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...