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 You want coverage in the Daily? 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