MEN'S NCAA
BASKETBALL
PENN STATE 75,
Georgia 70
MINNESOTA 73,
Marquette 71
NBA
BASKETBALL
Philadelphia 104,
DETROIT 96
MIAMI 94,
Minnesota 91
CHARLOTTE 111,
Utah 85
San Antonio 92,
MINNESOTA 76
NHL HOCKEY
Detroit 5.
TORONTO 2
PITTSBURGH 4,
Edmonton 2
NEW JERSEY 3,
Anaheim 0
WASHINGTON 1,
Carolina 0
fte£[igan ?&dtlg
The men's gymnastics team will host the Big Ten
Championships at Crisler Arena this weekend.
Competition will begin tomorrow at 7 p.m. and contin-
ue on Saturday, again at 7 p.m.
Thursday
March 19, 1998 1
NCAAs 'icing on the cake' for swimmers
By Uma Subramanian
Daily Sports Writer
In basketball, they call it "The Big Dance." In almost
every other sport, it's the highlight of the season, the cul-
mination of everything the athletes have worked for all
season long.
For the Michigan women's swimming and diving team,
however, this weekend's NCAA Championships in
Minneapolis are just "icing on the cake." The pinnacle of
the Wolverines' season was the Big Ten Championships,
where they brought home their 12th straight championship
trophy, said Michigan coach Jim Richardson.
----------------- -
This weekend's meet:
Who:Michigan women's
swimming and diving team -at
the NCAA Championships
Wet: Minneapolis
We~n: Today, tomorrow and
Saturday
Notables: Five seniors from this
year's undefeated Wolverine
squad - Talor lBendel, Kim
Johnson, Rachel Gustin, Ellen
Fraumann and Linda Riker -
will be swimming in their final.
meet for Michigan.Gustin and
Bendel were members of
Michigan'sNCAA Champion
400-yard medley team in 1995.
the beans."
"To be in this meet is a pret-
ty significant accomplish-
ment," Richardson said. "But,
it's really not a defining
moment. We proved we were
capable of swimming fast at
the Big Tens and all season
long.
"I think the defining
moment comes in October and
November when we start push-
ing our people to see just how
much we can get out of them.
The girls have all worked real-
ly hard. We'll just try to worry
about what we can control -
how we swim.
"Let the bean counters count
WARREN ZINN/DAILY
This year, the Wolverines have taken control of their sea-
son.
After a slow start, the team came alive in the second half
of the season and finished the year undefeated. While
Michigan's record is impressive, however, only 10 swim-
mers qualified 'for the NCAA
Championships.
The Michigan women's swimming team will compete today in Minneapolis at the NCAA Championships.
"We don't have the numbers to finish in the top few
places," Richardson
... .. . . t.. , .... ... . i,.., .
Among those 10 are five
seniors, all of whom will swim in
their final meet in Michigan suits
this weekend. Talor Bendel, Kim
Johnson, Rachel Gustin, Ellen
Fraumann and Linda Riker have
become a part of the Michigan
swimming legacy.
During their time here, they
have seen four (or in some cases
five, for those who took advan-
tage of an extra year of eligibility)
Big Ten championships, a second-
and a third-place finish at the
NCAA meet, and several individ-
ual championships.
This year the team is at a disad-
vantage because only 10 swim-
"To be in this meet is
a pretty significant
accomplishment. We
proved we were
capable of swimming
fast at the Big Tens
and all season long."
- Jim Richardson,
Michigan women's swimming coach
said. "So now the goal is for every
individual to have a strong race.
Hopefully we will produce a nation-
al championship."
Michigan does have one huge
advantage. All five of its relay
teams qualified for the meet. The
Wolverines' relay teams have long
been recognized as outstanding. The
1995 400-yard medley team won an
NCAA championship. In the past
few years, the Wolverines have con-
sistently finished in the top 10.
Two members of that 1995 cham-
pionship team remain - Gustin and
Bendel. Between the two of them,
Gustin is the biggest surprise. She
has recovered from shoulder surgery
to once again take her place among
the top swimmers in the country.
The 235 swimmers attending
swimming powerhouses like Georgia, Southern Cal,
Stanford and Texas.
The Bulldogs are the pre-event favorites because they
sport the largest championship team, with 17 swimmers in
the meet. Richardson said Southern Cal is also a strong
candidate to take home the crown.
"USC will be really tough," Richardson said. "They won
last year, and this year they are supposed to have an even
better team. But, in a meet like this it's always possible for
unexpected teams to pop up and make their mark."
Perhaps one of those teams will be Michigan. Even
though the team is small, the Wolverines are loaded with
talent.
They feature a former Olympian in Shannon
Shakespeare, a multiple Big Ten record holder in Jennie
Eberwein, and others who have seen great success as well:
But more importantly, all the swimmers have had national
exposure, including the three freshmen.
Regardless of what happens, Richardson says he is
pleased with his team's performance this year.
"It hasn't been a perfect year," Richardson said. "But
perfect years are so rare. We've really come together as a
team, and we've stepped up to another level. We'll see what
happens."
4
1
mers qualified
between 14-18
for the meet. Most contenders usually send NCAAs represent 50 teams, many of which are sending
swimmers. only one or two swimmers. In stark contrast are perennial
Catrabone, Lacure, Richardson and
j
Warren in Cleveland for NCAAs
S.
.
Moment of silence for Reese, others to precede
By Jordan Field
Daily Sports Writer
When the Michigan wrestling team trav-
els to Cleveland State University this week-
------------------------
This weekend's meet:
Who: Michigan at the NCAA
Championships
Where: Cleveland,.Ohio
When: Today, tomorrow and
Saturday
Competing Wolverines: The
Wolverines send four team
members to this year's field.
Seniors Jeff CatraboneBill
Lacure and Airron
Richardson, along with
sophomore Joe Warren, will
represent Michigan in this
weekend's event.
In remembrance: Before
competition begins today, a
moment of silence will be
observed for the recent deaths.
of college wrestlers, including
Michigan's Jefferey Reese.
end, it will be
coach Dale
Bahr's 20th time
leading the
Wolverine
troops into the
N C A A
Tournament. In
the past 19 vis-
its, Bahr has
seen 37 All-
Americans and
two wrestlers
earn NCAA
championships.
This year it
will be up to
three seniors -
Jeff Catrabone,
Bill Lacure and
A i r r o n
Richardson -
and a sopho-
honors in past trips along with Lacure, who
is making his third trip to the tournament.
For Warren, who was redshirted last sea-
son, this is his first trip to the tourney.
Catrabone has been named an All
American the past two seasons, while both
Richardson and Lacure earned All-
American honors two seasons ago, but were
ousted early in last year's tournament.
Before competition begins this morning,
a moment of silence will be observed for
the recent deaths of collegiate wrestlers,
including Michigan's Jefferey Reese. The
four Michigan wrestlers will be wearing
Reese's initials on their singlets throughout
the tournament.
In a field of 330 wrestlers, each of the
three Michigan seniors will be seeded
among the top four in their respective
weight classes.
Warren is considered a darkhorse in the
126 class, where he finished second in the
Big Ten tournament a week ago at Penn
State.
All four wrestlers have had opportunities
to face many of the top contenders in their
weight classes.
At heavyweight, Richardson holds the
best record against the 1998 NCAA quali-
fying field, posting a 21-9 mark. He has
wins over every single qualifier that he has
faced. ^
Thursday's competition
His toughest competition at the tourna-
mertt will likely come from No. I-seeded
Stephen Neal, from Bakersfield.
Richardson beat Neal two seasons ago, but
has gone 0-2 since their first meeting.
Richardson is current-
ly ranked second in
the nation behind
Neal among heavy-
weights.
Catrabone, who is
ranked fourth, holds a
15-13 record over the
NCAA field in the
167-pound weight
more - Joe Warren - to add to those num-
bers.
For Catrabone and Richardson, this is
FILE PHOTO their fourth trip to the NCAA tournament.
They have both earned All-American
'. ;1 class.
Lacure Both Lacure and
Warren have even
records against their respective fields.
Ranked fourth at 150, Lacure is 8-8, and at
126, No. 11 Warren is 5-5 against the field
this season.
In their previous trips to the NCAA tour-
nament, the highest finish by one of the
current seniors was the third-place perfor-
mance turned in by Catrabone last season.
If one of the Wolverines does return with
a national championship, it will be the first
for Michigan in 12 years.
Current Michigan assistant coach Kirk
Trost won the last title by a Wolverine ii§
1986.
,NT TO WORKIN'
1 iSTAFF A
Four Michigan wrestlers are In Cleveland for this weekend's NCAA Championships.
EAT-IN
IW1A DE TTAKE-OUT
CATERING
A III Usl.,.. Ca -sAnn ArMu.
- I
TR
unning OUt...