The Michigan Daily - Thursday, January 22, 1998-11A
'M' men's gymnasts
to be put to the test
Blue women must
go on shorthanded
By David DenHerdw
Daily Sports Writer
-If you have to dive into deep water,
you might as well do it head-first.
That's exactly how the Michigan
n's gymnastics team will kick off its
Ten schedule this weekend. The
Wolverines are slated to host No. 2 Iowa
and No. 5 Penn State on Saturday at
Cliff Keen Arena at 7 p.m.
The match should be a true test of
intra-conference stamina.
"Penn State and Iowa are definitely
the top two teams in the Big Ten;"
Michigan coach Kurt Golder said.
So far, the Nittany Lions and the
Hawkeyes have done nothing to under-
Sne their reputation. Penn State won
t e West Point Open earlier this season,
and Iowa is coming off last weekend's
dominating victory at the Windy City
Invitational.
Iowa "beat (second-place) Illinois by
almost five points, which in this sport, is
like beating someone by 50 points in
basketball," Michigan assistant coach
Mike Burns said.
But the Wolverines, who placed
rth in Chicago, have no plans of
rolling over for their high-ranked oppo-
nents.
"These guys made an impression on
everybody that Michigan is a force to be
reckoned with," Burns said.
Golder said the Wolverines will
approach Penn State and Iowa similar to
the way they prepared for last weekend's
competition.
"We'll make a few alterations, but for
the most part the lineup will be the
same,' Golder said.
A major key to that lineup will be co-
captain Jose "LaLo" Haro, who finished
sixth in all-around competition at the
Windy City with a cumulative 55.350.
Haro also led the team on the parallel
bars, pommel horse and high bar.
Freshman Kevin Roulston has also
been impressive early. Roulston recorded
a 9.450 on vault and a 9.250 on still rings
to lead the Wolverines in both events last
weekend, while finishing ninth in the all-
around. Senior Tim DeGraw was
Michigan's top performer on floor exer-
cise, tying for second (9.600).
Golder was impressed with
Roulston's performance last weekend
but sees room for improvement.
"Kevin could do real well if he elimi-
nates a few mistakes;' Golder said.
Another Wolverine to look out for
will be junior Randy D'Amura, who is
coming off an outstanding personal per-
formance in Chicago. With a personal
best 9.10, D'Amura jump-started the
Wolverines to a school-record 37.05 on
the pommel horse. D'Amura also
recorded personal-bests on vault (9.300)
and floor exercise (9.350).
Although last weekend's invitational
gave teams a preliminary indication of
what the season has in store, Saturday's
meet should be a better indicator of
where Michigan stands in the Big Ten. It
will also be the first time the Wolverines
will face Penn State this season.
By Nita Srivastava
Daily Sports Writer
Competition won't stop for injuries -
and that's unfortunate for the Michigan
women's gymnastics team, which faces
top-notch competition this weekend.
The Wolverines will take on No. 5
Utah tomorrow, and No. 1 Georgia and
Arizona on Sunday, with just half of
their lineup in healthy condition.
"We are essentially fielding half the
team, and this does not make it easy to
win meets," Michigan coach Bev Plocki
said.
Coming off a discouraging loss to
Minnesota last Saturday, the Wolverines
are counting on these two meets to make
up for lost ground.
Their task will be made even more
difficult thanks to all the injuries plagu-
ing the team.
One of the Wolverines' specific goals
at the beginning of the season was to
remain healthy for every competition.
So far, this goal has been just partial-
ly realized. Sarah Cain's bruised heel is
improving. Nikki Peters and Heather
Kabnick, who are also coping with
injuries, are also getting healthy.
"There are a few minor aches and
pains, but hopefully by Sunday we will
all be feeling a lot better," Cain said.
Tomorrow's meet against Utah will be
the first opportunity for Michigan's
freshmen to compete in Cliff Keen
Arena.
"We always compete better at home,"
Cain said. "it will be a great chance for
the freshmen to perform in front of
home fans, which helps a lot."
No matter how Michigan fares tomor-
row night, it will have to remain focused
for Sunday's meet against the Bulldogs.
"Georgia is always good," Cain said.
"They usually do extremely well at the
beginning of the season. And right now
we are just looking to get a good away-
team score."
Georgia is coming off victories
against No. 5 Alabama and then-No. I
UCLA. Michigan has never defeated the
Bulldogs.
Plocki said that for Michigan to stand
a chance against Georgia, it would need
a full lineup, which will be difficult
considering the Wolverines' various
injuries.
"I, along with the girls, always fall
victim to wanting to win," Plocki said.
"But that's not priority right now. We just
need to be healthy for the postseason,
because that is where it is important."
The meet against Utah will be key in
determining the Wolverines' confidence
level as they head to Georgia.
The Utes started their season by
defeating Arizona. Utah also holds a 2-1
edge over the Wolverines in regular-sea-
son competition, and will be entering the
competition with five returning All-
Americas.
"Competing at home will be a great
mental advantage for us," Plocki said. "It
will build confidence for going on the
road and having that same mental
advantage."
MARGARET MYERS/Daily
The Michigan gymnastics team will look for Jose "LaLo" Haro to turn in a strong per-
formance this weekend, as It hosts two top-S, Big Ten foes -- Iowa and Penn State.
Women's track to host Simmons Invite
Sprinters look forimprovement
By Kevin Rosenfield
Daily Sports Writer
While stiffer tests still await, the
Michigan women's track and field team has
wasted no time getting out of the starting
gate.
After a dominating performance in the
son-opening Michigan Open and an 82-
victory at rival Indiana, the Wolverines
hope to continue their impressive start this
weekend at the annual Red Simmons
Invitational.
Held at the U-M Track Building, the event
will test Michigan with a five-team regional
field consisting of Central Michigan,
Michigan State, Eastern Michigan, Western
Michigan and Notre Dame.
The Wolverines' strong start has quickly
sed expectations that now point toward
Big Ten title. While still singling out the
team for praise, Michigan coach James
Henry remains cautious about
quick start.
his team's
"I've been very pleased by our recent per-
formance, but I'm still far from being satis-
fied," Henry said. "We're making progress
toward a real balanced squad, but we've still
got a lot of work to do. There remains a
good deal of inconsistency that we need to
get ironed out in the upcoming weeks."
The Wolverines have been led the past
two meets by the versatility of Tania Longe,
and a talented distance group headed by
Katie McGregor and Elizabeth Kampfe.
Longe scored in three different events
against Indiana, winning the triple jump
with a leap of 40-1 1/2, finishing second in
the 55-meter hurdles (7.96), and earning
second again in the long jump (18-3 1/4).
Continuing her past success, McGregor
emerged victorious last week in the 800
(2:10.46) and the mile (4:49.81), both of
which were provisional qualifying times for
the NCAA Indoor Championships. Against
Indiana, Kampfe shaved almost a half-
minute off her previous personal-best, win-
ning the 3000 in an NCAA provisional qual-
ifying 9:39.67.
While these veterans may be leading the
team, Henry stressed the importance of a
freshman group that, in only two weeks of
collegiate competition, has already come
through with several stellar performances.
Tamika Craig earned a victory at Indiana in
the 400 (57.81), followed by fellow new-
comer Regine Caruthers (58.00). Freshman
Kenise Bocage also garnered a second-
place finish, completing the 55 in 7.04.
"We've got a solid core of veterans that
we're going to need to count on," Henry
said. "But we're also going to need the
freshmen to come through. I think they'll do
well for us."
By Josh Boddus
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan men's track team will take a
break from Big Ten points competition Saturday to
host four prominent Michigan teams and Notre
Dame at the Red Simmons Invitational.
The Wolverines are looking to rebound from a
heartbreaking loss last weekend at Indiana.
Although this meet will not count toward
Michigan's standing in the Big Ten, it will provide
valuable competition and experience for a sprint
team that has struggled in the early-going.
The distance team's "big three" -Kevin
Sullivan, John Mortimer and Jay Cantin - have
already earned NCAA bids, but the remaining
members of the distance squad are still looking to
do the same.
After his performance last weekend against
Indiana, sophomore Steve Lawrence is the next
distance runner expected to qualify for the
NCAAs.
Lawrence improved his time in the mile (4:13)
finishing fourth.
"Our practices are like races," Lawrence said.
"Twice this week we have run at race pace."
A key event for the distance runners will be the
3000-meter Invitational. This race will feature
Michigan's top distance runners, as well as several
All-Americas from Notre Dame and Michigan
State.
"I think this race will be very fast," Lawrence
said.
So far, the distance runners have earned most of
Michigan's points. But sprinter Kevin Bowman is
optimistic.
"I expect the sprint team to run its best these
upcoming weeks,' Bowman said.
Miler Kevin Sullivan offers this explanation for
the sprinters' struggles: "Hard workouts have not
allowed the sprinters to become race-sharp."
Lawrence said that the sprinters' work ethic has
improved immensely.
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