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 -V. :RAY ' , ,4~ <' -L- DAVID KATZ/Daiy 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 -n 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 HAPPENING o4 I PRE-SEASON BASKETBALL WRESTLING <:;.: . r f , , ;l,- 1 1; } i 'z tf 'y - 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 z ; '. y ;':' .. r , ,,: , . , , . ,, , ' i} ' , , '. I i+, t . r , _v::? w . 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 , ;; , 5{j . ,. '.,} jo ,. , : ,,.z 0 t Apple Gives You Great Savings Just In Time for Gift Receiving! Save $350 Apple Power Mac G4 Cube $1,399 450M1I1z/21\B 12/6iSDZ\I/20GIDVD-ROM/56K ICE HOCKEY BASKETBALL " i 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 t p T,,I 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 Save $100 Apple Power Mac G4 51J.89 -WON1MlM 11B 2164SDRAM/2OGDVD-ROM/56K Lower Price! Apple Power Mac G4 Dual $2,049 450Mz/1 MB L2i12SSDRAM30G/DVD-ROM/56K Lower Price! Annie Power Mac G4 Dual 2,849 '1 L, I d. I ' I I