The Michigan Daily - Friday, December 6, 2002 - 9 New 'M' trio to make debut Top 25 next goal for unbeaten Michigan By Albert Kim Daily Sports Writer Getting outside its comfort zone will be the main focus of the Michigan women's gymnastics team tonight. The Wolverines will kick off their 2002-2003 campaign with their annual intrasquad exhibition meet tonight at Cliff Keen Arena. Coach Bev Plocki has been looking for the Wolver- ines to push themselves to do more dif- ficult routines, and this intrasquad meet will provide a chance for the gymnasts CLIFF KEI to show off what they've worked on. who: Maize vs "We've been talking a lot about peo- Intrasquad Exh ple that train within their comfort zone, when: 7 pm tc and compete within their comfort zone, Latest: Fans wi are never really going to progress," Ploc- first chance to ki said. "The intrasquad is my little kick 2003 team. Ne to push them just outside their comfort will be unveiled zone to take on that new skill." freshmen will The meet will feature every member Michigan debu of the team, not just the maximum'of six normally seen in competitions. It will be a fairly relaxed atmos- phere with spotters and extra mats if needed. This will also be the best opportunity for fans to see the whole team in competition, and the gymnasts are looking m s. E hib ill :d, forward to it. "It's important because everyone gets to go out and compete for the first time during the year, and it's a little bit more fun and a little more relaxed," senior captain Janessa Grieco said. It may be relaxed, but the gymnasts will be in a different building than where they practice, and there will still be a crowd under the lights. Also, the gymnasts will be performing new and more diffi- cult routines. "The intrasquad is really where you get v ARENA to see how people do in competition," Blue Grieco said. >ition The Michigan coaching staff will get ight its first look at the three new freshmen get their that have joined the team. The Wolver- ee 2002- ines are already high on Becca Clauson, v routines Rachel Colon and Jennifer Deiley. and three "We have a lot of great freshmen com- ake their ing up," Grieco said. "I think that they can definitely make an immediate impact." On~e person that may not be able to go tonight is sophomore Chelsea Kroll, who is battling recurring foot problems. Despite that, the team has been gener- ally healthy thus far. The Wolverines are coming off of a disappointing A season that began filled with questions is looking brighter every day for the Michigan women's basket- By Josh Holman Daily Sports Writer ball team. A 4-0 start has given the Wolverines momentum as they cruise into Cincinnati this week- end for their first road trip of the year at the Provident Bank Xavier Invitational. The start is the team's best since the 1999-2000 season. That team started the year off 7-0, and ALYSSA Wuuu/uaily Calli Ryals and the rest of the women's gymnastic team will begin their season with their intrasquad meet. finish in last year's NCAAs, where they failed to qual- ify for the finals for the first time since 1998. Despite losing five seniors to graduation, Michigan is confi- dent that it will be ready to compete at the national level. And with a smaller team than years past, the impact of each gymnast will be much more evident. "I think that everyone on this team has a chance to make an impact in some way or another," Grieco said. CINCIN Who: Michigan Louis (4-1) When: 3 p.m. to Latest: The Wolv their unbeaten m the four-team Pr Bank Xavier Invi This is Michigan meeting with St nearly cut their turnovers in half since the beginning of the season. Michigan lost the ball 21 times in its first game, but improved to just eight turnovers in Sunday's win over Detroit. "The kids have been trying very hard not to make the same mistakes," Guevara NATI said. "I think now we (4-0) vs. St. need to work on our Ydefense. We had a little morrow bit of a mental break- verines take down against Detroit in nark into the second half." ovident Thus far, Michigan's tational. cast.of freshmen has o'sfirst ever passed the test. Guards Mie Burlin and Niki Grapplers roll the dice in hopes of repeat By Sharad Mattu Daily Sports Writer The Wolverines will face a deep field loaded with talent today and tomorrow. Among the teams No. 5 Michigan will see in Las Vegas are n Big Ten rivals No. 1 Minnesota and No. 6 Ohio For the 20th consecutive year, the Michiga wrestling team will head to Las Vegas to compete in the Cliff Keen Invitational. But this year the Wolverines go as LA defending champions, and coach Joe Who: Mid McFarland wants the team to do every- Keen Invit thing possible to remain on top. When: Todc "We're going out there to defend our Latest: The title," McFarland said. "(Wednesday) I look to def spoke to the team about the importance Keen titlev of that. We don't want anyone to take our teams suc title from us. It's not going to be easy, but andNo. we're excited about the opportunity. With a 45 teams, there's going to be a lot of good wrestlers." S VEGAS higan in the Cliff ational lay and tomorrow e Wolverines will Mend their Cliff when they face h as No.1Min- o. 6 Ohio State 1 Missouri. State, as well as No. 11 Missouri and No. 13 Nebraska. Last year, seniors Otto Olson and Andy Hrovat won individual champions at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively, to lead the Wolverines to first place. With those two gone, Michigan will look for strong performances from the other wrestlers who placed at last year's invita- tional. Last year Foley Dowd finished second at 133 pounds, Ryan Bertin, fin- ished third at 157 pounds, and A.J. Grant Kyle Smith finished fifth last year at 197 pounds. Two weeks ago Smith wrapped up Michigan's 26-12 victory over No. 8 Lehigh with a 6-4 upset over then- No. 1 Jon Trenge at 197 pounds. Smith is now ranked No. 4, and will likely face the new No. 1, Nebraska's Justin Ruiz , this weekend. "Everybody looks sharp and is wrestling with a lot of intensity in practice, which is what I am always looking for," McFarland said. "We gave them a couple days off for Thanksgiving and it was good for them both mentally and physically. They're fresh and ready for this weekend." Two wrestlers, Ryan Churella and Mike Kulczycki, are still sidelined. Churella had knee surgery this week, and Kulczycki's knee is also hurting. McFarland expects them both to be back on the mat sometime after winter break. eventually finished with a school record 22 wins, good enough for sec- ond place in the Big Ten. History isn't necessarily on the Wolverines' side, though. Last year's squad opened 11-1 before combusting in conference play. This weekend's tournament will be Michigan's first test in the away jerseys, and it could be a good gauge for the rest of the season. "I'm really excited about going on the road," junior Jennifer Smith said. "We're a good away team and it gives us a chance to bond." Smith has been Michigan's force inside during this young season, steal- ing a bit of the thunder from senior LeeAnn Bies, a preseason All-Big Ten selection. Smith has scored 20 points or more in three of Michigan's four games, including a career high 29 against Detroit last Sunday. Smith's play is only one of many successful trends that coach Sue Gue- vara would like to see continue. Gue- vara's young backcourt players have Reams have solidified the starting positions so far. They are backed up by one of the youngest and deepest benches the Wolverines have pos- sessed in years, and the results they've been posting have been impressive. Every player on the ros- ter has already scored, and Guevara now seems overrun with fresh options down her bench. "Seeing them have confidence, gives me confidence," Guevara said. "You never know what's going to hap- pen with injuries or illness, so I'm hoping that's something we'll have until we're done in April." Junior Stephanie Gandy has been leading the charge off the bench, aver- aging nine points a game. Her consis- tent play has carried over from the end of last year's season. With all the pieces coming together, the Wolverines are knocking on the door of the national top 25. While the Wolverines have yet to crack that threshold, a pair of victories this weekend could change that. finished fifth at 125 pounds.