8B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - January 13, 2003
Tankers have 'a little
fun' in Tole
By Melanie Kebler
Daily Sports Writer
Friday night spectators at Canham
Natatorium got a special treat during
the final event of the Michigan
women's swimming and diving meet
against Toledo - four members of
the diving team were announced as
the first relay team in the 200-yard
freestyle relay. Tealin Kelemen, a jun-
ior diver who had just won both div-
ing events, and her relay teammates
shouted and waved their arms when
they were announced, getting an
ample response from the crowd.
"When Tealin stepped up there and I
saw what she looked like on the block I
started to have second thoughts about
it," Michigan coach Jim Richardson
said. "You don't want to disrespect the
competition, but there also needs to be
the opportunity to have a little fun."
The revival of an old tradition, the
diver's relay, definitely lent an air of
playfulness to the Wolverines first meet
of the second half of the season. It was
also Michigan's last home meet this
year, as well as senior day.
"It was more of a fun meet for us,"
senior sprinter Erin Abbey said. "I guess
it's sad because it's my last competition
here but it's not like I'm not going to be
swimming in this pool again."
The Wolverines dominated the
meet, conceding just five of 16 events
to Toledo. In several of those events,
Michigan swimmers actually placed
first but were disqualified.
"I thought we were okay in spots and
in other spots probably not quite as
good as I thought we might be. I would
probably attribute that to our workouts,
which are still progressing," Richardson
said. "Coming back from Hawaii was a
TONY DING/Daily five-hour body clock adjustment, and
then we are picking up our training on
do victory
top of that. We had a couple swims I
thought were extraordinary."
Specifically, he mentioned senior
Lindsay Johnson's 5:02.6 time in the
500-yard freestyle, which was her per-
sonal best this season. Elsa Watson, a
freshman, won her event, the 200-yard
breastroke, and Richardson was also
impressed with Erica Watts' close victo-
ry in the 200-yard butterfly. The junior
beat out Taryn Smith of Toledo by 14
hundredths of a second.
"The last 100 just really wasn't easy
and (Smith) came and went by her at
one-point. But she fought back to win
the race," Richardson said.
Senior Jenay Karlson also turned in a
season-best time in the 200-yard
freestyle.
"Coming off of our training trip most
of us are tired and beat down but we
had some really good swims," Karlson
said. "I'm really happy with my swim
because I went my best time of the sea-
son. Overall, I think everyone swam
well considering how tired we are."
On the diving side, Kelemen won both
events with scores of 256.87 in the 1-
meter diving event and 248.17 in the 3-
meter. Her teammates, Goolik and
VanderKuyl, were right behind at second
and third, respectively, in both events.
Michigan seems to have completed
its transition from its training trip to
Hawaii back to Ann Arbor and dual .
meet competition. The Wolverines
move into more intense training in the
next few weeks and will prepare for
upcoming meets against Illinois, North-
western and Notre Dame.
"No matter what you do in practice,
there's no substitute for getting on the
block and the sound of the horn,"
Richardson said. "I think our seniors
are just really enjoying it and having a
good time. This is 'a team that has
really good chemistry."
*
With a time of 1:05.53, junior Kelli Stein won the 100-yard breaststroke in Friday's win over Toledo.
DaCosta uses all three sets in finishing perfect at Invitational
By Jake Rosenwasser
Daily Sports Writer
If tennis was a one set sport then Michelle DaCosta
would have had a short and unsuccessful weekend. In
all of her three matches this weekend, DaCosta dropped
the opening set only to come back from behind and win
the final two in each match.
Her 3-0 record at the inaugural Michigan Invitational
led the Wolverines to the best record of the weekend
among the five teams attending.
Yesterday, DaCosta struggled through the first set
dropping it 6-4 to Lisa D'Amelio of Eastern Michigan.
With her back against the wall, DaCosta responded for
the third straight day. She breezed through the final two
sets, 6-0 and 6-1, dominating her opponent in all
aspects of the game.
"She had a different style than I was used to,"
DaCosta said. "She came to the net a lot more than my
previous opponents had. That's one of the reasons I
couldn't get that first set."
The final sets were not so easy for DaCosta in her
previous two matches.
Saturday, DaCosta got through tiebreakers in the
final two sets to secure a victory against Jessica Furge-
son of Louisiana State, 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4).
Friday, DaCosta survived a second-set tiebreaker to
win 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-2 against Courtney Steinbock of
Kansas.
After the first set in each match, coach Bitsy Ritt
came out to the court to provide some words of wisdom
for her competitor.
"Today Coach told me that I needed more energy,"
DaCosta said. "She also told me to be more of an
aggressor and to try to serve better."
The advice certainly seemed to prove useful.
DaCosta was just as successful in doubles competi-
tion as she was in her singles play. The region's eighth-
ranked duo of DaCosta and Leanne Rutherford also
finished the invitational with a record of 3-0. The pair
played together last year and seem to have hit their
stride.
"Me and Leanne are playing great together right
now," DaCosta said. "We've developed a level of trust
where we know almost exactly what the other will do.
You reach a comfort zone when you have been playing
with the same partner for a while."
Rutherford, like DaCosta, ended the weekend unde-
feated. She also needed three sets to dispose of her
Eastern Michigan opponent. After dropping the open-
ing set 4-6, Rutherford rallied with her entire team
watching to defeat Amalia Lincaru 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
The Wolverines ended the invitational with a 17-3
record in singles and an 8-4 mark in doubles competi-
tion against Kansas, Wisconsin, Louisiana State and
Eastern Michigan.
These records were the best among the five teams
competing.
Besides DaCosta and Rutherford, Chrissie Nolan,
Kim Plaushines and Joanne ,Musgrove also wona of
their singles matches.
"This was a great start of the year," DaCosta said.
"We worked hard over the break, and it really showed
this weekend."
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