10 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 22, 2000

JUST DID. IT
By Joe Smith - Daily Sports Writer

o one thought Erryn
Weggenman would ever play
tennis again.
Suffering a possibly-permanent
injury, the senior knew she faced an
enormous challenge midway through
her junior year.
in la tournament in late October of
1998, the constant repetition of a critical
mechanical flaw in her forehand intro-
duced her to a devastating injury called
intersection syndrome.
This "kryptonite" for a tennis player
involved tendons in her right wrist rub-
bing together and forming scar tissue.
For a dominantly right-handed person,
this affected every single stroke in her
arsenal.
She visited five orthopedic surgeons,
all of whom insisted that time, not
surgery; was the answer.
But time was not a luxury. The 1998-
99 Big Ten season was rapidly
approaching and the Wolverines were in
need of her contribution at both her sin-
gles and doubles slots. Michigan went
18-43 overall in doubles that year, and
Weggenman's contribution could have
helped.
The junior compiled 44 singles victo-
ries and earned a .750 winning percent-
age in doubles over her short collegiate
career.
But no victory was more important
than in the Big Ten Championships in
1997.
"Possibly my fondest memory of
Erryn was in the finals against Indiana,"
Michigan coach Bitsy Ritt said. "Erryn
had just came up short in the second set,
and in the third set it looked like her
opponent's strong serves were getting to
her. But then, as I was sitting on the side
of her court, she came up to me and said
'Don't worry Bitsy, I'm gonna win this
set-end this match.'
"And sure enough, she did come
back, countering her opponent's over-
powding serves with the drop shot. She
used this usually low-percentage shot to
perfection and won this deciding
match."
The singles win clinched Michigan's
first Big Ten Tournament championship
in the team's history.
- A year and a half later, Weggenman's
wrist injury forced another uphill battle.
She had to face something that no ath-
lete ever wants to - sit aside and watch
her team compete from the sidelines.
"Knowing you can be out there and
helping your team is frustrating
enough," Weggenman said. "But even
worse is knowing that you can't be out
there because it is physically impossible.
"I couldn't even pick up a highlighter,
much less a tennis racket."

Weggenman couldn't travel with the
team, but supported the Wolverines dur-
ing their home meets while rehabilitat-
ing her wrist.
The injury not only affected her play-
ing ability, but other routine functions,
as well.
"Showering with a cast is no easy
task, especially when you're extremely
dominant with you're right hand,"
Weggenman said.
What about schoolwork?
The sports marketing and communi-
cations concentrator also had to find a
way to write with her opposite hand,
especially when frantically taking notes
during lecture and cramming for tests.
"Most of my teachers were really sup-
portive," Weggenman said.
The true test, however, was yet to
come.
"SUMMER DAYS... OH THOSE
SUMMER NIGHTS"
Last season didn't get any better. It
got worse.
Weggenman had to be casted twice,
as doctors injected her with three corti-
sone shots. Meanwhile, Michigan exit-
ed the Big Ten Tournament in the first
round.
"I didn't know if I'd ever come back
from it' Weggenman said. "It wasn't
until this past summer with my dad that
I felt I had a chance."
This ever-important summer included
workouts twice a day with her father
James, a physical therapist, that included
different stretching exercises along with
other forms of intensive rehabilitation.
"She had a job and worked eight
hours or so a day, and then would come
home at night and do exercises," her
father said.
This was no ordinary job, like wait-
ressing or bussing tables at Coney
Island, but rather an internship at the
Nike World Headquarters in her native
Portland, Oregon.
Weggenman worked in the sports
marketing and tennis department, repre-
senting the company and dealing per-
sonally with players under contract, such
as Pete Sampras, and their families. She
made sure they had every piece of Nike
equipment they needed for their tourna-
ments, and helped the department pre-
pare for the French and U.S. opens.
"It was really a fun job," Weggenman
said. It seems like something I would
want to do in the future, after gradua-
tion."
This is a possibility - Nike has asked
her to come back this summer.
For the remainder of the summer,
Erryn continued to juggle her job, her
rehab and spending time with her
boyfriend Tom Malchow, who swam for

Michigan and was a silver medalist for
the United States in the 1996 Olympics.
BACK TO THE BASELINE
Finally, after a 15-month absence,
Weggenman made her resilient return to
the court on Jan. 15 of this year in the
team's first dual meet of the season
against DePaul, which also featured the
"Fuzesi Sister Showcase."
After over 15 months of not practic-
ing, Weggenman was only expected to
find a way to adjust to playing competi-
tively.
"I just started practicing in the middle
of January. Of course I was a little rusty
on and off, and there were certain
aspects of my game that you could tell I
had missed over 15 months,"
Weggenman said.
Her natural instincts, which had been
the foundation of her success, began
reappearing soon after. The determined
senior started to get her touch back and
made some critical shots down the
stretch, sending the doubles match into a
10-point tie breaker.
Weggenman's rejuvenated serves and
timely ball placement added to Szandra
Fuzesi's clever lob shots kept the
Wolverines close in the extra session,
but, in the end, DePaul's Barbara
Fuzesi's overpowering backhands
proved too much for the Michigan duo.
"It was just nice to be out there com-
peting again," said Weggenman.
Weggenman went on to win three out
of her next four outings, all in doubles
competition. This included teaming up
with freshman Joanne Musgrove to shut
out their North Carolina State counter-
parts, 8-0 on Feb. 11, and with Szandra
Fuzesi in an 8-4 doubles triumph over
Kentucky this past Sunday.
"After that long layoff, it's great to
have Erryn back," Ritt said.
"She has been supportive of her team-
mates and now she gets the chance to
make some key contributions on the
court - primarily in doubles."
"JUST LIKE DADDY" ...AND
MOMMY
Weggenman's passion for the game
originated at an early age. While sitting
with her brother and watching her par-
ents take private lessons, the six-year-
old Erryn found something that she
liked.
"All I wanted for my sixth birthday
was a tennis racket and tennis lessons,"
Weggenman said.
From then she just played for fun until
age 10, when she started playing com-
petitive tournaments. Also participating
in basketball and volleyball throughout
her adolescence, Erryn decided to focus
primarily on tennis at age 14.
"Tennis became an all-year sport,"

Bies named Big
Ten Player of Week
Michigan freshman center LeeAnn
Bies has been named this week's Big
Ten women's basketball player of the
week. It is the first time in her career
that Bies has earned the honor.
Bies averaged 19 points and 6.1
rebounds per game, as Michigan
clinched second place in the Big Ten
and the No. 2 seed for the Big Ten
Tournament with wins over Wisconsin
and Michigan State.
Bies shot 62.5 percent from the field
and 88.9 percent from the free throw
line for the week.
In Michigan's 90-87 double-over-
time road win over the Spartans, Bies
scored a career-high 24 points in 40
minutes. She canned a pair of fre$
throws with 21 seconds remaining ii-
regulation that put Michigan up 70-68,
and posted eight points in the two over-
time sessions. She finished 10-for-18
from the floor while grabbing seven
boards.
Bies turned in a solid performance in
Michigan's midweek 78-73 win over
Wisconsin, posting 14 points, six
boards and two steals in 23 minute
She hit a layup to put U-M up by one
69-68, with 2:57 remaining. Bies, who
also was fouled on the shot, converted
the ensuing free throw as Michigan
increased its lead to two and never
looked back in grabbing the win.
For the season, Bies is averaging 9.9
points and 6.0 rebounds and leads the
team with 23 blocked shots.

With a third-set singles win, Erryn Weggenman clinched the Michigan women's
tennis team's first-ever Big Ten Tournament championship in 1997.

Weggenman said. "It was not like I
could take six months off during the
year to compete in other activities and
still compete on the same level"
Dominating the sport throughout her
days at Jesuit High School in Portland,
the hard work began paying dividends.
After an impressive freshman season in
which she was a state quarterfinalist,
Weggenman went on to win three indi-
vidual and team state championships.
"She was the most talented player I've
ever had," Jesuit High School women's
tennis coach Annette Faris said. "She
was a fighter out there on the court,
never giving up."
After an illustrious high school career,
Weggenman decided to move from the
80-degree heat out west to the frigid and
unpredictable weather in Michigan.
"I loved Portland, but Michigan was
the right place for me," Weggenman
said. "I went to a small, private Catholic
school all my life.
"The rigidity and having to dress a
certain way wasn't what I wanted. I
wanted a place where people can be
whoever they want to be"
RHYTHM IN BLUE
Her freshman year seemed like it was
too good to be true.
Weggenman and two fellow fresh-
men that year, Danielle Lund and
Brooke Hart, were key contributors to
the team's first Big Ten championships.
The three solidified the already-talented
lineup, playing Nos. 4, 5, and 6 singles.
"We swept the Big Ten and won the
tournament. I think we were spoiled in

the sense that we thought we were sup-
posed to win every match," Weggenman
said.
After the past few seasons in which
winning hasn't come as easy to the
Wolverines, the senior realizes how spe-
cial that 1997 team was.
But, she points out the similarities this
year's team shares with one of the
Wolverines' all-time greats.
"This team has just as much, if not
more potential, than the 1997 team,"
Weggenman said. "I see a lot of similar-
ities in that we are very deep and have
good doubles teams.
"Anyone on the team can contribute
on any given day."
Thanks to her determination and hard
work, Weggenman proved many wrong,
including herself. No longer will she
have to sit passively on the sidelines in
her final season at Michigan. She looks
forward to graduation and the Big Ten
Championships, which will occur on the
same weekend here in Ann Arbor.
Adding to the special weekend is the
expected visit from her parents and
brother, Ryan, who will be making the
3,000-mile trek to Michigan.
"Hopefully I will have a busy and suc-
cessful weekend," Weggenman said.
From her work with the Nike swoosh
to all the sweat on the courts, work and
sweat have become synonymous with
Weggenman.
And when it comes to overcoming a
devastating injury, three other words
come to mind.
"Just did it."

Iwo State football *
players suspended
EAST LANSING (AP) - Two
Michigan State football players have
been suspended from the team after
being charged with break-ins.
Felony arrest warrants were issued
Thursday against defensive back
Monquiz Wedlow, 20, of Sagina*
and defensive end Samalj Gordon,
18, of Atlanta. Both are freshmen.
Wedlow is charged with second-
degree home invasion for allegedly
breaking into Gordon's dormitory
room Sept. 3. Gordon is charged
with second-degree home invasion'
for allegedly breaking into a dorm
room Dec. 18, and is charged with
larceny of less than S200. He is
accused of stealing property Jan. 20
from an on-campus apartment. W

NCAA Basketball
Result as of t1 p.m. yesterday. Home team in CAPS.
Yesterday's results:
ST OHN'S[79,(22) Connecticut 64
(1 OkIahoma State at MISSOURI, late
(25 Utah at UNLV late
NBA Standings

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NHL Standings

CENTRAL
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19-8-2
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11166
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NOm4WE5T W
Colorado 28,
Fdmonton 21
Caleary 25
Vancouver 19

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1 66 17-5-3
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5 61 16.7-4
6 54 ;17-4

PACIFIC W LT
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Anhenn 25 26 9
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Buffalo 24 27 9

RT PS HOME AWAY
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