The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - February 23, 1998 - 7B
Wrestling gains confidence
boost with win over Indiana
By Evan Braunstein
Daily Sports Writer
The schedule-makers had this one planned out.
After disappointing losses to Purdue and Minnesota,
*the No. 14 Michigan wrestling team was in need of a
confidence boost. Conveniently, the Wolverines hosted
Indiana in their last home game of the season Friday
night. The Wolverines (4-4 Big Ten, 7-9 overall) disman-
tled the Hoosiers, who have just one conference victory
this season, by a score of 28-9.
Indiana boasts only just ranked wrestler in its lineup -
Mike Powell, who is seventh at 167 pounds. He suffered
multiple concussions recently and was unable to wrestle.
Even with Powell, though, the Hoosiers would have been
hard-pressed to overtake the Wolverines. Without him,
they simply were out-matched.
"Winning here tonight was a great boost for this team,"
captain Jeff Catrabone said. "I just hope we can keep up
the intensity going into the Big Ten Tournament."
Joe Warren and Damion Logan gave the Wolverines an
11-3 lead with victories at 126 and 134 pounds, respec-
tively.
The two wrestlers have come on strong late in the sea-
son to solidify the team's lower weight classes. Warren
notched a 24-9 technical fall over Brian Smiley, while
Logan obtained his seventh-straight victory by pinning
ames Torres at 2:44 in the first period.
"I thought Joe and Damion looked really good,"
Michigan coach Dale Bahr said. "Both of them are very
aggressive wrestlers. Damion is looking better than any-
body on our team right now. He was definitely the out-
standing wrestler of this match."
Another highlight. for the Wolverines came at 158
pounds, as redshirt freshman Jason Rawls won his first
dual-meet match of the season. The score was tied at two
in the third period when Rawls scored a takedown. He
managed to prevent Jeff Weber from escaping long
enough to erase Weber's riding-time advantage and
secure a 4-3 victory.
"It felt good to win," Rawls said. "I was getting kind of
discouraged because I kept losing, but my coaches kept
encouraging me."
Bahr sounded almost more pleased about the victory
than Rawls did.
"He has been struggling all year," Bahr said. "It was
nice for him to get the win. When he got the lead, it was
as if he said 'I'm going to get this one. I'm not going to
let it slip away on me."'
Jeff Catrabone, Joe DeGain and Airron Richardson
also won to clinch the victory for the Wolverines.
DeGain's victory eliminated any possibility of an
Indiana comeback by putting the Wolverines up 18 points
with just two matches remaining. DeGain has struggled
this season, but has been wrestling with more confidence
in the past two weeks.
"I think he reached a turning point in the Michigan
State match," Bahr said. "He lost a close match there that
he could have won, and it cost us the dual meet. He is
less apprehensive with his shots now, and he has more
determination."
Despite the win, this match capped a disappointing
dual-meet season for the Wolverines. They were ranked
fourth in the nation at the start of the season and finished
14th. The turmoil caused by the death of teammate
Jefferey Reese and injuries to starters Bill Lacure and
Teya Hill contributed to the team's struggles this year.
The Wolverines hope to regain their preseason status
with a strong showing at the Big Ten Tournament on
March 7-8.
"I'm happy with where the team is right now," Bahr
said. "Give us another week of practicing and condition-
ing, and we'll be ready for the Big Tens."
FILE PHOTO
The Michigan wrestling team was in desperate need of a victory after two losses against Big Ten rivals Purdue and
Minnesota. Luckily for the Wolverines, cellar-dweller indiana came to town to give them just the lift they needed.
'M' tumblers roll to second win in a row
FILE PHOTO
It was California Dreamin' for the Michigan softball team in a recent West
Coast swing, as it won four games.
Softball goes 4-1 i n
an Diego games
By Mark FrancescutU
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan softball team traveled to San Diego on Friday, but El Niio halt-
ed its games at the CaaipbelilCartier Classic temporarily.
Rain delayed the start to the 1998 season, but play began after a few hours.
Through the end of Saturday's competition, the Wolverines finished with a 4-
1 record and a three-way tie for second place.
In the final Saturday game, host team San Diego State tried its best to come
back from a 9-3 deficit after five innings, but fell just shy in six innings, 9-7.
Senior Sara Griffin earned her second-straight victory, while the high-powered
Michigan offense totaled 10 hits.
In other Saturday games, Michigan pummeled Santa Clara, 8-0, with the help
of a five-run fifth inning. Sophomore Jamie Gillies evened up her record at 1- I
with a one-hit shutout.
And in their first meeting against Louisiana State in NCAA history, the
Wolverines squeezed out a 3-2 victory.
Cathy Davis and Traci Conrad each doubled as the Wolverines racked up I1I
hits on Louisiana State pitchers. Michigan freshman Kim Bugel went 3-for-3 in
the game.
Freshman Marie Barda earned her first career win, allowing just four hits.
Michigan began the tournament Friday against two ranked opponents - No.
17 UCLA and No. 14 Long Beach State.
The spoilers of Michigan's season at last year's World Series, UCLA could not
muster enough offense against Michigan in the Bruins' 3-1 loss. Griffin held the
Bruins to two hits in seven innings, and Davis hit a three-run home run.
In the second game on Friday, Michigan tied the game at 3-3, but Long Beach
State scored three runs in the sixth to put away the Wolverines 6-3. Michigan
sophomore Melissa Gentile singled and scored a run in the loss.
By David DenHerder
Daily Sports Writer
The ball is officially rolling.
And for the Michigan men's gym-
nastics team, it's not a moment too
soon.
After a landmark victory over
Minnesota just one week ago, the
Wolverines continued their winning
ways Saturday with another record-
high team score and a victory at No.
12 Illinois-Chicago, 227.35-224.
The win represents the second vic-
tory for Michigan's men gymnasts in
as many years, and excitement about
the possibility of qualifying for the
NCAA Team Regional this April is
beginning to grow.
"You know, it's funny," Michigan
assistant coach Mike Burns said.
"You'll be sitting back thinking,
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'We're not having a good meet,' and
then we'll come out of the thing with
a school record."
Along with the team score,
Michigan (1-4 Big Ten, 2-4 overall)
set a school record on the still rings
(38.05) and ended the meet with
another school record on the parallel
bars (38.9).
"We had some problems here and
there, but finished in just outstanding
fashion," Burns said.
Outstanding indeed, as freshman
Justin Toman led a pack of four
Wolverines who scored 9.6 or better
on the parallel bars. Toman, who
underwent total reconstructive knee
surgery last March, landed a 9.85, top-
ping last week's national rankings in
the event.
"That was the most incredible rou-
tine I've seen all year," Burns said.
"He stuck (the dismount) into the
ground like a land-dart. We were all
just jumping up and down like a bunch
of yahoos."
The performance on bars concluded
an impressive day for Toman, who
also notched personal bests on the
floor exercise and pommel horse.
Clinching the all-around competi-
tion for Michigan was freshman Kevin
Roulston, with a personal best of
57.45. In the process, Roulston also
won the floor exercise with a 9.75.
On still rings, school records
weren't just limited to team totals.
After his fall on the rings last week
had the crowd holding its breath,
freshman Kenny Keener came back
strong Saturday and broke the individ-
ual school record with a 9.75.
Michigan finished the meet with a
65-percent hit-miss ratio, but most of
the misses, or falls, were dispersed
throughout the competition. Since
the team can throw out the bottom
two scores of each event, the rela-
tively low hit ratio had little effect on
the overall score.
"We were able to spread the misses
out over a few events," Burns said.
NCAA regional qualification is
based on the average of three scores
throughout the season. Of the six
teams that qualified for the NCAA
East Regional last year, the lowest
average score was 227.05.
With its performance of 227.35 on
Saturday, Michigan looks as if it may
be ready to rise to the occasion.
"The guys are really putting it
together," Burns said.
I '
University of Michigan Department of Recreational Sports
1998
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