___The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 26, 2001- 3B Beam problems resurface for 'M' DAVID DEN HERDER By Chris Burke Daily Sports Writer The women's gymnastics Big Ten Championship meet over the past decade has become one where the only way Michigan can lose is if it beats itself. Saturday night, it almost did. The Wolverines still managed to take home the Big Ten title, finishing with a team score of 197.150, holding off second- place Penn State by .725. But, the win didn't come with- GYMNASTICS out some anxious moments. Notebook After three spectacular rota- tions, the Wolverines finished their night on the event that has often proven to be the thorn in their collective sides - the balance beam. Michigan posted the best team scores of the night on floor, bars and vault, and headed into its last event with a comfortable lead. It was a cushion that the Wolverines would find necessary. After Janessa Grieco, Calli Ryals and Missy Peterson began the beam with three solid scores, the Wolverines turned to their rocks expecting to finish off their ninth Big Ten title in 10 years in grand fashion. So when Karina Senior and Freshman of the Year finalist Elise Ray sandwiched Shannon MacKen- zie's near-flawless performance with falls, the Wolverines' mood changed from excitement to con-. CHAMPS Continued from Page 1B cern. "We were all kind of quiet (after the falls)," Senior said. "We were all thinking 'Oh my god, I hope we didn't blow it.' We were nervous sitting here waiting to hear the final scores." Up until the beam, Ray was showing why she is ranked in the top 10 in the country in the all- around, going neck and neck in the individual all- around competition with eventual individual champion Alexis Maday of Iowa. But as is often the case in gymnastics, one little mistake can be costly. and that held true with Ray's fall on the beam. "I had a great meet up to beam. It was just one of those things I guess," Ray said of her fall. "I'm just happy that it didn't affect the team, that's what I was most worried about." Adding to the tension of the moment was the fact that the Wolverines had some uncertainty about their position in the overall standings. "I knew that we had a lead going into the beam but I didn't know how much of a lead it was," Michigan coach Bev Plocki said. "When Elise made her punch-front, I felt that we were home free. I never expected her to have a problem on her flight series. "After that, it just kept running through my mind that I didn't know whether our score was substantial enough to have to count a fall and still be able to pull it off. Thank goodness it was." WOLVERINES AwARDED: In addition to capturing yet another Big Ten title, Michigan turned the All- Big Ten Team into a Wolverine celebration. Christine Michaud, Bridget Knaeble, Senior, Ryals, Grieco, Ray, MacKenzie, Amy Kuczera and Cami Singer were all named to the team - com- prising nine of the 22 gymnasts awarded with the conference honor. Knaeble was also a finalist for Gymnast of the Year, and Plocki was a finalist for Coach of the Year. CHALLENGING ROTATION: Seven teams took part in the Big Ten Championship. Since there are just four events, that meant three teams sat out three of the seven rotations during the evening. That aspect adds a level of difficulty that doesn't come into play during dual meets. The gymnasts are. forced to try to stay focused in a pressure situation for up to 20 minutes in between events. "It's difficult," Senior said. "You're ready to go and then you have to calm down for a while and then try to bring it up again. It's really draining." HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: The fact that Big Ten titles have become expected for the Wolverines has- n't done anything to take the thrill of victory away - especially at home. "Being in front of a home crowd is great," Ray said. "It was just so.much more fun because we were at home and had the crowd with us - It feels wonderful to win." Several angles to consider regarding Yanks, Heno Despite the problems towards the end, the Wolverines' received many dominating performances from their stars as well as role players. Seniors Bridget Knaeble and Senior both recorded a 9.95 on the floor exercise to begin the meet for the Wolverines, tying for second over- all. Michaud continued her dominance on the vault, win- ning the event with a 9.95. * "I was really nervous because I had a terrible warm up and I was worried that I wouldn't even make it over the horse," Michaud said. "But, Bev told me to put it on 'auto-pilot' and not think about it so much, soI stopped thinking and just ran." The uneven bars was deminated by Knaeble who won the event with a 9.975. "It was extremely exciting for me," Knaeble said. "We already had a fall so we knew we couldn't have another- one. It is great when you land and you know that you had *a great routine and you could hear the crowd cheering."; HANDING OUT AWARDS: After the meet, Big Ten all- conference awards were handed out. Penn State star> Katie Rowland took home the Big Ten Gymnast of the Year award. Knaeble was among the five nominees for the prestigious award. Iowa's Alexis Maday, who was all-around champion r for the meet, was named Big 'fen Freshman of the Year, beating out several talented gymnasts, including Michi- gan's Ray. Although they did not bring home any individual awards, nine Wolverines were named to the Big Ten all-f *conference team. "It feels good knowing that you are at the top of the heap in the Big Ten," Michaud said. "It's a very competi- C tive conference, and it feels good to know that I am there along with many of my teammates" Michigan will return to action in two weeks when it hosts NCAA regional championships at Crisler Arena on April 7. The Wolverines still feel that they have much they can improve on before their next challenge. "We really nailed our landings this meet, but there is s much we can still do" Michaud said. "We can point ./ our toes, bend our knees better, stick every landing. ° y Especially on the beam we can really improve. We have TOM FELOKAMP/Darfy the potential to do better, and its nice to know that we are Junior Missy Peterson's balance beam performance helped get the Michigan women's gymnastics team off on our way." on the right foot in an event that has vexed the Wolverines all season. Sicilia no andmso Drew Henson will not be play- ing for Michigan next year. And exactly what the hell are we supposed to think about that? Tough to say. We, Michigan, haven't had much time to digest the news. Henson, of course, didn't have much time to make the decision. In the end, he said, it wasn't about the money - oh, gosh, how much was it again ... $17 million? "I want to make it clear that it is my boyhood dream, not economic factors, that led me to this decision," stated Henson on the pages of New York City's tabloids yesterday. "Otherwise I would have pursued lucrative opportu- nities in the NFL Draft." I can't imagine the situation is as black-and-white as it appeared on those pages. There's more to this than football vs. baseball, money vs. happi- ness, right vs. wrong. Looking at it from different per- spectives makes it awfully easy to expenence a spectrum of emotions. But from there, it's awfully hard to settle on just one. CONSIDER THE YANKEES: As the saying goes, if you're standing still, you're falling behind. "It has been clear to me that the opportunity presenting itself at this time will not be there next January," Henson said at his press conference. But why give Henson a "now or never" ultimatum? Does Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, that rot- ten Ohio State alum, simply have it in for the Wolverines? Doubtful. There are at least three good reasons to be so aggressive. First, the Yanks need a third base- man. Their current man, Scott Bro- sius, is in the twilight of his career and the final year of his contract. By inducing Henson to quit Michigan and dedicate himself completely to the organization, New York could have a well-groomed replacement to fill the position by the 2002 season. Second, they can't risk injury. If the Yankees invest in Henson at third base, they can't allow him to play tackle football anymore. Period. And third, letting Henson play out his senior year could potentially make him the No. I draft prospect for the NFL, which could potentially create a bidding war for the phenom. It's something the Yanks would rather avoid. You almost have to admire the tenacity of the Yankees front office. It's quite a gamble to put $17 million on a kid that hasn't taken a single swing in the Bigs. But why hasn't this offer come from the Yankees sooner, say before the spring recruiting deadline, so that Michigan might have the chance to find a replacement of its own? Because until last week, Henson's rights hadn't been reacquired from the Cincinnati Reds. CONSIDER THE CINCINNATI REDS: Here's a team that, for whatever rea- son, felt it could not sign ace pitcher Denny Neagle to a contract extension last year, so it traded Neagle to the Yankees. In exchange, the Reds received several players including Henson. The Reds could not have known then how adverse Henson would be to signing with them. It may be true that Cincinnati could never have convinced Henson to give up the Heisman Trophy - but the question is, could the Reds even afford to try? For that matter, how many teams really can afford to blow $17 million on a hunch? You almost have to hate the Yankees for being able to drop that kind of cash on a good feeling. You almost have to be frustrated with Major League Baseball for not leveling the playing field, for not capping payrolls to ensure a competitive market. You almost have to feel sorry for the Reds, who, after the smoke has cleared, are without the services of either Denny Neagle or Drew Henson. CONSIDER DREW HENSON: Money isn't everything. There's no doubt that a healthy Henson would have been"the top overall pick in next year's NFL;,. draft. And as the new quarterback of the expansion Houston Texans, Hen' son's signing bonus alone could have rivaled his entire current deal with the Yankees. The question is, would you rather,. play for the best team in baseball, Qr the worst team in football? - It's no secret that Henson's day- dreams include pinstripes and summer evenings at Yankee Stadium. They,, also included Michigan football - and for a while, he had the best of both worlds - refusing to obey Sten- brenner's requests that he give up the gridiron. But Henson's wake-up-call trade to Cincinnati apparently made him real- ize how badly he desired to be a part of the Yankee tradition - for many years to come. "I cannot risk turning it down again," Henson said. And since his new contract is frot- loaded, a possible owners' lockout in the 2002 season (for not leveling they playing field, for not capping payrolUI) would only cost Henson about $1 mij- lion. You almost have to feel proud of" Henson for realizing his lifelong aspi- ration. And you almost have to feel bad that he's being forced to decide between his two daydreams - the Yankees and Michigan. CONSIDER MICHIGAN: The Wolver- ines lose their play-making, game breaking quarterback. Maybe the chance at a special season. Henson's one year atthe helm did bring the Wolverines a Big Ten title, and gave fans a glimpse at a truly amazing talent. How might things be different if the Wolverines had known sooner? Might Michigan have landed another big, name recruit? A replacement, even? Tough to say. You almost have to feel disappoint- ed knowing what might have been in 2001. But Lloyd Carr knew what he was getting into when Henson signed on the dotted line three years ago. "In a perfect world, I could have fin- ished my football career at Michigan and then gone on to play third base for the New York Yankees;' Henson said. And you know, somewhere deep down, that Henson's agonizing dei- sion is probably the right one to make. But sitting in Ann Arbor these days, you almost wish it were a perfect world. The Associated Press contributed to this story. David Den Herder can be reached at dden@umich.edu By Courtney Lewis Daily Sports Writer His heart was pounding, he was sweating, and the race hadn't even stated yet. When Michigan junior Tim Siciliano lined up for the 400-yard swimming individual medley Friday night in College Station, Texas he was nervous. Really nervous. "Probably more nervous than I've ever been in my whole life," Siciliano said. Never mind that he was the two-time defending champion and he had already swam a personal best in the preliminaries. This was the NCAA Championship - the biggest meet of the year and the one he'd been working towards since the beginning of the sea- son. He was going up against the best collegiate swimmers in the nation and they were all gunning for him. He was the one to beat. As if that wasn't enough pressure, iciliano looked over and saw Eric WVendt, a 2000 Olympic silver medal- list. Facing a swimmer of that caliber "really does intimidate me," Siciliano said. "You're sitting next to a silver medallist and one of the best swimmers in the world. But it also gives you con- fidence." So when the race finally started, Siciliano jumped out to an early lead and then fought through the final laps to edge out Vendt with a time of 3:40.77. He became only the fourth swimmer to win three consecutive NCAA titles in the event. After three consecutive second-place finishes in previous NCAA Champi- onships, senior Chris Thompson put enormous importance on winning a championship in his final collegiate race. He was favored to win both the 500 freestyle and the 1,650 free, but he missed the 500 title by three tenths of a second on Thursday night. Thompson's hopes of an NCAA championship rested on Saturday night's performance in the mile. But he brushed off the pressure and blew away his competitors, setting a personal best of 14:26.62 in the 1,650 and smashing Michigan alum Tom Dolan's NCAA and American record of 14:29.31. With outstanding performances by Klete Keller and Troy Dumais, power- house Texas dominated the meet and earned 597.5 points on its way to claiming the national title for the sec- ond year in a row. Stanford took sec- ond, 140 points behind the Longhorns. Michigan came in 10th with 161 points - achieving its pre-meet goal of placing in the Top 10. Siciliano also swam an outstanding race and finished second to Thompson in the 1,650, and freshman Dan Ketchum came in 13th. Ketchum also had two seventh-place finishes in the 200 and the 500 freestyle. Also earning points, senior captain Scott Werner had a strong showing in the 200 breaststroke, finishing 10th. The 800 freestyle relay team of Siciliano, Thompson, Ketchum and Garrett Mangieri clinched third place, and Ketchum and Mangieri teamed up with Werner and Jordan Watland to earn points in the 400 medley relay with 15th place. Michigan's finish was even more impressive because while several elite teams took as many as 17 swimmers, only nine Wolverines qualified. "The whole Michigan performance was a success," head coach Jon Urbanchek said. "We had a very small team, but it was pretty mighty." RPM Hyman Bass Roger C. Lyndon Collegiate Professor of Mathematics and Professor of Mathematics Education - -R Check Us Out,, - -! Hrne01 Ins www.homecityiee.com mc 1, Great Job Opportunities!! !firing Students Part-Time NOW and Full-Time During Summer & Breaks Flexible Hours & GREAT PAY!! We offer 10-40+ hours/week Mapping the Borderlands Between a: