10 The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, Aprl 4, 2000
Duprey's g
naa
and legitimacy
For Michigan State, its storyline is
now complete. It took home all of
the prizes: the Big Ten regular-sea-
son title, The Big Ten Tournament and
the crown jewel of them all, the NCAA
championship.
There were many stories to this team
- most uplifting, some over told - but
last night, the Spartans added one more
yarn to their tale. When Mateen Cleaves
went down on his ankle and had to limp
off to the lockerroom, the game again
came in question. Fans in East Lansing
had a ready-made excuse, in case their
team fell apart.
Cleaves' return will always be por-
trayed as heroic - the fallen leadei
seemingly down and out, limps back to
the ring and dishes out a few more
punches. But the truth of the matter is
that Michigan State effectively won the
game in his absence.
Rather than folding without Cleaves,
the remaining players in the rotation
seemed exactly in tune without him.
Cleaves' early-season injury, which
forced him to miss the nonconference
slate, trained the Spartans to play with-
out him.
They learned what worked (Jason
Richardson) and what didn't work
(David Thomas). With this learning
behind them, they were made capable to
deal with what normally would be a
team-killing injury. And because of that,
they didn't blow the national champi-
onship when the game was all but in
their hands.
Give credit to Michigan State - its
preparedness won it the national title.
- Chris Duprey can he
rcacled at cdupreyv(aumich.cdiu.
"
Baseball returns
for ocket test
I
Singer
By Dena Beth Krischer
Daily Sports Writer
Tuesdays seem to be fairly
unlucky for the Michigan baseball
team.
In fact, each time Michigan has
played on a Tuesdav, it has been
demolished - a 9-2 loss to North
Florida on Leap Day
and an 11-4 embarrass-- T
ment compliments of_
Western Michigan a RAY FisH
week ago. Who:Michi
If the Wolverines (2- bTledo (-13
4 Big Ten, 9-15-1 over- When:3p .
all) can come out today Latest: Mch
with a win over Toledo its econdho
will be a step in the Toledoat'Th
right direction.
"It's the same thing,"
Michigan coach Geoff
Zahn said. "We need to get out there
and play. It's just a matter of the
young guys getting out there and our
older guys coming around."
A victory would also be only the
second the Wolverines will have seen
at home this season since beating
Bowling Green 6-2 at Fisher
Stadium last Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Rockets haven't
won a game since playing Defiance
at home last Wednesday and are cur-
rently on a five game skid.
Translation: Toledo is ready for a
win and will most likely come out
thirsty for blood.
The Wolverines are fresh off a cru-
cial 4-3 win over Indiana on Sunday.
Translation: Michigan can't come
out cold thinking that, due to
Toledo's susceptibility, this non-con-
ference game is unimportant. An
attitude like that could very easily
begin a possible deterioration of a
Wolverines
)DAY
ER STADIUM
glln(9-15-1)vs.
a. rtxlav"
igan is looking for
te vicry ofthe
y nieiiiinss .
ate Fisht.'
squad eager to string
together a few wins.
"We shouldn't take
anybody lightly," Zahn
said. "For our guys,
we have to go all out
and worry. I'm niore
concerned about our
team than I am about
Toledo'shstrengths or
those things. If we
execute well, we have
a good chance of win-
ning the ballgame."
But if the Rockets
The Michigan softbaii team brims its 16-game winning streak home today as it
faces Bowling Green in a doubleheader to open its home season at Alumni Field.
in hmdeu
are aggressive early, the Wolverines
could collapse into the inexperi-
enced squad that has already
dropped 15 games.
"There's a level of being timid at
first," Zahn said. "There's a lot of
firsts when you're a freshman. If you
don't get off to a good start, you start
to wonder 'can I hit?' There's a peri-
od of time when you say, 'This is
harder than I thought it would be,
what do I need to do?'
"You have to fight through this
adversity and there's times when you
get too anxious and that makes it
tough on you," Zahn said.
By David Roth
I)aily Sports Writer
Alumni Field, home of1
softball, has been very lonely
While Michigan has been
out on a 16-game win-
ning streak, Alumni Field
has sat fallow.
But at 3 p.m. today,
the Wolverines will
break in their home turf
to host a doubleheader
against Bowling Green.
And if Michigan looks
impressive on the road, -
who knows what success
the friendly confines of
Alumni will bring.
"The team is really lookin
to our first couple of home g
week," firstbaseman and
Marissa Young said. "We hop
out with a bang at home."
But while Michigan has hi
of keeping Alumni Field a w
ly environment, there is soi
for concern. Tomorrow's con
the Falcons, have been pre
competition in nearby territor
most recent meal was a 6-{) s
Oakland, where Bowling Gr
up only three hits.
"We would rather be playir
at this time of the year than practicing,
which is what we would be doing
tomorrow at 3 p.m,' Michigan coach
Michigan Carol lutchins said.
this year. Hutchins is grateful that the gates to
Alumni Field are open-
TODAY in . up early.
Originally, Bowling
ALUMNI FIELD Green was not on
Who: Michit in (?6-6)vts. Michigan's schedule,
Bowling Green f- 8) but since the
When: 3 p m. xd} Wolverines were short
latest:Thesofthllfteam's 16'. on games, and they
gane wining streak s Onde shared an open date
line in the d uibleheoderat with the Fa}COWS, thie
Alumzni ield which k'gein a sip ihteFlos h
gi me hmesknd ir thea. two teams decided to
suit up and play.
"Bowling Green is
15-8 and should be a good opponent,'
g forward Hutchins said.
aames this Hutchins will be focussing on three
pitcher key points to make the most of today's
e to come double header.
"We need to play hard, generate
gh hopes some offense and give all of our pitch-
in-friend- ers some pitching time," Hutchins
me cause said.
mpetitors, Whatever the outcome, Alumni
eying on Field will finally get some use in the
ics. Their coming weeks. Michigan will host
hutout at Wisconsin in a doubleheader on
een gave Friday, and then will play single
matches against Minnesota Saturday
ng games and Sunday.
soars for
gmnasts
By Sarah Ensor
Daily Sports Writer
STATE COLLEGE - Sometimes it
is those who develop out ofthe spotlight
who have the potential to grow the most.
The performance of Michigan fresh-
man gymnast Cami Singer over the lat-
ter half of the 1999-2000 season is living
proofofthis sentiment. Singer, frequent-
ly overshadowed by Big Ten and NCAA
Region V Gymnast of the Year Sarah
Cain and Big Ten Freshman of the Year
Janessa Grieco, has emerged from the
shadow of her teammates' success to
make a major impact on the top-ranked
Wolveines.
Two weeks ago at the Big Ten
Championships, Singer scored a 9.95 on
the uneven bars to become the co-con-
ference champion on the event. While
the victory was the culmination of a sea
son's worth of hard work and develop-
ment, it was only the beginning of the
unseasoned gymnast's postseason
accomplishments.
This weekend, at the NCAA Region
V Championships at Penn State, Singer
proved that she is far from finished. She
tied for third on the beam with a 9.875,
and continued her consistent perfor-
mance on the bars with a 9.85. On a
night when seniors took first place hon-
ors on every apparatus, Singer's perfor-
mance was a testament to the youth
movement that is the future of collegiate
women's gymnastics.
"I am so impressed with our freshmen
that I cannot say enough," Michigan
coach Bev Plocki said. "But Cami in
particular in the latter part of the season
has really come through. She did not
even warm up a skill on her bar routine,
and she rocked. She got up there and
showed an incredible amount of poise
on beam, and didn't have a bobble"
Singer, always modest about her own
accomplishments, preferred to focus on
team, rather than individual, successes.
"I'm really excited that I was able to
come and step in, contribute to the team,
and be part of this experience' Singer
said. "It's good to know that we're going
into nationals and that I could help."
Things haven't always appeared this
effortless for the freshman from'
Monument, Colorado. Early in the sea-
son, Singer struggled to find her place in
the lineup.
She experienced the proverbial grow-
ing pains of freshmen and watched as
classmates Grieco and Tara Tagliarino
garnered more success and acclaim. But
halfway through the season, she broke
into the uneven bars' lineup and gained
the confidence that seemed to be lack-
ing in her earlier performances. After
struggling on the bars against Georgia,
Singer has been one of Michigan's most
consistent performers on the apparatus,
never scoring lower than a 9.8
Meanwhile, as herhconfidence on the
bars has developed, her performance on
the beam has continued to improve.
After not topping 9.85 for the first ten
meets of the season, Singer tied the team
season-high with a 9.95 in the
Wolverines' home finale against Florida
and Bowling Green, followed by a 99 in.
the Big Ten Championships.
"Confidence is a combination of
everything," Singer said. "Your team-
mates, your coaches - you go into the
gym and do routine after routine after
routine every single day, because every
little tenth counts. The harder you work
in the gym, the more confident you
become.
As Singer has risen, so has Michigan'
Heading into the National
Championships in Boise, her perfor-
mance has become among the most crit-
ical to the Wolverines. After progressing
from overshadowed freshman to Big Ten
Champion in three short months, the sky
appears to be her linmit. And no one is
more excited about that prospect than
the gymnast herself.
Heading to the national champi-
onships riding such success "feels won-
derful," Singer said.
Rowers finish
fifth in Classic
The dolphins at Sea World weren't the
only ones making a splash this weekend
in San Diego. The Michigan women's
rowing team was at the San Diego Crew
Classic, competing against some of the
best teams in the nation. Needless to say,
it wasn't just a day at the park for the
women.
The Wolverines ran into a
Washington team that had won the
Classic nine straight years and a Virginia
team that was out for revenge. This
proved to be too much for the women, as
they finished fifth in the varsity race and
third in both the .IV and novice races.
The Wolverines were riding high after
their upset of Virginia last week, and
until Saturday night the season was per-
fect. Unfortunately, things did not go as
planned.
"Our team just didn't show up on
Sunday, sMichigan coach Mark
Rothstein said.
What a difference one day can make.
Although both the varsity and JV boats
jumped out to early leads in their respec-
tive races, both faded fast, finishing well
behind the winners in both races.
"The girls were just not able to get
into a rhythm' said Rothstein.
Nevertheless spirits remain high for
the still young season as Michigan looks
to build on the weekend.
"We need to get stronger from what
we learned this weekend. We still have
the ability, we just have to perform,"
Coxswain Belinda Koo said.
- By Al bert Kim
V Student Discounts
Summer Session I
Mlay 23-June 30
Summer Session I!
July 3-August 1
Summer Evening Session
May 18-August 1I
SUMM ER 2000
* Undergraduate and Graduate Courses
* Programs for International Students
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~ Professional Bartending Training
~ Tips on Finding a Top Paying Job
~ Become a Talented, Socially
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~ Great Part-time or Summer Job
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APRIL 7TH - 6:00 PM
OXFOR D CONFERENCE - ActNow,
CENT ER Spacesinite
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F
I~5
MLI3 Scores
National LgueAmedanleague
ApAt 2. Coorado 0 Cleveland 4. 3:A..M ,'i: 1
$r. I ,5 . slecageCubs 1 t i . . :k sas City 4
NY h1 Ms 2. Sain Diego 1 r-A a 1C' CiAWi2 t SOx 4
Milwaukee 3.C: ..'at3 T npa Bay 7. M'.'. r,.0A
Los Angeles 1D M . 4 4 Detroit i Oane a-'.,"r
HoustOn At P a s'LXG1. 1311' NY Yankees Ar A.. , M. late
NBA Standings
EAtlanti- w L PcT GB HOME AWAY STK
program board
Miami
New Yoi*c,
Philadelphia
Orlando
New Jersey
Boston
Washington
46 26.639 --- 28-7
4828.616 1.5 29.8
42 31.575 4.5 25.311
37 36.507 9.5 2313
3142.425 15.5 22-16
3043.41116.5 22-13
26 47.356 20.5 15-21
1819 Won 3
26-20 lost 2
17 20 lost 3
1423 Won 6
9 26 Lost 2
8-30 Lost 7
11-26 Won 1
ECENMTRAL W L PCT G8
Indiana 49 24.671 -
Toronte .4033.54_6.5
Charlotte 4131.569 7.52
Detroit 3735.514 10.5
Milwaukee 35 38.479 13.5
CIveland 2944.397 19
Atlanta 26 46.361 20.51
HOME AWAY
32-5 17-19
23-14: 17-19
2610 1521
24-13 13-22
19-17 16 21
20-17 9-27
19-18 728
STK
Won 2
Lost 3
Won 6
Won 1
Won 1
Lost 1
Lost 2
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The University of Michigan-Dearborn
invites you to be a guest student for the
Summer 2000 semester. We have three
options to accommodate students who are
home for summer vacation.
Full Term - May 8 - August 29
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