The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, October 3, 2000 - 10
CLIF-F ORD S
BEST BET
By Rhonda Gilmer
Daily Sports Writer
At some time in life, people realize what they are best at.
Katie Clifford-Jazwinski always wanted to play basket-
ball.
But somehow running became a much greater aspect in
her life. Running reflects many of her life changes: being a
team leader, proving herself as a cross-country powerhorse,
and inspiring her teammates.
After three years of collegiate competition, Clifford has
gained a better sense of motivation and effort through run-
ning. Although early on she faced many trials and errors, she
has brought herself to that higher level of running.
KAMIKAzE CLIFFORD
As a competitor, running has changed her whole direction
in life.
Freshman year. Clifford had a different outlook on run-
ning.
"When I first got on the team it was hard for me to adjust
because I was always used to being the No. I runner,"
Clifford said.
"Then I come to a team where people are just better than
me, and it was just hard for me to learn to deal with that."
Accepting that there are other great runners was her first
step in her experience as a collegiate runner. Knowing that
she was not the only great runner out there, Clifford put her-
self into a different zone of running.
"She's very focused and hardworking. She will run as hard
as possible for the team," senior Lisa Ouellet said. "You can
count on her to give it everything she can" This dedication
is what makes running one of Clifford's special qualities.
While not all athletes experience their share of bloopers,
Clifford has. During a practice her freshman year, Clifford
stepped over the formation line, and in a hurry to keep in
sync with the other runners in her group, she tripped Oucllet,
her teammate.
"I just remember all the other runners were really mad at
me," Clifford said. Pushing yourself is one thing, but hurting
a teammate is another."
From then on, she was called "Kamikaze Clifford."
TEM LEADER
As a senior on the team. Clifford is expected to accept her
leadership role. What makes her different from other team
leaders is that she quietly leads by example. Others describe
her as a runner who inspires them through her determination
as well as motivation.
"She is the most mentally and physically tough person
I've ever run with," sophomore Jane Martineau said. "She's
just so hard-core about everything, and that is awesome. It
really sets the tone for us as a team "
This is hard to believe considering how Clifford was
freshman year on the team. "She was the most absolute quiet
person you could have ever imagined," Ouellet said. "She
never said a word, and just did what she was told."
Clifford has managed to carry that quietness through her
senior year, but what's different is that she not only shows
dedication, but she is also someone to look up to for younger
runners on the team.
The Michigan women's cross country team provides an
environment where Clifford can compete on this higher
HOCKEY
Continued from Page 9
and eight weeks with groins or it can be
for a short time. They've been nursing
them for the last week and we'll see if
we can get them ready for the week-
end."
Scarpace's injury was more of a
stinger and Berenson said, "he should
be okay."
Jillson's situation is the most prob-
lematic and also the most serious. The
cause of the illness for the All-American
continues to elude team physicians.
"He's been battling some kind of fll
or virus that's not bad one day - but
today he couldn't breathe," Berenson
said.
Jillson has undergone two blood
tests, but neither revealed any problems.
The junior defenseman played in
Saturday's exhibition against Wilfrid
Laurier, recording an assist.
Facing the possible loss of at least
three players going into the IceBreaker
tournament, the coaching staff is now
faced with the task of restructuring
line combinations after each line
played impressively against Wilfrid-
Laurier.
"It takes away a little bit from your
practice - when everyone is not there
it's not the same," Berenson said. "But
we can't worry about that, this is part of
college hockey."
Kosick and Jillson are both the
Wolverines' top returning scorers from
last season
Michigan hosts Colgate on Friday
night at 8:35 p.m. while North Dakota
and New Hampshire square off at 5:05
p.m. The winners of both games
advance to the Saturday night champi-
onship game.
North Dakota is ranked number one
in the USCHO poll, released yesterday.
Michigan is number two. New
Hampshire is ranked ninth and Colgate
16th.
Courtesy Katie Clifford
Katie Clifford (right) poses for the camera with her bridesmaid
Lisa Ouellet after a meet last season.
level. The dynamics of the team are best described as a
group of workhorses.
Clifford has already proven herself as a workhorse so far
this season, winning the Miami Invitational and Spiked Shoe
Invitational. Her efforts carried the Wolverines to first-place
titles at both meets.
TviYN(L THEKNOT
For many years Clifford has been immersed in a running
atmosphere. Clifford's older brother Steve was a runner and
since her freshman year of high school, Clifford has pushed
herself to be the best on her track and field team. Cross
country is her new field of expertise.
This past summer, another cross country family member
became a part of her family. Clifford became Clifford-
Jazwinski, through marriage to Bob .Jazwinski. Her husband
has been a part of her life for years. He is not only her hus-
band but former high school cross country coach as well.
Due in part to his effort, Clifford is a cross country runner
today.
"lie was pretty much my main mentor in high school --
he got me to love running," Clifford said.
In addition, to this change one of Clifford's beloved team-
mates served as her maid of honor. Ouellet, the unlucky one
who was tripped by Clifford freshman year, served as her
bridesmaid.
"Being in that wedding was one of the best experiences
ever," Ouellet said. "They complement each other well."
In a way, Clifford is a runner for life. This past summer
Clifford and her husband spent the summer training together.
"Mv husband and I went out to Colorado for two weeks,
and I got some good training out there," Clifford said.
Clifford's future goals include competing in the Big Ten
Championships in hopes of not only being the best runner on
the team, but also to prove herself as one of the better run-
ners in the nation. It's up to her to take on that next step, and
continue on that higher level.
So far running has been the start of Clifford's many life
changes.
Chasing her dream to become a runner was the hard part
now it's time to show people what she's best at.
USCHO
PRESEASON POLL
USA TODAY/AHM
PRESEASON POLL
UCLA tailback Foster out
with broken hand
LOS ANGELES (AP) - DeShaun
Foster, UCLA's leading rusher, will
be sidelined 2-6 weeks because of a
broken hand.
Foster was injured in the second
quarter of the 16th-ranked Bruins'
38-31 victory over Arizona State on
Saturday night. He gained 30 yards
on nine carries before the injury.
Foster was examined at UCLA
Medical Center on yesterday.
Doctors determined he did not need
surgery. Foster's right hand is in a
cast. Foster,.a 6-foot-1, 217-pound
junior, has rushed for 501 yards on
123 carries and scored six touch-
downs in five games.
Sosa wants to remain a
Cub for seven more years
CHICAGO (AP) - Sammy Sosa
says he wants to hit home runs at
Wrigley Field for a long, long time.
Seven more seasons to be precise.
Sosa said he's asking Chicago Cubs
president and general manager Andy
MacPhail for a six-year contract exten-
sion. He won't talk about the money,
but it has been widely reported that
he's expected to demand at least S16
million per season.
That would push the value of a six-
year extension near $100 million.
"I'm looking for six years, no doubt
about that," Sosa told the Chicago
Tribune. "With the one more year that
I have, that's seven years and I know
my body can do it. After that I'm going
to go home."
Sosa won this year's major league
home run title with 50. He's under con-
tract through next season at a salary of
$12 million.
A seven-year deal would be unusual
for the Cubs. MacPhail prefers shorter-
term contracts, in the three-year to
four-year range.
Belle compares himself
to Jackie Robinson
Team
1. North Dakota (24)
2. Michigan (7)
3. Wisconsin (6)
4. Boston College (3)
5. Michigan State
6. St. Lawrence
765
715
685
674
617
592
pDVS
2
9
1
6
8
5
4
3
7
Team
1. North Dakota (12)
2. Michigan (4)
3. Wisconsin (2)
4. Michigan State
5. Boston College
6. New Hampshire
7. Boston University
8. St. Lawrence
9. Maine
10. St. Cloud
262
240
214
195
193
174
159
148
110
85
pvS
1
7
5
10
2
11
6
4
3
12
7. Boston University 582
8. Maine 521
9. New Hampshire 483
10. Cornell 380
First-place votes in parentheses
www.uscollegehockey.com
* All teams have yet to play this season.
Eighth at Lady Northern
is improvement for M'
By Swapnil Patel
For the Daily
The Michigan women's golf team
continued its impressive performance
this past weekend, firing a season-low
300 in the final round of the Lady
Northern Intercollegiate. The
Wolverines finished eighth in a field of
16.
Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon
Heights, Minn., hosted Michigan, Ohio
State, Minnesota and Purdue as well as
other Big Ten teams.
The Wolverines shot a combined 923
for the three-day, 54-hole tournament.
Although their eighth-place finish seems
mediocre, the golfers improved their
play each round.
"Overall, we played solid. I was actu-
ally happy with the improvement we
showed," coach Kathy Teichert said.
After shooting a 315 in the first round,
the ladies dropped seven strokes to fire a
308 in the second round. Michigan
showed further improvement in the final
round, dropping eight more strokes to
chalk up a 300.
I I
Barclays Capital
"We had a very good weekend. I
know that we can shave off four, five, six
strokes easily and it is a matter of just
doing it consistently," Teichert added.
Juniors Bess Bowers, Cortney Reno
and LeAnna Wicks, along with fresh-
man Sarah Kruer paced Michigan.
Bowers finished tied for 10th after she
shot a season-best 74 to close out the
competition. Reno tied for 19th.
"Bess and Cortney finished in the top
20 so it was a great tournament for both
of them," Teichert said.
Wicks finished tied for 24th thanks to
a season-best 73 in the last round. Kruer,
who ended tied for 41st, amassed a
career-best second-round total of 75,
bettering her 82 fired in the third round
of the Wolverine Invitational two weeks
ago.
"Our depth is at an all-time high and
that is great for our team," Teichert said.
Thus fai, the golfers have had a begin-
ning to their season. Michigan has fin-
ished second in a field of 12 teams, in
the Wolverine Invitational, and fifth
among 15 in Mary Fossum Invitational.
Interestingly, the Wolverines totaled a
lower score in this past weekend's tour-
nament than in prior events. Despite
their eighth-place, played well.
"The level of play in the Big Ten has
significantly improved so you really
have to be at the top of your game each
week,"Teichert said.
Ohio State's Mollie Fankhauser won
medalist honors with a 2-over par 218
with rounds of 73, 72 and 73.
Fankhauser's individual prowess helped
the Buckeyes win the invitational team
title with a combined score of 896.
Purdue and Minnesota rounded out the
top three with scores of 905 and 908,
respectively.
FALCON HEIGHTS FLYING HIGH: Les
Bolstad Golf Course will host the Big
Ten championships on April 27-29,
2001. The Wolverines will next visit
Franklin, Ind., for the Women's
Collegiate Shootout Oct. 9-10.
BALTIMORE (AP) - Baltimore
Orioles outfielder Albert Belle says he
knows how Jackie Robinson and Hank
Aaron must have felt.
In an opinion/editorial page piece
published Sunday in The Baltimore Sun,
the Orioles slugger compared himself to
other notable black players who faced
prejudice in their careers.
"I have never received prestigious
accolades, been acclaimed as a hard
worker, winner, or team player and have
received unwarranted treatment that only
Jackie Robinson, Curt Flood and Hank
Aaron could have experienced," he wrote.
"Yeah, although it's nice to consider
football, I made a decision to play base-
ball many years ago and
each day I am blessed for the better," he
said.
0
Food For Thought
The Protest Movement
Truong Nhu Tang's
autobiography "A Viet
Cong Memoir - an
inside account of the
Vietnam War and its
aftermath," details the
importance the anti-
war movement played
in their final victory.
Gary Lillie & Associates, Realtors
www.garylillie.com
Showalter, McKeon and
Lamont fired
PHOENIX (AP) - Buck Showalter
was fired yesterday as manager of the
Arizona Diamondbacks after a disap-
pointing season that saw the team go
from division champions to third place.
Showalter, the only manager in the
team's history, was hired in November
1995, two years before the
Diamondbacks started play and one
month after he led the New York
Yankees to their first playoff berth in 14
years.
"We think that it's time to move in
another direction. Kind of time to work
on what we need to do to move on,
owner Jerry Colangelo said."The deci-
sion to hire Buck was the right decision
five years ago. Five years is an eternity
in pro sports for a coach, for a general
manager, for a manager," he said.
"Buck had five years with us and I owe
him a great debt of gratitude."
Showalter was the third manager to
be fired yesterday. Cincinnati's Jack
McKeon and Pittsburgh's Gene
Lamont lost their jobs earlier in the day.
IOwens apologizes for
'mistakes made at Dallas
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