The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, November 24, 1998 - I I

Warhurst is th
ood cross co
By Chris Duprey
D Sports Writer
AWRENCE, Kan. - It's safe to say that
after 25 years as coach of the Michigan men's
cross country team, Ron Warhurst knows what
he's doing.
In his silver anniversary season, Warhurst led
a team that lacked depth - aside from its top
five - to a Big Ten title
and a fourth-place finish
at the NCAA CrOSS country
Championships. COnmelry
When the 1998 season -____-_____-
b an, Warhurst hoped
t Michigan fans would become accustomed
to seeing the same scoring lineup every meet
- John Mortimer, Todd Snyder, Steve
Lawrence, Jay Cantin and Don McLaughlin. If
one of his top five got injured, Michigan's goal
of a top-five NCAA finish would be in serious
jeopardy.
But things didn't completely go according to
plan for the Wolverines.
John Mortimer, who was expected to lead the
t1, both on the course and off of it, developed
p n in his leg which began to hobble his per-
formance.
The classy Mortimer refused to use his
injury as an excuse for his third-place finish at
the Big Ten championships Nov. 1, but it defi-
nitely affected his race. Anticipating that
Michigan would earn a berth in NCAAs,
Warhurst and Mortimer decided the senior
RAJU
CWINUmd from Page 31
I entered the Lahaina Civic Center and
heard the loudest Michigan crowd that
the Wolverines will have all season.
Much louder than the quiet purr of
Crisler Arena.
The Center was small, the size of a
medium-sized high school gym, but the
crowd was close to the action. And the
scoreboard showed that Michigan was
1 ding going into the second half.
'Iith the scenery from the beach, the
crowd at the game and then seeing the
Wolverines finish a 'gutsy game,' like
coach Brian Ellerbe said, there is only
one thing to do - move the team out to
Hawai'i.
Away from the Mainland, the
Wolverines played great against
Clemson - hitting big shots, making a
defensive statement and bearing down
in the clutch.
,dear Editor, that's what I say. The
verines might as well move out here.
Even if they don't, one thing's for sure
, I'm not coming back.
But I'll be there for the entire second
game later today - maybe.
Sharat Raju can be reached at the Iowa coac
beach or via e-mail at heacoac
sraju@umich.edu.
fters look to
find paradise
in Minnesota
Oft. burka
D y sports Writer
The Michigan football and men's basketball team
hula down in Hawai'i and eat roast pig. The women's'
ball team gets to enjoy a siesta in Cancun and the par;

at Seiior Frog's. The Michigan hockey team, howev
everyone beat.
It's going to Minnesota.
While Jesse "The Mind" Ventura won't greet the Wol
with leis - or be wearing a grass skirt, for that matter
al ugh the Twin Cities aren't known for foam pal
t la shots, Minnesota is the place to be if yoi
Michigan hockey player. The Wolverines will begin t
College Hockey Showcase there against the Golden (
on Friday.
"We will have Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow here
Arbor and leave Thursday morning;" Michigan coat
Berenson said. "We'll have a team dinner Thursday eve;
well."
While most players aren't going to be home for the
one Michigan player will be.
Forward Josh Langfeld, who hails from the Minn
s b of Coon Rapids, will have plenty of friends anc
ch hng him on in the Mariucci Center Friday night.
"There are about 30 people coming to the game," LE
said. "A bunch of my family and friends are going to be
Although the Mariucci Center will be besiel
Langfelds, the hockey game might be the only time the,
see their favorite Wolverine.
"I don't think that I'm going to be allowed to lez
hotel," Langfeld said. "Hopefully I'll be able to get out
time, but I have to stay focused for the game.'
The Wolverines will have to focus on Minnesota's
aTtiucci Center also has an Olympic-sized rink th
f wider than the Yost Ice Arena surface, putting pres.
the Michigan defensemen to check the Gophers hard.
"We need to play well defensively in the big rink," Be
said. "We played pretty well on a big rink at Fairban
think we should be up to the task."
After spending Thanksgiving in the land of 10,000 Ia
Wolverines head to the land of cheese and beer this upc

ie reason for
untry season
would sit out the district meet Nov. 14 to try to
recuperate.
The rest of the Wolverines did their part at
districts to guarantee Mortimer one final race,
taking second place and gaining an automatic
bid to nationals, but they couldn't write the
happy farewell that Mortimer would have
hoped for.
A healthy Mortimer would have been a
favorite to win yesterday's race, but his natural
ability just couldn't make up for the lost train-
ing miles.
Warhurst had a backup plan anyway.
Mortimer's durability, even in the face of an
injury, was a bonus. But just in case his return
didn't work out as expected, Warhurst was
ready.,
All season long, he'd been grooming
Mortimer's replacements. Even if they weren't
needed to score points this year, surely they
would contribute in 1999, after graduation
takes three of Michigan's top five runners.
Gradually, unknown talents such as freshman
Mark Pilja and Chris Bunt came to the fore-
front. Someday, Pilja, Bunt and sophomore
Mike Wisniewski will be ready to lead the
Michigan cross country program, thanks to
Warhurst's experience and foresight.
Success breeds success. Wise decisions now
provide security for the future. Warhurst has
mastered these lessons, and Michigan has
vaulted to national prominence because of it.
Here's to another 25, coach.

MAUI
Continued from Page U
C"..
Clemson managed to cut the deficit to three points. but a lst-
second 3-point attempt went off the front iron. Once i ws
over, all anyone wanted to talkabout wasBullock'e
half performance.
-."He played a terrific game, and I wish I couli have admired
it as a fan Clemson coach Larry Shvatt said. "Butock re-
F r v ly caught my eye in the second half - it was a tremendous
individual effort."
Michigan's win was especially impressive considering te
absence of an inside game - and it was even more absent
than usual. Josh Asselin fouled out with more than 12 minutes
left in the game, and Peter Vignier. despite sconnei
points and grabbing five boards, was plagued by foul trouble
as well - he picked up his fourth personal with about 13 mi-
utes remaining.
Reid scored 14 points for Michigan, and C'iemson wis
paced by forward Tom Wideman, who tallied 14. Guard
Terrell McIntyre, who entered the contest averaging more
than 22 points per game, was held to just seven points on 2-
of-I 1 shooting. But Bullock was the story.
"In the second half, I just tried to be really aggressive,
Bullock said. "It got me into a rhythm, and I was able to knock
down some shots."
The Wolverines surged to an early lead, and when Leoi
Jones found Robbie Reid behind the Clemson defense fbr-a
layup, they had their biggest lead of the game, at 18-, with
10 minutes left in the half.
But Michigan struggled for the rest of the first half Aflcr
Reid's bucket, the Wolverines scored just two points on
two Josh Asselin free throws - until the final play of the
\ half
Clemson closed to within 20-19 with two minutes le t i
the half, then took the lead less than a minute later. With 20
seconds to play, senior guard Johnny Miller picked off a
GRAHAM K JOHNSON/University Daily Kansan and took it the length of the floor for a layup.
Todd Snyder, as well most of Michigan's men's cross country athletes over the Jones answered with a 3-pointer from the left baseline with
past 25 years, has been coached by Ron Warhurst. Many credit Michigan's suc- less than a second left, and the Wolverines went into the ha
cess through the years to his coaching abilities. trailing 24-23.
Fysteps down after 20 ears

IOWA CITY (AP) - Hayden Fry,
who turned a woeful Iowa football
program into a three-time Rose Bowl
participant, bid a tearful farewell yes-
terday after 20 seasons as the
Hawkeyes' coach.
Fry said that as difficult as the
decision was, the timing was right for
him to retire. He ended a 37-year
head coaching career that encom-
passed 420 games at three schools
and produced 232 victories and 17
bowl appearances.
"It's kind of hard to do," said an
emotional Fry, 69. "All the people
that gave me an opportunity to spend
20 years as a member of the Hawkeye
family, I could never repay them."
Fry was the winningest coach in
Iowa history, but his teams had trou-
ble staying with the Big Ten powers in
the 1990s after winning three confer-
ence championships from 1981 to
1990.
This season's 3-8 finish was the
worst in his 20 years at Iowa. But Fry
said it gave him the opportunity to
step down because the season won't

extend through a December bowl trip.
"Selfishly, it's not the right time for
me," Fry said. "I'd rather have gone
out with a real good season and all
that good stuff coaches like to talk
about. But I truly love the University
of Iowa, I truly love the state of Iowa.
I'll always be a Hawk."
Fry said he had considered quitting
two years ago, but stayed out of con-
cern for the futures of his assistants
and the effect it would have had on
recruiting. A bowl game at the end of
the 1997 season discouraged him
from quitting then for similar rea-
sons.
"I really felt like we could have a
good year," said Fry, his voice falter-
ing at times as he wiped tears away
with a handkerchief. "I've always
been an optimist, but I never dreamed
that we would experience all the
problems we had ... but I'm very
proud of this team this year, even in
defeat."
Fry, who inherited a program that
had gone 17 years without a winning
season when he came to Iowa City in

1979, took the Hawkeyes to 14 bowl
games and built a 143-89-6 record
while becoming one of the most pop-
ular figures in the state.
Fry's Texas drawl and homespun
humor made him an imme diate hi t
with players and fans as he promised
to bring excitement and a wide open
offensive style to the prog ram.
"This is a place many of you wil
recall nobody ever thought a football
coach would win again," Bowlsb,
said.
Bowlsby said Fry could have
coached as long as he wanted and
there was never a suggestion from the
administration that he step down.
"This was 100 percent Hayden
Fry's decision," Bowlsby said.
Fry said he made the decision to
leave on Sunday. But the wo-d
"retirement" was hard to come by,
and he spent several minutes at his
news conference thanking people, at
times pausing to compose himself,
before he made the announcement.
"Man, 47 years - I've never had to
do this," he said.

AP PHOTO
h Hayden Fry weeps as he announces his retirement after 37 years of
hing, including 20 with the Hawkeyes.

Free-falling Blue left
to wait 'til next year

By Michael Shafdir
Daily Sports Writer
The proverbial light at the end of the
tunnel has become dimmer and dimmer
as the Michigan volleyball season has
worn on. And this weekend, it's finally
going to go out. The 12-16 Wolverines
cannot make the NCAA Tournament,
Michigan coach Greg Giovanazzi said.
With two final games at unranked
Iowa and fifth-ranked Wisconsin, the
Wolverines will draw to a close a season
which began with a bang, but is ending
with a whimper.
Michigan, which lost this past week-
end to Ohio State and Penn State, has
lost six straight matches. The
Wolverines' last victory was almost a
month ago, against Northwestern on
Halloween night.
The current losing streak has had a
negative effect on the team's attitude.
"Up until this point there was hope
and fire," Giovanazzi said. "But it's
tough to go into this weekend knowing
that there is no hope for the postseason."
If there is a bright spot to this weekend
it is that Michigan faces Iowa, which it
beat last month.
The same cannot be said of the
Badgers, who destroyed Michigan, 15-8,

15-3, 15-2, in their last meeting.
In that match, Wisconsin recorded a
.358 hitting percentage to Michigan?'s
negative .048. If the Wolverines are to
have any chance against the Badgers,
they will need to improve on that.
With their season drawing to a close,
the Wolverines are in the process of
determining who will lead the team next
year. With the upcoming graduation of
superstar Karen Chase, the Wolverines
will be hard pressed to find another
offensive and spiritual leader.
"Karen has been unbelievable this
year" Giovanazzi said. "But I've noticed
people like Sarah Behnke, Joanna
Fielder and Annie Maxwell start to take
on a bigger role for the team."
Giovanazzi said that Behnke has
become a hitting force. He also expects
Fielder to have a big weekend.
"It's time to see leadership emerge
from the people who will be here next
year," Giovanazzi said. "We'll get a good
look at the character of a lot of people. it
will be a learning experience.
These two games could go a long way
towards creating an identity for next
year's team. Two more losses would
leave a sour taste in the mouth of the
returning players.

Anne Pogilts and
the rest of the
Michigan volley-
ball team aren't
going to the
NCAA touma-
ment, so they're
already thinking
about next year.
DAVID ROCHKIND/Daily

Sooners say later to Blake; S. Carolina fires Scott

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - All who know
him agree that John Blake made a difference
in the lives of his players. But that doesn't
carry much weight when you lose too many
football games at Oklahoma.
Blake was fired Sunday after compiling a
12-22 record, the worst three-year stretch in

this year to finish 5-6.
"We worked hard. We didn't win enough
games," offensive coordinator Joe
Dickinson said. "The bottom line, you've
got to win games at the University of
Oklahoma.
"The tradition of this program is large.

Merv Johnson, director of football opera-
tions, will oversee the program until a new
coach is hired. His priorities will be to reas-
sure as many current players as possible, and
to stay in contact with recruits.
Blake has two years remaining on his con-
tract at an annual salary of $126,200, plus

Athletic director Mike McGee made the
announcement after meeting with Scott for
several hours today, evaluating the team's 1-
10 record.
"Our football program's lack of satisfac-
tory progress and our inability to successful-
ly compete within the Southeastern