bWe idit tIgu i orts desk: 647-3336 ortsdesk@umich.edu SECTION B s,.. ., . . r . >, . ,::,xti, >. :rw r ThICROSS COUNTRY 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 ,a.; "1 I I r l