6B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - January 13, 2003 Stanford rains on Michigan's pamde as No. 1 By Megan Kolodgy Daily Sports Writer Friday Michigan's unsuspecting men's swimming team jumped into what proved to be dangerous waters at Stanford's outdoor Avery Aquatic Center. The top team in the nation knew that No. 3 Stanford, a team that had seven weeks off to prepare for its encounter with the Wolverines, would be tough to beat. They did not, however, expect what coach Jon Urbanchek referred to as "an ambush." "At Stanford, the competition is never friendly," Urbanchek said. "It's like going into a war zone." On top of the intimidation that comes along with entering such hostile territory, Michigan also had to cope with something that swimming in its own Can- ham Natatorium could prepare them for - rain. The weather took several swimmers by surprise, adding a little more chaos to an already intense competition. "We weren't prepared for swimming outside," Urbanchek said. "Some of the guys didn't even know that the meet was going to be outside, and the ones who did expected sunshine and blue skies. The travel also took its toll on the swimmers." By the time the brutal Cardinal was finished with the Wolverines, it had a lead of more than 50 points, and a firm grasp on the top ranking. "Stanford swam like the number 1 team," Urbanchek said. "They were ready for us." After picking up the pieces on Friday night, the Wolverines awoke to yet another day of challenges. This time, they faced No. 4 California - and another day of rainy weather. But the Wolverines learned from the trials they experienced a day earlier. "I was really proud of how they were able to turn things around after Stanford," Urbanchek said. "I told them that it's nothing to fall down, but it would be a problem if we couldn't get back up. They did a great job bouncing back." In spite of the fact that Michigan placed first in seven of the 13 events in its second dual meet of the weekend, the formerly top-ranked Wolverines fell to Inexperience doesn't hamper Vanderkaay By Megan Kolodgy Daily Sports Writer In the few months that freshman Pete Vanderkaay has been a part of the men's swimming and diving team, he has racked up accolades that would impress even the most accomplished of athletes. He has NCAA consideration times in the 200, 500 and 1650-yard freestyle events. This past weeKend, he placed first in four events. Under such circumstances, many athletes, especially younger ones, would crumble under the pressure to perform. But Vanderkaay is thriving in the competitive environment that a top- notch swimming program like Michi- gan's creates. "I've been swimming for so long that adapting to the pressure has just become natural for me," Vanderkaay said. "I think the pressure is fun - and pretty exciting." And pressure does not simply exist before a big meet or championship race; at Michigan, swimmers race through every set, at every practice too. "I think the racing at practice works out well because it helps us to push each other to succeed," Van- derkaay said. Many would not enjoy training under such intense conditions, but once again, this swimmer contradicts the norm. "I guess what keeps me going is the thrill of racing," Vanderkaay said. "We're really spending a lot of time in the pool, and if you don't enjoy some aspect of the sport, you've got a long road ahead of you." Apart from spending several hours a day with his teammates training, travel- ing and competing, Vanderkaay also rooms with teammate, Tyler DeBerry. "I think rooming with guys on the team is probably better for us," Van- derkaay said. "Sometimes you might want to get away, but I haven't had any trouble." Both Vanderkaay and DeBerry were recruited by coach Jon Urbanchek, but Vanderkaay had several reasons for wanting to attend Michigan. "I was looking at U of M before I knew I was being recruited, because it's such a great school," he said. "Plus my brother goes here, so that was a plus." Vanderkaay's brother, Christian, is a junior who had to be redshirted this season after surgery, but the freshman enjoys having an older sibling around. "I'm glad that he's here," Pete said. "He's helped me adapt to life here, and he has a car, which is nice." Vanderkaay is already one of the fastest Wolverines in the pool, but he has not let his success get to his head. "I just want to help the team as much as I can," he said. After disappointing losses to Stan- ford and California, the Wolverines are ready to take on some competi- tion at home. "It's never fun to lose, but I think that it will help us to get fired up for upcoming meets," Vanderkaay said. Michigan will need his assistance and upbeat attitude when it takes on Indiana and Ohio State, as well as the rest of the Big Ten in February. "We haven't won the Big Ten Cham- pionships in two years because Min- nesota has been really strong," Vanderkaay explained. "So that is defi- nitely a team goal this season." Urbanchek had only positive things to say about the exceptional contribu- tions that Vanderkaay has made. "Vanderkaay really is nothing but awesome," Urbanchek said. "He has the best attitude - and performances to match." BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daily Michigan senior and co-captain Jeffrey Hopwood posted the second fastest time in the 200-yard breaststroke behind Stanford's Michael Bruce during Michigan's loss to the Cardinal. the Golden Bears by 15 points. With just the 200-yard breaststroke and the 400-yard freestyle relay standing between the Wolverines and what would have been a significant dual meet victory, Michigan could man- age just second-place finishes in both, which left them slightly behind the Golden Bears. "The meet really came down to the wire," Urbanchek said. Though the scores might lead one to believe that the Stanford and California meets were unsuccessful, the results say otherwise. While in California, the Wolverines managed to rack up 10 NCAA considera- tion times and several personal bests - all of which were goals Urbanchek hoped to obtain. Michigan's freshmen played a vital role in the scor- ing, capturing five of the first-place finishes. Tyler DeBerry initiated the string of victories, with his time of 9:16.39 in the 1,000-yard freestyle. "DeBerry came through for us," Urbanchek said. "That was a big swim." Pete Vanderkaay, the only double-event winner, won both the 200- and 500-yard freestyle. An injured Chris DeJong managed to come out on top in the 200-yard backstroke, while Davis Tarwater was victo- rious in the 200-yard butterfly. Vanderkaay also clocked in first in two events against Stanford., Junior Dan Ketchum also walked away with an individual win in the 200-yard individual medley, earning an NCAA consideration time. In the end, however, California's sprinting power and relay victory allowed it to come out on top. This weekend's defeats, according to Urbanchek, will probably put the Wolverines in the sixth or sev- enth spot in national rankings. Despite the drop, he is looking forward to five weeks of meets against teams such as Purdue and Northwestern in Ann Arbor. "We are just getting ready for meets galore now," Urbanchek said. "It's great that our traveling is over, and that we can enjoy a home-field advantage for now on." Despite injuries Blue still rocks Buckeyes By Albert Kim Daily Sports Writer What does a gymnastics team do if it's missing one of its superstars, four other scholarship ath- letes, and has to lean on freshmen to perform well in its season opener against Big Ten rival Ohio State? Simple. Win. The sixth-ranked Wolverines used a total team effort to demolish the Buckeyes 196.100- 192.175 in front of 1,531 fans at Cliff Keen Arena Saturday night. Missing Elise Ray, the NCAA 2001 all-around co-champion and a slew of other °gymnasts, Michigan looked no further than its freshmen, mainly Becca Clauson and Jenny Deiley, to step up and perform to their abilities in a pressure packed situation. "It's great to see the freshmen up there already," junior Calli Ryals said. "They really proved themselves today." "Right now, we're competing without five of. our 12 scholarship athletes," Michigan coach Bev Plocki said. "That by itself demonstrates what kind of a job the rest of the team did here tonight." The Wolverines kicked the season off on the vault and got off to a quick start, posting a 48.850 overall. Ohio State ran into trouble on the uneven bars, having to count a fall. This left Michigan out in front with a quick 48.850- 48.125 lead. Trying to inspire his team, Ohio State coach Larry Cox started pounding on the mats rhythmi- cally. Unfortunately for him, the Michigan faith- ful heard it too, and started chanting "Let's Go Blue." It would prove to be that kind of night for the Buckeyes. On the next rotation, Michigan widened its lead to almost two points, as it switched to bars and survived a fall by sophomore Kara Rosella to post a 48.900 as a team. Despite the fall, Rosella wasn't rattled, showing immense resilience and mental toughness by sticking her last two routines on the beam and floor. Especially impressive was that she had never done her floor routine in competition before. Rosella's performance earned herhigh praise from Plocki, who has seen her share of great ath- letes as a coach. "Kara has impressed me, and I can't remember a time when I've been as impressed with an ath- lete, and what the athlete has accomplished and learned in such a short period of time," Plocki said. "She amazes me every day, and tonight she amazed me again." Rosella's performance may have been the grit- tiest, but Deiley's performance was the most spectacular. In her first meet as a Wolverine, she walked away as the all-around champion, out- dueling Ryals. Deiley was more surprised than anything, and was happier about what the team was able to do. "I thought our team did awesome today, every- one did a really good job, and we're definitely improving every day," Deiley said. Michigan continued to improve its scoring, perhaps an indication of its confidence growing throughout the match. The Wolverines posted a solid 49.000 on the beam, while the Buckeyes posted a respectable 48.700 on the floor. Michigan then capped the night with an inspired performance on the floor, highlighted by two 9.925 performances by captain Janessa Grieco and Ryals. Ohio State had major trouble on the beam, and Michigan's win was secured. Ryals turned in a second-place performance in the all-around, while sophomore Chelsea Kroll finished third. Ryals once again showed that even on a less than spectacular night, she's still one of the best gymnasts out there. "I was just ecstatic about how we did," Ryals said. "I think one of the biggest things for us today was to show our confidence, and we totally did that. We rocked out today." For Michigan, getting healthy will be the main concern as the brunt of the season awaits. Ray will be out until mid-February, and several gym- nasts are battling nagging injuries. With a meet against No. 11 Minnesota upcoming, Michigan will need to perfect its skills. "There's just little quirks here and there," Ryals said. "A lot of our new skills, we're still working, so the landings are still a little iffy." But for the present, Michigan is happy with its 39th-straight conference win. With performances like Saturday night, the Wolverines will not have to worry about how soon Ray will return. When she returns, though, Plocki feels good about the team's chances. "I think if you took that same percentage off of most teams, they'd feel the hurt," Plocki said. "If you go through our scores and take out what- ever the lowest counting score was, and you put in a 9.9, a 9.95 or a 10, and you add up the dif- ference, that's how much better we'll be." DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily Freshmen Becca Clauson (above) and Jenny Deiley both filled in for the absence of All-American Elise Ray, who was out with a shoulder injury. No Ray, no problems as freshman steps in By Michael Nisson Daily Sports Writer According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a phenom is, "an unusu- ally gifted person." While this definition may apply to most of the performers on the Michigan women's gymnastics team, it is particularly applicable to freshman Jenny Deiley. Deiley, who hails from Dayton, Minn., blew the crowd away at Sat- urday's opening meet against Ohio State by dominating nearly every event en route to winning the all- around title. She grabbed the high score in three of the four events, including the vault, bars and balance beam, and was narrowly edged out in the floor routine by fellow Michigan freshman Becca Clauson. "We knew that (Deiley) was going to be capable (of scoring as high as she did), but, like I said, it's awesome to see her (do that well) because she's really kind of a laid back personality," Michigan coach Bev Plocki said. Deiley herself gave a modest answer to explain her success. "I just went out there, and I did my best, but I really didn't expect to have done this well," Deiley said. Few people had any idea that she would perform as well as she did. With the meet being her first regular season event, it would not have been surprising if she had even taken a fall early on. But that was far from what hap- pened. After she nailed a 9.875 on vault to open the event, everything took off from there. "I think vault was a very good thing for me to start on," Deiley said. "After vault I felt very relaxed and I was ready to do what I could do." Deiley was a three-time Junior Olympic National Team member before coming to Michigan. In 1999 she was the Junior Olympic floor exercise and all-around national champion. Deiley attributed much of her astounding calmness that was on display Saturday to the rigors of being a Junior Olympic gymnast, noting that, "I was prepared to han- dle (the pressure)." What makes her performance even more impressive was that she filled a big hole for the Wolverines. Elise Ray, the defending national champion on beam, was sidelined because of a shoulder injury. "Jenny (was) amazing today," junior Calli Ryals said. "It's great to see the freshmen (on the podium) today. They really proved them- selves today." Perhaps there are other reasons for Deiley's success, such as her interest in yoga. Yoga "relaxes me a lot, it keeps me going," Deiley said. "I did it all through high school and (in) the summer." When not doing yoga or showing her precocity on the gymnastics floor, Deiley also keeps up on her studies. She wants to either go into business or get a teaching certifi- cate and teach high school math. Although the season is still young, Deiley's future looks very bright. "I think that she can prove that she's one of the best all-around gymnasts in the NCAA," Plocki said. DANNY MOLOSHO/Daily Sophomore Chelsea Kroll was third all around in Michigan's 196.100-192.175 win over Ohio State. 0 Michigan places third in the Windy City By Nazeema Alli Daily Sports Writer The No. 6 Michigan men's gymnastics team traveled to Chicago to meet five other Big Ten teams ranked in the top 15 for its season-opener at the Windy City Invitation- al. The Wolverines (0-1), finished behind No. 2 Ohio State and No '7 Iowa to take "I wanted to ensure that they had suffi- cient time to rest their injuries," Golder said. "I'd rather have them ready to compete toward the end and middle of the season." Conan Parzuchowski's 9.400 was a bright spot in the middle of the bleakness of a rela- tively weaker Michigan performance, earn- ing him first place in the event. The Wolverines hope to see similar success more freauentav s thes eason moves forward. "I am confident that we can be more con- sistent by the end of the week," Golder said. "If (we) compete against Oklahoma with a (confident mentality), we have a good chance of knocking them off." Another aspect of Golder's improvement plan includes increasing the level of diffi- culty the team executes in all events. "We have real good potential," Golder sad "(The Windv CitvI nvitatinnal) did not I . ; .