8 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 2, 2002 Two remaining seniors lead the way for Blue By Joel Hirsh be easy for.factions to develop, and for the competi- For the Daily tion of spots in the lineup to cause some heated moments. Fortunately for this year's team, that does- When Chris Shaya is asked if he feels old, his n't seem to be a problem. answer is simple. "This is the first year it's not cliquey. Everyone "Yes. Yes I do," Shaya said, who will soon turn 23. really works as a team," Shaya said. There are only two seniors on the And he is not the only one to think so. young Wolverine's squad and two jun- 1h "We have nine good guys that have been iors with limited action. After that, CHATTANOOGA, TENN. working very hard and are very close there are five underclassmen. Who: Michigan in the ITA together," Michigan coach Mark Mees said. While the captains have yet to be All-American Championships "I'm very excited about it." named, Shaya and fellow senior Chris When: Thursday through Right now the Wolverines are in the early Rolf have clearly stepped forward as Sunday weeks of the fall season. Players are work- leading candidates. Latest: The Wolverines try ing on their individual games as they try to "Chris and I take it upon (ourselves) to build on a foundation that earn spots in this year's lineup. But Shaya to be leaders and to push the guys," ' 'them win 13-of.16 sin- was quick to note that despite the intense Rolf said. ges matches in their first competition within the team during the fall Shaya added that being the elder tournament. season, it is all about peaking at the right statesmen of the team is a large part of why he feels time to help the team. the need to be a vocal leader. "This is for the Big Ten!" and "This is for Illinois!" With the lack of experience on this team, it would are common reminders Shaya and Rolf pass on to the team during the more difficult portions of practice. Anthony Jackson, Michael Rubin and David Anving will be representing the team this weekend at the ITA All-American Championships in Chattanooga, Tenn. While all three have been entered into the pre-qualify- ing tournament - meaning they will have to survive two tournaments just to make it to the main draw - Mees is confident that they can do it. The Wolverines will be competing against from schools across the country, including Florida, Flori- da State and their Big Ten rivals Michigan State, Illinois and Ohio State. While the team is hoping to have a successful run through the tournament, the results can only add to an extremely exciting time for this young team. "Any of the guys right now have a chance to step up and be a big part of the team." Mees said. "Antho- ny will definitely be one we're counting on." Shaya agrees with his coach. "We lost big contributors," Shaya said. But "every- one's moving up in the lineup." DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily Senior Chris Shaya has been a vocal leader for Michigan, which is heavy on underclassmen and low on experience. I 7 7 Hot songs help cool harriers By Megan Kolodgy For the Daily On any given afternoon, one might see packs of short-shorted women run- ning around the streets of Ann Arbor talking, laughing and overall, looking pretty entertained. A bystander might wonder why these girls look so happy. After all, the iI __ I- ~ I I dedicated athletes on Michigan's women 's cross coun- try team rack up any- where from 45 to 65 miles per week, a feat that would TERRE HAUTE, IND. Who: Michigan in the Indi- ana State Invitational When: 10:30 a.m. Latest: Coach Mike McGuire, in his 11th sea- son with the Wolverines, looks to guide the team to a fourth straight first-place finish this season. iiWiiii V iiii IMiii1 r 4 Work. . Leisure. Work. Leisure. Work. I Leisure. Why haveb not bt? render normal human beings sore foot- ed and cranky. What exactly are these girls doing that keeps them so upbeat? The women's cross country team copes with this challenge by finding comfort and distraction in each other's company. "It helps having the team around. We tell jokes and gossip, which really helps us not to focus on how much our feet hurt, or how far we still have left to go," junior Andrea Parker said. Due to the fact that the team spends so much time practicing and traveling together, each runner is well versed in the details of the lives of her teammates. "We all know anything and every- thing about everyone's personal lives," senior Jeanne Spink said. "You can't keep a secret even if you try because, eventually, you run out of other stuff to talk about." Another method of diversion is singing. Often there is no specific song list for practices or meets, but the tune of choice is usually up- tempo. If one of the runners has a particularly annoying melody in her head, she usually chooses to share it with the rest of the pack, so they can all bear the burden. "At our meet in Seattle, we sang 'A Moment Like This' from American Idol and that got us pumped up for the race," Parker said. "Rachel Sturtz's favorite song is 'Hot in Herre,"' Spink chimed in. "She sings it all the time!" While music can make the time pass more quickly, the Wolverines are not below traveling back to the days of their youth, and reliving childhood pastimes. "We sometimes play 'Going on a Picnic,"' Parker admitted. Despite their affinity for activities of a juvenile nature, the runners are serious college athletes. "Running for a university is some- thing people dream about," Parker said. "And we are really making a name for ourselves." And the Wolverines are doing this all over the country. "Running is a great way to see the nooks and crannies of different cities," Spink said. "You cover much more ground than you would if you were just walking around." This weekend, Michigan will head to the Indiana State Invitational to test its camaraderie against top ranked teams such as Boston College and Arkansas. "Other teams should watch out for us because people don't think we'll do anything spectacular," Spink said. "And we like being the underdog, and we are surprising a lot of people." NATION Continued from Page 7 wins have come against three rela- tively poor teams: Louisiana- 0 FORTUNE What does a job at Ernst & Young give you? The best of both worlds. After all, 100 BESTC ,the focus of our business has always been its people, and we are devoted to helping TO WORK FOR v them realize their career goals while encouraging their personal aspirations. The result is you'll be challenged, but you'll also be rewarded. Maybe that's why we've been named one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For," four years in a row. So why not bounce on over and see for yourself? F