A The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 29, 1998 =13A Meeting with BYU crucial for soccer's NCAA hopes The Grind Mark Snyder By Josh BorIdn Daily Sports Writer The last weekend of the regular season for the Wchigan soccer team will prove to be one of the most important. After losing to No. 5 Notre Dame last week, 'Michigan will face another tough task when 20th- ranked Brigham Young arrives in Ann Arbor on Friday. "We gained a lot of confidence from last week's game," Michigan coach Debbie Belkin said. "We are playing our best soccer of the year, and this weekend is very important for us.' Although Michigan has already secured a berth the Big Ten tournament, a victory against the Wgarswill assist Michigan in gaining a birth to the NCAA tournament. "The Brigham Young game is huge," Belkin said. "If we don't win the Big Ten tournament and get the automatic bid to NCAAs, a victory against the Cougars will help us get an at-large bid to the NCAAs." Michigan will be facing the Cougars for the first time ever. Michigan will also be facing its first Western Athletic Conference opponent. Brigham , rng is 14-3 overall and 5-1 in the WAC. The Cougars are coming off a big win over I1th-ranked San Diego State. Michigan plans to adjust to Brigham Young's high-octane offense if the situation calls for it. Last week against Notre Dame, Michigan compensated on defense by playing only two forwards upfield. The rest of the team attempted to stop the Notre Dame offense by playing in the midfield and clos- er to the goal. Michigan primarily plays a three-forward front, yet the Cougars play five in the midfield, which will most likely cause Michigan to line up as it did in the Notre Dame game. Michigan's devotion to team defense over the past couple weeks has resulted in three shutouts. "Our team has really started to play defense as a whole," Michigan's Emily Schmitt said. "Now, not only are our defenders playing really well, but our forwards are focusing a lot on their defense as well as their offense" Michigan will not be able to relax after Friday afternoon's game. The Wolverines welcome Kentucky on Sunday. The Wildcats and Michigan will be meeting for the third time. Michigan holds a 1-0-1 lead in the series, beating the Wildcats last season in Lexington. "We feel that we are playing our best soccer of the season" Belkin said. "But of course we can make improvements and this weekend will be a big test before we head to the conference tournament." 4 DANA INNANE/ Daily Marie Spaccarotella and the Michigan soccer team have secured a spot in the Big Ten tournament, but need a victory over BYU on Friday to help its NCAA tournament chances. Familiar course could benefit men's harriers Bowden vidi no bitsrnesscolg otbl he rumblings across the South rolled like Sherman through Atlanta. Terry Bowden was resigning his post as Auburn's head football coach - effective immediately. That was last Thursday. In the Aek since, the expected back-and-forth banter has ensued. Bowden says he was forced out, the athletic director suggests he quit voluntarily and various media "sources" are claiming a situation somewhere in between, with one even implying an illicit affair forced Bowden out. The safe bet is that Bowden's 1-5 record doomed him. And in the South, with intense fans and even crazier alumni, what he didn't do - win - was his undoing. In Michigan, fans are fickle. Winning brings them out in droves, but one loss and it's back to the books on Saturday afternoons. In the state of Alabama, football is a religion. Saturdays are holy and the hal- lowed ground of the football stadium is the place of worship. The capital of that intensity is Tuscaloosa, where football fans pray to statues of Bear Bryant. It's no different on the Auburn campus. When Bowden came to the school, pro- bation was the only expletive spouted from the fans' lips. In his first season, he led Auburn to a perfect finish. But without a bowl appear- ance as a result of NCAA sanctions, a mythical national title was all his team won. The next year, Bowden lost only one game and his tenure - until this season - has been an utter success. Bowden's teams emerged from the depths of the SEC and even beat Alabama - on every occasion. But the 1-5 mark built pressure. Discrepancies between those who run the pro- gram every day (Bowden) and those who pay for him (alumni) to do so closed in the walls quicker than on Luke Skywalker in the garbage pit. Most players were supportive, calling Bowden a great guy and a talented coach. A few referred to him as a 'chicken,' but they were clearly a part of the minority. He was fired by the alumni. Monetary pressure on the athletic director dropped the axe. And that's a tragedy. Currently at Michigan, a booster club exists to cater to large donors. The Victors Club is for the privileged few who donate large sums to get increased access to the football program. Amazingly enough, these donors know more about Michigan football than the media does. They attend special scrimmages and have a question-and-answer ses- sion with Lloyd Carr on Monday afternoons. Though the Gold Card is more their style, they would agree that membership has its privileges. Two years ago, Carr was not held in great esteem. But a year and a national championship later, he has seven years of security before him. Bowden signed an extension last year as well. Now, all he's extending is the recliner in front of his TV Unfortunately, college sports' greatest virtue - its consistency - is being threatened. The coaching turnover in pro sports is creeping into the collegiate ranks. Fickle fans and alumni are ruining their own sport, and as fans, we are pow- erless to stop it. Auburn tossed away a legend in the making - the man who saved the program, but was done in by the intensity. While Bowden will land on his feet - talent never rests long - the sport may not be as fortunate. "Show me the money..." - Mark Snyder can be reached via e-mail at msnyder@umich.edu. By Chris Langrill Daily Sports Writer *he goal is to win Big Tens. The goal is to win Big Tens. The phrase could be repeated over and over again. In fact, the Michigan men's cross country team, ranked seventh in the country, has been saying it all year. The Wolverines have been saying it after every team victory, after every l tepping stone in what has been an already successful season. *oach Ron Warhurst said it before the first meet o he season, and has said it numerous times since then. And, in case nobody listened, Warhurst reiter- ated the point again yesterday. When the Wolverines take to the Michigan Golf Course this Sunday for the 8,000-meter Big Ten Championships, the team can only hope that the motto, "We haven't accomplished anything yet," will pay off. The fact that this year's championships are on Michigan's home course has added to the usual cx ectation of doing well at this all-important a Wal event. "We would love to win it at home," Warhurst said. "It's been a while since the Championships have been here." In fact, the Big Ten Championships haven't been hosted by Michigan since 1985. While they've won it since then - taking home the team crown in '93 and '97 - they haven't done so with a home crowd filling up the fairways and hills of the golf course, trying to cheer their Wolverines to victory. The field for this year's championship event makes things even more interesting. Other ranked squads joining the seventh-ranked Wolverines include rival Michigan State (No. 10), Wisconsin (No. 13) and Minnesota (No. 18). Seems like a lot of pressure, right? "When you're good, you rise to the occasion," Warhurst said. "Our guys are experienced, capable and very, very prepared for this." They should be prepared. Much has been made of the Michigan Golf Course, on which the team practices. It is consid- ered by many to be one of the toughest cross coun- try courses in the nation, possibly the most diffi- cult in the entire Midwest. Running on it almost daily, in all conditions, has greatly aided the Wolverines this season. For exam- ple, they were able to overcome terrible conditions at the Keatinge Invitational in Maine last month. And just two weeks ago, they won the Michigan Interregional on their home course, running in rain and a strong wind. "We know the course better than anyone," Warhurst said. Warhurst warned, however, that knowing the course could sometimes cause his squad to run too conservatively, since they are all-too-well-aware of its many pitfalls. To keep his runners on their proverbial toes, Warhurst has also had them run what he calls the "Michigan." This practice run involves seven torturous miles. The team begins the grueling workout by by run- ning a mile on the outdoor track, then runs to the football stadium where they do another mile and a half, then back to the track, the stadium and the track yet again. Warhurst said that Monday's "Michigan" was the best the team has run all year, and that the past week of practice has been a productive one for the Wolverines. Add this to a relatively healthy squad and the return of many former Michigan runners for a cel- ebration of Warhurst's 25th season as head coach, and things are looking pretty good for the Wolverines. "We've got to place five runners in the top 15, four in the top 12 and three in the top six," Warhurst said, "We do that, and we can win it." Women's cross country anxious for Big Tens PH B yan C. Moloney a Evan Braunstein Daily Sports Writers There comes a time in every ath- lete's season when the anticipation of competition reaches a feverish pitch. The Wolverines, for all they have accomplished in the 1998 cross coun- try season, are faced with this scenario as they prepare for their most intense meet to date - the Big Ten Championships this Sunday at the igan Golf Course. 's human nature to be nervous - it's a matter of controlling your anxi- eties; Michigan women's coach Mike McGuire said. "If you are a competi- tor, you leave your anxieties at the line when the gun goes off." If that's the case, then the No. 3 Wolverines have little to worry about. They boast an undefeated record and the confidence of a team poised to cc*ete for a national title. The Big Ten meet kicks off the 'playoffs' for the Wolverines, as they will compete for a regional title, and, likely, the national championship in the upcoming weeks. Michigan junior Elizabeth Kampfe said the Big Ten meet is an important jewel in the post-season triple crown. "Winning a conference title is our goal," she said. "We're confident in our ability to do that.' Because the Wolverines did not compete this past week, McGuire expects his team to be prepared and well-rested for the Big Ten meet. "We'll be ready to go," he said. "There is no question the week off helped us. Our course is really tough, and there was no need to run the week after the Interregional." Though conference surprises Minnesota and Michigan State may keep things interesting, McGuire expects only perennial rival Wisconsin to challenge his team this weekend.' "It's pretty evenly matched," he said, "and it's going to evolve into a head- on matchup with Wisconsin. Our top runner will have to beat their top run- ner, our second will have to beat their second, and so on." Thus, a considerable amount of pressure will fall on the shoulders of Kampfe and Katie McGregor. Both are looking to regain their standard one-two finishes after placing an uncharacteristic fifth and eighth, respectively, in the Interregional meet. The surging Michelle Slater may pro- vide some insurance against a poor performance from either of these two. But McGuire does not doubt the ability of McGregor and Kampfe to perform. "I think we can get it done in the front," he said. "McGregor will bounce back. But we also have an advantage depth-wise. Our sixth and seventh runners can finish ahead of their fifth." Today! Graduate School Inforiation Fair MA 11:00am- 3:OOpm Michigan Union Meet with graduate schools from across the country. Explore options, collect applications, ask about financial aid. Special Egg Donor Needed $25,000 We are a loving, infertile couple hoping to find a compassionate woman to help us have a baby. We're looking for a healthy, intelligent college student or college graduate, age 21-33, with blue eyes and blonde or light brown hair. Compensation $25,000 plus expenses. Your gift will bring boundless joy. Please contact us through our representative at 1-800-776-7680. MBA Watch for CP&P special programmng on graduate school options and issues prior to the Fair. Win prizes from schools and programs attending the Fair. 3200 Student Activities Bdg (734) 764-7460 wwwxcpp.umich.edu Career Plannin Pac ent DvisorofStda.itAfrai i ^ i ALPHA CHI OMEGA is proud to announce their new members: Rob Van der Voo Professor of Geological Science and Director, LS&A Honors Program The Pulse of the Earth Michelle Angulo Sara Balbach Lauren Buck. Hannah Burgess Malissa Carpenter Alexandra Chmieznicki Amanda Diaz Larisa Elizondo Jill Groot Laura Grossman Sarah Niemiec Brooke Oakley Katy O'Leary Jaime Porter Renee Rinaldi Jennie Rolon Carla Rondeau Katie Ryan Julie Schloma Anna Shaheen z r T. - 4- - "As mayor, Sheldon has served with impressive energy, representing the city across the state as well as in the community. Her efforts, commitment and, most critical, the perspective that has allowed her to temper occasionally li I '