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CHAMPIONSHIPS
Women cede big
race to Badgers
cichigan harriers finish second
By Rhonda Gilmer
)aily Sports Writer
DvADISON - The Big Ten championships for
vomen's cross country brought Michigan to Madison
yesterday as the Wolverines attempted to solidify their
power ranking.
The Wolverines met their match, battling Wisconsin
or the team title.
Wisconsin responded to Michigan's challenge with its
>est meet of the season. The Badgers won the Big Ten
eam title with 34 points. Wisconsin boasted the top two
Finishers, Erica Palmer and Bethany Brewster. As the
ending Big Ten and NCAA champion, Palmer was
e favorite going into the race and'did not disappoint.
In the face of a Wisconsin onslaught, Michigan held
ts own with a second-place finish of 89 points, staving
>ff Minnesota by 10 points.
"Our initial goal from the beginning of the year was
o be in the top two in the Big Ten," Michigan coach
Mike McGuire said.
Junior Katy Radkewich led the Wolverines, finishing
Ith in the meet. This was an unexpectedly good result,
onsidering Radkewich's health going into the meet.
"Radkewich has had a really bad back for a couple of
beks since the home meet so we've been really in and
ut," McGuire said. "She raced at about 130 percent,
iut physically she wasn't at 100 percent."
Senior Katie Jazwinski was Michigan's next best fin-
sher at 16th, and senior Lisa Ouellet followed in 17th.
"rin White also ran in the top 20 for the Wolverines.
"This is probably Erin's best race ever since she's
See SECOND, Page 3B
WHEN THE WOLVERINES HIT THE ROAD FOR A DATE WITH TWO-TIME DEFENDING
NCAA CHAMPION INDIANA, THEY WERE IN FOR A BRAND NEW EXPERIENCE.
BUT FOR THIS TEAM, THAT'S NOTHING NEW.
STORY BY DAVID HORN PHOTOS BY SAM HOLLENSHEAD
If you asked a Michigan student when Saturdays in
October begin, he might consult his game day ticket,
check the time, subtract a half-hour for drinking and
another half-hour for, well, drinking, and tell you either
"11:00" or "2:30."
Ordinarily, the men of the Michigan soccer team find
themselves at the Big House, too. But the crisp autumn
morning of Oct. 7 was anything but ordinary. It was 9:30
a.m., and the Wolverines were meeting in the Yost parking
lot to start a six-hour ride to Bloomington.
MADE THE BUS IN SECONDS FLAT
They arrive weary-eyed but chatty. Coach Steve Burns
has yet to show, but senior Ryan Yoder wanders over to a
bus from the team's cramped lockerroom to determine that
the charter is in fact theirs. After he informs those still in
the lockerroom, he takes out a soccer ball and juggles play-
fully on the grass.
The rest of the players have been enjoying a fast-food
breakfast, but finally arrive and begin checking their lock-
ers one last time to see that they haven't forgotten anything.
On the white board in the lockerroom, a number of quotes
greet the players as
Athletic Director -
they pack up. One quote - from the
is in red marker.
Go Get Indiana
- Bill Martin
They all find a seat on the bus, and Burns addresses
them, reminding his players that they are starting off the
long bus ride by stuffing envelopes as part of a team pro-
motion.
His envelope-stuffing assignment is met with a tired
groan. This weekend did not begin an hour ago for them.
Rather, 24 hours ago at a 6 a.m. practice Friday morning.
The bus rolls west on I-94 at 10:10.
The letters are part of a marketing attempt to encourage
attendance at their home game the next weekend against
Michigan State. Attendance is an issue for any non-revenue
team (and even some revenue teams), and for the infant
soccer program, the problem of attracting people to Elbel
Field for home games has been persistent. The letters con-
tain some of the following lines: "Dear Fellow Soccer
Enthusiast," "The first game in an old rivalry will be played
on Sunday, October 15" and "Please accept this letter and
schedule card to our remaining games as an invitation to
come and support our team and watch soccer at a higher
level" The letters are being sent to the participants (over
1,000) of the men's summer soccer camp and 3-on-3 tour-
nament. The hope is that those kids, and their families, will
become a permanent fixture at Michigan's home games.
SOMEBODY SPOKE
AND I WENT INTO A DREAM
The team had stockpiled a dozen movies for the ride
down and back, and chosen American Pie for the time
being. "We should watch 'Fight Club,"'captain Jack Stead
suggests playfully to Burns. "I think we watched it in the
game against Illinois, and we got a red card."
But this film cannot hold the players' interest, and they
nod off to sleep one by one. The coaches, all of whom are
seated in the front of the bus, remain awake.
At 12:45 the team is awakened as the bus pulls off the
interstate just beyond Ft. Wayne, Ind. It's lunchtime, and
they are all ready to eat. They are welcomed by a northern
Indiana snow flurry as they get off the bus and head into
Arby's. Again on the bus, most players pass out. Some do
See SOCCER, back page
inior Mark Pija was surrounded by a pack of Wisconsin
ners for much
d fourth. The
of the Big Ten championships. He fin-
men's team took seventh place.
Vien's seventh-place
shows youthfulness
ob Singer
ily Sports Writer
MADISON
- In the middle of one of the Wisconsin
nen's cross country team's first meets of this season, fresh-
nar Joe Eckerly fell down and stayed down in pain for
About two and a half minutes. In the Big Ten championships
yesterday at Yahara Hills Golf Course in Madison, Eckerly
ell once again.
But this time - perhaps motivated by the importance
*he meet or maybe because he fell right in front of
Wisconsin coach Jerry Schumacher - Eckerly got up in
second.
When Eckerly crossed the finish line on his feet, Wiscon-
in had won its 35th Big Ten team championship. The Bad-
;ers also repeated as champions for the first time since they
von three in a row from 1994-96.
"Thank goodness he did" get up, Schumacher said with a
augh. "He responded really well to something you don't
nticipate happening normally."
Something else happened yesterday that is not supposed
: occur at a Big Ten championship meet - Michigan fin-
d seventh. This represents the first time in 11 years when
he Wolverines have not been among the top two teams at
he conference meet.
Michigan junior Mark Pilja, considered by many the
avorite coming into the meet, finished a disappointing
See SHORTFALL, Page 3B
2000-01 WOMEN'S
,, BASKETBALL PREVIEW
ABOVE: The Michigan starters line up
on the field of the newly renovated Bill
Armstrong Stadium before the game.
The banner behind them calls attention
to Indiana's five national champi-
onships, including the-two most recent.
Seniors Steve Huber and Will
Purdy relax after a Saturday
evening meal fit for a king. Purdy, the
team's first captain, has been ham-
pered for most of the season with shin
splints. But he and the rest of the
senior class value each and every
minute they are able to play in their
first and only varsity year.
Captain Jack Stead does his part
in helping out with a team promo-
tion. On the bus ride to Bloomington,
the players stuffed envelopes with
Invitations to their home games. The
game against Michigan State - the
team's next home game - would
draw a record 2,173 fans, a Michigan
record.
For Blue stickers,
the outright tite
Victory over State locks up Big Ten
FIDAY; MICHIGAN 3, MIAMI 2 u SAT 'DAY; MICHIGAN 6, MIAmi 2
M'sli*des byMiami;L.)
0 0
Blakburinjured
By Benjamin Singer
Daily Sports Writer
The Wolverines turned in the
best season in program
history last year - and now
are faced with the challenge
of topping it. They'll have to
do it without the best player
in nrnarm hitetnru tarpv
There didn't have to be any sense of urgency.
The Michigan field hockey team locked up a tie for
the Big Ten title and the No. I seed for the Big Ten
Tournament with its win over Penn State last week.
But even so, there was plenty of incentive to win.
There was the band and large crowd that created
a loud atmosphere for the in-state rivalry with
Michigan State. Also, two records were at stake:
Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz needed a win to
tie Patti Smith for the school's all-time record for
wins and one more feed would live seninr Court-
By Ryan C. Moloney
Daily Sports Writer
"Exhausting."
If just one word could describe the
Michigan hockey team's weekend
series with Miami, two games with
enough intensity to make up for a
week off at Michigan Stadium, coach
Red Berenson's post-Saturday press-
conference adjective said it all.
Physically exhausting, mentally
ice, and in the stands, the Wolverines
had captured both contests with the
tenacious-but-snake-bitten Red-
Hawks - 6-2 on Saturday night and
3-2 the night prior.
Despite the outward appearance of
Saturday's score, the game was not
secured until Jay Vancik's powerplay
point shot off an Andy Hilbert faceoff
skipped through Miami goaltender
David Burleigh's five-hole for the 3-2
lead with 11:10 remainini in the third
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