6B -The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 20, 2000

ymnasts thrive in Big Ten spotlight
Wolverines win 5 of 6 individual events after claiming team title
By Roit Bhave
Dailygports Writer Michigan qualified a league-lead- individual finals)- there'sa hiu, e ba's want l t i


EAST LANSING - Following up
its victorious performance in the team
finals, the Michigan men's gymnas-
tics team conquered the individual
finals by winning five of six events.
Big Ten Gymnast of the Year Scott
Vetere won titles in the rings, vault
and the pommel horse, while Kris
Zimmerman took the parallel bar and
Daniel Diaz-Luong triumphed in the
high bar.
Diaz-Luong, who competed spar-
ingly during the regular season due to
injury, finally was able to show his
form on the high bar in the Big Ten
Championship, tying Iowa's Brian
Hamilton for first place with a score
of 9.8125.

ing 18 routines for the individual
finals --- five in the rings alone.
Mirroring its results in the rings por-
tion of the team finals, Michigan
again swept the top four places.
Scott Vetere led the team with a
9.8625. Close behind him were Ethan
Johnson (9.7875), Kenny Keener
(9.7125) and Kris Zimmerman (9.6).
Teammate Conan Parzuchowski also
competed, scoring a 9.5125.
Michigan gymnasts found more
competition in the rings from their
teammates than from the rest of the
Big Ten.
Each Wolverine seemed to be
pushed by the others to produce a bet-
ter routine.
"Having five teammates (in the

SILIVI ~ I iuct , tl g1 a t
influence to beat them," said Keener.
For Johnson, Saturday's event
finals were the first of his four-year
Michigan career. He attributes much
of his success to Michigan coach Kurt
Golder, the Big Ten Coach of the Year.
"I came into Michigan with a little
talent and a desire to work hard,"
Johnson said. "Kurt worked with my
strengths and weaknesses - he
deserves a lot of credit."
Not lost in Michigan's triumphant
weekend was Zimmerman's exhibi-
tion of his budding talent.
The freshman won the parallel bars
with a 9.9125 and placed fourth in
both the rings and the high bar.
Following the meet, Zimmerman con-
ceded that his victory in the parallel

Is a riot a ucomp.ee surprise
"Parallel bars is the one event
where I have some of the best skills in
the country," Zimmerman said.
Following their victory in Friday
night's team finals, Michigan's gym-
nasts competing on Saturday faced a
unique challenge - lack of sleep.
Friday night, "sleep was really hard
because I was so excited (about win-
ning the Big Tens)," Johnson said.
Co-captain Kevin Roulston said the
weekend's blueprint for success was
laid well before Friday. It was rooted
in confidence, and a work ethic based
on attaining perfection.
"We know we can go out and hit
great routines," Roulston said.
"While some people want to be cham-
pions, we train to be champions."

PETER CORNUE/Daiy
Scott Vetere, Big Ten Gymnast of the Year, won the Big Ten title for his floor excersize.

Second consecutive title comes

easily'

MEN
Continued from Page 16
depth. It is not often can you take out Justin
(Toman) and still win easily."
Big Ten Gymnast of the Year Scott Vetere con-
tinued his month-long streak of strong perfor-
mances - on Friday, he posted a season-high 58.7
all-around score that included five scores of 9.7 or
better.
"No one could touch him," Toman said.
Vetere led a Wolverine conquest of the rings
event with a meet-high 9.925. Teammates Kris
Zimmerman, Kenny Keener and Ethan Johnson
completed Michigan's sweep of the top four
places. The foursome attributed Michigan's mas-
tery of the event to coach Kurt Golder's well-
renowned strength program.
"A lot of this (success) comes from our strength
workouts early in the morning," Johnson said fol-
lowing his 9.7 performance.
Unlike other teams, Michigan commits to
strength-training year-round, using Golder's pro-
gram based on gym-specific exercises.
Amazingly, the Wolverines placed five gym-
nasts in the individual rings finals Saturday - the
aforementioned quartet was joined by freshman
Conan Parzuchowski.
Following the 39.175 performance on the rings,
it was evident the Big Ten title would return to

Ann Arbor.
The lead the Wolverines accumulated over sec-
ond-place Ohio State did not slow Michigan's
drive in the final rotations - the Wolverines dom-
inated the parallel bars as well.
Freshman Kris Zimmerman hit an impressive
9.9 parallel bar routine to key the tumblers' 39.15
event score. Michigan posted the season-high
without Toman, who was the 1999 Big Ten paral-
lel bars champion.
Though the Wolverines did not emphasize the
meet heavily in their season goals, they exhibited
unrivaled enthusiasm from the moment they began
the meet.
While other teams quieted as the meet went
along, Michigan's emotional fire continued to
build. Nowhere was the Wolverines' exuberance
more apparent than in their performance on one of
their weaker events, the vault.
Along with the loyal Wolverine fan contingent,
red-faced teammates and spirited coaches seem-
ingly fired each vaulter down the runway with
their voices. The fervor paid off - Michigan
scored a 38.55, its third-highest mark of the sea-
son.
The ardor also aided the Wolverines on their
other weakness, the high bar. Michigan tallied a
38.35 in the event, led by Daniel Diaz-Luong's
9.725.
Prior to the weekend, Golder spoke to his team

"There is an atmosphere
onthis team like nothing
else-this is what you
coach for."
- Mike Burns:
Assistaint Men's Gymnastics Coach
about retaining the mental focus that won them the
national championship last year.
"I asked them what frame of mind they were i
last year (during the national championship run),
the focus they maintained," Golder said. "Often,;
when the wheels fall off, the energy level falls. I
reminded them to pick up the energy in those
cases.
Much as Golder predicted, the Wolverines' spir-
it dictated their performance.
By maintaining their morale throughout the,
meet, the tumblers drew their most inspired per-,
formance of the season. Following Michigan's vic*
torious weekend, assistant coach Mike Burns
could not contain himself.
"There's an atmosphere on this team like noth-
ing else -- this is what you coach for," Burns said..

..

PETER CORNUE/Daily
Freshman Conan Parzuchowski was one of the five Wolverines who placed among
the Individual rings finalists at the Big Ten tournament.


M netters drop two; winless in Big Ten
No. 19 Tennessee, Minnesota defeat the injury riddled Michigan women's tennis team

By Joe Smith
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan freshman Jen Duprez
used a clever drop shot. surprising
Tennessee's lone senior Candy Reid
who had already retreated to the
baseline.
Reid frantically dove forward, in a
desperate attempt to keep the volley
alive.
But the ball dropped innocently in
front of Reid's racket and she fell flat
on her face.
As Reid remained facedown on the
court for several seconds, it may
have hit her that this non-conference
match wasn't going to be as easy as
she thought.
And it wasn't. Michigan (0-3 Big
Ten, 5-5 overall) had its chances to

win, but came up short, as the 19th
ranked Volunteers slipped past the
upset-minded Wolverines Friday
night. 5-4. Looking to avenge their
loss the next day. the Wolverines
once again came up short, losing 5-2
to Minnesota.
"We had a lot of chances,"
Michigan coach Bitsv Ritt said. "We
had a golden oppurtunity, but unfor-
tunately we couldn't pull it out. The
bottom line is that we have to win
those close matches."
The Wolverines indeed had many
chances to pull off the upset against
Tennessee.
Senior co-captains Brooke Hart
and Danielle Lund won their match-
es at No. I and No. 2 singles, respec-
tively.
Duprez then added an impressi ec


victory of her own at No. 5.
The Wolverines were suddenly out,
in front 3-2 in the nine-point dual
match.
Freshman Joanne Musgrove was
up 3-0 in the third and deciding set
of her No. 4 singles match, and
things were looking up.
But Tennessee sophomore Mayling
Parks, in her first action in two
weeks after spraining her ankle,
mounted a fierce comback and
pulled out the set, 6-4, giving her
team an important victory.
This tied up the match at 3-3, with
the three doubles contests remaining.
The Wolverines were without two
key doubles players, senior Erryn
Weggenman (with family in Portland
after her brother's death) and sopho-
more Jen Vaughn (hip injury).
After splitting the first two dou-
bles contests, the focus then shifted
to the deciding doubles match. Lund
and junior Szandra Fuzesi, who has
been battling a hamstring injury of
her own, jumped out to a 4-1 lead in
the eight-point match.
But, once again, the Volunteers
roared back, and with one overhand
PRINTING .*
LOWESTPRICES!
HIGHEST OUALITY!
FASTEST SER VICE!
1002 PONTIAC TR.
994-1367
s

smash by Tennessee's Agnes Wiske,
the Wolverines' hopes of an upset
were also crushed.
"You could single out the last
matches to be played, but we had
many other oppurtunities at other
spots that were just as important,"
Ritt said.
On Saturday, the Wolverines
returned to the court, trying to pre-
vent an 0-3 start in the conference
against Minnesota - which was rid-
ing a four-match winning streak.
This match switched back to the
six point conference format, with the
three doubles contests going first,
followed by the six singles matches.
After losing two out of three dou-
bles matches, in singles Michigan's
only two victories were at the No. 1
and No. 5 slots, where Hart and
Duprez each won for the second time
in as many days.
These two bright spots were not
enough, however, as the Golden
Gophers won their fifth straight, 5-2.
With an 0-3 conference record head-
ing into this Saturday's match with
Michigan State (0-3, 2-7), Ritt knows
that her team has a lot to work on.
"We have to cut down on our
unforced errors," Ritt said. "We
made way, way too many mistakes
out there.
"There are certain spots in the
lineup where we have to be stronger
and more consistent."
Ritt met individually with some
players after Saturday's loss, in an
attempt to discuss what each player
needs to do to improve.
"(The Gophers) came in here and
took it to us in our own facility, and
we can not let that happen again,"
Hart said.
"We have to work real hard and
zontinue to have some practice
matches and work on eliminating our
mistakes."

WOMEN
Continued ftom Page1B
vault and floor exercise, giving her six
individual Big Ten titles for her career.
The ascension of Michigan's youth
provided another ingredient in its
record-setting night.
The young squad, many of whom
tasted postseason competition for the
first time, did not disappoint.
Freshmen Cami Singer and Tara
Tagliarino paced the uneven bars line-
up by tying for first place with 9.925's.
Fellow freshman Janessa Grieco also
turned in career-best performances of
9.925's on both the beam and the floor
exercise to take home third and second-
place honors, respectively.
Competing in her first conference
championship, Grieco felt "a little
pressure because we really wanted to
do well. It was exciting; it's Big Ten's,

Women get second
chance 1n outdoors

which are important, and there's a lot
of pride involved," she said. "But we
approached it just like any other mee(.
I went out there and wanted to do weld
for the team, like always."
No. 16 Penn State and No. 1
Minnesota took second and third plaR
scoring 196.575 and 196.150.
In addition to dominating the com-
petition on the floor, the Wolverine;
swept the conference's individual
awards. As a testament to the strength
of the program, Cain was named Bi$
Ten Gymnast of the Year, Grieco wor
freshman of the year honors and Plocki
was voted Big Ten Coach of the Year.'
"We didn't worry about anythi
and just focused on ourselves, a'
that's why we did so well, Grieco con-
curred.
Maintaining that focus could result
in the program's first national champi-
onship when the Wolverines head to
NCAA regionals in two weeks.

By David Edelman
Daily Spons Writer
First impressions are important. It is a
rare event to get a second opportunity at
proving yourself. Fortunately, the
' Michigan women's track team receives
such a fresh start when its outdoor season
begins. After a disappointing finish at the
Big Ten Championships, Michigan
began their outdoor season this past
Wednesday when it traveled to
Tallahassee, Fla. to compete in the
Florida State Relays.
This non-scoring meet attracts over
1,000 athletes from more than 50 schools
and clubs to take part in the annual event
on the campus of Florida State. The
competition gave Michigan a chance to
regroup and test its skills in its new out-
door environment after a small rest com-
ing from the end of the indoor meets.
The Wolverines have a new realistic, but
optimistic outlook for their outdoor sea-
son.
The Wolverines fifth-place finish at
the Indoor Big Ten Championships was a
rude awaking. Michigan, two-time
defending champions of the event strug-
gled with the heavy competition at this
year's Big Tens. Coach James Henry
acknowledged the team's disappointment
with its performance.
"Our showing at this years competi-
tion was one of the lowest finishes we've
had in a long time," Henry said.
For a team that began strong and

showing smack in the middle was not a
favorable spot to finish at.
Heny partially contributed the team's
inconsistent nature to the enormous pres-
ence of newcomer athletes. A - major
influence in their team has been their
freshmen that have stepped up to play a
greater role in their team as compared#
previous years. Despite many outstand-
ing performances by freshman indoors, it
would be unfair to expect that same
strength without faults.
"We are not a veteran squad," Henry
said. "Other teams really came to come
pete this year, and I believe that we didn't
take the competition seriously enough. I
realize this is a young squad, it's very
common for many athletes to experience
troubles at first. The team's expectations
threw me for a loop." W
Michigan enters this season with
strength in many of the events. Senior;
Julie Presley should provide the team;
with some power in the hammer throw;
an event that is absent from indoors.
Despite the Wolverines final struggles:
indoors the team still remains .optimistic.
about rest of their season.
"We are not a fifth-place squad,"
Henry said. "We have the potential to d
better in the outdoor season. It is still our"
goal to finish in the top three.
"Maybe our loss at the Big Tens was a
blessing in disguise. Coming off the Big
Tens there is less pressure is on us. Np
longer defending champions - we are
now going after the title. We have a goal

No CrediP No Probleml
First Time Buyer Program
IfU ohave the foflowin
h At least $1600 verifiable monthly income
* 6 months verified full-time iob