Scoreboard CAPS q EN'S NCAA MIAMI (FL) 84, ASKETBALL (9) St. Johns 79 (1) Connecticut 91, (10) North Carol BOSTON COLLEGE 78 Florida State 5a Georgia Tech at (23) WISCONSII (2) DUKE, Inc. (12) Michigan St (3) CINCINNATI 87, (14) AUBURN 8 DePaul 64 (18) Arkansas 6 t (7) Purdue 70, (16) Kansas 66 :PENN STATE 67 BAYLOR 62 9 lina 72, IN 66, tate 51 3, 66, a, Northwestern 58, (17) MINNESOTA 55 (22) Oklahoma St. 64, TEXAS A&M 59 WOMEN'S NCAA BASKETBALL (7) TEXAS TECH 93, Oklahoma 69 (19) NEBRASKA 90, Colorado 49 Ulire £idigun l aig Tracking 'M' teams Check out the Michigan men's and women's track and field teams as they begin their seasons this weekend. They host the Wolverine Invitational on Saturday, with events beginning at 9:30 a.m. and running all day. Thursday January 7, 1999 11 E 1 . F n i r, The Grind Sharat Raju AP PHOTO The Michigan State hockey team proved too much for Michigan goaltender Josh Blackburn as the Spartans won the Great Lakes invitational over the holiday break. In the absence of another Blackburn in net - the Spartans' Joe Blackburn - Michigan State's title run was spurred by reserve goalie Mike Gresi. Spartans don't miss a step without keeper Blackburn to return to starting role after stint with U.S. Junior National hockey team By Chris Duprey Daily Sports Writer Welcome back, Joe Blackburn. Just in case you didn't get the chance to catch up with your Michigan State teammates while you were in goal, enduring the struggles of the U.S. Junior National hockey team, here's a recap. Your Spartans are doing just fine without you. That's not to say that you'll be taking the backup's seat behind Mike Gresl upon your return, though. Yes, Gresl was the MVP of the Great Lakes Invitational. Yes, his sterling performance in net did help Michigan State capture the title for the second straight season, beating Michigan - something you weren't able to do at Yost Ice Arena back in November. And yes, it was Gresl who helped the Spartans Wo a trio of wins over Alaska-Fairbanks, holding the Nanooks to a total of just two goals over the three-game span. Granted, Alaska-Fairbanks has the hockey skill level equivalent to the academic aptitude of a remedial high school math student, but it's still quite a task to beat any team three straight nights in its own building. So it's likely that Ron Mason will remember your face and insert you back into the starting lineup anyway tomorrow night at home against Miami. You do still wear number 30, right? Still, Joe, even when you return between the familiar pipes of Munn Ice Arena, you owe a small debt of gratitude to the junior, who has turned over to you a better situation than he was given when you left the team before the holiday break. Gresl took a team that was still finding itself heading into the midway point of the CCHA schedule, and helped put five victories into the win column. None were within the friendly con- fines of Munn, and three were on the road, mak- ing this a real baptism by fire for a backup goal- tender who was just supposed to be seeing spot action this season. He also saved you the trouble of a less-than- thrilling New Year's weekend jaunt to Alaska- Fairbanks, a CCHA hockey player's least favorite excursion of the season. They say that the sun barely shines there this time of year and that temperatures are, to say the least, frigid. Gresl and the rest of the Spartans could probably vouch for that. Thanks to Gresl, you won't have to make that trip to the polar north until next season. Just make sure that, if the Spartans end up raising the any championship trophies this sea- son, you don't hog it all to yourself, Joe. Filbizg out an early wish litfor the year 'iM sports When the new year starts, even those who are the most skeptical and pessimistic among us show signs of optimism for a new year. Some of us even decide that, while we're nailing a new calendar to the wall, we might as well resolve to improve the condition of our life. Apart from making resolutions for a new year, the change in calendars affords everyone an opportunity to reminisce and look back at the previous 12 months. In sports, last year was truly unique. Some magazines have even specu- lated on whether last year was the greatest sports year ever. I don't know if that's necessarily true. But I do have some ideas for how next year should pan out. With that said, here is my sports wish list for the new year: The NBA is canceled. No, not just the season - the entire league. Or at least return to a 10 or 12 team league. The women's softball team become the first women's team at Michigan to win a national championship. Finally. Mark McGwire hits 100 home runs, but one is taken away because he misses second base while circling the diamond, leaving him officially with a mere 99. Women's basketball coach Sue Guevara doesn't worry about filling seats, but worries about keeping her team together. Bobby Knight's son inks a job as an NCAA referee and works in the Big Ten. Someone else wins the Stanley Cup. Justin Fargas regains his health and becomes an All-America tailback eventually. The Chicago Cubs win the World Series and Mark Grace is the Series MVP, over the Yankees. The Athletic Department recognizes former volleyball coach Greg Giovanazzi in some way, be it a scholarship in his name or a training room dedicated to him. Something. The NHL and Major League cut the four worst teams from the league. Lloyd Carr actually tells the media when someone is injured and will not play that week. The rest of the hockey team plays as well as freshman Mike Comrie. Comrie stays at Michigan for four years. Michigan baseball coach Geoff Zahn convinces Drew Henson that col- lege baseball is definitely the way to go. Forget about the Yankees. Henson convinces Carr that there is a quarterback controversy. See RAJU, Page 12 The John D. Evans Distinguished Lecture Series on the Social Consequences of New Media Technology presents a public lecture by Sherry Turkle, Professor of the Sociology of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Monday, January 11, 1999 at 5:00 P.M. Pendleton Room - Michigan Union Dr. Turkle's work on computers and people has been widely written about in both the academic and popular press, including Scientific American, The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, US News and World Report, People, and USA Today. In 1997 Time Digital Magazine named her one of the top 50 Cyber Elite. Please contact the Department of Communication Studies (764-0420) for more information. Michigan wrestlers recognized nationally By Chris Grandstaff y Sports Writer The early season success of the Michigan wrestling team has the Wolverine grapplers accumulating national respect faster than snow on Ann Arbor's streets. Amateur Wrestling News has .ranked four Michigan wrestlers in the top 10 of their weight class. Junior Joe Warren was ranked seventh in the -pound weight class, sophomore zion Logan eighth in the 141- pound class, sophomore Otto Olson eighth in the 174-pound class and senior Chris Viola ninth in the 125- pound class. " "These are the guys who we expect to lead the team," Michigan assistant coach Kirk Trost said. "They're all doing a great job, both wrestling and bring the others guys along." The Wolverines as a team have b no light snow dusting them- ses. The Amateur Wrestling News has Michigan ranked inside the top 20 nationally. Over winter break Michigan con- tinued to prove the experts right as they stormed into Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., where the grapplers placed first at the Sunshine Open. "It was a good tournament for us," Trost said. "It was a good chance to tgur conditioning." T oe Warren earned his first cham- pionship of the season in the 133- pound class, defeating John Marchette of the Augsburg College White squad in the finals. Damion Logan earned top honors nnnr rP nr CALL FOR.FREE teams, but we still need to capitalize on our opponents mistakes, and improve on our scoring. We're trying to do our best wrestling as we get into the Big Tens and prepare for the NCAAs." Michigan's first opponent at the Virginia Duals will be announced upon the team's arrival. STOP GAMBLING AND START INVESTING 88W-(68'-8257) Why Stake Your Career on Just Any Company? Your accomplishments in school have from the start, you'll have the some of America's "best places everything to do with talent and opportunity to make key contributions to work" surveys. determination. At CIGNA, we invite right away. 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