2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - April 8, 2002 6 CLUBSPORTsWEEKLY - Edited by Jim Web Women's frisbee provides the 'ultimate experience' ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Who: Justin Toman Hometown: Wallingford, Conn. Sport: Men's gymnastics Year: Senior By Josh Holman and Matt Kramer Daily Sports Writer The Michigan women's ultimate fris- bee team won the prestigious Spring Phling this weekend at Penn State Uni- versity. The 18-member team went undefeated in both round-robin and tournament play, finally dispatching Bucknell 12-8 in the championship game. It was a tournament that in more than one way summed up the Ultimate expe- rience. After enduring a cramped hotel stay miles from the tournament site, and suffering fromApril snow and wind that would constantly send their disc onto campus roads, the women of Flywheel were still able to pick up and leave as winners. Traditionally, colleges don't use their school mascot as their Ultimate Frisbee team mascot, and the Michigan club Flywheels are no different. 'All of the Ann Arbor ultimate fris- bee team names came from the car industry," said Public Health grad stu- dent Jess Huff, who has competed with the team for five years. "The women's city team call them- selves 'Clutch,' so we decided to call ourselves either Platinum or Flywheel. We voted on Flywheel. Flywheels are the part of the car that keeps it running." Whatever a flywheel is, it seems fit- ting for an Ultimate team, which throws an object shaped like a wheel that flies through the air. As easy as that may seem, first-time Ultimate players can often be weeded out in a hurry. "I was absolutely terrible when I started playing this sport," said Huff, who had only played once in her life before joining the team. "But the great thing about this team is that it's the most supportive environment I can imagine." The team's support group is now starting to multiply. This year marked the first time that the club was split into 'A' and 'B' teams. For years the club had been stretching its resources just to find members, but it has to turn people away. "Five years ago, when I started play- ing, there really wasn't a college team," Huff said. "Most of the time, when we What: Toman won the Nissen-Emery Award this year as the top male gymnast in the nation. After leading his team to a fourth-place finish this weekend in the NCAA Championships in Normal, Okla. Toman is in his fourth year as team captain, and will receive the Big Ten Medal of Honorlater this week. The award honors the best male and female ath- letes at each Big Ten school. SoiRnBRIEFS The Michigan women's ultimate frisbee club travelled to State College this weekend to compete in the prestigious Spring Phling. went to tournaments, we ended up tak- ing city players with us who weren't college students, and we could not win a single game." The team has improved dramatically since then. This weekend's victory at Spring Phling was the team's second consecutive tournament victory; the club took home first place in the South Bend Invitational earlier this season. Now their team's goals are turned toward the national tournament in Spokane, Wash. "Realistically, if we play as well as we possibly can, under the best situa- tions, I really think we can finish in top eight in the nation at Nationals," Huff said. Men's crew outdone 6MINOTES (yCsavlierchool-record fifth win by ~~~avuers at~~ hoeWmnsgl eue By Chare Paras Daily Sports Writer Rarely does one find the synthesis of power and grace exhibited by the Michigan men's crew team. Throughout the winter, the team trains indoors to prepare itself for the rigors of competition that arrive with the first weeks of spring. Constantly pushing themselves, the Wolverines, who finished 11th in the nation last sea- son, work toward one goal. "We're striving for the highest nation- al finish that we can have," coach Gregg Hartsuff said. Although men's crew is a club sport at Michigan, the Wolverines compete against other varsity teams around the nation, including the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, the largest regatta in the country. The team is varsity in everything but name - and funding. This does not matter in rowing though, since the IRA allows club teams to compete as long as they meet the same criteria as varsity teams. But it was not varsity status that con- cerned the Wolverines on Saturday morning. Michigan hosted its only home event of the year, when the Wolverines faced Virginia and Michi- gan State in the Michigan Invitational at Ford Lake. Michigan, which is among the upper echelon of club teams, rowed against the University of Virginia, a team that had been in the top of the club ranks before and wanted to recapture its elite stature. "Last year they didn't have such a great year," Hartsuff said. "But they obviously retained some big powerful guys. They really came in prepared for the races." In the icy chill of Saturday morning, the Cavaliers proved victorious in the most important race of the day, the var- sity eight. Virginia's eight-man boat handily defeated the Michigan eight by three whole seconds, as the Cavaliers completed the 2000-meter course in a time of 6:06.2. The loss came as a great disappoint- ment to the struggling Wolverines. Michigan has had better workouts than last year, when it finished just outside the top 10 nationally. But it could not put it together on the water. The times of its workouts were dramatically better than the times posted by the team on Saturday. "We had a race last weekend in Itha- ca, against Cornell and Marist," Hart- suff said. "I identified some technical problems at that race that we started working on last week. We started get- ting better at it. Coming into this week- end we were getting better, but we aren't there yet." To make matters worse, Matt Gra- ham, the seventh seat on the varsity eight, pulled a muscle, and Mike Chris- tianson, the sixth seat, was sick this week. Both missed Saturday's event. Michigan did not leave the lake empty handed, though. Not only did the second varsity eight fend off Virginia's second eight, but the Wolverines' four man boat also beat Virginia's four by a little over a half a second. But it was against Michigan State that Michigan had the most success. The Wolverines raced their four eight- man varsity boats against Michigan State's lone eight-man boat. The Wolverines won the race in dramatic fashion, capturing not only the winning spot, but also the second and third place spots before- the Spartans crossed the finishing line. In the final round of the Indiana Invitational, the Michigan women's golf team rallied behind an even-par round of 74 from junior Kim Benedict and a pair of 75s from seniors LeAnna Wicks and Courtney Reno to erase a 10-stroke deficit. With the strong round, the Wolverines won their fifth tournament of the season. Benedict finished with a three-day total of 225, good for a tie for sec- ond. She placed six shots behind Michigan State's Emily Bastel, the tournament leader. Wicks also used her strong final round to jump into the top 10. With the win, the Wolverines set a school record for victories in a season. -from Staff reports Men's golf battles inclement weather Weather was a major factor at the Marshall Invitational this weekend. After a two-hour snow delay post- poned the start of the final round, the Michigan men's golf team bat- tled sub-40 degree temperatures to place seventh out of 20 teams. On the last day, the Wolverines compiled a 298 total - three shots better than their second round. Scott Carlton, Kyle Kilcherman, and David Nichols all fired three-over 74s. Senior Andrew Chapman led Michigan after bursting out of the gate with an opening round 69. On the weekend, he tied for seventh, ending up just seven shots behind Kentucky's John Holmes, the tour- nament leader. As a team, it was Michigan's fourth-best finish of the year. The team's highest finish was a fourth place performance at the Badger Invitational back in September. -from Staff reports Rowers stroke to victory versus State The No. 8 Michigan women's row- ing team continued it's dominance as it won five out of six races against the No. 12 Michigan State. All four of the varsity boats won their races to earn Michigan its second victory of the young rowing season. The first varsity eight turned in a time of 7:04:20 en route to its eight- second win over the Spartans. The win increased its record to 2-1 on the season. The Wolverines' first varsity four also won by a sizable margin. They crossed the finish line more than 13 seconds ahead of the Spartans It was Michigan's third match of the year and its first since splitting the ACC/Big Ten Double Dual last weekend. Michigan's next race will by at the Buckeye Invitational next Satur- day where No. 3 Ohio State and Michigan State will be among their competition. -fom Staff reports Men's track soaks up sun and success The Michigan men's track and field. team traveled to Durham, N.C. for a non-scoring meet this weekend. The Wolverines performed well, with all three of the relay teams placing in the top five, and 11 individual per- formances placing in the top 10. Senior tri-captain Ike Okenwa took first place in the 100-meter dash of the developmental heats with a time of 10:96 while Nathan Taylor came in second with a mark of 11:10. In the field events, Robert Arnold delivered Michigan's top perform- ance by clearing a height of 6-foot-8 to place eighth in the high jump. The Wolverines will be off next weekend but will return to competi- tion in two weeks for the Mt. SAC Relays and the Eastern Michigan Invitational. -from Staff reports DAILYSCaORE IBc Griffey goes down for next six to eight weeks CINCINNATI - Reds star Ken Griffey Jr. will miss at least 3 to 6 weeks after injuring his troublesome right knee in a rundown during yester- day's game against Montreal. Griffey partially tore the patella ten- don and partially dislocated his right kneecap. Cincinnati placed the All-Star center fielder on the 15-day disabled list after a 10-inning, 6-5 win over the Expos. "It's a serious injury," team doctor Timothy Kremchek said after Griffey had an MRI exam. The Reds will try to treat Griffey with rest and rehabilitation. Kremchek said there was an "out- side chance" Griffey will need an oper- ation. If surgery is required, Griffey would likely be out for the rest of the season, the doctor said. Griffey, who was bothered during spring training by tendinitis in the same knee, was hurt as he was being tagged by Expos third baseman Chris Truby in the seventh inning. Griffey had tried to score from third base on a grounder and was trapped in a run- down. Last year, Griffey missed most of the first three months because of a par- tially torn left hamstring. Schilling shuts down Brewers with 17 K's MILWAUKEE (AP) - Curt Schilling has never been more domi- nant than he was yesterday. He struck out a career-high 17 and threw his second career one-hitter in overpowering Milwaukee and leading the Arizona Diamondbacks past the Brewers 2-0. "I don't know if he can pitch any bet- ter," Brewers manager Davey Lopes said. "And if he can, I don't want to see it." But Eric Young swears he's seen Schilling sharper than this. "It was on TV;" Young said. "In the World Series." Schilling had three stellar starts in the World Series, where he was named co- MVP with fellow ace Randy Johnson. Schilling was so motivated by his postseason performance that he vowed to approach the new season with similar ferocity. It's produced 16 shutout innings and just seven hits and two walks to go with 26 strikeouts. "My goal going into spring training this year was to be where I was in Octo- ber last year," Schilling said. "I feel that in my fast two starts I've done that." Schilling (2-0) allowed only Raul Casanova's clean single to right field in the second inning. He did not permit a runner to reach second base. The shutout was the Diamondbacks' third of the season in six games. Malone interested in gubernatorial race LITTLE ROCK - NBA star Karl Malone is considering running for Arkansas governor when he retires from basketball. His agent, Dwight Manley, con- firmed Friday that Malone is think- ing about such a race, though he has no immediate plans to retire. He also has said he's pondering a run for governor of Utah, where he now plays for the Utah Jazz. Manley said Malone is a "natural leader," and that he's looking at poli- tics because he "wants to help Arkansas prosper through population growth and development." Malone, 38, was born in Louisiana and has a ranch in the El Dorado area. Malone has another season beyond this one, worth about $20 million in salary, remaining on his current con- tract with the Jazz. The filing period for Arkansas' November election has closed, so the next time anyone could run for the office is in 2006. 0 'M'sCHIEDULE Tuesday. April 9 Baseball vs. St. Joseph's (Ind.), 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 10 Softball at Central Michigan (DH), 2 p.m. Baseball vs. Central Michigan, 3 p.m. Friday. April 12 Softball vs. Minnesota, 4 p.m. Baseball at Illinois, 7:35 p.m. M Golf at Ohio State Kepler Invitational Saturday. April 13 Football in Spring Game, 1 p.m. Softball vs. Minnesota, 2 p.m. Baseball at Illinois (DH), 5:05 p.m. M Golf at Ohio State Kepler Invitational W Golf at Iowa Hawkeye Invitational W Rowing at Ohio State Buckeye Invitational W Track/Field at Miami (Ohio) Invitational Sunday. April 14 Softball vs. Wisconsin (DH), Noon M Tennis vs. Iowa, Noon W Tennis at Iowa, 12 a.m. Baseball at Illinois, 2:05 p.m. M Golf at Ohio State Kepler Invitational W Golf at Iowa Hawkeye Invitational CARD W MLB STANDINGS NBA STANDINGS NHL STANDINGS AMERICAN LEAGUE East Division NY Yankees Boston Tampa Bay Toronto Baltimore Central Division Cleveland Minnesota Kansas City Chi. Sox Detroit West Division Oakland Anaheim Seattle Texas NATIONAL LEAGUE East Division Atlanta Philadelphia NY Mets Montreal Florida Central Division Pittsburgh Houston Cincinnati St. Louis Milwaukee Chi. Cubs West Division W 5 3 3 2 1 W 5 5 2 2 0, PCT .833 .750 .500 .400 .167 PCT .833 .833 .400 .333 .000 PCT .667 .600 .600 .167 PCT .500 .500 .500 .500 .500 PCT .800 .500 .500 .500 .333 .200 PCT GB 1 2 2.5 4 GB 2.5 3 5 GB 0.5 0.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE Eastern Division W L x-New Jersey 49 28 x-Boston 45 32 Orlando 41 34 Philadelphia 40 36 Washington 35 42 Miami 33 43 New York 29 47 Central Division W L x-Detroit 46 30 Charlotte 41 35 Milwaukee 39 37 Toronto 38 38 Indiana 37 39 Atlanta 31 45 Cleveland 27 49w Chicago 17 59 WESTERN CONFERENCE Midwest Division Pct .636 .584 .547 .526 .455 .434 .382 Pct .605 .539 .513 .500 .487 .408 .355 .224 Pct .693 .684 .618 .553 .360 .316 .263 Pct .750 .701 .605 .558 .494 .442 .263 GB 4 7 8 14 15 19 GB 5 7 8 9 15 19 29 GB .5 5 10 25 28 32 GB 3 11 14 19 23 37 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L x-Philadelphia 41 25 x-N.Y. Islanders 39 27 x-New Jersey 38 28 N.Y. Rangers 35 36 Pittsburgh 28 38 Northeast Division W L x-Boston 42 23 x-Toronto 39 25 x-Ottawa 38 25 Montreal 35 29 Buffalo 34 34 Southeast Division W L Carolina 32 26 Washington 34 33 Tampa Bay 26 38 Florida 22 43 Atlanta 19 47 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division Pts 94 90 89 78 68 Pts 98 92 92 85 79 Pts 84 80 66 57 51 PtsI 114 93 90 69 55 Pts 96 88 86 77 70 Pts 95 91 89 86 69 GF GA 227 183 227 214 195 182 221 247 189 230 GF GA 227 194 228 200 234199 201198 205193 GF GA 206 211 219 234 170 208 169 236 177 277 GF GA 243 176 209 198 212 180 188 216 155 240 GF GA 206 164 198 178 239 204 196 212 185 222 GF GA 238188 207 182 208 196 206 203 174 194 x-Dallas x-San Antonio x-Minnesota GB Utah - Houston - Denver - Memphis Pacific Division W 52 52 47 42 27 24 20 W 57 54 46 43 38 34 20 L 23 24 29 34 48 52 56 L 19 23 30 34 39 43 56 z-Detroit 51 Chicago 40 St. Louis 39 Nashville 28 Columbus 21 Northwest Division W y-Colorado 44 Edmonton 36 Vancouver 38 Calgary 31 Minnesota 25 Pacific Division W x-San Jose 42 Los Angeles 38 Phoenix 37 Dallas 35 Anaheim 29 L 16 25 27 38 44 L 27 27 30 33 33 L 25 25 25 27 40 *1 GB 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.5 3 GB x-Sacramento x-L.A. Lakers x-Portland Seattle L.A. Clippers Phoenix Golden State . x-clinched playoff spot i - L