8E- September 6, 2001- The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition

A woillan for all Seasons

Oh so close
Since Michigan started competing in
varsity sports in 1866 it has won 50
'rthn's national titles, but has failed to
wit a women's team national title. Here
,fhome of the recent finishes that
"ha come close to finishing first:
Syotb Year Finish
Crats Country 1994 Runner-up
Field Hockey 1999 Runner-up
owing 2001 Runner-up
Gymnastics 2001 3rd place
Swimming 1996 3rd place
Softball 1998 Quarterfnals
Tennis 1997 Quarterfnals
Water Polo 2001 Quarterfnals

Softball drops two in World Series

By Jeff Philips
Daily Sports Editor
Oklahoma City, Okla. - In Michigan's first game of the
Women's College World Series, it was its offense that failed as
it was unable to score one run in its 2-0 loss to Oklahoma. In
the second game, it was its defense - the strength of the team
- that failed. A season-high four errors led to four unearned
California runs in the 5-2 loss which eliminated the Wolver-
ines from the WCWS.
"Defense has been our forte all year, we've been stellar at it
and we didn't have it today," second-team All-American
Melissa Taylor said.
Michigan committed just four errors one other time during
the season, a 5-2 loss to DePaul on March 30.
"It is hard to go out like that in your last game. It wasn't the
greatest game we've played," senior Chrissy Garza said.
The game began well for the Wolverines as Stefanie Volpe
hit a two-run homerun to give Michigan a2-0 lead after three
scoreless innings. Volpe attempted two bunts before sending
the ball over the right field fence.
"It was and up pitch and it wasn't a perfect strike. Ijust got
on top of it and got it out,"Volpe said.
With her fourth homerun of the season, Volpe became the
second player in Michigan history to hit a homerun in the
WCWS.
California loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth on
two walks and a single off senior Marie Barda. Marissa Young
came on in relief and struck out the first batter she faced.
An inside pitch by Young caught California's Amber

Phillips, which brought home the Golden Bears' first run.
Young nearly hit the next batter, Mikella Pedretti, who thought
she had been hit in the wrist but was overruled by the home
plate umpire. Young then struck out Pedretti and forced a
ground out to end the inning.
Young's second strikeout of the game gave her 185 for the
season, breaking the previous best of 184 by Sara Griffin.
California got its first lead of the game in the next inning as
an error by catcher Kim Bugel led to two runs for the Golden
Bears.
The flood gates opened in the sixth inning as the Golden
Bears scored two more runs off errors by the Volpe, Garza and
Taylor.
"We were in the game and the wheels kind of came off,"
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said.
The three-run deficit was too much to overcome for Michi-
gan as it couldn't manage a hit in its final at-bat.
Michigan pitched away from California power-hitter,
Veronica Nelson, which paid off as the firstbaseman failed to
score or drive in a run.
"The game plan going in was not to pitch to Veronica Nel-
son," Hutchins said.
Michigan finishes with a record of 43-17-1 and as the regu-
lar season Big Ten champions. The Wolverines lost just six of
their last 36 games to earn the No. 4 seed at the WCWS.
"We have to be proud of what we accomplished this year,"
Garza said.
This past season marked the fourth appearance for
Michigan at the WCWS. The Wolverines have a combined
record of 2-10.

Crew stroked to its highest finish ever at the NCAA championship last year, x
Crew places second to
Washington at NCAA,-'

FILE PHOTO

By Jim Weber
It).oy Sports Writer

In the race, Michigan fell behind ea
and was in fourth place at the 750-me

$ WM
irtNCAA,
tournament game
BDaed Horn
yp Writer
NOTRE DAME - In the second half of Saturday's NCAA
oernament first round game against Virginia, junior guard
ayne Ingram did everything she could to prolong the career
of teaummate Anne Thorius. Ingram, who led Michigan to an
81-71 overtime win, scored 22 second-half points to lead the
Wolverines to their first tournament victory in coach Sue
uevara's tenure.
"Anne and I talked a lot about what we have to do in order
o this team to win," Ingram said of her halftime eonversation
with Thorius. "One of the things she said to me that really
tuck with me was I don't want my career to be over today.
'm oot sick of playing with her yet."
-Using a six-player rotation, Guevara's team overcame a 33-
2 halftime deficit, and improved its record to 8-8 this season
when trailing at the intermission.
The first half saw a balanced attack from the Cavaliers,
which featured All-America candidate Schuye LaRue, sopho-
ore Marcie Dickson and junior Telisha Quarles. Dickson
and Quarles posted 23 of the Cavaliers' first-half points. But it
,was the Virginia defense that was most impressive, forcing 22
Michigan turnovers, 13 of which came in the first half
"We played very good defense in the first half," Virginia
coach Debbie Ryan said. "We came out in the first five min-
utes of the second half and continued that. Then it looked like
the doors were locked for us defensively. We couldn't handle
anything - we couldn't handle Ingram at all. She just went
on a tear in the second-half-hitting all those threes."
Ingram's tear was the result of both her own creativity, and
effective Michigan offense.
"She came off the screen looking for threes, and moved
around on the court looking for the open shot," LaRue said.
"Then once she hit a shot, she penetrated, so you really didn't
ow what she was going to do. She just read our defense
ell."
Ingram began the second half with the aggressive offensive
lay that she has, in several games this season, shown herself
::apable of exhibiting. Fourteen of the Wolverines' first 16
oints in the second half were scored by the junior guard,
including two straight 3-pointers that helped chip away at a
17-point Virginia lead. Her comeback efforts were aided by
freshman Jen Smith, who scored 14 of her 20 points in the
cond frame.
"I could just feel we were going to win," Smith said. "Once

The Michigan women's crew team mark of the 2,000-meter race. Duri
came within four-and-a-half seconds of the next 500 meters, Michigan mov
winning the first women's team national into third and challenged Washington1
Continued from Page :LE title in school history in just its fifth year second place while Brown led.
asa varsity sport. But, in the last 500 meters, Was
"I told the kids before the meet if Going into the final race, No. 2 Michi- ton pulled away from Michigan and
you go out there and perform to the gan was in first place by one point over Brown. Michigan was unable to catch
best of your ability, whatever place No. 3 Washington and led No. 1 Brown to Brown by the finish line. Earlier if
you come in, I'm going to be proud of by seven points in the team competition. day, the second varsity eight b
you," Michigan coach Bev Plocki said. But in the first varsity eight race, Wash- claimed Michigan's first rowing natico
The final two rotations gave Plocki ington finished first with a time of title by finishing first with a time
something to be proud of. Michigan 7:04.03, Brown placed second and 6:43.34 and winning by open water o'
was awarded a 49.375 on floor and a Michigan third with a time of 7:08.45, second-place Washington. The win co
49.375 on the vault. In the end, it was- giving the schools 30, 27 and 24 points, pleted an undefeated season for the bo
n't enough to overcome UCLA's stel- respectively. Although it started off in fourth pli
lar performance and the As a result, Washington passed Michi- the second varsity eight fought br
emotionally-charged showing of Geor- gan and won the team competition with for the lead midway through the ra
gia, but the team headed out of nation- a total of 58 points, Michigan placed Michigan broke from the packai
als feeling as if they had proven second with 53 points and Brown took ended up winning by an impressive
something. third with 49 points. seconds. The boat won 20 points fore
"We were not ranked higher than The Wolverines had finished fifth as a team and put Michigan into the le
probably sixth or seventh during the team the past three years but the team's going into the first varsity eight Gran
season after the preseason poll," Ploc- vast improvement was tainted by their Final.
ki said. "I think we came in here and failure to win a national title. Michigan's first boat to race, the var
demonstrated that we're better than a "Certainly it's tough to come so close ty four, earned nine points for"t
sixth or seventh place team. We hung and not win, head coach Mark Roth- Wolverines with a second-place fini
in there and we fought and we did a stein said. behind Washington ina time of 7:35
great job." Senior Kate Johnson felt the same Although this was the first loss o
Alabama finished in fourth-place way, calling the second-place finish "bit- year for the varsity four, the rowers we
with a team score of 196.550. Nebras- tersweet" Just as the team was reluctant not upset with their performance.
ka and Utah tied for fifth at 196.025. to take second place, the first varsity "I think we had the best race ofo
However, despite UCLA's victory, the eight was especially dissatisfied with its season" stroke seat Liz Glenn said aft
Wolverines left the Super Six meet on third place fiish. wards.
Friday night happily reflecting on their "We were disappointed in our race," While she didn't win a national chia
season. said Johnson, who was stroke seat in the pionship at Michigan, Kate Johs
It was a season in which Michigan boat. "We had a national championship believes she accomplished her goo
won the Big Ten title, the NCAA race in us" she added. They just didn't the progress the program made in4
Northeast Regional and almost includ- have that race in them on Saturday, she presence culminating in the rune
ed a national title. said. "Their effort was great. It just did- performance at the NCAA Cha t
Oh, so close. n't click at the end," Rothstein said. onships.
Field oc eynabtite:

ary
ter
ng
ved
for
t
up
the
oat
mal
of
ver
)m-
at.
ce,
lb
ce.
nd
ive
the
ad
ade
si-
he
ish
e
ere
our
er-
on
of
er
pi-

Katie Dykhouse was a vocal leader in one of Michigan's best
seasons ever.
we went on that run, I could just feel it."
But despite the best efforts of the eighth-seeded Wolver-
ines, and a nine-point lead with 2:47 to play, the Cavaliers
showed they weren't ready to die yet. A pair of threes by
LaRue and Anna Prillman quickly made it a three-point
Michigan lead. With 18 seconds left, Michigan sophomore
LeeAnn Bies missed a lay-up that would have put the game
out of immediate reach.
After a Virginia timeout with nine seconds to play, LaRue,
who led Virginia with 24 points, hit a three to send the game
into overtime.
"There was nine seconds left on the clock and we were
going to foul," Guevara said. "We had (two) fouls to give, so
they couldn't get a three point shot. We didn't want that type
of a 3-pointshot; we didn't want a tie ball game. But it didn't
work. We didn't foul."
In overtime, the Wolverines ran the show. Bies, Ingram,
Thorius, Smith and freshman Stephanie Gandy all scored for
Michigan. Virginia did not score until 3:13 into the extra peri-
od.
"I thought that we came out with a lot of intensity in the
overtime," Guevara said. "We didnt do what we wanted
to do in regulation, but nobody hung their heads. They made
their run, we withstood. It's a big win for our program.

By David Roth
Daily Sports Writer
As a student-athlete, it's not always
how well one can play, it's how well one
can Reid.
Thanks to Courtney Reid's two goals
yesterday in a 3-2 victory over No. 7
Penn State and her game-winning assist
Saturday in a 2-1 squeaker against No.
15 Ohio State, the fifth-ranked Michi-
gan field hockey team won the Big Ten
tournament.
For the first time in school history,

Michigan won both the Big Ten regular
season and tournament championships
en route to earning an automatic bid to
the NCAA tournament.
"I'm satisfied," Michigan coach Mar-
cia Pankratz said.
Seniors Kelli Gannon, Jeanne Shin,
Regan Wulfsberg and Reid all finished
their last of 11 games at Ocker Field
this season without suffering a loss.
"We knew we wanted to finish the
season right," Michigan goalie Maureen
Tasch, who shut Penn State out in her
60 minutes of play, said. "We wanted to

I

RUSH! AD
IM Champs '99
IM Superteams '99,'01
Greek Week Champs '95, '98,'99,'00
..and our very own sand volleyball court
556 S. State St. (2 down from the Union)
OPEN HOUSE: September 19, 20
FORMAL RUSH: September 23 - Oct 3

do it for the seniors and finish the sea-
son undefeated on our field. -
Reid started the onslaught againslthe
Lions less than ten minutes into-the
game. With Penn State attacking dee in
Michigan territory, the Wolverj
pushed the ball up to the Nittany Lins'
side of the field, where Reid pickedup
the stray ball and sent it into the c ge
with 25:53 left in the first half.
Michigan maintained its lead ilto
halftime. A relentless Michigan offense
kept pressuring the Nittany Lions until
Gannon picked up the ball and ripped a
shot past Penn State keeper Annie
Zinkavich with 24:15 left to puta
Wolverines up 2-0.
A minute later, Reid was at it ag in.
She sent in a penalty corner, but
Zinkavich blocked consecutive Mighi-
gan shots before Reid finally picketdup
the trash and scored with 23:16 left.
Her second goal would prove td be
the game-winner, as Penn State fouiW a
late sense of urgency and put a paixof
goals past freshman keeper Molly MQal-
oney, who substitued in for Tasch when
the Wolverines were up by three '
ten minutes left.
The problem was more a complacent
Michigan defense than an inexperienced
keeper, but the Wolverines' back line
didn't let in the game-tying goal and
helped preserve Michigan's victory.
As for Reid, she was the perfect mid-
fielder as she made several defensive
stops, stole the ball away, threaded pass-
es to her forwards, and put shots n
cage.
"I pulled some stuff out that I didn't
know I could do," Reid said.
"It was the last time I was going to
play on the field, it was for the tourna-
ment, and it was against Penn State, so
with my team behind me we played Well
and got the win."
Reid - usually known for assisting
on goals, not scoring them - po ed
her first multi-goal game in her fur
years at Michigan.
"This was the best game of~
career, Panrtz said. "I'm just haopy
and proud of her that she could end-her
career in Ann Arbor that way."
Reid'sleadership typified the will of a
senior class that was not only deter-
mined to win but also wanted to appre-
ciate its final home game. -
"I thought about (playing here forthe
last time) for a second, and I got relly
sad," Shin said. "Then I was like,
forget it, focus on the game."

4

1 4 11