...,..-... _... _ _ ._ .. ... ....... .. .w ,. ........ - ...,. ..
, 5oftball poll
14
Michigan slipped one notch to No. 12
ithe USA Today/NFCA Coaches Top
5 poll released yesterday. Go online to
s the rest of the standings.
,ichigandaily.com/sports
je3~aun3al
SPOIRTS
THURSDAY
APRIL 13, 2000
1A
0.
into
Sarah Ensor
y Sports Writer
1 women vault
championships
The smell of spring
football hits Saturday
It's all come down to this for the No.1
Michigan women's gymnastics team.
After months of competition and
.fining, after experiencing the highs and
vs of triumphant victories and disap-
dinting defeats, and after sweeping
girough two postseason meets, there is
Qtly one hurdle left for the Wolverines.
Tonight, Michigan will take the floor of
The Pavilion in Boise in pursuit of the
son's ultimate prize - the NCAA
hampionship.
"I'm really excited," Michigan coach
flev Plocki said. "I think the kids have
worked so hard this year - everybody
has - and they're so much a team unit
tiat it would just thrill.me to see this be
tbeir year."
: ;For this to be their year, the
WIolverines will have to overcome formi-
dable competition, most of which have
4ie talent to win it all.
*Michigan has seen four of its oppo-
'ents before, having met Alabama in the
season-opening Super Six Challenge,
QCLA in March's Bruin Classic in Los
Andgeles, Penn State in both the Big Ten
d NCAA Region V Championships
Baseeba le
, Dan Williams
Daily Sports Writer
and Georgia on three occasions.
While the Wolverines are 0-1 against
both Alabama and UCLA and 0-3
against Georgia, they believe that their
experiences will work to their advantage.
"Had we not met any of those teams,
in going to Boise, we'd have a fear of the
unknown'" Plocki said. "Everybody
builds up these reputations about how
good Georgia is, how good UCLA is,
and there are people out there talking
about how good Michigan is."
The meet will begin with tonight's
preliminaries, from which the top three
teams in each of two groups advance.
Michigan will participate in the ses-
sion II rotation, facing UCLA,
Nebraska, Iowa State, West Virginia,
and Penn State for the chance to pro-
ceed. Then comes tomorrow's Super
Six Championship, which will deter-
mine the champion.
Michigan is no stranger to good per-
formances at NCAAs. Last season, the
fourth-ranked Wolverines came within
0.3 points of the ultimate goal, pushing
then-No. I Georgia to its limit before
falling just short. In 1995, Michigan
also garnered runner-up honors, estab-
lishing itself as a bona-fide gymnastics
powerhouse. Nothing could do more to
SAM HOLLENSHEAD/Daily
Tonight the No.1 Wolverines return to the NCAA gymnastics championships, from where
they could to bring home Michigan's first women's national championship.
solidify that well-deserved reputation
than for this year's team to return to
Ann Arbor with the national champi-
onship in hand.
"I keep saying that, one of these
years it's going to be our turn,'" Plocki
said. "I hope this is it."
The Wolverines arp looking to make
history not only for themselves, but for
the entire Michigan Athletic
Department. In over 25 years of varsi-
ty participation, no Michigan women's
team has ever won a national champi-
individual championship decorations
adorn the University's trophy case, but
no group of female athletes has ever
managed to take the all-important step
to the top of its sport.
"That would be incredible," Plocki
said. "That has been- my goal since I
stepped foot on campus in Ann Arbor.
We have so many women's programs
that are right on the verge of being able
to do it that it would be incredible to be
the first ones.
"No matter how many everybody
else wins, there's only one team that can
See CHAMPIONSHIPS, Page 13A
By Stephanie Often
Daily Sports Editor
Emotions surrounding the football
season are usually excitement, anticipa-
tion and sometimes disappointment. But
this Saturday's Michigan football spring
practice will send another emotion
through Michigan football fans - con-
fusion.
Those entering the stadium at I p.m.
- the official starting time for the game
- will see a score of 17-0 on the score-
board.
But fans, don't worry, you didn't miss
anything. This year's spring practice will
take the form of half-scrimmage and
half-practice. Michigan coach Lloyd
Carr said that the Wolverines will indeed
scrimmage, but only for two quarters of
play. The scrimmage will start in the
third quarter with a 17-0 score.
Each squad will feature players with
both blue and white jerseys - white for
the offense, and blue for the defense.
And along with the number of unknown
players that will take the field for the
first time on Saturday, fans may wonder
why a few of the bigger named stars
aren't dressed in white or blue.
Running back Justin Fargas, who sat
out all last season with a broken leg, will
skip this Saturday. Fargas has not prac-
ticed yet this season, but Carr said he
will be ready for the season opener on
Sept. 2 against Bowling Green.
Fellow back Anthony Thomas will
also see limited time in Saturday's prac-
tice, but Carr assured that this is not due
to injury.
Wide receiver David Terrell, running
back Walter Cross and quarterback
Drew Henson will key the team coming
17 points from behind. They will face
possible backup quarterbacks, redshirt
freshmen John Navarre and Andy
Mignery and sophomore running back
B.J. Askew.
The reason for a practice, as opposed
to a full exhibition, is because of a lack
of players available.
"We don't have enough players if we
would play all four quarters," Carr said.
"Some players would end up having to
play every down. But I still want to give
Spring is in the air
A football scrimmage isn't the only thing
going on during Saturday's Springfest.
Here are a couple of activities to fill your
first day of spring:
9 a.m.
l Hockey garage sale at Yost Ice Arena.
Equipment manager lanHume will have
all the used hockey equipment on sale.
Michigan coach Red Berenson said to get
there early because the gear goes quickly.
5K Fun Run/Walk starting at the
Michigan Stadium. There is no registration
fee, but tee-shirts are $10. All proceeds
benefit the Jeff Reese Scholarship fund.
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Annual Athletic Department Garage Sale
at Cliff Keen Arena. Admission is free.
There will be Michigan Athletic ,
Department equipment/apparel from
Michigan teams on sale. Items include jer-
seys, shoes, wannups and more.
the players game experience.
"Having the practice still enables us to
give the players that opportunity."
Along with Fargas, Carr specifically
named tight end Shawn Thompson,
defensive lineman Grant Bowman and
tight end Bill Seymour as players who
will be absent because of injury. But
Carr said they will all be ready for the
season opener. Currently, there are no
injuries to roster players that will inter-
fere with the season.
Many other questions surround the
Wolverines with the culmination of the
spring season, which Carr addressed
yesterday.
THE QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSY
(AGAIN): This year there is no question
who the starting quarterback for the
Wolverines will be. Sophomore Drew
Henson, who played substantially in 10
games last season, will start.
But questions about his status with the
New York Yankees organization have
surrounded him since his arrival at
Michigan and continue to surround him
this season.
See SPRING, Page 15A
onship.
Numerous runner-up
awards and
I ,
thargic'.in 8-5 road loss to Toledo
.>
Ss
TOLEDO - Coach Geoff Zahn had an abnorial-
l long talk with his Michigan baseball team in the
rightfield grass of Toledo's
Scott Park Baseball TOLEDO 8
Cdmplex after his team fell
94 to the Rockets yesterday. BeMICHIGAN 5
t has become increasing-
1'evident that this season, the Wolverines will never
, e the ability to overcome opponents on tauent
)6ne. Therefore, Zahn knows his. team: has to play
intelligent baseball and rise tothe ccasion when the
amortunities present themselves.
We have to play better than we played today,"Zahn
sgd. "We played pretty lethargic."
ichigan had many chances against Toledo, but
they slipped away, just as Michigan's hopes for sal-
vaging the season seem to be.
There was Toledo's fly to right field in the first
inning, which senior Jay Dines initially misjudged,
and then, in an attempt to make an over-the-shoulder
catch in recovery, the ball rolled out of his glove,
allowing a run to score.
There were the two Toledo baserunners who
decided to test freshman centerfielder Blake
Rutkowski's arm on throws to the plate off of singles.
Both men scored - and neither Rutkowski throw
ever got to4he catcher.
Then there was first baseman Jeff Trzos' inability to
knock down a bounding ball that found the outfield
grass for a two-run single.
If anyone of those plays had been made, perhaps
Michigan could have prevented its losing streak - a
losing streak that comes only two weeks after the team
ended a five-game skid - from reaching three games.
"We made some key errors, and you can't do that,"
Zahn said. "Part of it's youth, but we're getting into the
part of the season now where we're going to have to
start growing up."
Or perhaps if the hitting had been more opportune,
the Wolverines wouldn't have exited the field with
heads hanging.
Senior Rob Bobeda, who represented the winning
run with the bases loaded in the eighth inning, struck
out for the seventh time in two games. At present he is
providing little protection for junior David Parrish,
who is walking and being hit by pitches more and
more frequently.
"Rob is in a little bit of a slump right now," Zahn
said. "He's going to have to just battle through it."
Even the one time Bobeda reached base, via a bunt
See ROCKETS, Page 14A
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Be our guest!
I"1 il L a
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Think Ahead
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Fax: (248) 370 - 4462
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