T4e £irbidluguauilg P Sports desk: 763-2459 sportsdesk@umich.edu SECTION B 111:11::1:121 !i i NM OR Mf-i: BALANCING ACT the athletes tr" to misorts and academics, athletic department tries to do the same By Shawn Kemp Daily Sports Writer "It's not that hard." That's what Jeremy Schneider; a junior on the men's track team, said about balancing his academics and ath- letics as a student athlete at Michigan. Schneider, one of the University's top *fiddle distance runners, spends between 12 and 25 hours a week training and competing - time comparable to that of a part-time job. But this computer engi- neering major still manages to maintain a 3.69 grade point average despite his athletic time commitment. The responsibilities Schneider and other student-athletes have at Michigan to both their academics and their respec- tive sports are aided and somewhat coin- pensated for through certain perks and assistance. It is no secret that the most talented athletes may receive scholarship money and training clothes, sunglasses, backpacks and multiple pairs of shoes for their athletic abilities. In addition to its assistance in athlet- ics, -Michigan also provides its student- athletes with a controlled study table four nights a week for two hours each night, equipped with free tutors in all subjects and a computer lab. With all of their academic assistance, Michigan's athletes are required to maintain a 2.0 GPA to be eligible to par- ticipate in intercollegiate athletics. This is the same GPA an ordinary student at Michigan must maintain to remain a stu- dent at the University. See STANDARDS, Page 6B I ite ML LA~ 4~Nt i~v. 4i ~ I, , I I A January win with an Aprilfeel DETROIT - For January, it just doesn't get any better than this. With the lockerroom door wide open, the exhausted, world-beating Wolver- ines broke out into a chorus of "The Victors" led by their hero, Andy Hilbert. The chants resonated through the halls of Joe Louis Arena to the point that they could be heard by pedestri- ans on Jefferson JOE Avenue. SMITH This wasn't just any victory. The one It was Michi- and only gan's biggest win of the year in its biggest game to date on one of its largest stages, in front of a jam-packed capacity crowd of 19,618 fans that either had maize-and-blue or green-and-white blood racing through their veins. It was against a Michigan State team that had the Wolverines' number in the past and was never afraid to let them know about it. "I can remember numerous times they've been singing their fight song and they've opened the door so they can sing extra loud so we can hear it," said senior Mark Kosick. "That's a pretty terrible feeling. So we gave it to them tonight." In knocking the top-ranked Spartans and other-worldly goalie Ryan Miller off their respective pedestals, the Wolverines shocked everyone but themselves. Afterwards, the usually steady and media-savvy Wolverines couldn't keep their feelings inside. The emotions that spread throughout the arena on Satur- day night paralleled the feeling from 1998, the last time Michigan won a national championship. When Hilbert tallied the game-win- ner with just under two minutes to play in overtime, it seemed like the Wolver- ines had just won the ultimate prize once again. Usually-stoic Michigan coach Red Berenson stood on the bench and banged the glass with excitement when the red light flashed. Seconds later, a bench- clearing horde of Wolverines rushed the ice and mobbed Hilbert behind the See SMITH, Page 4B AP PHOTO Everyone knew about Baltimore's defense, but its offense managed to put up 34 points against a good Giants defense. Defense make Sunday suprr fOr B a'1tim ore K TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - The Baltimore Ravens blustered and bragged and brazenly described how their defense would smother the New York Giants. Then they went out and did it. Led by Ray Lewis, who added the MVP prize to his defen- sive player of the year award, the Ravens beat the New York Giants 34-7 on Sunday to win their first Super Bowl. The defense that set an NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game regular season intercepted four Kerry Collins passes and held New York to 149 yards of offense. "If you put this in a storybook, nobody would believe it," said Ray Lewis, who was arrested last year on murder charges in the stabbing deaths of two men at a Super Bowl party in Atlanta. He subsequently pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstructing justice. "We didn't just break records, we shattered them," Lewis said. "We dominated literally. This is what you work your whole life for. You come from childhood, dreaming whatever you want it to be, but now, at 25, to be a world champion, what else can I dream of?" Duane Starks returned an interception 49 yards for a touch- down, the first of three TDs on three plays late in the third quarter. The other two were back-to-back kickoff returns for scores by Ron Dixon of New York and Jermaine Lewis of Baltimore, the first time that's happened in a Super Bowl. r "I feel our defense is the best ever" said offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, a sentiment echoed by every one of his 52 teammates after the game. The victory gave 75-year-old Art Modell his first Super Bowl win in 40 years as an owner. He won one NFL title in 35 seasons in Cleveland before moving his franchise to Baltimore in 1996, but he had never been to a Super Bowl, losing two close AFC title games in Cleveland. Modell won by beating his good friend Wellington Mara of the Giants, who has 75 seasons in the NFL. "I'm a very happy man," said Modell, who continued to say he has no hard feelings about Cleveland, even though the city still has a lot of hard feelings about him. So effective was Baltimore's defense that the-New York offense never got inside the Ravens 29. Baltimore would have had the first shutout in a Super Bowl if the special teams had not allowed Dixon's 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The game might as well have been stopped after Trent Dil- fer's 38-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Stokley with 6:50 left in the first quarter gave the Ravens a 7-0 lead. "I don't put the blame on anyone but myself. I just got beat,' said Giants comerback Jason Sehorn, who had been a standout throughout the playoffs. Before the game Dilfer said all he wanted to be was the quarterback of a team that won a Super Bowl despite its quar- See RAVENS, Page 6B JEFF HURVITZ/Daily Ryan Miller looks between his pads and is stunned by what he finds - nothing. Michigan's Andy Hilliert (sliding) sent the puck through his five-hole for the overtime win. Ico 8 C114S S O pfwS 10 en'ov. P By Jon Schwartz Daily Sports Editor DETROIT -- Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena, 19,618 fans witnessed a col- lege hockey game that they will likely not soon forget. It was a back-and-forth thriller; one of those games that people sometimes say should end in a tie to save anyone from } having to suffer the fate of losing. But with 1:57 left in overtime, when Michigan's Andy Hilbert put the puck through Michigan State goalie Ryan Miller's five-hole, the Michigan fans were laughing at those earlier thoughts and cele- brating their team's 4-3 victory over the hated Spartans. "I'm so tired right now, I couldn't believe it," Hilbert said after the same play that Miller stonewalled at 7:30 in the first period found its way past the sophomore goaltender the second time around. "I just got mauled by everybody and I was on the ground and I really couldn't do anything I was so excited." With the win, No. 7 Michigan moved to 13-4-2 in the CCHA, 19-6-4 overall - now only three points behind the first- ranked Spartans (14-2-3, 21-24). The matchup had all the pregame hype that an intra-state rivalry should. It fea- tured a goalie in Miller that hadn't given up a goal in 207:12. It had a Michigan State team that hadn't lost in its last 23 out- ings and had played the best defense in the nation. And it had a Michigan team desperate to stay in position to take the conference crown in the waning days of the CCHA season. "Two good teams - you look forward THE RACE HEATS UP Team WLT PTS Michigan State 14 2 3 31 Michigan 13 4 2 28 Western Michigan 9 5 5 23 Nebraska-Omaha 10 8 2 22 Miami ' 10 7 1 21 Ohio State 9 7 2 20 Up next: Fri.: Michigan at Nebraska-Omaha 7:05 p.m. Sat.: Michigan at Westem Michigan 7:05p.m. ® Blue takes back-and-forth game ® Unsung 'M' keeps pace with Spartans B Despite loss, Spartans' defense tops More hockey coverage, Page 4B. to games like this," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "You have a good feeling about your team when you walk out with a victory. See SPARTANS, Page 4B Second-half charge leads Blue to win By Dan Williams Daily Sports Editor EVANSTON _- It appeared for one half on Saturday night that Northwestern had concocted ' sure-fire scheme to turn the Wolverines' height advantage against them. Northwestern started explosively from 3-point land, utilizing quick- ness and roadblock screens to hit seven treys in the first 10 minutes. But the Wildcats went cold in the second period while Michigan began to exploit its interior advantage. Michigan rebounded from a nine-point deficit coach Bill Carmody said. "I thought we played well enough to win. "Michigan got some easy looks, and it didn't take too long before they got back in the game. (Michigan) showed us some fortitude." The Wolverines (3-4, 9-9) are back in the mid- dle of the conference pack with tomorrow's con- test with Michigan State at Crisler looming. "I thought we came out and played a lot harder (in the second half)," Michigan junior Chris Young said. "Every win is a good win, we'll enjoy this for five-and-a-half hours and then turn many as 12 in the half, shooting 9-of-18 from behind the arc. N Blake finished with a game-high 23 points. Carmody's "team obviously came out and exe- cuted exactly what he wanted," Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe said. "You don't expect guys to shoot that well that quickly, but I know that's a big part of their arsenal." Surprisingly in the second half, Michigan switched predominantly to a 2-3 zone - a defense that usually has holes on the wings - and had much better success defending the Wild- Michigan's Josh Asselin goes in for the dunk against North- western Satur- day night. The Wolverines fought back I '