The Michigan Daily - Tuesday. March 23, 1999-11

4reshmen tankers
share room, honors

NCAAs what Spartans
need to regain focus

By Jon Zemke
Daily Sports writer
Freshmen Jeff Hopwood and Tim
tiiliano have shared a lot in their first
emnester-and-a-half at Michigan. They
were both highly touted recruits out of
California. Siciliano was even born 10
days before Hopwood in January of
1980.
It's not surpnsing that the two swim-
mers share a room in West Quad
Residence Hall. Throughout the year
they have become fast friends and two of
Michigan's top swimmers in a good
class.
"I think that it is one of the better
Weshmen classes," Urbanchek said.
"With Siciliano and Hopwood they have
a-great future ahead."
The future was looking very bright all
season as they consistently did well,
Siciliano in the 400-yard individual
medley and 500 free, and Hopwood in
the 100 breast and 200 breast. It was not
surprising that they were Big Ten
champs in each of the races, except for
*e 500 free in which Siciliano finished
second in the 500 free to Big Ten swim-
mer of the year Chris Thompson.
The two were practically glowing
when they found out they had shared Big
Ten freshman of the year.
But there was one problem. The award
was for freshman of the year, not fresh-
men of the year, so there was only one

plaque to give the two of them.
Hopwood walked back with the plaque
while Siciliano walked back with the
cardboard box it came in.
"He just said with the first one he had,
'here take this one and pass the other one
down,"' Hopwood said. "We're just
going to put that thing in the middle of
the room."
The plaque snub didn't affect their
relationship. The two remain good
friends as they prepare for NCAA's this
weekend and, of course, continue to
share their West Quad room.
"It doesn't matter to me," Siciliano
said. "We're both going to put that one
up in the room for now"
But that isn't the only thing that
Michigan's phenomenal freshman class
shares. It also shares the burden of repre-
senting a big chunk of Michigan's point
scoring not only throughout the season,
but also in the NCAA's this Thursday in
Indianapolis.
Of the Wolverines' six swimmers that
made it to NCAAs 2 of them are fresh-
man, Hopwood and Siciliano. In fact,
there was a good chance Michigan
would have won the Big Ten title outright
had freshmen swimmers Jon Arndt and
Jason Mallory not been lost midway
through the season to season-ending
shoulder and knee injuries respectively.
Both injuries required major surgery to
repair the ligament damage done to both

KELLY MCKINNEL/Daily
Jeff Hopwood has been a major contributor on the Michigan men's swimming and
diving team this year, excelling in the 100 and 200 breaststroke.

The State News
All it takes is three victories.
For the second straight year, the
Michigan State hockey team received a
first-round bye in the NCAA
Tournament and needs only one win to
make it to the Frozen Four in Anaheim,
Calif. The Spartans will face the No. 3
seed Colorado College-No. 6 seed St.
Lawrence winner at 3 p.m. Sunday in
Madison.
"Our goal was to get back in this
tournament,' senior captain Mike York
said. "We're back and it's a new season
now. One win and we're in the Final
Four."
After losing to conference foe Ohio
State in last year's tournament, the
Spartans are excited to battle a team
they haven't faced four or five times
already this season.
The Spartans can't prepare for either
team specifically, but playing in the
CCHA and seeing different teams on
consecutive nights acts as an advantage.
"This is going to be quite a different
experience for us and we're really look-
ing forward to it' Michigan State head
coach Ron Mason said.
Michigan State has needed some-
thing to look forward to for more than a
month. After clinching the CCHA regu-
lar season title four weeks ago, the
Spartans finally have a motivational
tool to use for inspiration.
"For the last four weeks now, we real-

ly haven't had a major goal," Mason
said. "We knew we were in the tourna-
ment. No we can refocus and we can
challenge ourselves to get prepared for
that game to take us to the Final Four"
CCHA ELITE: The Final Four could
be composed of all CCHA teams as
four league squads made the 12-team
field, more than any other conference.
Michigan, Ohio State and Northern
Michigan will accompany Michigan
State to the tourney.
"It shows how deep (our league) goes
as far as competition," York said. "It's
great that all four teams that made it to
the Joe are in the tournament."
Playing tough competition' every
night breeds tough, tournament-type
teams. Mason said all three conference
teams have a shot at the title for varying
reasons. He believes Ohio State has
great goaltending in Jeff Maund,
Michigan has the experience factor and
Northern has been rolling lately, bat-
tling to get to Joe Louis Arena in Detroit
and finding a way into the tourney.
In 1992, three CCHA teams
(Michigan State, Michigan and Lake
Superior State) made the Final Four. All
year, the Spartans have said the CCHA
offered the toughest slate of teams.
CCHA domination is possible once
again.
"Not to say that it will happen again,
but it wouldn't surprise me if it did,"
Mason said.

joints.
A ROCKET, A BIRD AND PUCKo: The
Michigan men's swimming and diving
team had several chants to compete with
rest of the teams in through out the sea-
son. Among them were the nicknames
that they have given each other.
When Malchow steps up to platform
the team chants, "Lets go Rocket!" This
is easily explained - the Olympic silver
medalist is arguably the fastest swimmer
at the meet.
But when Thompson steps to the plat-
form the team starts to chant "Lets go
Bird!" This wasn't as easily explained

because of Thompson's lack of feathers,
beak, or the ability to fly (besides in the
water). When asked how he had gotten
the nickname, Bird, Thompson didn't
know, but senior captain Andy Potts sup-
plied the answer.
"He stands there and pecks at his food
while he eats," Potts said. "It's more or
less he stands there and it's a nervous
twitch."
When junior Francisco Suriano Siu
steps to the platform for the chant was,
"Lets go Pucko!"
No word on how he got that nick-
name.

"Alford hired as Iowa coach


IOWA CITY (AP) - The last time Steve Alford
was in the Big Ten Conference, he was a sharp-
shooting guard at Indiana. Now he's Iowa's new
basketball coach.
Alford, who guided Southwest Missouri State to
the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16, was hired to
replace Tom Davis, whose contract was not
,newed after 13 years in Iowa City.
'Alford, 34, made it clear he intends to stay in
Iowa City a long time:
"I am a Big Ten person. Now I am in the Big
Ten," said Alford, a two-time All-American who
led the Hoosiers to the NCAA title in 1987 and was
the school's No. 2 career scorer with 2,438 points.
"There is no need to be looking anywhere else.
This is where I would like to call home for a long,
long time," he said.
H1is father, Sam, who will join him at Iowa as an
assistant, said that was his take on his son's new
@6.
"I think this could be a long-term project," Sam
Alford said. "He would like it to be the final move
in coaching for him. Money was not the top prior-
ity. I think being in the Big Ten is the big priority in
this job.

Alford accepted a five-year contract that calls
for a base salary of about $350,000 annually. He
made about $188,000 at Southwest Missouri State.
With camps, shoe-and-clothing contracts and
broadcasting contracts, that could swell to about
$600,000, Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby said.
Additional, incremental incentives will be negotiat-
ed that would put Alford "in the $900,000 range,"
he said.
Alford, who led the Bears to a 22-11 mark this
season, was 78-48 at Southwest Missouri State. He
began his coaching career at Manchester College in
1992 and took the team to the NCAA Division III
title game in 1995 before moving on to Southwest
Missouri State.
His career coaching record is 156-77 in eight
seasons.
"I can't be more excited about the future of the
Iowa basketball program," said Bowlsby, who has
been looking for Davis' replacement since April.
"Over that period of time, I spoke with dozens of
people about potential basketball coaches. A few
names kept coming up over and over and over
again, and one of those was Steve Alford," Bowlsby
said.

Arts and Sciences " Business (The Wharton School)
Nursing Education - Social Work * Engineering and Applied Science
Summer Abroad " Penn Language Center

Summer Session I
May 18-June 25

Summer Session II
June 28 - August 6

12 Week Evening Session'
May 17- August 6

AP PHOTO
Former indiana star Steve Alford will be coaching against his
alma mater next season as the head man at Iowa.

www.sas.upenn.edu/CGSs emai: cgs@sas.upenn.edu *215.898.7326

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