than spectacular as of late, Michigan has
played strong in singles, as demonstrated
by their domination of the Nittany Lions
in the four lower flights.
EMILY NATHAN/Daily
Much like their male counterparts, the Michigan women's tennis team is trying to
avoid a repeating trend - in their case losing the doubles point.
" H