8B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 27, 2000
Stickers bullied Big
Ten foes
SEASON WRAP
By David Roth
Daily Sports Writer
Fifteen days after the season, and for
most Michigan field hockey players,
the disappointment has dissolved into
an almost-comforting realization. The
soul-seekers on the team have found
an identity.
They are the Big Ten behemoths. They
are the speediest team in the nation with
forwards who can defend and quickly
attack. And they, along with gymnastics,
have a real shot at bringing home soon
the first-ever national championship for
a Michigan women's team.
This year's 19-4 record is light years
away from the 7-1 1 mark ofjust five sea-
sons ago. Each year, Michigan coach
Marcia Pankratz has made the nation's
best recruits better. This year, she devel-
oped four All-Americans in first-team-
ers Kelli Gannon and Courtney Reid and
third-teamers April Fronzoni and
Catherine Foreman.
No team is excited to take on Ann
Arbor's finest. Losing a close one to the
Wolverines is often a moral victory, a
shoulder-shrug, a "learning" process.
Ending the season with a double-over-
time loss on a penalty stroke to Wake
Forest, the Wolverines weren't yet ready
to bring home field hockey's biggest
prize. That will have to wait.
"I'm sad that I didn't get the chance to
be a part of the university's first national
championship team for women," senior
co-captain Kelli Gannon said. "I will
never have that. But I know that we gave
it our best shot with the team that we had
last year, and the new talent that we had
added to our family this year."
The foundation of young talent made
Michigan's muscles bulge this season,
and for the first time in school histor,
the Wolverines went undefeated through
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How many first-team All-Americans does Michigan have, Coach?'
the Big Ten season and won the regular-
season and Big Ten Tournament titles.
The days of Iowa and Penn State
reigning supreme in the Big Ten are
gone. Young and aspiring Big Ten play-
ers now look to Ann Arbor as the mecca
of talent. It is the home of not just colle-
giate field hockey excellence but world
excellence, with the word "Olympic" as
a part of many players' resumes.
Jessica Rose said earlier this year
that Michigan is where you have
something to look forward to. Unlike
established powerhouses Old
Dominion, Maryland and North
Carolina, Michigan has yet to build a
title team. If it does, it will have been
from scratch -- through the work of
Pankratz, her staff and her players.
Why the season, and especially why
the Big Ten is so meaningful for
Michigan is its rivalry with Penn State.
Pennsylvania serves as the home of five
Michigan players and a hotbed of field
hockey talent, so a game against the
Nittany Lions is a benchmark for
progress. Before the season, Michigan
had been on the short end of a 3-17 all-
time record against Penn State.
So when Michigan won 1-0 in happy
Valley, players considered it the high-
light of the season.
"That was the first time that anyone
on the current team had beaten them on
their field," Laura Stinson said. "There
was no greater feeling this year."
No. 5 Michigan played its only game
under the lights this year against the
sixth-ranked Lady Lions for a chance to
win the regular season outright.
"I think that was the most intense
game I have ever played in," Foreman
said. "That game had everything. It was
homecoming weekend for them and so
there were parades going on, and there
were tons of fans for both teams."
That game wasn't Michigan's only
win against Penn State. In the Big Ten
Tournament title game, Michigan oust-
ed the Lady Lions again by one goal.
Bt3 TEN CRUSADERS
The Michigan field hockey team set
out to win the regular-season Big
Ten title and the Big Ten tournament
title. The Wolverines never lost a
season conference game and won
two tournament home matches to
seciure both titles for the first time in
team history.
Michigan held an 11-0 record on
Ocker Field for its first-ever
uniefeated home season. Its final
hosie game came in the Big Ten
toutrnament championship match,
whiere Michigan beat Penn State for
onli the fifth time in 22 meetings
betiNeen the schools.
MICHIGAN's BIG TEN SLATE
Date Opponent Score
Sept. 22 Indiana 8-0
Sept. 24 OHo STATE 2-1
Setprt. 29 Iowa 4-0
Oct. 6 NORTHWESTERN 2-1 (OT)
Oct. 20 Penn State 1-0
Oct. 27 MICHIGAN STATE 4-0
Noiv. 4 OHo STATE 2-1
Nov. 5 PENN STATE 3-2
YOUNG WOLVERINES
The Michigan women's soccer team
loses a lot of leadership and offen-
siue power with the departure of two
off its top threats, Kacy Beitel and
Marie Spaccarotella. But the
Wolverines return 67 percent of their
scoring and seven starters. Here's a
beakdown of the Michigan scoring
this season:
Numre Goals Assists Points
Beitel 10 13 33
Wilson 9 5 23
Ciavez 8 6 22
C'umpton 7 5 19
Spaccarotella 5 4 14
Pesiri 3 1 7
Silivant 3 0 6
Tompkins 2 1 5
Kayal 0 5 5
Keinholz 2 0 4
HW illiamson 1 2 4
Feterson 1 1 3
W'hitey 1 1 3
Shaw 0 1 1
Mitchell 0 1 1
Food For Thought
The Women's Role
The women who served in
Vietnam were the youngest
group of medical personnel
ever to serve in war time. For
more information, go to:
http://www.vietnamrwomens
memorial.org
Advertisement sponsored by:
Gary Lillie & Associates, Realtors
www.garylillie.com
JEFF HtJRVIT/aI
JEFF HURVITZ/Daily
Abby Crumpton was plagued by injuries but received second team Ali-Big Ten honors.
Senir class brtought
'Bluecloser togol
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SEASON WRAP
By Jeff Phillips
Daily Sports Writer
Another year, another NCAA tourna-
ment berth for the Michigan women's
soccer team. The 2000 season marked
the fiourth straight postseason appear-
ance for the Wolverines.
This year's seniors - Kacy Beitel,
Carissa Stewart, Stephanie McArdle,
and Marie Spaccarotella - were a big
key to the success of the program.
"You hope that when you graduate
your seniors, they have accomplished a
lot," Michigan coach Debbie
Rademacher said.
And they certainly have.
Records have been broken by this
senior class. Beitel is one of Michigan's
most prolific scorers and Stewart has
been an icon in net, starting every
NCAA appearance.
"I definitely enjoyed my four years,"
Stewart said. "I couldn't have asked for a
better career."
These seniors helped bring a budding
program into the national scene. But
now that they are there, how flr away are
they from competing with the likes of
Notre Dame and North Carolina'?
The Wolverines have proven that they
can play with perennial top 10 Penn
State, but when the competition goes
outside the Big Ten, they have struggled.
Michigan hasn't made it past the sec-
ond round of the NCAA Tournament the
past three seasons. This year, the
Wolverines were foiled by No. I Notre
Dame. Last year it was Wake Forest. The
year before, Notre Dame again had their
number. Michigan nearly defeated Wake
Forest, but fell by an average of three
goals in their other tournament losses.
The Wolverines didn't lose due to a
lack of effort, but because they were
simply outmatched by their opponents.
This year, sophomore Abby
Crumpton - one of Michigan's fastest
players - couldn't get around Notre
Dame defenders like she could against
other opponents. Freshman forward
Stephanie Chavez was also shut down by
the Irish. Notre Dame's accurate passes
and quick moves beat the Wolverines.
Rademacher knows it will be hard to
replace the seniors, but Michigan does
have hope for the coming years.
Crumpton is coming off a bit of dis-
appointing season after sustaining
speed-hampering injuries, including a
pulled hamstring and a cut deep enough
to require stitches on her knee. Despite
these injuries, Crumpton still earned All-
Big Ten second team honors.
Chavez and freshman midfielder
Amber Wilson are third and fourth on
Michigan's all-time freshman scoring
list. Goalkeeper Suzie Grech started nine
games for the Wolverines and proved
that she can be a regular. Sophomore
defender Amy Sul Iivant received AlI-Big
Ten honors, as did Beitel.
Perhaps the biggest reason for hope
among the Wolverines is that of the 22
returning players, Just four are seniors.
Of the four, only Laurie Peterson started
a game this season.
Despite the return all of this young tal-
ent, Rademacher knows that the
Wolverines still need help.
"We need to find some speed,"
Rademachersaid. "Recruiting is the life-
line of your program. That's what keeps
it going."
.
REC
SPORTS
INTRAMURALS
The University of Michigan
Department of Recreational Sports
INTRAMURAL SPORTS PROGRAM
WHAT'S
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BASKETBALL
WRESTLING
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ENTRIES TAKEN:
Mon 11/27 to Weds 11/29
11:00 AM to 4:30 PM, IMSB
ENTRY FEE:
$35 per team
MANAGER'S MEETING:
MANDATORY
Thurs 11/30, 6:00 PM, IMSB
TOURNAMENT DATES:
Sat & Sun 12/2 & 3, IMSB
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ENTRIES DUE:
Thurs 11/30, 4:30 PM, IMSB
ENTRY FEE:
$35 per team
$5 per individual
MANAGER'S MEETING
MANDATORY
Thurs 11/30, 6:30 PM, IMSB
TOURNAMENT DATES:
Tues-Thurs 12/5- 127
Sports Coliseum
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ENTRIES TAKEN:
Thursday 1/4/2001 ONLY
11:00 AM to 4:30 PM
ENTRY FEE:
$405 per team
MANAGER'S MEETING:
MANDATORY
Thurs 1/4, 6:00 PM, IMSB
PLAY BEGINS:
Sun 1/7/2001
Yost Ice Arena
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ENTRIES TAKEN:
Monday 1/8/2001 ONLY
11:00 AM to 5:30 PM
ENTRY FEE:
$75 per team
MANAGER'S MEETING:
MANDATORY
Weds 1/10, 6 & 9 PM, IMSB
PLAY BEGINS:
Thurs 1/11/2001
IMSB & Sports Coliseum
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