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. Thinking about Your Career? So Are We. We're The NPD Group, Inc. NPD has helped make the future of these companies bright. We can do the same for your future!! * One of the top 10 market research companies in the U.S. " Our Double-Digit growth rate means opportunities for you! " NPD, on the cutting edge of market research, uses state-of-the-art technology and systems to succeed. We are looking for new talent to join our team of experts at our Long Island (NY), Chicago, and Cincinnati locations. 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