The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, February 16, 1998 - 7B
Laskowski, Zawacki lead Michigan OpenV
By Jacob R. Wheeler
Daily Sports Writer
If only the concessions stand at Canham
Natatorium sold cotton candy, this past weekend's
Michigan Open could have passed for a circus.
Hundreds of kids - some as young as 10 years
old - crowded the lobby and the sides of the pool,
awaiting their chance to swim competitively against
a few of the world's best.
But Michigan's best men's swimmers were
nowhere to be found. The likes of Tom Malchow and
Derya Buyukuncu didn't compete in the Michigan
Open because they had already registered Big Ten-
Championship qualifying times earlier in the season.
In fact, only two Wolverines raced in the weekend-
long tournament: senior Chris Laskowski and
sophomore Jay Zawacki. Zawacki placed second in
the 200- meter freestyle preliminary round on
Saturday, and Laskowski won the 200 individual
medley by nearly five seconds during yesterday's
preliminary.
"The only reason they swam was to get times tr
the Big Tens," Michigan assistant coach trie
Namesnik said. "There weren't really any expecta-
tions, there was no pressure. They were only legal
swims to get entry times, because Laskowski and
Zawacki haven't swam these events all year."
Despite placing well enough in their respective
races, neither one swam in the evening finals
because the looming Big Ten Championships gross-
ly overshadow the Michigan Open. In two weeks, the
Wolverines will shoot for their 1 Ith conference title
in 12 years, and they'll need all the rest they can get.
"Laskowski's was just an easy Sunday morning
swim without a lot of pressure," Namesnik said.
"Now, it's back to bed."
Few of the Wolverines even came to watch their
teammates compete - much to the disappointment
of the kids who wanted to meet their heroes.
Scott Tanner, a 13-year-old native of Cincinnati,
swam in six events over the weekend. But he didn't
get to meet Malchow, one of his idols.
"It's really cool to be here,'' Tanner said. "I plan on
swiIming in coliee someday and it would be nioe
to go to Mi1higan."
Despite the absence of the more notable
Wolverines. many kids were just thrilled to compete
in the cathedral-like Canliam Natatorium, where
swimmers like Olympie medalist Tom Dolan hyve
left their mark.
"I guess it's an honor to swim here," 16-year-old
M.. Garberson said. "You look up at the scoreboard
and see all those times and it feels good." 1
Laskowski knows what kind of role big-time , l=
lege athletes play in the minds of younger kids. Fyepi
though he's not a household name in college swir)
Ting, the co-captain is happy to make an impression
on today's youth.
"I know what it's like," Laskowski said. "I'm fror
Seattle, and when I was younger, I used to go -see
college meets at the University of Washington.
"The one thing I hope is that these kids seeme
still swimming at 21, and they stick with the spopq"'
MARGARET MYERS/Daily
e Wolverines are relaxing their practice load in preparation for the Big Ten champi-
ships in two weeks. Michigan has won the Big Ten 11of the last 12 years.
M' trio swim women's Open
By T.J. Berka
Daily Sports Writer
With the Big Ten championships rapidly
approaching, most of the Michigan women's
vinming and diving members found themselves
taking a long-awaited break this weekend.
For three Michigan swimmers, however, this
past weekend was not one for rest. It was business
as usual for junior Tanya Wenzel, sophomore Amy
Fritsch and freshman Laura Sadler, all of whom
swam at the Michigan Open.
The fact that there were only three Wolverines
swimming there, however, it didn't mean the
Open wasn't a heavily-attended meet.
With over than 100 high school and junior high
im clubs from Ohio, Indiana and Michigan pre-
nt at Canham Natatorium, the pool was over-
flowing with swimmers. With that amount of par-
ticipation, the Open was easily the longest the
Wolverines have participated in this year.
"The meet ran really long," Michigan coach Jim
Richardson said. "There were swimmers running
around all over the place."
Unfortunately for the participating Wolverines,
many of the younger swimmers finished with bet-
ter times than the veteran Michigan swimmers.
Sadler finished the highest of the three, taking
Third in the 100 breaststroke and making the con-
solation round of the
freestyle.
100 butterfly and 100
Fritsch and Wenzel weren't as active as Sadler.
They competed only in the morning preliminaries
on Friday and Saturday.
Fritsch swam in the 50 free, 100 free and 100
backstroke, while Wenzel took part in the 200
free, 200 individual medley and 200 fly.
The meet was pretty insignificant for the team's
preparation for Big Tens because the three swim-
mers aren't expected to make much of an impact.
The meet, however, was invaluable to their confi-
dence and preparation for next season and gives
the swimmers an idea of what they have to work
on in the offseason.
"This was an opportunity for swimmers to take
a swim at the end of the season and try to match
it with swims they had during the season,"
Richardson said.
The Michigan Open was also valuable to the
team's future in a totally different way, as
Richardson got a firsthand look at high school
prospects and potential future Michigan swim-
ming recruits.
While many of the top high school juniors and
seniors in the area were not present this weekend,
Richardson had his eye on possible top prospects
in the junior high and early-high school levels.
SNYDER
Continued from Page IS
is treated like royalty and welcomed into
campus arenas with open arms, despite
having withdrawn from the school to
pursue his dream of being a human Van
Gogh. At Michigan, alumni must settle
for such menial positions as President of
the United States and astronaut,
For Michigan fans, preparation for the
upcoming onslaught by Spirit is essen-
tial. The topic of this deranged adult will
be thrust forward this week with reckless
abandon.
With tomorrow night's Michigan-
Michigan State men's basketball game at
the Breslin Center and back-to-back
hockey games next weekend at Munn
Ice Arena and Joe Louis Arena,
Wolverine-Spartan hatred should
approach a feverish pitch.
As fascinating as he may appear from
a distance, the man who wears only a
biker's cap and an ancient pair of Spartan
boxer shorts is a sad comment on devo-
tion.
His bed, a slice of cement at the base
of the legendary Sparty statue in the cen-
ter of campus, is a testament to his lack
of consideration for heat, not his will to
support the teams.
His body, permanently stained from
years of the same green-and-white paint-
ed brushstrokes, only requires a touch-
up job before he bikes off to the game. If
he ever decides to depart this elegant
profession and search for a job, the inter-
viewer is sure to question why he looks
like a ripe green pepper. x
But we must remember why Spirit is
cheering and what this week means, not
only to him but to Michigan fans as wml.
The games are vital for both team$:in
both sports, with first place on the linei
each,
Families feud and friendships divide
when the schools square off, and yet,
these are games for which non-tradition
al storylines already exist.
Fans will flock to Munn as Chad
Alban and Marty Turco do their best to
avoid starting an all-too-rare goalie
fight, which nearly came to fruition last
season. With the Spartans seeking their
third consecutive victory over
Berenson's boys, there is no doubt tem-
pers will be flaring.
On the hardwood, all eyes will focus
on Michigan State point guard Mateen
Cleaves, whose link to, the Michigan
basketball program is inexplicable. For
the forgetful fan, the soon-to-be Big Ten
most valuable player tossed and turned
in Maurice Taylor's joyride two years
ago Saturday, before choosing Michigan
State over his gracious Michigan hosts.
With all these games to watch and an
opposing school to despise, the 63-mile
commute to East Lansing should hardly
be a factor for the true Michigan fan.
Besides, for the price of a ticket, who
can pass up the chance to give Johnny
Spirit a dose of his own medicine?
-- Mark Snyder can be reached via e-
mail at msnyder~jumnich.e l
MARGARET MYERS/Daily
Shannon Shakespeare was relaxing at home instead of
swimming in the Michigan Open, but she hopes to lead
the Wolverines to a 12th-consecutive Big Ten crown.
The Open has been a valuable tool for recruiting
in the past.
"Lots of kids who come to our summer camps
come here for this meet," Richardson said. "This
meet is a good indicator of who we will recruit in
the future."
r
Spartans keep ahead of the conference pack
EAST LANSING (AP) - Michigan
State needed somebody to step up
offensively in the second half against
Minnesota. Jason Klein was ready.
"Jason answered the bell," said
artan coach Tom Izzo after Klein
scored Michigan State's first I1 points
of the second half to lead the 13-ranked
Spartans to a 71-59 victory that enabled
them to reclaim sole possession of first
place in the Big Ten.
. Klein finished with 19 points, includ-
ing a career-high five 3-pointers in
eight attempts.
Charlie Bell had 12 points for
*chigan State (11-2 Big Ten, 18-5
overall), while Antonio Smith and
buJuan Wiley added I I apiece.
Mateen Cleaves barely missed a
triple-double, as he had a school-record
nine steals to go with nine points and 10
assists.
; Minnesota came into the game with
consecutive victories against Michigan
and Iowa, while Michigan State was
hoping to bounce back from Thursday's
foss to Illinois, which dropped the
Oartans into a first-place tie with the
Illini.
Jacobson, who hit his first six shots
but missed his next eight, led
Minnesota (4-9, 11-13) with 17 points.
The victory was the ninth in 10
games for Michigan State and was the
prtans' eighth win in a row at home.
PURDUE 75, ILLINOIS 72
Six of the previous seven times
Purdue and Illinois met on the court, the
visitor came out victorious.
Purdue (10-2, 22-4) was led by Chad
Austin's 26 points, including a 3-point-
er with 41 seconds remaining that gave
the Boilermakers a 74-70 lead.
Brad Miller, who made his only field
goal attempt in the first half, finished
with 16 points and eight rebounds.
Mike Robinson, starting for the
injured Jaraan Cornell, added 12 points
and Brian Cardinal, whose father is the
Illinois team trainer, finished with 10.
Jerry Hester paced Illinois (10-3, 18-
8) with 27 points. Hester nearly sent the
contest into overtime, missing a long 3-
point attempt at the buzzer.
IowA 82, OHIO STATE 70
Kent McCausland scored 16 points
Saturday and five other Hawkeyes were
in double figures as Iowa downed Ohio
State 82-70 to snap a four-game losing
streak at home and extend the
Buckeyes' skid to 14.
The Hawkeyes (6-6, 17-8), who had
dropped six of their previous seven con-
tests, earned their first victory at
Carver-Hawkeye Arena since a 91-57
triumph over Northwestern on Jan. 3. A
loss would have made Iowa the first
team in the program's 96-year history to
drop five consecutive home games.
Iowa beat the Buckeyes (0-1 1, 7-17)
for the ninth straight time as Ryan
Bowen scored 15 points and grabbed 13
rebounds. Ricky Davis finished with 13
points, as did Kyle Galloway, who made
his first start. Dean Oliver had 12 points
for Iowa while Ryan Luehrsmann had
10.
Michael Redd, the most prolific
freshman scorer in OSU history, led the
Buckeyes with 23 points, although he
hit just 9 of 26 shots and missed 6 of 7
3-point shots.
Jon Sanderson finished with 21
points and Jason Singleton had I1 for
the Buckeyes, who dropped their 14th
straight game and sustained their 17th
consecutive conference defeat going
back to last season.
PENN STATE 75, WiscoNsIN 69
Titus Ivory scored 16 points and
Penn State hit 14 of 17 free throws in
the closing minutes to beat Wisconsin,
75-69 on Saturday night.
The Nittany Lions (5-6, 12-9) led 71-
69 with less than 15 seconds remaining
when Calvin Booth missed two free
throws.
Wisconsin's Sean Mason grabbed the
rebound, but Ivory knocked it loose and
was fouled.
Ivory hit both free throws to seal the
victory.
Mason led the Badgers (3-10, 10-15)
with 30 points. Sean Daugherty added
17 and nine rebounds.
Big Ten Standings
Team Conf. Overall
Michigan State 11-2 18.5
Purdue 10-2 22-4
Illinois 10-3 18-8
Michigan 84 18-7
Indiana 8-4 17-7
Iowa 66 17-8
Penn State 5-6 12-9
Minnesota 4-9 11-13
Wisconsin 3-10 10-15
Northwestern 2-10 8-14
Ohio State 0-11 7-17
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