6B - The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - March 23, 1998 Experts discuss fast times SWIMMING By Uma Subramanian 'Daily Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS - The swimming world will remember this past weekend for a long time. Many races were the fastest of all time. The question is: Why? There were a variety of ---..----.....--.---. opinions on the subject as experts weighed in ... Michigan sophomore and Notebook former Canadian Olympian ----------------- Shannon Shakespeare: "I think the great thing about the NCAAs is the depth of the competitors. At an event like the Olympic games, there are only two of the top competitors from any one country. An envi- ronment like this raises the caliber of the competi- tion. Everyone is motivated to swim really fast." Olympic gold medalist (1984) and NBC women's swimming commentator Mary Wayte Bradburne: "The reason this meet is so fast is because the pool of talent is amazing. It's a pool of athletes who are former or future Olympians." THE END OF AN ERA: On Saturday, Michigan seniors Talor Bendel, Ellen Fraumann, and Kim Johnson swam in their last meet in Michigan suits. "It's really sad," Bendel said. "I didn't think I'd feel it so much, but this is a really great way to fin- ish out my career. It was an amazing meet - the fastest ever. I can't ask for much more than that. I feel like I was the best that I've been in two years, so it was exciting to end it that way." Two IS TWICE AS NICE AS ONE: On Friday night, Bendel and Shakespeare tied for second place in the finals of the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:46.58. Junior Jennie Eberwein finished fifth. "If you're going to have to tie with someone, it's great that it's a teammate and a friend," Bendel said. "It was also exciting that it was someone as distin- guished as Shannon." AND THAT'S THE Ivy LEAGUE: Columbia sopho- more Cristina Teuscher became the first woman from the Ivy League ever to win an NCAA title. Actually, she won two - the 400 IM and the 500 free. But Teuscher, an Olympic gold medalist, passed up the opportunity to add to her trophy case on Saturday. Instead, she chose to return to New York on Friday to study for an exam. AP PHOTO The hottest topic of discussion at the NCAA women's swimming championship was the fast times. Experts from all areas of the swimming world conicuded that competition made the difference. The grace of chamPnsheip swimmiRng bings respeCt SWIMMING Continued from Page IS apart from most swimmers, her perfor mance during the final day of the mee was even more remarkable. She cap tured the 200 backstroke and 200 fl within 40 minutes of each other - set ting pool records in both events to boot "I was pleasantly surprised with th outcome," Hyman said. "I was excite for my first NCAAs but I didn't ex4 anything like this." While the Wolverines didn't captun any titles, they did receive two second place finishes. Oddly enough, the two Michiga swimmers who were runners-up - senior Talor Bendel and sophomor Shannon Shakespeare - finished sec ond in the same event. They finishe behind Southern Methodist's Martin Moracova in the 200 freestyle with time of 1:46.58. 6 "It's - great for Michigan, Shakespeare said. "It's great to have the kind of competitiveness on a team. It's strange thing that happened, but yo' know that you are competing with th best." The best were certainly on display the meet this weekend, as six NCAi and 12 pool records were set over th three days of competition. "It's fast isn't it?" Richardson sail the meet. "This meet has really taken huge step forward. Just to say that yo are one of the 235 swimmers here is major, major accomplishment." Along with getting to the mee Michigan provided a rare feat, as junic Jennie Eberwein finished fifth in th 200 free. Grouped with Bendel an Shakespeare, the Wolverines grabbe three of the top five places in the ev Michigan was the only team to entc three swimmers in the championshi heat of any event. "Its great to have three people fror the same team in a final period, Shakespeare said. "I don't know we've ever done it before, but it's a gre accomplishment." Eberwein led the way for th Wolverines, tying for fourth-place in th 50 free and in fifth in the 100 andi free. Michigan exerted its strength i freestyle races throughout the weeken The Wolverines came in second in th 200 free relay and fifth in the 400 an 800 free relays. Along with a seventh-place finish b Shakespeare in the 100 and a 16th-plac finish by senior Linda Riker in the 50( Michigan piled on points in thl freestyle. "We had six people competing i4 100 and 200 free, so we definitely has the most depth in those two events Eberwein said. By Uma Subramanian Daily Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS - Last weekend's NCAA women's swimming and diving championships was arguably the fastest women's meet ever. It was a weekend when records came and went like the ris- ing and setting sun. But that was expected from a meet featuring for- mer Olympians. With at least seven of the fastest races in history, how could it--------- not have been? While the racesS were great, they weren't the Swimming most memorable aspect. Commentary What will always stand out--..---------- was the sensation of standing by the pool watching some of the world's greatest athletes swim their hearts out. It was a thrilling experience. Something so pure inevitably leads to goose- bumps. There was purity in the spirit and cama- raderie that each individual athlete showed. Regardless of whether Michigan stood on the podi- um or not, it still was gratifying to watch success. Athletics are often overshadowed by big con- tracts or even bigger egos. At those times the purity of the sports are lost. But that's not what matters. Sports are trulyone of the most unifying things known to man. But how can sports be unifying when there are people out there willing to fight over opposing teams? Michigan women's swimming coach Jim Richardson answered that question. It all lies in the definition of sports. "Football, baseball, hockey, those are games," Richardson said. "Swimming is a sport." In sports, there is a sense of respect. This became blatantly obvious at last weekend's meet. Regardless of where a swimmer placed, she still acknowledged the talent of her competition. "It just feels great to be part of something like this," Michigan junior Jennie Eberwein said after swimming some of her best times ever. "I'm really happy to see what I can do and to have the support of my teammates" When Eberwein mentioned support, she touched on a recurring theme that surfaced in almost all of the post-event interviews. That support came in many forms - from a swimmer's teammates, to her family, even from the competing swimmers who were excited when she set new records. For example, Cristina Teuscher was the lone rep- resentative from her school. Though she was alone when she swam the second-fastest time ever in the 500 freestyle, there were cheers from everyone. "It was so sweet," Teuscher said. "Some swim- mers from Nebraska saw me sitting by myself and told me to conic sit with them." It's hard to imagine that happening in "a game" That's the purity in something like swimming. People working together, supporting each other, and pushing one another toward a common goal - to swim fast. Michigan senior Talor Bendel was emo- tional after swimming in her final meet. "1 will really miss the team," Bendel said. "I think the most important thing they should realize is that they have each other. While only 10 of us came to this meet, there are so many more people back at home cheering for us and really pulling for us:' Those are the elements of sports that came sharply into focus at the 1998 NCAA Championships. ANDY KING/Special to the Daily Amid the splash of the pool, Linda Riker and the Michigan women's swimming team finished seventh at the NCAA Championship after winning the Big Ten Championship. Michigan's seventh-place finish was expected as it was seeded seventh entering the meet. K.'X PRINTING LOWEST PRICES! HIGHEST QUALITY! FASTEST SERVICE! * 1002 PONTIAC TR. U ® 994-1367 g /1 _ O ® ® Making a Splash The women's swimming team placed seventh at the NCAA Championships this weekend in Minneapolis. Here are Michigan's top results from the sea-_ son's climax. 200-yard freestyle 2. Shannon Shakespeare, 1:46.58 2. Talor Bendel, 1:46.58 5. Jen Eberwein, 1:46.67 200 freestyle relay 2. Michigan (Eberwein, Bendel, Crisman, Shakespeare), 1:29.89 100 free 5. Eberwein, :49,25 7. Shakespeare, :49.67 50 free 4. Eberwein, :22.43 800 free relay 5. Michigan (Eberwein, Shakespeare, Sugar, Bendel), 7:13.01 400 free relay 5. Michigan (Eberwein, Shakespeare, Crisman, Bendel), 3:18.68 lit. announces the arrival of the 1997-98 University of Michigan $alary $upplenent! WHO: All interested persons.. WHAM Salary Supplement WHEN: Now!! (8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.) until they're gone! WHERE: 420 Maynard, 2nd fIoor WHY: Because people wantd t Inow! And the cost is the same as last year: ONLY $6.00! hanl.ingfo maid. Mastercard, Visa, or cash sales only! Sorry, no checks. So come on in...or better yet, use the convenient mail-order form below! [Qa cr ir rma re. sMN.i n r EblWIr*#C STUDY IN AS dl h . I i