2 - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - September 14, 1998
Mortimer, Snyder to return for last run
Defending Big Ten title at home without Sullivan is Warhurst's highest priority
By Chris Duprey
Daily Sports Wrter
Michigan cross country coach Ron Warhurst must
think pretty highly of his team's chances in 1998.
In perhaps his most difficult decision of last spring,
Warhurst, after consulting with captain John
Mortimer, decided that Mortimer would not redshirt
the '98 season, and instead would return for his final
year of eligibility.
The decision caused Warhurst to weigh his options:
would his chances be better in '98 with Mortimer and
a core of emerging seniors such as Todd Snyder and
Don McLaughlin, or would the team be best served
by putting Mortimer on hold for a year so he could
teach and lead a younger team?
Maybe the glory of last season's Big Ten champi-
onship and fourth-place finish at the NCAA
Championships swayed Warhurst a little, prompting
him to go for the short-term glory now and think
about the future later.
Adding to the motivation is that Michigan will
defend its Big Ten title in Ann Arbor on Nov. 1 - a
responsibility that the Wolverines don't take lightly.
"Our No. I goal is to defend the Big Ten champi-
onship at home;' Warhurst said in a writen statement.
"Our home course is the most challenging in the Big
Ten. It's up and down, you can't get any rhythm. We're
hoping that the home course advantage will help us.
Either way, it is Mortimer's team to lead. The grad-
uated Kevin Sullivan is around to serve as an unoffi-
cial assistant to Warhurst, but he won't be in uniform
when the Wolverines toe the line for their defining
meets.
"In the absence of Sullivan in 1996, Mortimer led
us and he won Big Ten and regional individual titles.
So we're in good hands," Warhurst said.
Some things won't change. Snyder, the All-
American and team captain, is back for his final cam-
paign and will push Mortimer for the top spot, both in
practice and on race days.
The middle positions should be a rotating arrange-
ment, with senior Don McLaughlin as the leading
candidate to be Michigan's No. 3 man. A muscle
strain late in the '97 season may have kept
McLaughlin from being as effective as he could've
been at NCAAs, but he is 100-percent entering this
season.
Juniors Jay Cantin and Steve Lawrence will also
contribute. Cantin came out of relative obscurity last
season to become a regular scorer for the Woverines,
while Lawrence is quiet, but steady.
In his 25th season coaching Mchigan, Warhurst
has always tapped a steady pipeline of talent, and
must produce some depth this season as well.
A fresh infusion of youth should help him fill out
the lineup. Sophomore Mike Wisniewski surprised
everyone with his finish at the Michigan Open in '97,
making Warhurst's traveling roster as a walk-on,
Wisniewski's year of varsity experience will benefit
him as he hopes to maintain a spot in the top seven.
Mark Pilja is another new name hoping to make his
mark in Ann Arbor. Pilja has already given Warhurst
something to be excited about, virtually tying
McLaughlin for second place at the Michigan Open
on Sept. 5. If Pilja can adjust to the physical demar'
of collegiate training, he should also be one of the
contenders for the up-fIr-grabs No. 6 and No. 7 spots.
Warhurst, the crafty general, will try to shield his
team for as long as possible. After running the Open,
basically a glorified intrasquad scrimmage, the
Wolverines will not see competition until the
Sundodger Invitational next Saturday.
LOUIS BROWN/Da
Michigan men's cross country coach Ron Warhurst had to face a tough decision:
whether or not to redshirt John Mortimer this season.
ATTENTION FOREIGN
MASTERS AND PHD STUDENTS:
Current Immigration laws may allow you to
obtain permanent residence without a job offer!
To learn how, attend the free seminar:
Presented by Goldman, Shihab & Shihab, Attorneys at Law
Topics:
* National Interest Waiver
* Extraordinary and Exceptional Ability Aliens
. H-1B Visas
Presented September 27th, 1998, 11:00 am to 1:00pm
At the Michigan League, 911 North University,
Third Floor, Henderson Room
Foreman: American
hockey is 'different'
FOREMAN
Continued from Page 38
giant robots. The result'? Lots of bumps
and bruises. And lots of fast-paced
action.
But in this country, it doesn't get
much - or any - attention. Still, that
wasn't enough to deter Foreman, who
says she had the idea of playing in
America before she heard from
Pankratz. The coach's call simply
cemented the deal.
In recent weeks, the rest of
Michigan's field hockey team made the
trip to Australia, where they met up
with Foreman and played some games
in the field hockey hotbed. It gave the
team a chance to embrace its newest
member, Foreman, and as Pankratz
says, it gave the American-born players
a chance to witness firsthand the
weight their sport carries on the other
side of the world.
"They were like, 'Wow, it really is a
big sport,"' Pankratz says. "It really
validated it in everyone's mind."
At the same time, the trip did won-
ders for Foreman. It made her trip to
Ann Arbor easier, since she "at least
knew 22 faces coming in." And now,
she's just one member of an entire team
of little-known field hockey players.,
But she doesn't mind it so much. Field
hockey in America isn't worse, she
says. Just different. Very different.
- Jim Rose can be reached at
jwivsea uniich.edu.
Catherine
Foreman, a native
of Happy Valley,
Australia, is get-
ting used to the
Idea of field hock-
ey being an unno-
ticed sport.
JOSH KLEINBAUM/Oaily
McGwire
exits game
homerless,*
injured
HOUSTON (AP) - With Mark
McGwire already out of the game,
St. Louis delayed the Astros' clinch.
ing party for another day.
McGwire went 0-for-2 and left
with minor back spasms after four
innings yesterday night in the
Cardinals' 3-2 come-from-behind
win over Houston, which stopped
the Astros' winning streak at eight.
McGwire, who hasn't homered in
five games since getting No. 62 on
Tuesday night, is 1-for-14 since con-
necting off Steve Trachsel to break
Roger Maris' mark.
Chicago's Sammy Sosa homere
twice Sunday against Milwaukee to
tie McGwire for the record.
Fernando Tatis, batting in
McGwire's No. 3 spot, hit a two-run
double off Doug Henry in the eighth
inning as St. Louis rallied from a 2-
1 deficit and prevented Houston
from clinching its second straight
NL Central title.
Jeff Bagwell went 4-for-4 for th*
Astros, who would have clinched if
the Cubs had lost to Milwaukee
either on Saturday or Sunday.
Sean Bergman (12-8) took a 2-1
lead in the eighth, but walked Eli
Marrero and J.D. Drew. Henry then
gave up Tatis' liner to left.
St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa
was ejected from the game in the
seventh inning for arguing balls and
strikes.
Kent Mercker (11-11) allowed tw&
runs and eight hits in seven innings.
Hard-throwing closer Juan
Acevedo pitched the ninth inning for
his ninth save in 11 chances, getting
the final out on pinch-hitter Dave
Clark's flyout to the warning track in
center field.
WANT TO WRITE FOR
NEWS?
MASS MEETINGS:
_. ....U
0
,I