I 6 2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 4, 2002 CLUBSPORTSWEEKLY Discipline paces crew team in quest for 'shirts' U1JhizSdtigan a&ilg ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Who: Molly Maloney Hometown: Lake Bluff, 111. Position: Goalkeeper Sport: Field hockey Year: Sophomore By Robert Dean Daily Sports Writer Imagine waking up each morning before 6 a.m. to go to practice. Only after three hours of intense practice do you go to class, do your homework, maybe eat some food and then get to bed early enough to wake up and do it all over again. For an entire year. Oh, and you have to pay good money to do this, too. Senior Kevin Alschuler doesn't hide the fact that life on the Michigan men's crew team is hard. "It's very similar to what students go through in the ROTC program," Alschuler said. "Then again, we have guys here that also do ROTC." In fact, many of the men's crew team's 60 members are busy in some capacity outside of their sport. The average grade point average on the team is a 3.3, so you know that the team is as disciplined in the classroom as they are in the water. "Having to go to practice makes you structure your time," Alschuler said. "Whereas most students will have eight hours in which to do two hours of homework, we have two hours in which to do two hours of homework." That type of dedication has prompt- ed many crew team members to pur- sue graduate studies. "We have several guys who are applying to med school, a couple like myself doing engineering, and others who have gone on to do graduate work in their own fields," Alschuler said. The team, founded in 1976 by a group of University students, is just now beginning to enjoy success. So far this season, the Wolverines have traveled to three races. They took every possible medal in the two region- al competitions they attended and were 11th overall at the Head of the Charles in Boston. In last year's nationals race at Camden, N.J., the team finished sixth overall. This type of success would be great for any program, but the men's crew team at Michigan is composed entirely of walk-ons. It is a club varsi- ty team, meaning the team receives only minimal financial support from the Athletic Department. "There something to be said about going to these races, knowing other teams are sleeping in hotels, and then going out and beating them," Alschuler said. "We travel, sleep on a gym floor, and then wake up and race well." Out of the top 20 teams in the nation last spring, Michigan was the only group without a varsity sport at their respective school. Of course, the team isn't going after trophies or medals to bring home. For Michigan crew, it's about win- ning the shirts. "It's a tradition for opponents to give a team racing shirt to the crew that finishes first," Alschuler said. "We have a motto around here. It's to come home with more shirts than we started with.". Why: The Wolverines' goalkeeper wrapped up the regular season in style, setting the school record for shutouts in a season with nine in a 5-0 win over No. 20 Virginia on Saturday. Maloney then followed up by leading the second-ranked Wolverines past Duke, 3-2, yesterday. Brady proves Pats m-a de right choice. AP PHOTO Hasidic spectators watch the first pack of the men runners at the 33rd Annual New York City Marathon in the Williamsburg section of the Brooklyn borough on Sunday. 6M'NOTES 6M SCHEDULE Tomorrow M Soccer at Detroit, 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7 W Soccer at Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals (East Lansing) Friday. Nov. 8 Volleyball at Ohio State, 7 p.m. Ice hockey at Bowling Green, 7:05 p.m. . W Soccer at Big Ten Tournament Semifinals (East Lansing) Saturday. Nov. 9 M Soccer vs. Oakland, 1 p.m. M Swimming/Diving vs. Michigan State, 1 p.m. Volleyball at Indiana, 7 p.m. Ice hockey at Bowling Green, 7:05 p.m. Football at Minnesota, 7:45 p.m. Field hockey at Big Ten Conference Tournament Semifinals (Columbus) Wrestling at Michigan State Open Sunday Nov.10 Field hockey at Big Ten Conference Tournament Finals (Columbus) W Soccer at Big Ten Conference Tournament Finals (East Lansing) Wrestling at Michigan State Open DAM SCOREBOARD Martin nominated for USOC position Michigan Athletic Director Bill Martin was selected on Friday by the United States Olympic Committee's Executive Committee as its candidate for Vice-President Secretariat. Martin represents the United States Sailing Association on the USOC board. The 123-member Board of Directors will vote to determine whether Martin will serve as an officer until 2004. Martin has been a member of the United States Sailing Foundation since 1991, and was president from 1995-98. He also served as president on the U.S. Sailing Association from 1988-91. He has been a member of the USOC Board of Directors since 1995. Martin took over as Michigan's Athletic Director on an interim basis in 2000, and soon after took the position on a full-time basis. Golf not able to follow Nichols' lead Junior Dave Nichols led the Wolverines at the Landfall Tradition, carding a 54-hole total of 216. Nichols's overall mark, good enough for seventh place individually, included 12 birdies. "I was really pleased with Dave's (Nichols) play. Obviously anytime you can get a top-10 finish with a good field of individuals and a lot of All Americans here is excellent," Michigan coach Andrew Sapp said. Sophomore Mark McIntosh fin- ished with a score of 230, which placed him at 41st individually. The Wolverines had three other top-60 individual finishers: sopho- more Rob Tighe (54), Jimmy Wisin- ski (56), Chris Kellogg (58). Collectively the Wolverines fin- ished 12th out of 12 teams. This was Michigan's last tournament of the fall season, and the Wolverines won't be back in actin until the Spring season. "I think we can chalk (the fall sea- son) up to getting experience," Sapp said. "Looking at our fall, we have a lot of things to work on - our short games are not very good, we do not make a whole lot of birdies on par 5s. "We are excited about getting some good conditioning done over the winter and then getting right into the spring season." ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - Tom Brady exchanged cordial greet- ings with former teammate Drew Bled- soe before and after yesterday's game. Brady saved his biggest statement for the game, sparking the New Eng- land Patriots to a 38-7 victory over the Buffalo Bills. Completing 23 of 27 passes for 310 yards and four touchdowns it was the most efficient performance of Brady's career. His 154.1 passing rat- ing was 4.2 points Brady short of perfection, and it came in his biggest test of the season. Brady and the defending Super Bowl champions (4-4) snapped a four-game losing streak to climb back into the AFC East race. And it came against Bledsoe, the Patriots' former franchise player, who was facing New England for the first time since being traded to the Bills in April. In a game billed as "The Bledsoe Bowl," Brady showed up his former mentor yet again, a year after taking his job. Brady, however, said that was the "last thought on my mind." A better explanation for Brady was the Patriots reclaiming a sense of urgency, something they hadn't felt for quite some time. "For one reason or another, the last four weeks we just haven't played Patri- ot football," Brady said. "You talk about a sense of urgency, and today we had it." Patriots' running back Antowain Smith made a major contribution against his former team with 111 yards rushing and three touchdowns. By comparison, the 5-4 Bills unrav- eled, ending a three-game winning streak and squandering a chance to push the Patriots further out of the race. Bledsoe, who entered the game as the NFL's leading passer, didn't exactly have an off day, finishing 28 of 45 for 302 yards. But he was stymied by an aggressive Patriots defense, which at times lined up in curious formations, including a four-man linebacker front. "Back to the drawing board after that," said Bledsoe. "After the game, you shake hands and live to fight another day." Ahead 17-7 at the half, the Patriots put the game away with a 14-point third quarter. The backbreaker came with the Patriots ahead 24-7 and facing fourth- and-3 at the Bills' 34. Brady hit Smith for a 5-yard pass, and five plays later, Smith capped the 76-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. Kevin Faulk, with a 45-yard recep- tion, and Christian Fauria, with a 5- yard touchdown reception, also scored touchdowns for the Patriots, while Adam Vinatieri kicked a 46-yard field goal. It was quite a turnaround for a Patri- ots team that managed a combined 53 points in its previous four games. "This is like taking 500-600 extra pounds on your back and just throwing it off, feeling like yourself again," Patri- ots offensive tackle Matt Light said. "This is huge for us. There's a'feeling in here that we haven't felt in here for a long time. And really, it's about time. We've been beating up ourselves and playing some pretty undisciplined ball." The Bills had entered the game as the NFL's only team to score 23 or more points in its first eight outings. While Bledsoe had difficulty finish- ing drives, he got little help from usual- ly reliable kicker Mike Hollis, who missed all three field-goal attempts. Bledsoe also had no control over how his defensive teammates played. After holding opponents to 34 points in its previous 10 quarters, Buffalo sud- denly reverted to old form. On New England's first three scoring drives, Brady converted four third downs, including a 3rd-and-8 on a screen pass to Smith, who ran it 13 yards for a touchdown to put the Patri- ots up 14-0. Faulk's 45-yard touchdown reception also came on a screen pass in which he ran untouched up the left sideline. Third time's a charm for Singh 4 NBA STANDINGS NHL STANDINGS EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division New Jersey Orlando °hiladelphia Boston Washington Miami New York Central Division Detroit Atlanta Chicago Indiana New Orleans Cleveland Toronto Milwaukee WESTERN CONFERENCE Midwest Division Dallas Houston Minnesota San Antonio Denver Utah Memphis Pacific Division Sacramento Seattle Golden State L.A. Lakers Phoenix Portland L.A. Clippers Pct GB 1.000 - .750 .5 .667 1 .333 2 .333 2 .000 2.5 .000 3 Pct GB .667 - .667 - .667 - .667 - .667 - .333 1.5 .333 1.5 .000 2 Pct GB 1.000- .667 .5 .667 .5 .667 .5 .333 1.5 .333 1.5 .000 2.5 Pct GB 1.000 - 1.000 .5 .333 2 .333 2 .333 2 .333 2 .333 2 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Philadelphia 8 1 Pittsburgh 7 2 New Jersey 7 2 N.Y. Rangers 4 8 N.Y. Islanders 3 7 NFL STANDINGS AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L Miami 5 2 Buffalo 5 4 New England 4 4 N.Y. Jets 3 5 in taking Tour Northeast Division w Boston Montreal Ottawa Buffalo Toronto 7 4 4 3 3 L 2 3 4 6 7 L 3 4 6 6 8 South Indianapolis Tennessee Jacksonville Houston North Pittsburgh Cleveland Baltimore Cincinnati West Denver San Diego Kansas City Oakland W 4 4 3 2 W 5 4 3 1 W 6 6 4 4 Southeast Division W Tampa Bay 7 Carolina 5 Washington 5 Florida 4 Atlanta 1 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division St. Louis Detroit Chicago Columbus Nashville W 8 6 5 5 1 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East W Philadelphia 6 Washington 4 N.Y. Giants 3 Dallas 3 PF 190 248 206 160 PF 160 183 147 107 PF 192 205 139 113 PF 207 186 259 226 PF 221 155 89 115 PF 203 256 187 111 'PF 203 158 152 186 PF 203 150 166 145 PA 143 269 165 206 PA 167 212 133 214 PA 160 195 162 214 PA 170 163 240 188 PA 118 191 115 155 PA 109 209 136 117 PA 154 220 199 230 PA 164 158 172 180 ATLANTA (AP) - Annoyed by his two previous fail- ures at East Lake, Vijay Singh left nothing to chance yes- terday in the Tour Championship. After working overtime on a swing he could trust, and rehearsing a 3-iron shot to the 18th in case it came down to the final hole, Singh finally got his revenge on East Lake by closing with a 3-under 67 to win the final PGA Tour event of the year. "The last two times I came over here, I thought I was going to win it," Singh said after a two-stroke victory over Charles Howell III. "I've finally done it, and it's really something I'm going to cherish." It was the third straight Tour Championship at East Lake that Singh held at least a share of the 54-hole lead. He lost in a playoff to Hal Sutton in 1998 after making bogey on the 72nd hole. Two years ago, he was tied with Tiger Woods and closed with a 73 as both were defeated by Phil Mickelson. Singh finally figured out how to close the deal. He struck the ball beautifully all day, kept out of trouble and dared everyone else to catch him. They certainly tried. "Every time I hit a good shot, he was right there to answer," Howell said after closing with a 66 in his Tour Championship debut. First it was Jerry Kelly, who made an ace on No. 11 to Championshi trim the lead to one stroke. Singh responded with three straight birdies starting on the par-5 ninth. Then came Howell, who holed a wedge from the 13th fairway for an eagle and birdied the 17th to cut the mar- gin to two shots. That was a small enough margin for Singh to remember his first failure at East Lake - a bogey on the par-3 18th that allowed Sutton to get into a playoff and beat him. "I had the same club in my hand," Singh said. "I was practicing that this morning. I said if it comes down to 18, I need to hit a solid 3-iron. "And that was the best one I hit. When I struck the ball, I didn't have to look to know it was going straight for the green." A two-putt par gave him a 12-under 268 and a check for $900,000. David Toms had a 67 to finish third. The former PGA champion failed to win a tournament for the first time since 1998, although he still finished fourth on the money list. Tiger-Woods was never a factor after taking a double bogey on the opening hole. Woods grimaced on his approach to the par-5 15th, and later attributed that to a sore knee that has bothered him all year. "You just have to play through it," Woods said. Northwest Division W Minnesota 8 Colorado 4 Vancouver 4 Calgary 3 Edmonton 2 NBA GAMES Yesterday's games L.A. CLIPPERS 74, Detroit 72 Sacramento at MIAMI, inc. Utah at SEATTLE, Inc. Portland at L.A. LAKERS, Inc. Today's games Chicago at ToRONTo, 7 p.m. Minnesota at NEW JERSEY, 7:30 p.m. Milwaukee atNEW YORK, 7:30 p.m. San Antonio at MEMPHIS, 8 p.m. Golden State at DALLAS, 8:30 p.m. Detroit at PHOENIX, 9 p.m. Tuesday's games L.A. Lakers at CLEVELAND, 7 p.m. Sacramento at ORLANDO, 7:30 p.m. Indiana at MIAMI, 7:30 p.m. Washington at MINNESOTA, 8 p.m. Atlanta at DENVER, 9 p.m. Golden State at SAN ANTONIO, 9:30 p.m. Pacific Division Dallas Los Angeles Phoenix Anaheim San Jose South Tampa Bay New Orleans Atlanta Carolina North Green Bay Detroit Chicago Minnesota West San Francisco Arizona St. Louis Seattle W 6 6 5 3 3 W 7 6 5 3 w 6 3 2 2 W 6 4 3 2 SPODRs BRIEFS NHL GAMES Yesterday's games St. Louis 3,N.y. RANGERS 2 COLUMBus 3, Buffalo 2 DETROIT 3, Dallas 3 (OT) PHOENIX 2, Nashville 1 (OT) Edmonton 4, CHICAGO 1 San Jose at ANAHEIM Today's games Calgary at N.Y. ISLANDERS, 7 p.m. Vancouver at CoLORADO, 9 p.m. Minnesota at Los ANGELES, 10:30 p.m. NFL GAMES Yesterday's games Pittsburgh 23, CLEVELAND 20 Tennessee 23, INDIANAPOLIS 15 TAMPA BAY 38, Minnesota 24 ATLANTA 20, Baltimore 17 DETROIT 9, Dallas 7 Philadelphia 19, CHICAGO 13 Cincinnati 38, HOUSTON 3 New England 38, BUFFALO 7 N.Y. Jets 44, SAN DIEGO 13 Washington 14, SEATTLE 3 St. Louis 27, ARIZONA 14 San Francisco 23, OAKLAND 20 (OT) Jacksonville at N.Y. GIANTS, inc. Tonight's game Miami at GREEN BAY, 9 p.m. Byes: Carolina, Denver, Kansas City, New Orleans Hanson kicks Lions by Enimitt, Cowboys DETROIT (AP) - The Detroit Lions aren't a great team by any means, but at home they've been good enough to already surpass last year's victory total. Jason Hanson kicked his third field goal from 43 yards out with 48 seconds left to help the Lions defeat the Dallas Cowboys 9-7 yesterday. "We've got three-game winning streak at home, and that's a big state- ment these players have made," Detroit coach Marty Mornhinweg said. The Lions (3-5) have lost all 12 of the road games they've played under Mornhinweg, but at Ford Field, they've beaten New Orleans, Chicago and now the Cowboys (3-6). Joey Harrington, Detroit's rookie quarterback, struggled for much of the game, but he completed his longest pass of the day - a 13-yarder to James Stewart - on fourth-and-3 from the Dallas 43 to keep the game-winning drive going. Harrington completed 3 of 4.passes on the drive, which began on the Lions 37, and Stewart ran four times to set up the field goal. "I don't want the game to come down to me - we want to win by a touchdown or two - but I always tell myself to be prepared," Hanson said. Kenyans sweep at Chepchumba of Kenya. "I'm very pleased with how I did," said Runyan, the first Paralympian to compete at an Olympics. "You never know if you prepared properly, how the weather will affect you, how the dis- tance will affect you." With temperatures in the 40s and a slight headwind, Boston Marathon champion Rodgers Rop overcame pain in his side to finish in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 7 seconds, helping Kenya gain its first sweep of the men's and women's titles. Christopher Cheboiboch (2:08:17) - also second in Boston - and Laban Kipkemboi (2:08:39) gave Kenya the first 1-2-3 men's finish for a country since the United States did it in 1975. New York nominated p 1