The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 25, 2003 - 11A
Run for the roses: Big Ten
season opens on Saturday
Parker a team runner
for 'M' cross country
By Kyle Carpenter and Matt Venegoni
For the Daily
While there's no one marquee matchup in the open-
ing weekend of Big Ten play, there are a few solid
games. With a win on Saturday, any team could be on
its way toward contending for the Big Ten title.
No. 20 MINNESOTA (4-0) AT PENN STATE (2-2) -
NOON, ESPN: With quarterback Zach Mills leading
the charge, the Penn State offense has been inconsis-
tent at best. The Nittany Lions turned in their best
offense performance of the season
last week, but it came against Kent.
State. The Nittany Lions went on to
win behind the three touchdowns
of freshman running back Austin
Scott. n
The Gophers beat Louisiana
Lafayette 48-14. The solid running trio of Marion Bar-
ber III, Terry Jackson II and Thomas Tapeh should
pound Penn State's front seven.
Speaking of the Nittany Lions anemic, uninspired
offense The Sporting News said, "It's not that the
1960s were bad, but college football has changed a lot
since then."
Minnesota 24, Penn State 17
NOTRE DAME (1-2) AT PURDUE (2-1) - 3:30 P.M.,
ABC: Before the season, this looked like this game
would be one of the intriguing early-season matchups.
But with the continued offensive struggles of the Irish,
this game could get ugly. Students at Notre Dame
have been selling "The Holiday is Over" T-shirts at a
frantic pace, and coach Tyrone Willingham announced
on Tuesday that there would be an open competition in
practice for the job between Holiday and freshmen
Brady Quinn.
Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton will have his choice
of receivers to throw to, and Notre Dame's offense will
not be able to keep up Purdue's pace. Look for the
Purdue offense to move the ball mostly through the air
en route to a relatively easy victory.
Purdue 31, Notre Dame 17
NO. 9 IOwA (4-0) AT MICHIGAN STATE (3-1) -
NOON: The unranked Spartans are flying high after
last week's 22-16 win over Notre Dame, but this week
they have their work cut out for them as they face a
solid team in No. 9 Iowa.
This year's game could be strikingly similar to
last year's blowout win for the Hawkeyes in Iowa
City. Iowa quarterback Nathan Chandler is on top
of his game thus far, hitting 42-of-67 passes for
468 yards and eight touchdowns, and this week
he will face the third-worst passing defense in
the nation.
Michigan State needs to turn up the intensity to
have any chance. Quarterback Jeff Smoker, who is
recovering from a bruised toe, is looking good this
season, but the big downfall for the Spartans is their
defense.
The Hawkeyes' all-around talent will be too strong
for Michigan State and should bring them another win
in East Lansing.
Iowa 28, Michigan State 14
NORTHWESTERN (2-2) AT NO. 4 OHIO STATE (4-
0) - NOON, ESPN 2: The Buckeyes hope to
continue their 24-game winning streak over
Northwestern. Last year, Ohio State defeated the
Wildcats 27-16 in Evanston. But this year, the
AP PHOTO
Minnesota finally plays a real opponent on Saturday.
Buckeyes will not have the help of star running
back Maurice Clarett.
With Ohio State quarterback Craig Kenzel out
last week with an elbow injury, the big story for
Ohio State was its running game. The tandem of
Maurice Hall and Lydell Ross combined for over
200 yards rushing.
But last week was the same old song and dance for
Ohio State, which barely pulled away with an ugly
win, as safety Will Allen saved the day once more. The
Buckeyes have looked shaky thus far and undeserving
of their hype, but if they step it up, they should have
no problem taking care of the Wildcats in the confer-
ence opener.
Ohio State 17, Northwestern 14
By Anne Uible
Daily Sports Writer
In her wildest dreams, Andrea
Parker never thought she'd be run-
ning cross country in college, let
alone for the University of Michigan.
"Running was never my favorite
sport," Parker said. "I played soccer
and competed in figure skating, so
cross country was always third-best."
Parker began running competi-
tively during her freshman year of
high school in Livonia, where her
team was consistently one of the top
squads in the state.
"I learned to love it not only for
the competition, but for the team
aspect and the friendships I made,"
Parker said. "It was after that expe-
rience when I decided to think about
joining a team at the collegiate
level. I wanted to find a second
home."
Now, as captain of the Michigan
women's cross country team, Parker
is quick to say that as much as run-
ning is an individual sport, it is all
about teamwork.
"Without my teammates, I would
never have achieved half of my
goals," Parker said. "When we run
together during a race, each of us
translates into better runners with
faster times."
Parker's insistence on the value of
teamwork has gained the respect of
her teammates as well as her coach,
Mike McGuire.
"Without question, she always has
the interests of the team in mind,"
McGuire said. "There's a little bit of
a coach in her.
"She genuinely values the team
aspect of the sport. Andrea has
worked up the ranks as a highly
respected student-athlete here at the
University."
Even though Parker would have
never expected to be running at the
collegiate level, teamwork and a
solid work ethic have been the foun-
dation of her successful athletic
career.
Taking pride in her team and per-
sonal achievements, Parker has
accomplished more than personal
glory: She has achieved hero-status.
"When I was younger, I idolized
athletes; they were my heroes,"
Parker said.
"It's such an incredible feeling to
realize that I have become one of
those people I once looked up to."
Only a true athlete knows how to
deal with the pressures of racing.
For Parker it comes naturally. She is
out to have fun.
"When I run in a competition, I
try to be as relaxed as possible,"
Parker said.
"If you fear what is coming, you
run scared. I try to concentrate on
getting the job done and being excit-
ed about it."
Parker's career has been side-
tracked with injuries and illness, but
that hasn't stopped her from com-
peting.
"Andrea has a tremendous com-
petitive fire about her," McGuire
said. "She could go to the starting
line not very well-prepared and pull
out a great race."
Saturday, Parker and her fellow
Wolverines will head into Gopher
territory at the Roy Griak Invitation-
al in Minneapolis.
This meet will be the first chance
for the team to compete against sev-
eral Big Ten rivals such as Penn
State, Indiana, Michigan State, Min-
nesota and Northwestern, as well as
13 of the top 25 nationally ranked
teams.
"There is going to be some tough
competition," McGuire said. "It will
definitely test us as a team."
Bowman helps Blue 'get serious'
By Brad Johnson
Daily Sports Writer
"Get serious" was the cry through-
out Cliff Keen Arena Tuesday during
Michigan volleyball practice.
Having won three tournaments and
five matches in a row, it seems as if the
Wolverines (8-3) are in no need of a
rallying cry. Coach Mark Rosen, how-
ever, begs to differ.
"We didn't play nearly to the level
we are capable of last weekend," Rosen
said. "I think we could have played
better."
Despite going out and defeating Val-
paraiso and Central Michigan to cap-
ture the Michigan/Nike Challenge last
weekend, Rosen was still not pleased
with his team's performance.
"We have certain expectations offen-
sively and with ball control, defense
and blocking," Rosen said. "We didn't
accomplish all of those goals."
Helping the Wolverines get serious
is freshman Megan Bowman, who has
made an immediate impact on the
team. Bowman has been a starter in
nine of the team's 11 matches, and cur-
rently leads the team in blocks.
The transition from high school vol-
leyball to the college ranks has been
difficult for the freshman, although it
certainly does not show when she is on
the floor.
"In the beginning it was a little
rough," Bowman said. "(College vol-
leyball) is a lot faster-paced and more
intense than high-school volleyball."
The Wolverines are lucky to have
Bowman, as the St. John, Ind. native
had to choose between the possibility
of sitting on the bench for Michigan, or
playing right away for the Hoosiers.
She knew what she had to do in the
long run, and it is already paying off in
September.
"I wanted to play for a team that
would actually win;' Bowman said.
Rosen has definitely noticed the
strong play of his emerging freshman.
"She's getting better with every
match," he said. "But there are still
times where she is a little overloaded
and overwhelmed."
Michigan's strong core of senior
leadership has helped keep Bowman
from getting too overwhelmed early in
the season.
"The seniors kind of control the
floor when we're out there," Bowman
said. "Lisa Gamalski keeps everyone
calm and fired up at the same time."
Gamalski's calm demeanor on the
floor will be a necessity this weekend,
as the Wolverines will face Ohio State
and No. 12 Penn State at home to open
up the Big Ten season.
Rosen feels that the quality of play
of Michigan's opponents is only going
to increase from here on out, and that
his squad needs to execute a balanced
offense in order to be successful this
weekend.
"I feel good about where we are
right now," Rosen said. "We're ready to
go into the Big Ten ... It's the best vol-
leyball conference in the country."
Michigan senior Erin Moore and her
teammates hope to pick up their play.
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