The Michigan Daily -- Tuesday, March 20, 2001-i:
Crunch time now for Polo
Indiana rivalry goes all the way back to the "womb"
By J. Brady McColIougi
Daily Sports Writer
Indiana coach Barry King and the Indiana water
polo team are dumbfounded by the CWPA poll,
which ranks the 17th-ranked Hoosiers four spots
behind No. 13 Michigan - they certainly aren't com-
ing to Ann Arbor this weekend to rendezvous with
friends.
"We take (the rankings) with a good chuckle," King
said. "We have some questions every week when we
see (the poll). We're going into (the weekend against
Michigan) to prove that we're not the 17th-ranked
team."
On Feb.18, when the first match between Michigan
and Indiana ended, the Wolverines found themselves
in a place they didn't want to be - tied 4-4.
Michigan jumped out to a 3-1 advantage, but the
Hoosiers exploded for three unanswered goals to take
a 4-3 lead. Freshman Julie Nisbet saved the Wolver-
ines from defeat, firing the ball into the net as the
clock rolled down on the fourth quarter.
But over a month has passed since the rivals have
squared off, and the circumstances surrounding this
weekend's matches will be much different. Before the
first match with the Hoosiers, the Wolverines had just
finished playing No. 1 Stanford.
"We're not tired now, and we didn't just play Stan-
ford two hours ago," Michigan coach Amber Drury-
Pinto said. "They got us when we were down after we
played a lot of games. They're going to see the true
Michigan team this weekend."
Not only will the circumstances change this week-
end, but this is a much-improved Michigan team that
welcomes Indiana and Slippery Rock to Canhamr
Natatorium this time around.
"Our defense has become much more tenacious,"
Drury-Pinto said. "They're after the ball a lot more
and they're a lot more aggressive on defense."
When Michigan returned from its California trip,
Drury-Pinto put the Wolverines through a "hell week"
unlike anything the players had ever experienced.
"We hit it hard again;" Drury-Pinto said. "We were
swimming hard, doing lots of weights, wearing weight
belts in the pool. We've worked hard. I can't imagine
anybody has worked harder than us."
Even though Drury-Pinto feels that the Wolverines
have made large strides toward where they want to be,
she knows the two matches against Indiana this week-
end will be a measuring tool of how far they've come.
CANHLAM NATAToRIUM
Who: No. 13 Michigan hosts No. 17 Indiana and Slippery
Rock in Southern Division Tournament
When: 3 p.m. Saturday, Noon Sunday
Latest: Michigan needs to perform well this weekend to clinch
the No.1 seed in the Southern Division championships.
Improvement "is hard to measure," Drury-Pinto
said. "The measure will be playing a team we haven't
played in six weeks."
Seeding in the upcoming Southern Division cham-
pionships will depend on the results of the weekend.
What makes the matches between Michigan and Indi-
ana so exciting is the intense rivalry that has devel-
oped between the only Big Ten varsity programs.
"Whenever you play a team every year and the
score is that close, you start to get a bitter taste in your
mouth captain Delia Sonda said. "When you start
playing a team many times, you know what they're
going to do, and they know what you're going to do."
Making this rivalry even more intriguing is the fact
that many of the IHoosiers and Wolverines are very
familiar with each other as competitors and friends.
"A lot of girls on the Indiana team we actually
know because they either went to our high school or
our archrival, and a lot of us chose between Indiana
and Michigan," said junior utility Mandi Hagedorn,
who attended Huron High School.
"Both groups have a number of girls who have
known each other since the womb basically," King
said.
"RCUANQ'I NN
Abb Rowe and the Wolverines look to slide past their lone Big Ten rival, Indiana tomor
* Change of season brin gs
women's track outdoors
I
MIKE LO:N(.; TRACK
What: The Florida State University
Relays
Latest The FSU Relays marks the
start of the Michigan women's outdoor
season.
Men's track goes Aztec
.3
.. ".
By Rhonda Gker
Daily Sports Writer
Cool temperatures and a ground still laced
with trickles of snow are not ideal for the
beginning of the outdoor track season. But the
Michigan women's track and field team has to
make a transition into a new season. Last week,
the Wolverines started practicing outdoors
again for their first meet. Today they will be in
Tallahassee for the Florida Relays.
"We're more prepared than the first meet of
the indoor season," Michigan coach James
Henry said. "Our goal is to take pressure off
individuals and give them the chance to run in
relays, given the good weather outdoors."
During this two-day meet the team will gauge
its fitness against other teams. Coming off a
break from Big Tens, the Wolverines should be
able to ease back into competition after this non-
scoring meet.
"It's been four weeks since they've compet-
ed," assistant coach Mike McGuire said.
"We're excited about getting started - we're
making a little bit of a transition from a small
200-meter indoor track to going outside."
Unique to outdoor season, some athletes are
able to compete in field events which were not
present during the indoor season. Discus,
javelin and hammer are three events which the
Wolverines will put contenders in for the first
time.
"In these events we'll be placing a mixture of
veterans and new people," Henry said. "It's their
chance to start the season. Although it's the third
season overall it's the first season for them."
Relays make up the majority of events at the
meet. The 4x 100-meter relay is an added bonus
to the fast-paced stimulus of track and field
events.
"It's a perfect meet to start out the season,"
McGuire said. "We'll have the opportunity to
get some relays in. Most of our top and middle-
distance runners will compete in relays."
For the outdoor season, a more complete
itinerary of relays are run, including the 4x 100-
meter relay up through the 4x1,500-meter
relay. Due to space limitations, in the indoor
season only certain relays are run, including the
4x200-meter, 4x400-meter, and 4x800-meter
events.
Introducing longer relays could present a
challenge to distance runners. With events such
as the 4x1,500-meter relay, stamina is key. For
this type of event careful preparation is
required and proper conditioning shows up in
these extensive runs.
Also since the time span is longer, runners
have to be smart and pace themselves through-
out the race.
Two Wolverines will represent Michigan for
the distance portion of this meet.
"Katie Jazwinski and Lisa Ouellet will just
be running relays," McGuire said. "We've been
down there the last three years previously and
have always done well."
By Shawn Kamp
Daily Sports Writer
It's home, sweet home for Ike Okenwa.
The junior sprinter will travel with eight other
members of the Michigan men's track team this
weekend to Okenwa's home city of San Diego,
for the Aztec Invitational.
Okenwa, who recently competed in the indoor
track NCAA Championships for the 200-meter
dash, looks forward to competing in the familiar
conditions he had as a high school athlete.
"My first year (at Michigan) I had my hat,
gloves and winter coat out in November," Oken-
wa said. "After a while you just get used to it -
you don't go outside unless you have to."'
But staying inside throughout the Michigan
winter is detrimental to some athletes.
Assistant coach Fred LaPlante said javelin
thrower Andy Derr can practice throwing steady
javelins into a net while indoors, but the simula-
tion takes time to adjust once outdoors.
"It's the same thing with the 400-meter hur-
dles;" LaPlante said. "We've been doing some
drills (indoors), but they'll be a bit rusty."
Derek Applewhite, who is coming off of an
injury from the indoor season, will join ran-
mates Josh Sellers and Andrew Oaks in the ,QQ-
meter hurdles, while Chris Yee, Anthony BYl;
Tony Wishart, Ravi Smith and Okenwa wilJl
compete in the 200- and 400-meter dashes. Der
is the Wolverines' lone representative inthe
javelin.
LaPlante said the meet is more like a workut
for Michigan than a competition.
"Training wise, we're on par with any -tl
team - competition wise is where we're ruq "
LaPlante said.
While back in familiar territory, Okenwfa4so
hopes to provide an example for high scbool
recruits in the area.
"I'm just showing these younger guys frp
San Diego that you can survive in the Arp'
Okenwa said.
SI)SU STowrs DrE
What: Aztec Invitational
Latest: The men's outdoor track team kicks off their sea-
son at this weekend's Aztec Invitational in San Diego. .
Senior co-captain Andy Derr will lead the Wolverines in the
javelin, while junior Ike Okenwa heads the sprints.
M' nine opens Big Ten season in Iowa
The Michigan baseball team opens
its Big Ten season this weekend, but
at a MAC field.
With Iowa's Duane Banks Stadium
retidered unplayable due to snow
stbrms, the Wolverines (7-8) and
Hawkeyes (8-5) called around the
Midwest frantically looking for a
place to play. With promising fore-
casts in DeKalb, Ill. and the Huskies
out of town, Northern Illinois was
chosen as the battle grounds for the
competition. The teams play a four-
game series with a double-header on
Saturday.
Once it became apparent that Iowa,
who cancelled its home opener, could
not host the series, Michigan coach
Geoff Zahn tried to take advantage by
making the series home games.
Iowa coach Scott Broghamer ini-
tially agreed, but predictions for a
chance of snow this weekend in Ann
Arbor made both coaches decide
against playing in Ann Arbor.
"Now they've upgraded the weather
report a little bit," Zahn said after
Wednesday's win over St. Joseph's. "I
told (Broghamer) this morning if it
doesn't work out in Northern Illinois,
we could certainly come here. He
said, 'Well, I think we'll work it out in
Northern Illinois.' "
Benjamin Singer
SOFTBALL
Continued from Page 10
been on the bad end of it.
"This is a team who has had some
great cuts that don't turn into hits on
the scoreboard because the other
team catches them," Hutchins said.
"We've had our share of luck that
goes against us but I'm a big believer
that over the course of the long hall
you get 50 percent of the breaks.
"I tell them don't worry about win-
ning or losing, if they stay focused on
the ball the consequences will turn
out the way you want them to.
Michigan can't control chance, but
they can improve physically and
mentally. "
"We feel we can get better in an
area of simply responding to adversi-
ty and rising to the occasion, which is
very difficult to practice," Hutchins
said.
This week the coach is making her
team deal with tough situations and
practice. She called her practices
very difficult in the hope that when
the team does meet the challenges,
they learn a lot from them.
"We have everything in front of us
and we're very capable of winning
the Big Ten," Hutchins said. "That's
what we're all about."
In order for Michigan to reach
these expectations, they'll have to
rely on standout catcher Kim Bugel
and Melissa Taylor to keep up their
outstanding efforts.
Taylor is hitting over .400 and I'm
really thrilled with Bugel."
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I . a
Women's tennis eyeing .500 record
'The Michigan women's tennis team
is at a cross roads at its season. After
starting off the season on a 3-0 tear
* and gaining confidence, the Wolver-
ines fell into a slump which they have
since removed themselves from -
winning their last two matches.
Michigan will head north this week-
end to play Wisconsin (3-8) and Min-
nesota (7-3).
If the Wolverines swept their week-
end matches they would improve their
record to above .500 for the first time
*since beginning their Big Ten season
on February 24. They would also
improve their Big Ten record to .500
with two of the top three Big Ten
teams already behind them in the
schedule,
Men's golf tries to
Two of Michigan's finest golfers dur-
ing the 1999-2000 season, recent gradu-
ates Michael Harris and Mike Affeldt
'took a break from their post-college
lives to attend last weekend's El Diablo
Intercollegiate Tournament in Citrus
Springs, Fla. They could not have been
too impressed with what they saw as
Michigan finished 20th of 24 teams.
Bolstered by Harris and Affeldt, the
'Wolverines qualified for the NCAA Cen-
tral Regional Championships a season
ago. If they don't improve on last week-
end's outcome, they will not return to the
*regional tournament this season.
"This was a disappointment," Michi-
gan coach Jim Carras said. "We now
have an uphill battle if we want to go to
the regional championships.
In order to qualify for the regional
tournament, Michigan needs to finish
Michigan has played well as of late,
getting key wins in singles and show-
ing improvement in doubles and
improved its ranking to No. 62 in the
nation.
Michigan has also been strength-
ened by the return of Jen Duprez, who
has won both her dual matches since
returning from an off-season injury.
The only remaining injury that Michi-
gan still has is Kim Plaushines who
has been labeled day-to-day for the
weekend.
Despite its 3-8 record Wisconsin
holds a No. 75 ranking due to it play-
ing many top ranked opponents while
Minnesota, in spite of its outstanding
record is No. 60.
- Seth Klempner
stay In the hunt
the regular season among the top six
teams in district IV Going into El Dia-
blo, the Wolverines held the sixth spot
in the district, but when the new rank-
ings come out they could slip to eighth.
"We need to be more consistent,"
Carras said. "I've never seen us missing
so many three- and four-foot putts. We
are better than that."
The one bright spot this weekend was
the play of junior Andy Matthews, who
finished 13th in a field of 120 golfers.
Michigan faced uncontrollable fac-
tors such as weather and travel sched-
ules. But Carras knows that adversity is
part of the sport.
"There is no question that the key to
golf is mental toughness," Carras said.
"You have to be resilient and accept
failing as a challenge, not as a defeat.'
- Jeb Singer
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