The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - February 17, 2003 - 7B

'M' continues
dominance
over Toledo
By Gina Adduci
Daily Sports Writer
Despite the biting cold weather, a great turnout
of family, friends and even roommates came to
support the Michigan men's tennis team (4-5) on
Saturday in their matches against struggling Toledo
(3-6). Undefeated against the Rockets since the
1991-92 season, the Wolverines extended their
winning streak to 13 matches with a gaping 7-0
victory.
After suffering a loss last weekend to Wake
Forest and William and Mary, freshly paired
Mike Rubin and co-captain Chris Rolf entered
this match revitalized. The two were able shutout
Dipesh Rao and Todd Wojkowski, Toledo's No. 1
pairing. With a final score of 8-1, the two Rock-
ets were given virtually no opportunities to
score.
"Mike and I played together last weekend for
the first time and lost both matches, but we
played well and came away feeling pretty posi-
tive," Rolf said. "We knew we were on the cusp
of breaking through with a win."
This new dynamic duo certainly found its
rhthym as a pair. Having a thrilling, yet seeming-
ly effortless match, Rubin and Rolf served as an
exemplary display of "first-rate" tennis.
"Today, everything came together and we got
the victory," said Rolf, who is 4-3 on the season.
"Hopefully we can carry this through for the rest
of the season. This gives us something to build
on."
Saturday's events offered freshman Carey Rubin
a chance to play in just his second match of the
dual season. Outwardly calm and composed, Carey
was well-prepared for the match.
Teammates commented on Rubin's work ethic
by saying it seems like he plays tennis 20 out the
24 hours in a day. The freshman is so dedicated
that he was hitting with the machine before the
team even arrived at the center.
Declaring many of Rubin's serves as being
out, Toledo's Freddy Gomez was unsuccessful
in trying to stir his opponent. Rubin contested
Gomez's calls by appealing to the referee and
winning the greater portion of the numerous
line debates.
But, the Rockets definitely needed something
more substantial than mere mind games to throw
Carey off his game.
Carey was triumphant in his match over
Gomez, which ended with a fantastic tiebreaker,

Phillips leads Blue
in third-straight win

By Jeremy Antar
Daily Sports Writer
Senior tri-captain April Phillips has
consistently been one of the top per-
formers for the Michigan women's
track and field team this season, so
usually no one is surprised when she
captures a first-place finish.
But this weekend at Penn State,
Phillips' exceeded expectations. She
broke school records in both the shot
put (54-7 1/4 feet) and the weight
throw (63-1 1/4 feet). Phillips' per-
formance in the shot put gave her an
automatic bid to the NCAA Indoor
Track and Field Championships, and
her first place finish in the weight
throw was good enough for a provi-
sional qualifier to NCAAs.
"She made a decision that she was
going to raise her game and take the
next step into the national picture,"
said Phillips' throwing coach, Anne
Takacs-Greib.
"She wanted to break the school
record and automatically qualify for
nationals and she didn't want to wait
for Big Tens to do it. She had the best
week of practice I think she has ever
had and it paid off for her."
Two other Wolverines also broke
school records this weekend.
In the pole vault, freshman Elizabeth
Boyle shattered her own school record
when she cleared 12-11 1/2.
In weeks past, Boyle had come
incredibly close to the record, and this
time she conquered her goal.
Boyle was happy and also very gra-
cious about her performance.
"It was a nice surprise ... I couldn't
have done it without the support of my
teammates and the coaches," Boyle
said.
Boyle's and Phillips' dominance in

the field events have been key compo-
nents in all three of the team victories
the Wolverines have posted this season.
The distance events have treated the
Wolverines very well all season, and
it continued over the weekend. In the
800-meter run, senior tri-captain
Rachel Sturtz broke the last of the
four school records when she com-
pleted the race at a time of 2:06.79, a
NCAA provisional time. Sturtz's time
currently stands as the sixth fastest in
the nation.
Finishing right behind Sturtz was
sophomore Theresa Feldkamp
(2:08.55), who also ran well enough
for a NCAA provisional qualifier.
Freshman Katie Erdman captured
first place in the 600-meter run with
a time of 1:30.91. Although this time
was not quite good enough to break
yet another school record for the
Wolverines (she was just .27 off the
record), it was the fastest time for the
600-meter run in the Big Ten this
season.
Rounding out the Wolverines victo-
ries in the distance events was junior
Lindsay Gallo in the 3,000-meter run.
Gallo's time of 9:35.05 earned her an
NCAA provisional qualifier.
Gallo said she was happy with her
performance but added that she was
not running against the highest level of
competition, which always makes her
run a better time.
"I think that I can run a lot faster
than I did this weekend," Gallo said.
The Wolverines are simply rolling
right now. This victory at the Sykes-
Sabok Challenge Cup was their third
team victory in as many meets. They
finished with a score of 172 points,
well ahead of second-place Penn
State (122) and the remaining eight
teams.

SETH LOWER/Daily
Junior Anthony Jackson returns a blazing forehand against Toledo on Saturday. Jackson dominated his match
(winning 6-1, 6-1), and helped the Wolverines anihilate the Rockets 7-0.

6-3, 5-7, 1-0 (2).
In an awesome display of support, fellow team
members ventured over to sit in the stands over-
looking Rubin's match after they finished their
own matches.
Shouting encouraging words, they rallied
around him and clearly demonstrated that comar-

darie is an important backbone of this team.
Affectionately called "Carebear", Carey is not
only the younger brother of sophomore Mike
Rubin, but is also, fondly, the kid brother of the
entire team.
The Wolverines stay at home for the week and
take on Butler on Saturday at noon.

Disappointed netters
split big weekend

Wolverines take fourth, individuals thrive

By Ellen McGarrity
Daily Sports Writer

Although the Michigan men's
track team didn't bring home the
gold in its trip to Penn State this
weekend, individual Wolverines cer-
tainly did. It was a meet of personal
bests for many of the team mem-
bers, including redshirt junior Ryan
Hesselink, whose first place finish
in the 3,000-meter run scored points
for the team.
"I had no idea what the competi-
tion was going to be like," Hes-
selink said. "But I knew I was in
shape and I'd been training hard for
the past few weeks. You do whatever
is necessary to finish in the best
possible position you can."
On Friday, the team made the
seven-hour drive to State College
for the Sykes-Sabok Challenge Cup
to compete against 10 teams,
including rivals Penn State and Ohio
State. In fifth place after the first
day of competition, Michigan
improved on Saturday to take fourth

place overall with a total of 80
points. Ohio State, Penn State and
Central Michigan took first, second
and third, respectively.
Even with the fourth-place finish,
Michigan coach Ron Warhurst was
happy with the meet's results.
"We had many season-bests,"
Warhurst said. "Performance-wise,
we are certainly moving up the
list."
On Saturday the Wolverines
shined most, earning 64 points to
launch them ahead of East Carolina.
Twelve members of the team fin-
ished among the top-10 in their
events.
There were several Michigan stars
in the 600-meter run. Freshman
Andrew Ellerton crossed the finish
line in first with his time of 1:19.11,
while sophomore teammate Seth
Waits wasn't far behind when he
took third.
"I was shooting more for a good
time (than for a win)," said Ellerton,
who was entered into the race at the
last minute. "The banked turns

made (the race) faster and easier."
Ellerton's race was a close one,
with the freshman taking the lead in
the last 30 meters of the run.
Redshirt freshman Kaj Johansson
also excelled, earning points with
his sixth place finish.
"I felt really good about my race,"
Johansson said. "It was a fast track
because the edges were banked. The
curves were raised at 45-degree
angles and hollow underneath."
Running in the 3,000-meter run
with Hesselink, senior transfer Alex
L'Hereux and redshirt junior Nick
Stanko also achieved season bests,
taking fourth and fifth, respectively.
Freshman Nick Willis, who just
last week joined Nate Brannen to
run the mile in under four minutes,
had a great 800-meter run. The new-
comer came in second with 1:50.29,
only a fraction of a second behind
the winner.
Friday's competition left several
Wolverines with smiles on their
faces, too.
Redshirt freshman Sean Moore

took seventh in the 5,000-meter run
with 14:49:68.rMoorce;whohas sat
out much of the season with
injuries, said he was a little disap-
pointed in his"tiie,"but happy that
he scored points for the team.
"Twenty-five laps around an
indoor track is really grueling for
us distance guys," Moore said.
"The races get really physical.
One of our 800-meter guys, Phil
Stead, actually got knocked out of
his race - he got tripped and
pushed down."
Also on Friday, junior David
Malonson's 23-4 was far enough to
take fourth in the long-jump and
football crossover Braylon Edwards
captured eighth in the 60-meter
dash.
"We used the meet as more of a
tune up for Big Tens," said Moore,
referring to the Big Ten Indoor
Championships set for Mar. 1-2 in
Champaign. "It was a big meet, but
in retrospect, it was just like another
stepping stone or another practice
for us"

By Eric Ambinder
Daily Sports Writer
Wolverine fans don't start talking
trash just yet. After satisfying victories
by the men's basketball and wrestling
teams, both over the Ohio State Buck-
eyes, the No. 28 Michigan women's ten-
nis team hoped to complete the athletic
trifeeta with a-win at No. 44 Ohio State
yesterday.
Despite 'abattle to the very end, the
Wolverines (1-1 Big Ten, 4-2 Overall)
fell to the Buckeyes (3-0, 5-0) 4-3.
"It was a very close match and very
competitive," Michigan coach Bitsy
Ritt said. "We had a lot of three-setters.
It was an emotional match with a lot of
heart and fight an we just came up a
bit short." '
Jump-starting the Wolverines were
Kim Plaushines and Debra Streifler,
who won their singles matches at the
No. 5 and No. 6 singles, giving Michi-
gan an early 2-1 advantage.
Ohio State then rallied back. Sadhaf
Pervez narrowly defeated Michelle
DaCosta at the No. 1 position, winning
7-5, 7-6 to tie the duel match at 2-2.
The Buckeyes' Pervez and Lindsay
Williams topped DaCosta and Leanne
Rutherford at the top doubles spot 8-6
to capture the single doubles point,
moving Ohio State into the lead.
Needing only one victory in the
remaining two singles matches to win
the event, Ohio State's Jackie Leskovar
out-dueled Michigan junior Chrissie
Nolan 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 at the No. 3 position
to seal the match for the Buckeyes.
Michigan's deep lineup kept it in the
match as the No. 4, 5 and 6 starters all
won.
"It turns out we had a bit more

depth," Ritt said. "Leanne Rutherford,
Kim Plaushines and Debra Streifler all
stepped up and won their singles
(matches)."
Coming into yesterday's dual match
against Ohio State, fans, coaches and
players expected a tough contest. Two
seasons ago, Michigan lost to Ohio
State 4-3, and last year the Wolverines
edged the Buckeyes 4-3.
"With OSU lately we've had a pretty
intense rivalry;' Ritt said, "We certainly
had our chances at (positions) one,
two,and three. We have to give credit to
Ohio State."
The weekend wasn't a complete let-
down. The Wolverines won their Big
Ten opener at Penn State on Saturday,
their first conference-opening victory in
the past four seasons.
After a 19-day break from compe-
tition, the Wolverines scored an
impressive 6-1 victory against the
Nittany Lions. Michelle DaCosta
snapped a three-game losing steak
with a narrow win at the No. 1 spot,
beating Megan Marton 7-5, 7-6(8-6).
The Lady Lions (0-2, 0-5) were over-
whelmed from the start, as they
dropped 5-of-6 singles matches.
Dacosta, Nolan, Rutherford and
Streifler all won their singles and
doubles matches for the Wolverines.
"It was a good win," said Ritt mod-
estly. "Any time you can win in the Big
Ten it's a big accomplishment."
Playing two dual matches on consec-
utive days may seem exhausting to fans,
but Ritt feels that her team's loss to the
Buckeyes wasn't due to conditioning.
"As a team, we're in very good shape,
we're very fit and physically strong,"
she said. "We just played the bigger
points better against Penn. State."

Tiger returns from surgery with a big bang

SAN DIEGO (AP)- His left knee
felt great, his game was as sharp as
ever. The real treat for Tiger Woods was
holding another trophy at the Buick
Invitational.
"I missed competing," Woods said
yesterday."Having to hit a golf shot that
matters, that gives me a big rush. I real-
ly missed that"
He didn't miss a beat during his time
off from Dec. 12 surgery and, as usual,
he had no problem with Phil Mickelson.
Woods was accurate off the tee and
dynamite with his irons, closing with a
4-under 68 on Sunday for a four-shot
victory at Torrey Pines.
Mickelson, who a week ago poked
fun at Woods by saying he used "inferi-
or" equipment, never challenged in the
final group and finished six shots
behind.
"He's just a very impressive player,"
Mickelson said. "It isn't easy to step in
and out of competition, and he never
gives anything back. I knew I was fight-
ing an uphill battle."
For Woods, the rush was not just
walking up the 18th fairway to the
cheers of an enormous gallery.
It was the 4-iron from 231 yards on
No. 11 that covered the flag and stopped
3 feet away for birdie. It was another 4-
iron from 200 yards in ankle-deep rough
on No. 15 that Woods carved around a

he was never a factor. Faxon was the
only challenger until he ran into prob-
lems off the tee. He shot 72 to finish
third at 277.
Mickelson didn't make a birdie until
the 13th hole and finished with a 72,
sharing fourth place with Briny Baird
and Arron Oberholser.
Woods won for the 35th time on the
PGA Tour, and it was his 11th tour vic-
tory by at least four shots. He also
improved his record to 27-2 when he
has at least a share of the 54-hole lead,
and this was as easy as any of them.
The defining shot came at the 231-
yard 11th hole, when his 4-iron never
left the flag and stopped 3 feet in front
of the hole.
What rust?
"I haven't hit too many money shots,"
he said. "At least not this kind of
money."
Woods finished at 16-under 272 and
earned $810,000.
He also sent a message to Ernie Els,
who has emerged as his chief rival.
Woods spent the morning watching
highlights of Els' 10-stroke victory at
the Johnnie Walker Classic in Australia,
his fourth victory in five events this
year.
The top two players in the world
won't get together until the Match Play
Championship in two weeks just north

good enough to overcome the equip-
ment he's stuck with."
Mickelson apologized for the remark
this week. Both said it was no longer an

issue, although Woods didn't forget it.
"Tiger was gracious about it, but I
think he uses it as fuel;" Faxon said. "As
if he needs any more."


Attention: Pre-Med/Pre-Nursing Students
Excellent opportunity to work with doctors in a camp
infirmary setting, as a Camp Health Officer.We
will pay for the short certification course.
Enjoy working in a beautiful Northern
Michigan setting.

The University of Michigan College of Literature,
Science, and the Arts presents a public
lecture and reception
LSA
Can We Learn the Ultimate
Law(s) of Nature?

I