2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday- February 19, 2001

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Who: Charles DeWildt Sport: Track and Field
Hometown: Wyoming, MI Year: senior
Event: Pole Vault
Why: DeWildt won the pole vault at the Harold Silverston Invitational with
a jump of 17-5. He cleared the NCAA provisional qualifying standard of
17-2 3/4, and is currently.ranked secondin the Big Ten. His effort of 17-
5 is a career personal best by one centimeter. DeWlldt
Wednesday, Feb. 21
Men's Tennis vs. Indiana State, 3 pm.
Thursday, Feb. 22,
Men's Swimming/Diving at Big Ten Championships (Minneapolis) Noon/ 7
p.m. CST
Water Polo at Loyola Maramount, 3 p.m. PST
Ice Hockey at Lake Superior State, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 23
Softball vs. Georgia at NFCA Leadoff Classic (Columbus, Ga.), Noon
Women's Swimming/Diving hosts Last Chance Invitational, 5 p.m.
Men's Swimming/Diving at Big Ten Championships (Minneapolis) Noon/ 7
p.m. CST
Baseball vs. Western Michigan (Lakeland, Fla.), 7 p.m.
Softball vs. Fresno State at NFCA Classic (Columbus, Ga.), 12:30 p.m.
Women's Gymnastics at Utah, 7 p.m. MST
Women's Golf at Midwest Classic (Dallas)
Saturday, Feb. 24
Women's Swimming/Diving hosts Last Chance Invitational, 11 a.m.
Women's Tennis vs. Illinois, 11 a.m.
Softball vs. Missouri at NFCA Leadoff Classic (Columbus, Ga.), 12:30 p.m.
Men's Swimming/Diving at Big Ten Championships (Minneapolis) Noon/ 7
p.m. CST
Men's Gymnastics at Minnesota, 1 p.m. CST
Men's Tennis vs. Minnesota, 3 p.m.
Men's basketball vs. Purdue, 3:01 p.m.
Baseball vs. Western Michigan (Lakeland, Fia.), 7 p.m.
Ice Hockey vs. Lake Superior State (Detroit), 7:35 p.m.
Women's Golf at Midwest Classic(Dallas)
Softball at NFCA Leadoff Classic Bracket Plypoffs (Columbus, Ga.) TBA
Men's Track/Field at Big Ten Indoor Champio'nships (State College)
Women's Track/Field at Big ten Indoor Championships (West Lafayette)
Water Polo at Cal-Santa Barbara Tournament
DAILY SCR1EBOARD

On top of the world
* ~1

Earnhardt dies in
crash at Daytona

TOM LIN/Daily
Eighth graders from Clauge, Abbot, Forsyth and Tappan Middle Schools
rollerblade near the Cube yesterday afternoon.
CLUB -LPoirn WEEKLY
EditedbySeth Klempner and Naweed Sikora
Blue fencers like a family

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -
Dale Earnhardt, one of the greatest
stars in auto racing history, died yester-
day from injuries in a last-lap crash at
the Daytona 500.
The seven-time Winston Cup cham-
pion had to be cut out of his car after
slamming into
the wall on the
final turn of
the race while
fighting for
position. He
was taken to
the hospital :
accompanied
by his son,A
Dale Jr., aA
young NASCAR star who finished
second in the race.
"This is understandably the toughest
announcement I've ever had to make.
We've lost Dale Earnhardt," NASCAR
president Mike Helton said.'
Earnhardt died instantly of head
injuries, said Steve Bohannon, a doctor
at Halifax Medical Center.
"There was nothing that could have
been done for him," he said.
The death comes at a time that driver
safety issues were under increased
scrutiny. Three NASCAR drivers were
killed in wrecks last season.
The accident happened a half-mile
from the finish of the NASCAR sea-
son-opener, won by Michael Waltrip.
Earnhardt, running fourth, grazed
Sterling Marlin's car, crashed into the
wall at the high-banked fourth turn
going about 180 mph, and was
smacked hard by Ken Schrader.
Earnhardt's death was the biggest
blow to auto racing since three-time
Formula One champion Ayrton Senna
was killed in the San Marino Grand
Prix in Imola, Italy, in 1994.
Neil Bonnett, one of Earnhardt's best
friends, was killed that same year in
practice for the Daytona 500. Rodney
Orr died in a wreck three days later,
also in practice, and was the last driver

killed at the track until Earnhardt's
accident.
"NASCAR has lost its greatest dri-
ver ever, and I personally have lost a
great friend," NASCAR chairman Bill
France Jr. said.
It was the second major wreck in
five years in the race for Earnhardt, a
driver known for his aggressiveness ofi
the track. He flipped wildly on the
backstretch near the end of the race in
1997 but was not seriously hurt. He
came back to win the race the next year
on his 20th try.
Earnhardt is the leader among active
Winston Cup drivers with 76 career
victories. He also had the most victo-
ries at Daytona International
Speedway, 34.
The death made Waltrip's victory
virtually meaningless, as drivers
mourned one of their greatest stars.
"My heart is hurting right now,"
Waltrip said before news of Earnhardt's
death was announced. "I would rather
be any place right this moment than
here. It's so painful."
Earnhardt was doing what he does
best throughout the race, being the
crowd favorite and bumping other cars
for position.
He was a factor throughout, and
spent the final laps close to his son and
Waltrip, trying to block Marlin. Marlin
had just passed Earnhardt, who was
trying to get back by him on the low
side of the track when there was slight
contact that sent his Chevrolet spinning
up the banking.
It turned to the right and hit the wall,
and Schrader could not avoid hitting*
Earnhardt's car. Both cars slowly began
to slide down to the bottom of the tracK
as the rest of the field raced by.
Earnhardt Jr. quickly left the pos-
trace celebration for Waltrip, and
sprinted to the infield care center to be
with his father.
It took several minutes to get the
elder Earnhardt out of the car, and he
was quickly taken to Halifax Hospital. __

By Jim Weber
Daily Sports Writer
Team chemistry is vital to success,
and there aren't many teams with a
stronger bond than the Michigan club
fencing team. Along with developing
friendships, many of the fencers even
end up discovering a unique kind of
chemistry with their teammates.
The most noticeable relationship on
the team is between president BJ
Chavez and secretary Becky Diener,
who have been dating for two years.
Scott Favre, whose girlfriend is also a
fencer, guessed that there are currently
five relationships on the team. That
translates to about one of every five
members in a relationship. These
aren't just flings either, as two couples
from past teams have ended up in mar-
riage.
Although many organizations might
find these kinds of relationships detri-
mental, the fencing team did not
appear distracted while having the
strongest overall performance during
the individual tournament against
Michigan State and Purdue in a tour-
nament held Saturday at the North
Campus Recreation Building.
"We are the best club team in the
Midwest, hands down," Diener said.
Michigan, a club team, actually
beats many varsity squads along with
squads like itself. Last year, the men
ended up ranked third in the Midwest,
and the women took fourth place.
Continuing with that success, the
women have compiled a 16-7 record
this year while the men have gone 10-
16 during a rebuilding process.
But, this team is about more than
just wins and losses.
"I do it for the social atmosphere,'
Diener said. "Fencing is wonderful.
The competition is something I

absolutely live for. But, it would be
nothing if I didn't have my best friends
with me all the time - it's just hang-
ing out with people you enjoy."
This is important considering the
team is on the road a lot. "We have so
much fun on the trips outside of fenc-
ing. We fence all day but then we have
all evening to hang out with each
other," Erica Erlandson said.
The fencers also appear to have a
personality as a whole, said Gerald
Montano, who described the members
of the team as "quirky, very quirky."
He added that fencing "attracts unusu-
al individuals"
"The last two years have been a love
fest," coach Jim Vesper added.
The special bond between players is
even more gratifying considering the
"mess" the team was when BJ Chavez
took over as president three years ago.
In order to remedy the situation,
Chavez created a constitution that lists
the rules of the team.
The fencing team also organizes
many activities to create and enhance
this bond among the members. These
include pot-luck dinners, movie
nights, laser tag, and a formal dance at
the end of the year resembling a high
school prom.
The team's improved chemistry has
also translated into more success in
competition. "We function more as a
team, we do better at tournament,"
Chavez said.
Erlandson explained that the team's
relationship did not only improve its
performance, it was the basis of its
success.
"My best experience is just being a
part of the team," she said.
"We fence individually but we all
fence together because it's really a
team thing. You are doing it for your
team."

NBA STANDINGS

NHL STANDINGS

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
W
Philadelphia 40
Miami 32
New York 30
Orlando 27
Boston 24
New Jersey 18
Washington 12
central Division
W
Milwaukee 30
Toronto 27
Charlotte 28
Indiana 22
cleveland 20
Detfoit 20
Atlanta 17
Chicago 8

L Pct GB
14 .741 -
21 .604 7
U20 .600 8
723 .540 11
28 .462 15
37 .327 22
240 .231 27

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
Philadelphia 3
Newlersey 28
Pittsburgh 29
NY Rangers 24
NY Islanderf 15

L T RT Pts GF GA
18 9 1 72 181 160
15 12 3 71 197 146
207 2 67 191 178
294 1 53 182204
355 3 38 130 184

6A NOTES
Softball scores rocky start with opening games

L
20
25
826
228
30
32
735
42

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Midwest Division

San Antonio
Utah
Dallas
"Minnesota
Denver
Houston
Vancouver
Pacific Division
Portland
Sacramento
LAtakers
Phoenix
Seattle
Golden State
LA clippers

W L
35 16.
34 16,
33 20.
32 22,
28 25
27 26,
17 36
W L
37 16
33 17
33 17.
30 21
28 26
15 36.
16 38.

Pct GB
.600 -
.519 4
.519 4
.440 8
.400 10
.385 11
.327 '14
.160 22
Pct GB
.686 -
-
.623 3
.593 4
.528 8
.509 9
.321 19
Pct GB
.698 -
.660 2
.660 2
.588 6
.519 9
.294 21
.296 21

Northeast Division
Ottawa
Buffalo
Toronto
Boston
Montreal
Southeast Division
Washington
carolina
Atlanta
Florida
Tampa"Bay

W
32
30
26
25
20
W
29
25
18
16
15

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Central Division
W1
St. Louis 37
Detroit 34
Nashville 24;
Chicago 24
Columbus 18

L T RT Pts
15 8 2 74
22 5 1 66
20104 66
236 5 61
305 4 49

GF GA
184 141
154 135
179 151
155 173
149 170

L T RT Pts GF GA
19 101 69168152
22 7 3 60 149 157
309 2 47161207
28.8 7 47 136 175
36 5 3 38 145'214'

LIT
12 7
16 5
27 7
27 5
29 7

RT Pts GF
2 83 193
4 77 172
2 57 141
3 56 161
5 48 131

GA
129
150
153
169
174

This -past weekend, the No. 11
Michigan softball team (2-4) traveled
to Poway, Calif. and played five
games in the Campbell/Cartier
Classic.
Welcoming 10 teams, the tourna-
ment was hosted by San Diego State
in memory of Susanne Campbell and
Karin Cartier who died in a car acci-
dent in the midst of the 1991 season.
Yesterday, the Wolverines lost their
final game to San Diego State 6-5.
The Aztecs, who were down 5-1 after
the fourth inning scored two runs in
the fifth and three in the sixth.
Freshman Melissa Moulden's first
collegiate appearance allowed her to
blast a two-run homerun in the third
inning. But after five innings on the
mound, she gave up pitching duties to
sophomore Marissa Young after
allowing San Diego State seven hits
and five runs.
On Friday, the Wolverines toppled
Sacramento State 11-0. Senior

Rebecca Tune went tnree-tor-tfree at
bat and hit a grand slam in the sixth
inning. Juniors Kelsey Kollen and
Stefanie Volpe each had two hits, and
Courtney Betley notched three RBI's.
Marie Barda pitched five strikeouts
and allowed only 2 hits.
Later in the afternoon, the
Wolverines lost to No. 15 Stanford 2-
0. Although Micigani outhit the
Cardinal 7-2, Stanford's Sarah
Beeson hit a two-run homerun in the
fourth inning to score the game's
only runs.
Saturday, Michigan repeated the
previous day's split. With a win over
No. 22 Long Beach State 4-00
Michigan hit single runs in first ard
fifth innings and two in the seventh.
Later that afternoon, the Wolverines
matched No. 9 Fresno State with
three hits each, but it was Lori
Hoffman whose two-out single
secured Fresno State's victory.
- Kristen Fidh

Northwest Division
Colorado
Vancouver
Edmonton
Minnesota
Calgary
Pacific Division
San Jose
Dallas
Phoenix
Los Angeles
Anahiem

W L T RT Pts GF GA
36 12 9 2 83 189 140
29 195 5 68 185 172
26 249 2 63 164 170
22 258 3 55 127 137
20 22 114 ,55 144 164'

Jamn quailifes for nationals

w
32
33
27
25
16

I T RT Pts GF GA
1610 0 74 162 126
195 1 72 158 137
17 12 2 68 149 135
258 1 59 194 182
318 5 45 139 185

NBA SCOREBOARD
Yesterday's games
San Antonio 92, Toronto 74 }
Philadelphia 104, Phoenix 98
New Jersey 102, LA Clippers 96
Utah 94, Sacramento 90
Vancouver 110, Minnesota 102
Indiana 110, LA Lakers 109
New York at orlando
Washington at Denver
Atlanta at Golden State
Today's games
Chicago at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.
LA clippers at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
San Antonio at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
Boston at Utah, 9 p.m.

NHL SCOREBOARD
Yesterday's games
Carolina 5, Boston 4
Minnesota 3, San Jose 1
Chicago 3, Los Angeles 0
Tampa Bay at Nashville
Montreal at Ottawa
Detroit at Dallas
Calgary at Phoenix
NY Islanders at Vancouver
Tday's games
Chicago at NY Rangers, 1 p.m.
Colorado at Pittsburgh. 3 p.m.
Ottawa at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
carolina at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
St. Louis at Florida, 8 p.m.
Calgary at Anahlem, 10:30p.m.

By Naweed Sikora
Daily Sports Writer
In April, the United States will
send five people to compete in the
table tennis world championships
in Osaka, Japan. One of those five
will be Michigan's own Ashoo
Jain, captain of the table tennis
club team, and reigning collegiate
table tennis championship.
Jain traveled to San Diego dur-
ing the middle of February where
he competed for a spot on the
national team. After advancing
through the qualifying round, Jain
entered the main-draw tourna-
ment, which consisted of only 12
people. Jain finished in a tie for

fifth place with Brian Pace, but
defeated Pace in a head-to-head
match to qualify for the team.
Jain has recently withdrawn
from school so that he can begin
his training at the Olympic train-
ing center in San Diego. In March,
Jain will leave for either China or
Sweden where he will continue his
training. Then, he will go to
Osaka. This is the first time Jain
has qualified for the national
team.
"It is kind of a wierd feeling for
me," Jain said. "It's a huge honor,
but it hasn't really hit me yet.
When I go, I really want to per-
form well and make a name for
myself."

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TODD VANSICKLE/special to the Daily
Neighbors walk past the Flint home of friends of Mateen Cleaves' broth-
er, Herbert, where he was killed in a drive-by shooting early yesterday.
Mateen Cleaves' brother killed in drive-by

FLINT (AP) - The brother of
Detroit Pistons guard Mateen
Cleaves was shot and killed yester-
day in a drive-by shooting.
Police said two vehicles passed by
a Flint home and opened fire, shoot-
ing Herbert Cleaves, 27, in the
abdomen. He was taken to Hurley
Medical Center in Flint, where he

joined the Pistons after playing o
Michigan State's 2000 NCAA cham
pionship team.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo
learned about the shooting yesterday
morning and told his team before the
start of their game against Iowa in
East Lansing, Spartans spokesman
John Lewandowski said.


R