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SPORTS
WEDNESDAY
SEPTEMBER 19 , 2001
12
Webb,
reemits
showcased
By Mike Heonsch
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan's men's cross-
country team will travel to Char-
lotte, N.C. this weekend to
participate in the Great American
Cross Country Festival.
Although the race is primarily a
high school invitational, the trip
will prove to ,.
be very ben-
eficial for CHARLOTTE, N.C.
the Wolver- Who:Michiganat Great
ines. With American Cross Country
several top Shootout
high school when:9:00a.m.
.e i Latest: Freshman sensa-
athletes in tion Alan Webbtook first
attendance, overall at the Michigan
M i c h i g a n Open on Sept, 4, finishing
will be able the8000-meterracein
to start its 25:21.
recruiting
process early. Secondly, the team
will get the chance to practice on
the course that will host the NCAA
National Championships, which is
located nearby.
"We are going to be only an hour
and a half away from Furman Uni-
versity where the National Champi-
onship is going to be run, so they
talked to the (Furman) coach and
arranged for our team to drive down
on Sunday at 5:30 in the morning
and run the golf course where the
championship is going to be,"
Michigan coach Ron Warhurst said.
"We're doing two things for one
purpose.
"We are getting a raceto open up,
we get to look at some recruits and
they get to look at us and we get to
get on the National Championship
course."
Freshman standout Alan Webb
will take part in his first official
collegiate race for the Wolverines
after opening the season with a vic-
tory at the Michigan Open. Webb
finished ahead of Michigan senior
Back
Coaches discuss
safety, recovery
By Arun Gopal
Daily Sports Writer
to
the
grind
As Division I-A college football teams return to the grid-
iron this weekend, the tragic terrorist attacks of last Tuesday
were the hot topic during yesterday's Big Ten Football tele-
conference. To a man, the 11I coaches in the Big Ten
expressed how difficult it was for them to maintain their
focus on football with everything that was going on in New
York and Washington.
The attacks led to the cancellation of last weekend's games
and threw many teams' routines into a state of flux. As a
result, the coaches expressed a universal eagerness to resume
the season.
"I think everyone's anxious to get back on the field and
just try to get on with as much normalcy as possible," Illinois
coach Ron Turner said. "We're still thinking a lot about the
events that just happened, but I think everyone's anxious to
get out and play."
As is the case with any sport, travel plays a big role in col-
lege football. Michigan State can bus to its game at No. 23
Notre Dame since South Bend and East Lansing are reason-
ably close to each other, which is "a relief' in the words of
Michigan State coach Bobby Williams.
But other conference schools aren't so lucky. No. 21 Ohio
State must journey to Los Angeles this weekend to face
No.12 UCLA. It will be understandable if the Buckeyes have
some trepidation about flying, especially considering that all
four hijacked planes last Tuesday were flying to the West
Coast.
"I think individually, it will be different," Ohio State coach
Jim Tressel said. "I think some of us will have a genuine
concern, while others will look at it as business as usual.
We're looking at it as traveling just as if we always have.
That doesn't mean there won'tbe a bitof queasiness with all
of us."
The Buckeyes will have to shake off any sickness once
they walk into the Rose Bowl, as the Bruins have looked like
a legitimate Pac-10 contender in their first two games. After
stunning Alabama, 20-17, in Tuscaloosa, UCLA went to
Kansas and pummeled the Jayhawks, 41-17.
The Bruins "are ranked very highly, and deservedly so,"
Tressel said. "We're going to need to make sure we step up
as quickly as we can and play like it's our third game of the
season even though we've played only one. It's going to be a
MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily
With college football taking a week off due to the tragedy of last week, Michigan running back Chris Perry (23) and the rest of the
Wolverines should have fresh legs going into this weekend's game against Western Michigan.
tremendous challenge to us."
The dean of Big Ten coaches -- Penn State's venerable
Joe Paterno - has some unique perspective on the recent
events. While numerous national figures refer to the attacks
on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon as "Pearl Har-
bor II," Paterno can actually speak from experience.
"I was a kid listening to the radio, the New York Giants-
Washington Redskins football game on Sun., Dec. 7 when it
was interrupted to make the announcement," said Paterno,
who will try to tie Bear Bryant's Division I-A record for
career wins when the Nittany Lions tangle with Wisconsin.
See PATERNO, Page 13
See WEBB, Page 14
'M' faces Big Ten top and bottom
After a week layoff, volleyball team hits road to start conference slate
By Charles Paradis
For the Daily
This weekend should be a good
indicator of how well the Michigan
volleyball team will fair throughout
the rest of this season. With non-con-
ference play over, the Wolverines will
face only Big Ten opponents from
now until the NCAA Tournament in
November. Michigan will play two
teams who were on the opposite ends
of Big Ten volleyball last year.
The Wolverines will play at North-
western (3-3) on Friday night. The
Wildcats finished with a dismal
record of 2-18 in conference play last
year as they proved to be the weakest
team in the conference. Everything
will change Saturday night as Michi-
gan travels to Madison to take on the
Badgers. Last season, Wisconsin fin-
ished first in the Big Ten with an 18-2
record in conference play and a 33-5
record overall.
How the Wolverines perform this
weekend should preview their stand-
ing amongst Big Ten teams. Playing
last year's first and worst teams
should demonstrate the team's
strength relative to the conference.
In Northwestern, Michigan faces an
opponent that is desperately trying to
turn its program around. The Wildcats
are currently sitting at .500, but know
that they must play harder than they
have before if they want to stay at this
level against Big Ten opponents.
Despite this adversity, the team is
anxious to begin their Big Ten season.
"Everyone is looking forward to it.
We are really excited," Northwestern
coach Keylor Chan said.
While in just his second year at
Northwestern and third year coaching
college volleyball, Chan has set high
BRANDON SEDLOFF/Daily
Michigan's Carrie Ritchie (13) and Chantel Reedus (15) will have to be in sync to hang with their Big Ten foes this weekend.
m i.I
EVANSTON, IL; MADISON, WI
What: Michigan (3-3) at Northwestem(3-3)
and No. 9 Wisconsin (6-2)
When: 7 p.m. both Friday and Saturday
Latest: Volleyball opens its Big Ten Season on
the road, with a pair of matches at Northwest-
ern and Wisconsin.
goals for his squad. He expects the
best out of his team.
"We want to make the NCAA
Tournament and be competitive in the
Big Ten," Chan said.
This is a lofty goal for a team that
put up almost no competition against
opponents last year, with only two
conference wins and five wins over-
all. This season though, Chan's team
hopes to improve dramatically over
last years' performance.
"We look to finish in the top six in
the Big Ten this year."
The Wildcats are looking to junior
Kelli Meyer to have a major impact this
year. In her first two years at North-
western, Meyer played as a setter -
which limited her offensive abilities.
This season though, she was beaten out
for the job by freshman Drew Robert-
son. A fantastic athlete, Meyer moved
her 6-foot-2 frame to the right side
position. In the Wildcats last match -
a 0-3 rout at the hands of No. 8 Pacific
during the Nike Pacific Invitational
Tournament - Meyer had nine kills
and six digs which earned her a spot on
the All-Tournament Team.
All of Meyer's extensive talents will
be needed when the Wildcats take on
Michigan, a team that Chan character-
ized as young, athletic and quick.
The Wolverines' performance
against Wisconsin will prove if they
can continue their recent success
under head coach Mark Rosen.
In his first year at Michigan, Rosen
finished tied for eighth in the confer-
E X P E R I E N CE
Responding to Terrorism
A faculty panel discussion of U.S. policy
SPAIN
Speakers include:
Be a global citizen at GW's Madrid Study Center located at
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learning with field trips, excursions and other rich cultural experiences
in one of Spain's most exciting cities - Madrid.
SPRING SEMESTER 2002
Application Deadline is October 1, 2001
COURSEWORK IN SPANISH
Language, Culture and Literature
Robert Axelrod - Political Science and Public Policy
Kenneth Lieberthal -Political Science and Business Administration
David Thacher - Public Policy and Urban Planning
Wednesday, September 29, 2001
4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Room #1636, International Institute
School of Social Work Building
Sponsored by the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
IAre you lr'okinL, fora p lace toI