Wednesday, September 8, 1999 - The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition - 9E

Women's gymnastics came oh,
so close to first national title

By Stephen A. Rom
Maily sports Writer
SALT LAKE CITY - Michigan's
S to attain its first women's national
mpionship fell just three-tenths of a
point short at the NCAA women's gym-
nastics championships in April.
"That slim margin was all that stood
between Michigan and last year's
national champion, Georgia. The
Bulldogs won the meet 196.850 -
196.550 to secure their first back-to-
bfck title. In addition, the Bulldogs went
undefeated for the second straight sea-
son, pushing their consecutive win
.zk to 64.
he last time Georgia lost was at the
1997 NCAA Championships when
UCLA took the honors. Michigan, who
had survived the opening day of compe-
tition on April 22 to advance to the
Super Six, kept things close the whole
way through.
So close in fact that Georgia coach
Suzanne Yoculan found it necessary to
keep abreast of the Wolverines' running
I 'throughout the meet.
i have our little spy Sandi Karchmer
(Georgia's sports information director)
et nie all the scores. I need to know"
she "said.
Be that as it may, Yoculan must have
knvwri that Michigan was hot on the
Bulldogs' heels going into the final rota-
ion. Prior to that, Michigan's Christine
\fehaud had just hit a season-high

9.900 on the vault to give it a chance to
win at the end. Senior Lisa Simes also
earned that same score on the vault to
help put the third-ranked Wolverines
only .325 of a point behind the top-
ranked Bulldogs going into the home
stretch.
Of all the things that Georgia's coach
had to tend to at the time, one thing that
she may not have been made aware of is
the fact that the uneven bars -
Michigan's last routine -- is its best.
Michigan coach Bev Plocki, though,
was well aware.
"I knew it was a long shot but I still
thought there was a chance," Plocki
said. "I'm just glad my team fought until
the end."
That fight was led by freshman Erin
McWatt, who proved herself earlier in
the season by consistently leading off
the bar routine with good scores. The
championships were no different,
because in the clutch, McWatt produced
a 9.800 at her first Super Six appear-
ance.
Michigan's final punch was supplied
by senior Nikki Peters, who had already
won the uneven bar crowns at the Big
Ten and Regional Championships. In
what would be her final team competi-
tion for the Wolverines, Peters supplied
a heartfelt performance.
"For the first time I actually cried,"
she said. "It felt really good to finish on
a high note."

That high note was thanks to a 9.95
she received from the judges - putting
the ball in the Bulldogs' court and forc-
ing them to produce on their final event,
the floor exercise.
That seemed to suit them just fine.
"It's not over until the Georgia fight
song plays and Karin Lichey is on the
floor," Yoculan said.
Georgia's senior sensation was not
only the individual champion on the
floor last year, but she was also ranked
No. I this year.
Game, set, match.
Once Lichey successfully landed her
first tumble - to the joy of hundreds of
Georgia faithful that made the trip from
Athens - it became clear which team
would be taking home the Trophy.
"I knew it was going to take a prob-
lem on Georgia's part in order for our
bars to beat their floor scores," Plocki
said.
Although finishing as the NCAA
runner-up for the second time in four
years was indeed an accomplishment, it
still disappointed a team that worked
hard all year to come so close.
What lifted Michigan's spirits some-
what was the news that six of its own
made either first or second team all-
America. In addition, assistant coach
Scott Sherman contributed to the post-
season accolades by locking up the
NCAA assistant coach of the year
award.

Kristin Duff and
the Michigan
women's gymnas-
tics team had
plenty to cele-
brate this sea-
son, even if one
of those events
wasn't the
national title.
DANA UNNANE/D iy

Men's gymnastics left no goal unmet


SOCCER MANIA


y Dan Dingerson
aily Sports Writer
LINCOLN, Neb. - The goal for
e men's gymnastics team this year
g o win a team national champi-
s ip. On April 23, the team accom-
lished that.
The season was not over for the
olverines, as the following night
Sey had to prepare for individual
ampionships.
Michigan had 1 I routines that
ualified for the event champi-
nships, more than any other team.
ophomore co-captain Justin Toman
n freshman Scott Vetere led the
erines by qualifying for three
vents each.
The competition determined not
nly the event individual champions,
ut the top six qualifiers in each
vent were also named all-America.
During the team qualifying round,
ie-all-around national champion was
roWned. The Wolverines had three

gymnasts competing in the all-
around with Toman, Vetere and junior
Lalo Haro.
At NCAAs - just as he had two
weeks earlier at Big Tens - Toman
fell just .15 short of the title, this
time with a 57.9.
"It was disappointing, to finish so
close again, but the team title makes
up for it," Toman said. "It was like
ddja vu when they were announcing it
- it was just like at Big Tens."
Toman rebounded from the disap-
pointment of finishing second to take
the national championship on the
parallel bars with a 9.8375.
Haro was scheduled to only com-
pete in five events the previous day,
but when it looked like Michigan was
certain to qualify for the team finals,
coaches Kurt Golder and Mike Burns
decided to give Haro the chance to
place in the all-around competition,
in which Haro finished 13th.
Vetere started strong, but finished

eighth due to a poor parallel bars rou-
tine. He scored 9.1 on that event to
total 57.35. Toman also finished
third on high bar, and fifth on pom-
mel horse.
Altogether, Toman was named All-
America four times for his perfor-
mances.
Although no other Wolverine won
an individual title, there was still
plenty of success to go around at last
years title meet.
On the still rings, Vetere and
Kenny Keener both were named all-
America for their third and fourth
place routines. On the vault, Diaz-
Luong and Brad Kenna tied for third
place, both were named all-America.
Michigan had nine all-America nom-
inations in all, by far the most in
recent years.
"I am very pleased with this team.
we won a team title, we had an indi-
vidual national champion, and the
most All-Americans," Golder said.

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QSeOicaCJo FlC ere in nn r or, l
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I


rngs
IOLDER
Continued from Page 1E
internationally. Recruiting was easi-
Cr, as Golder landed 1999 NCAA
+hampion Justin Toman, 1998 Big
Ten' freshman of the year Kevin
Roulston, and 1999 still rings All-
American Kenny Keener.
With the help of Burns, this year's
T tonal assistant coach of the year,
ichigan again recruited strongly
for this season. Golder got a gym-
nastics version of the Fab Five, with
the -number one rated recruiting
class in the country.
"As soon as I got them to sign, I
knew that we had the potential to
win a national championship,"
Golder said. "I just asked them to
live up to their potential as a person,
a student and an athlete. I knew that
* hey did, we would be in a good
po siti on."
Golder knew he had the talent to
win a national championship, but it
was his discipline and guidance that
made it possible. For the first time,
the team had practices throughout
the summer, and physically prepared

'4"

r'a tid e
themselves for the rigor of being the
best.
The freshmen came in lacking the
experience and composure neces-
sary to perform at the highest level,
but throughout the year, their confi-
dence and precision increased.
Although he doesn't claim
responsibility for the team peaking
at the end of the year, the intense
training that the team went through
helped to fight the fatigue that sets
in at the end of the season.
Golder's team was the best when
it counted, claiming the Big Ten
championship and the national
championship. For his efforts, he
was named NCAA national coach of
the year, NCAA regional coach of
the year, and Big Ten coach of the
year. In his three years so far,
Golder has claimed the first Big Ten
title for the program since 1975, the
first national championship since
1970, and has had 13 All-
Americans.
"lie told me, 'Lalo we are at the
bottom right now, but we are going
to start working, and we will get to
the top,"' Haro said. "I didn't know
it would be this soon, but we did it."

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