The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, December 12, 2001- 15
Football
Jan. 1 vs. Tennessee, 1p.m. at Citrus Bowl
Men's Basketball
Dec. 22 vs. Eastern Michigan, 2 p.m.
Dec. 28 vs. San Francisco, 8 p.m. at Oakland, Calif.
Jan. 2 at Penn State, 8 p.m.
Jan. 5 vs. Purdue, 12:17 p.m.
Hockey
Dec. 15 vs. Harvard, 7:35 p.m.
Dec. 28 vs. North Dakota, 4 p.m. at Joe Louis Arena
Dec. 29 vs. Michigan Tech/Michigan State, 4 p.m. o
7:35 p.m. at Joe Louis Arena
Jan. 4 vs. Notre Dame, 7:05 p.m.
Jan 5 vs. Notre Dame, 7:05 p.m.
Women's Basketbatlf
Dec. 12 at Toledo, 7 pm.
Dec. 16 at Louisiana State, 3 p.m.
Dec. 21 vs. Oakland, 7 p.m.
Dec. 28 vs. Illinois, 7 p.m.
Dec. 30 at Purdue, 2 p.m.
Jan. 2 vs. Michigan State, 7 p.m.
Jan. 6 at Wisconsin, 2:30 p.m.
Wrestling
Jan. 4 vs. Lehigh, 7 p.m.
r Jan. 5 at Cleveland State. 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 16 at Louisiana State, 3 p.m.
Dec. 21 vs. Oakland, 7 p.m.
Women s Gymnastics
Dec. 16 Intrasquad Meet, 2 p.m. (exhibition)
Jan. 4 at Maui Invitational, Midnight
Men's Gymnastics
Dec. 15 intrasquad Meet, 7 p.m. (exhibition),
Men's Swimming
Jan. 4 at Arizona, 3 p.m.
Jan. 5 at Arizona State, 3 p.m.
Men's Track
Jan. 5 hosts Jack Harvey Invitational
Women's Track
Jan. 5 hosts Jack Harvey Invitational
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM DAILY SPORTS
.J
All work and no play for swimmers in Flagstaff
By Courtney Lewis
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan men's swimming team is head-
ing west over winter break, but there will be no
exotic location, no warm beaches and definitely
no surfing.
While the women's team is in Hawaii, the men
will be spending their holiday in northern Ari-
zona, where they will train for 11 days in
Flagstaff.
"Flagstaff is not a place to go for entertain-
ment," Michigan coach Jon Urbanchek said.
It is, on the other hand, a place to go for high
altitude training. The campus of Northern Ari-
zona University, where Michigan will train, sits
at 7,000'feet, about 1,000 feet higher than Col-
orado Springs - where the team has endured
altitude training in the past.
The altitude makes training physically and
mentally difficult. Senior Eric Wilson said even
though their workouts will look easy on paper,
once the Wolverines hit the water they'll find
they can't swim their usual times.
"It's not real good for the mind, but its good
for the body," Urbanchek said.
The training increases the number of red blood
cells, which in turn increases oxygen intake. So
while the Wolverines may struggle for air in
Flagstaff, they expect to notice an immediate dif-
ference once they descend.
"I've heard it feels like you have an oxygen
tank strapped on your back," Wilson said.
The Wolverines are looking forward to an
escape from balancing workouts and final exams
and they will be taking advantage of the opportu-
nity to focus completely on swimming.
"It is a training camp," Urbanchek said. "All
we do is eat, sleep and swim, and then if you
have energy left, you have fun in between."
The high altitude also means Flagstaff will be
snow-covered, but when Michigan does find time
for fun, it won't include skiing.
Urbanchek said he has placed all "dangerous"
sports off limits, adding "We'll be doing a lot of
indoor activities."
With only one road trip so far this season,
Michigan hasn't had as much time for cama-
raderie. Shopping, playing videogames and
watching movies will give the team a chance to
bond and build chemistry.
Wilson admitted those activities "might not be
as much fun as the women have surfing in
Hawaii," but he added that his team will get in
plenty of quality training time, "which is why
we're there."
Michigan will also be in Arizona to compete.
Its main priority is training, but at the end of the
trip the team will face Arizona and Arizona State.
The eighth-ranked Wildcats and fifth-ranked
Sun Devils each finished in the top five at the
Texas Invitational Nov. 30 through Dec. 2. No. 12
Michigan placed 13th in Austin.
Michigan expects two close meets, but the
Wolverines are confident their training will pre-
pare them for tough opponents.
"We can compete with both teams," Urbanchek
said. "In fact, we can swim with anybody in the
country."
ALYSSA WOOD/Daily
With Mike Cammalleri skating for Team Canada, the Wolverines will need to find
new people to score during the Great Lakes Invitational.
Cammallens absence
bnngs wake-up call
p l " cd-+ l1-,tr" rro
By J. Brady McCollough
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan junior John Shouneyia
woke up at 9 a.m. Monday with a pleas-
ant surprise - a phone call from his
right-hand man on the powerplay, fel-
low-junior Mike Cammalleri. But the
Wolverines' leading scorer was not call-
ing from his home in Ann Arbor; he
was with Team Canada at the tryouts for
the World Junior Championships, which
will keep Cammalleri away from his
team for its next five games.
The call came because Shouneyia
"had to do something for" Cammalleri.
That's an understatement.
Shouneyia will be counted upon to
fill the shoes of one of the top players in
college hockey and to keep the Wolver-
ines' top forward line clicking on all
cylinders. Cammalleri combined with
freshman Eric Nystrom and junior cap-
tain Jed Ortmeyer to score 10 of the 11
Michigan points last Saturday at Miami.
"It's always different without (Cam-
mlleri) out there," Nystrom said. "He's
the craftiest player, but Johnny's a great
player, too. He's a little quicker and
good with the puck, so he'll fill in really
well."
While Cammalleri has been the prin-
cipal leader of Michigan's run to second
place in the CCHA, Shouneyia has been
far from a slouch. The center extended::
his point-scoring streak to a career-
high-tying six games last weekend and
will be expected to gel quickly with his
new linemates.
"We've still got two guys on the line,
and they've had a lot of success,"
Shouneyia said. "Those guys have been
going, so hopefully they'll get me going
even more."
Things will get even more interesting.
for Michigan during the Great Lakes
Invitational on Dec. 28-29. Not only
will Cammalleri be absent, but defense-
man Mike Komisarek and third-line
center Dwight Helminen will also be
representing the United States in the
World Junior Championships as well.
With its most clutch scorer, its tough-
est defenseman and its top penalty-
killer out of commission, Michigan will
be counting on some new blood to pick
up the slack.
"When you get in there you have to L)1I.A\ LL U 11186
prove yourself," Nystrom said. "A lot of
players have to step it up this weekend medal fromA
(against Harvard) and come GLI time."
In last season's GLI, the Wolverines
were in the same bind with Komisarek, David Oxfeld
Cammalleri and Andy Hilbert partici- For the Daily
pating in the championships. Michigan
was upset in the first round of the invi- As the end of October drew near,
tational by Michigan Tech, 7-3. most students were concerned with cos-
The GLI has become a reunion of tume preparations for Halloween. That
sorts from last season's Frozen Four, as wasn't the case for sophomore Melissa
the Wqlverines will be joined by North Bickett. She was abroad, participating in
Dakota and Michigan State, along with the Pan American Games in Argentina.
upset-minded Michigan Tech. "Because the seasons are reversed,
No. 4 Michigan State and No. 9 when a person goes south of the equator,
Michigan are both riding 8-1-1 records it's actually spring, during fall north of
in their last 10 games, and both will the equator," Bickett said. "This was the
have to contend with young squads-case in Argentina. I came back with a
from the WCHA, which has shaped up tan, and so I was happy."
as the toughest conference in the nation. Bickett, the only member of the
North Dakota, the Wolverines' first Michigan women's track team compet-
opponent, is not used to struggling like ing for the United States at the Pan Am
it has this season. The Fighting Sioux Games, returned to Ann Arbor with
are 4-7-1 in the WCHA and were more than just a nice bronze color. She
swept last weekend by Wisconsin, captured gold in the discus, the*same
whom the Wolverines defeated 5-2 in event in which she finished 18th in the
the College Hockey Showcase. But NCAA Championships a year earlier.
with six freshman forwards and a As Bickett has continued to improve,
freshman goaltender playing signifi- her results have been astounding, and
cant minutes, coach Dean Blais is not now her goals are firmly set.
surprised. "Winning that gold in Argentina was
"This year we're not playing for one of the highlights of my career,"
national rankings," Blais said. "We're Bickett said. "It was a thrill representing
playing for improvement. Everyone the United States, getting to wear that
understands that. I think people know Olympic warmup, but now I am ready to
you can't be 1-2-3 every year." compete at a grander level. I aspire for
Michigan Tech has also floundered the Olympics."
because of the strength of the WCHA, For now, Bickett's concentration and
posting a 1-7-2 conference record. The the focus of her teammates is on suc-
Huskies are also young and inexperi- ceeding in the upcoming indoor track
enced as 12 freshmen fill their roster. season. Michigan finished fourth in the
But coach Mike Sertich thinks his Big Ten la4 year, but is already striving
team will get a lot out of making the to improve on those results. The Wolver-
trip to Detroit and playing in Joe Louis ines completed their Maize and Blue
Arena. intrasquad meet on Nov. 30, and Bickett
"We're from Houghton," Sertich said. sees her constant hard work and training
"So we get to go and see big buildings, paying off.
four-lane traffic and restaurants. They "The meet was fun, and it was nice to
get to go on that subway deal. We've get back to competing again," Bickett
got one stoplight in town. You have two said. "Most importantly, a few people
stoplights and two blocks. It's awesome. PR'd (set personal records) and so it was
We're gonna have a lot of kids with sun- good to see that we are already better
burned Adam's apples looking up at the than we were individually at any point
buildings." last year. The meet sets a precedent with
times, which allows us as athletes to
gauge or better as the season progresses.
home gold
Argentina
Talented freshman bring
high expectations to 'M'
It makes us all work harder.
I got my PR in shotput."
This year, Michigan
coach James Henry will r
appoint three team cap-y
tains who will maintain
the communication
between the athletes and himself.
Due to the composition of a
track team, with different spe-
cialized athletes practicing sep-
arately from one another, he has
also asked the team to appoint
event leaders - dividing the
squad into events such as sprinters,
hurdlers, mid-distance runners, dis-
tance runners and throw-°
ers. This year's team
will be buoyed by its
freshman class, head-
lined by Theresa
Feldcamp, a two time
800-meter Ohio state
high school champion
and Stephanie Hirtle, a
Canadian runner who ran ALYSSA WOOD/Daily
for Team Canada in the 2001 Mike Wisniewski
World Junior Cross Country
By Kareem Copeland
Daily Sports Writer
"If we don't win (the
. Big Ten Championship)
I'll be surprised," senior
tri-captain Ike Okenwa said.
That is the attitude that
the Michigan track team is
taking indoors this season.
The combination of dedi-
cation to conditioning and
an outstanding freshman
class has primed the team
> for a run at the conference
championship.
Summer workouts ran
five days a week and
were voluntary for play-
ers in the area, but the
number of athletes at the
workouts consistently
reached double digits.
"This year we got real-
ly serious about it,"
Okenwa said. "We're
focused."
The seventh-place
Nathan Taylor is the Canadian Junior
Champion in the 100-meter.
Getting Taylor to commit was a major
accomplishment for the coaching staff.
"For us that's a real coup" LaPlante
said. "Most major sprinters don't come
to the Midwest and Northeast."
Also new to the team is former wide
receiver Brent Cummings. Cummings
played on the football team last year and
promises to add a spark in the sprints.
While those races were not particularly
strong for Michigan last year, the new
season has brought in new expectations.
The combination of Okenwa, Taylor,
Cummings and Derek Applewhite could
be explosive. "They will be a formida-
ble foursome at sprints," LaPlante said.
But it is the distance runners that are
the strength of this team.
Along with Webb, senior tri-captain
Mike Wisniewski hopes to build on an
All-America performance in cross-
country. Wisniewski has won the Big
Ten title in the 10,000-meter outdoors
for the past two years.
Senior Jeremy Schneider has the abil-
ity to be one of the top 600-meter run-
ners in the conference. Terrance Rindler,
Brian Turner and Mark Pilja provide for
a very deep team in the distances.
In the field events, senior Brent
Scheffer hopes to have a big year in the
pole vault, and senior Robert Arnold has
shown an abundance of potential in the
high jump.
"We've been waiting for (Arnold) to
blossom," LaPlante said. "It's time for
him to put up."
The team will kick off the 2002 sea-
son with the Jack Harvey Invitational on
Jan. 6. The Wolverines will host Eastern
Michigan, Western Michigan, Detroit
and Hillsdale at the Indoor Track Build-
ing. The meet will be the only warm-up
before the year's first dual meet against
Indiana.
"We have a good blend of freshman
talent and veteran leadership," LaPlante
said. "We're looking forward to an
exciting season."
Championships.
With the encouraging results of the
intrasquad meet, Michigan is ready for
competition against other schools. It
won't have to wait long, as the indoor
season begins in Ann Arbor on Jan. 5,
with the Jack Harvey Invitational. This
means a short holiday break for some
members of the team, but Bickett, for
one, doesn't mind the hard work and
continued concentration on her craft.
Bickett is going to attend a throwing
camp in Lake Tahoe, Calif. with other
Michigan throwers. After the camp con-
cludes on Dec. 17, some team members
will stay in Ann Arbor during the holi-
days to train, but others like Bickett will
go home. They will return on Jan. 3 to
focus on the first meet of the new year.
In reality it is not a bad trade off. A
shorter holiday break in exchange for a
winter suntan and most of all - a gold
medal.
finish at last year's Big
Ten Championship still leaves a bad
taste in the Wolverines' mouths.
But this is a different team, having
graduated nine seniors and signing 15
talented freshmen.
"We have a pretty nice lineup with
good athletes at each position," said
assistant coach Fred LaPlante.
The freshman class is headlined by
miler Alan Webb and sprinter Nathan
Taylor.
Webb was the first high-school run-
ner in the United States to break the
four-minute mile and was recently
named Verizon Youth Athlete of the
Year. Webb won the Big Ten Champi-
onship in cross-country and finished
11th at the NCAA championships. He
was awarded Big Ten Athlete of the Year
honors in cross-country.
"I'm glad we got that guy coming in,"
Okenwa said. "He raises the bar for
everybody."
Shutting down Vols' receivers key for Blue
MATCHUPS
Continued from Page 13
in the nation. Stallworth and Washington average 20
and 15.5 yards per reception, respectively.
Michigan will, need to limit the big plays from the
Volunteers if it expects to win this game. It could be a
tall task for the Wolverines' secondary though, as it
could be outmatched by the bigger, faster Tennessee
receivers.
* eAdvantage: Tennessee
SPECIAL TEAMs: Michigan blocked a team-record
seven punts this season, each of which gave the
Wolverines some much-needed momentum. Unless it
can find an offense, Michigan will likely need a
blocked punt against the Volunteers to gain some con-
fidence.
The Volunteers also have a powerful punt return
unit, but rather than blocking kicks, they let Donte
Stallworth work his big play magic. Stallworth has
returned one punt for a touchdown this season.
Advantage: Michigan
pointment of not only blowing an opportunity to
play for the national title, but also seeing arch-rival
Florida take their place in the BCS. Both are tough
pills to swallow, and maybe the-Vols are too disap-
pointed.
Advantage: Michigan
INTANGIBLES: This game will come down to which
team will overcome the disappointment of not playing
in the BCS. Michigan, which never really had a legiti-
mate shot as the title game, has had time to deal with
not winning the Big Ten.
But the Volunteers have to deal with the disap-
If Michigan can find an offense, it has a good shot
of winning the game, but if not, it will have trouble
against a Tennessee team that is much better than
either Wisconsin or Ohio State. Tennessee will suffer a
letdown, but it won't be enough to solve all of Michi-
gan's problems.
Tennessee 28, Michigan 24
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