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October 06, 1998 - Image 16

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The Michigan Daily, 1998-10-06

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16 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, October 6, 1998

Going to the polls
The Michigan women's cross
country team is vaulting itself up
the national rankings. The ulti-
mate goal? The school's first
women's national championship.
Here's the latest poll:
School Points Pvs.
1. Brigham Young 225 1.
2. Michigan 214, '5
3. Stanford 199 2
4. Providence 195 3
5. Arkansas 183 12
6. Wisconsin 178 9
7. Wake Forest 165 6
8. Georgetown 160 7
9. Colorado 156 4
10. Arizona 146 8
11. N.C. State 142 10
12. Dartmouth 131 11
13. N. Arizona 122 13
14. Washington 109 14
15. Oregon 89 16
16. Missouri 81 15
17. Minnesota 75 17
18. William & Mary 64 18
19. Baylor 55 22
20. Cornell 43 24
21. South Florida 41 28
22. UCLA 38 20
23. Florida 33 19
24. Bowling Green 27 25
25. West Virginia 25 21

Field hockey nears matches with bitter rivals

By Steven Kyritz
For the Daily
By most measures, the Michigan
field hockey team has already had a
successful 1998 season.
It currently ranks ninth in the
nation with a 10-2 record, including a
perfect 3-0 mark in Big Ten play.
Junior goalie Kati Oakes has posted
4 1/2 shutouts, putting her in prime
position to challenge the single-season
Michigan record. With seven regular
season games remaining, Oakes must
record three shutouts to etch her name
in the Wolverine record books.
At the forward position, sophomore
Kelli Gannon netted her team-leading
ninth goal of the season on Sunday.
This past weekend, the Wolverines
went on the road and returned with a
pair of big conference wins over
Northwestern and Iowa,
The victory at Iowa was the squad's
third straight over the Hawkeyes,
which is all the more impressive when
considering the history of the rivalry.
Just two seasons ago, Iowa went 10-0
in conference play, beating Michigan
for the 30th and 31st consecutive

matches.
All in all, this year's Michigan team
has produced some very impressive
achievements - but based on the
team's preseason goals, the season is
just getting started.
"We were hoping to repeat as con-
ference champions, and with our (3-0)
record, we're off to a good start," said
senior forward Amy Philbrook said.
Beginning this weekend, the team's
season practically begins anew as the
Big Ten schedule kicks into gear. Ohio
State, currently ranked I3th in the
country, rolls into town Friday, and
Sunday features a showdown with
Penn State,
After last year's Big Ten champi-
onship loss to Penn State, it would be
understandable if the Wolverines
looked past the Buckeyes to Sunday's
match, but this team knows better.
"Coming into the season, one of
our goals was to practice in the present
and play in the present," Philbrook
said.
Following a huge 1-0 upset of the
Nittany Lions this past weekend, Ohio
State will have a great deal of momen-

tum to go along with an 8-I iccord In
addition, the luckevcs, like Michigan.
boast an unblemished 3-0 conference
mark.
"They're a tough team," Philbrook
said. "They're aays scrappy, and we
always battle them, and it's alays a
tough match."
The Wolverines also can send out a
message with awain Sunday. iast sea-
son. they suffered a heartbreakin 2-I
loss in the Big Ten tournament cham-
pionship game against Penn State, and
with the Nittanv Lions in town for the
first time since then, emotions will
surely be riding high.
If the Wolverines can harness that
emotion and turn it into a victory. they
will accomplish two goa Obvously
a small measure of 1indication would
be achieved, but at the same time, a
damaging blow would be dealt to a
tough conference opponent.
A second loss in such a competitive
conference w ould be an extremely dif-
ficult hole for the Lions to climb out
of, especially with Michigan fieli
hockey visiting Happy Valley later this
month.

S

01

JOSH LEIN8Au i aly
The eighth-ranked Michigan field hockey team has continued its hot play during
the Big Ten season, winning its first three conference games.

. .. - -'1

Western icers dealt
one-game suspension,
Wilkinson reinstated

By David Den Herder
Daily Sports Writer
The Western Michigan athletic
department announced Friday that it has
concluded the internal investigation into
its men's ice hockey program.
Officials found Broncos coach Bill
Wilkinson -- who has been suspended
since Sept. 21 - responsible for two
minor NCAA infractions.
Despite the findings, Wilkinson was
reinstated in time for Western's annual
intrasquad game Friday night.
According to a written statement
released by the Western athletic depart-
ment, Wilkinson was issued an order for
"greater oversight of the program."
"Even though the infractions are
classified as secondary by the NCAA, I
have a responsibility to ensure compli-
ance with all conference, NCAA and
university rules and regulations,"
Athletic Director Kathy Beauregard said
last Friday.
Furthermore, Beauregard has pun-
ished the entire team for its participation
in a Sept. 19 party at a house owned by
Wilkinson. The party followed a team
golf outing earlier that day, and involved
underaged drinking by student athletes.
The athletic department mandated
that all players serve a one-game sus-
pension and attend mandatory alcohol
education classes. The team will also
serve 300 hours of community service.
In order to avoid having to forfeit any
games in the upcoming season, the play-
ers will not all be benched for the same
game. Instead, suspensions will be dis-
tributed evenly over six games.
Still suspended indefinitely after
being arrested Sept. 19 are sophomore
forwards Steven Rymsha and Mark
Wilkinson - the coach's son.
The pair was apprehended by police
after neighbors complained about noise
at the house. They were arrested for pos-
sessing alcohol (as minors) and not
cooperating with police, according to the
release.
Wilkinson said yesterday that the
remaining suspensions are being

imposed by the athletic department, and
that they are part of the department's pol-
icv whenever active athletes are arrested
for misdemeanors.
When the Sept. 19 party was broken
up, it spawned an internal investigation
directed toward Wilkinson and possible
illegal leasing practices
Beauregard found that the four play-
ers residing in the house owned by Bill
Wilkinson had neither been required to
sign a lease, nor asked to make a securi-
ty deposit before taking residence.
Both inactions are considered by the
NCAA to be "extra benefits," and hence,
constitute violations.
Beauregard also concluded that the
coach had organized the team golf out-
ing, which could also be a violation.
Wilkinson has coached the Broncos
since the 1982-83 season, compiling a
record of 310-285-47 over 16 seasons.
He was named CCHA coach of the year
three times and was a two-time finalist
for national coach of the year.
He also has led Western to the post-
season in 14 of the past 16 years.
Michigan assistant coach Mel
Pearson - a personal friend of Bill
Wilkinson - said he is confident that
Western's program can continue its tradi-
tion under Wilkinson.
"Bill is a pretty up-front, straight-up
shooter," Pearson said. "I'm sure he has
warned his team a few times of these
things, and I'm sure it won't happen
again."
Pearson added that he is confident
Michigan's program is well within
NCAA parameters.
"All our players know the rules, and
I'm sure they're in compliance with
them," he said.
Bill Wilkinson said that he expects
the ongoing suspensions of Rymsha and
Mark Wilkinson to conclude today, and
that he is eager to get on with the
upcoming season,
"I'm glad it's behind us," he said.
"We made some errors in regard to mak-
ing decisions ... but we just need to now
focus on the hockey season.

Gassoff shows
versatili tywhile
playing orward
By Mark Francescutti
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan defenseman Bob Gassoff found himself in an
unusual position on Saturday - forward.
"I walked into the rink Saturday morning for our meeting
and saw my name up on the board," Gassoff said. "I had to
kind of look twice to make sure I wasn't seeing things, but
you have to be able to react quickly and adjust"
With many members of the Michigan hockey team feel-
ing battered and ill going into Saturday's game against
Guelph, coaches moved Gassoff up to the front line.
Junior forward Andrew Merrick (illness), sophomore for-
ward Mark Kosick (dislocated shoulder) and defenseman
Sean Peach (foot) all were scratched from Saturday's lineup.
Add to that the ineligibility of senior forward Dale
Rominski, because of incomplete grades, and Red
Berenson was forced to scrape the bottom of his bowl of
tricks for lineups.
And so one of the smaller (5-foot-I 1, 195-pound)
defensemen, became a big forward for an evening.
Gassoff said that position switches come with the territo-
ry.
"Guys are going to have to be a little mobile and adjust to
different roles and different types of situations," Gassoff
said.
With nine defensemen and only six available slots, the
defenders were plentiful enough to help out the forwards.
And when the coaches saw that Gassoff had once played at
forward, it made for an easy decision.
"I played a little forward in juniors, so I guess I figured I
could at least figure my way around a little bit out there"
Gassoff said.
Yesterday at practice, however, Gassoff returned to his
regular position.
"I'm back playing defense, so it may or may not be me
out there the next time this situation comes up," Gassoff
said. "But you've got to do these things sometimes, because
they happen all the time."
During the Guelph game, Gassoff appeared to struggle a
bit at first, but late in the game felt very natural in the posi-
tion.
"First period, I was a little shaky," Gassoff said. "It took
me a couple shifts to get my feet wet - after that, things got
better."
More than getting back to playing defense, Gassoff said
he's most excited about this weekend's national champi-
onship banner-raising against Lake Superior.
"We've been looking forward to it all summer," Gassoff
ity said. "It's nice to have something of your own to put up
there."

JOHN KRAFT/Da
Mike Van Ryn and the Michigan defensemen have made freshman goaltender Josh Blackburn's introduction t
college hockey as easy as possible, preventing Blackburn from facing a great number of difficult shots.

Star tailback Lewis done Volunteering for year

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Jamal Lewis, the
leading rusher for No. 4 Tennessee, will miss the
rest of the regular season after tearing a knee liga-
ment, coach Phillip Fulmer said yesterday.
"There's a chance he'll be back for a bowl game
or a championship game, but that's not likely. It's
really unfortunate for Jamal," Fulmer said after
practice.
Lewis injured his knee in Saturday's 17-9 victo-
ry over Auburn. An examination yesterday revealed
a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and Lewis will
have surgery today.
The Volunteers play No. 7 Georgia on Saturday
in Athens, Ga. Lewis had the biggest day of his
career last season against the Bulldogs, gaining 232
yards in 22 carries in the Volunteers' 38-13 victory.
The 6-foot, 220-pound sophomore has been the
mainstay of Tennessee's offense this season, run-
ning for 497 yards on 73 carries through four
games.
His 124.4 yards-per-game average is second in
the Southeastern Conference behind Lousiana
State's Kevin Faulk and the biggest reason the
Volunteers lead the league in rushing at 225.5 yards
per game.
"H has heen a great niaver for us and will he a

140 yards on 18 carries.
Two sophomores, Travis Henry and Travis
Stephens, are expected to fill in for Lewis. Henry
has carried eight times for 75 yards and Stephens
has carried the ball nine times for 62 yards this year.
FACING THE MiUsic: Vanderbilt coach Woody
Widenhofer isn't about to second-guess himself on
his Commodores' double-overtime loss to Texas
Christian.
!f he had it to do over again, Widenhofer said
yesterday that he would send his field goal kicker
out once again on the Commodores' first play of the
first overtime.
After that decision Saturday night, the kick was
missed and Vandy eventually lost 19-16 in double
o\ ertime.
"I made the final decision to go with John
(Markham) because the first thing I wanted to do
was no turnovers," Widenhofer said.
Markham already had kicked a 49-yarder in reg-
ulation, but his 42-yard attempt in the first overtime
started low and was blocked.
When Vandy got the ball in the second overtime,
Widenhofer tried to use his offense to improve field
position and lost yardage. Markham wound up
kicking a 47-varder for a 16-13 lead.

Murray injured
questionable
for Sunday
ICERS e
Continued from Page 11
return to game action this weekend.
Freshman forward Craig Murray left practice early
yesterday with an unknown leg ailment.. Berenson said
that if Murray is healthy, he may get the nod to center
his own line on Sunday.
If not, the Wolverines won't be in too much trouble,
thanks to simple math. Adding Rominski and Kosick to
the lineup allows Michigan some flexibility, even if
Murray is a scratch against Lake Superior.
THANKS A LOT, OHIO STATE: This Sunday's unusual
5 p.m. start was not by design. The Lakers were sup-
posed to clash with Michigan on Saturday night.
Michigan has rearranged its schedule in order to
accommodate Ohio State.
The Buckeyes are desperately trying to schedule as
mat y road games as possible early in the season, in

-~

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