4 12A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 23, 2003 'Eleven' takes By Ellen McGarrity Daily Sports Writer Eleven. Say that number to anyone on the Michigan men's soccer team and he's likely to look back at you with pride. On Monday night, the team received some long-desired news - its name appeared in the No. 11 spot in the NCSAA Coaches' Poll. This marks the first time the team has ever been nationally ranked in its four year history. "I would consider our team one of the hardest working teams I've ever been on - it makes me proud that we're finally being recognized," senior captain Mike White said. Getting the recognition was not such a surprise as the team (3-1 Big Ten, 11-4 overall) has won seven out of its last eight games, including a win over then-No. 17 Oakland and tough rival Michi- gan State. In the team's last two seasons, its performance was just shy of earning one of the coveted 48 bids (out of 203 teams in the nation) to the NCAA tournament. Now that the team has been ranked - and so highly ranked - receiving this honor could make the difference if the team is on the bubble again this year when the committee makes its decision. The ranking does not guaran- new meaning tee a bid by any means, but it doesn't hurt either, especially if the Wolverines remain ranked in fol- lowing weeks. Earning a bid is actually based on the RPI - Ratings Percentage Index - which takes three things into account for every team: Overall win- loss record (25 percent), opponents' overall win- loss record (50 percent), and opponents' opponents overall win-loss record (25 percent). Right now, Michigan has 11 wins, paired with only four losses. Last year the Big Ten was the second-toughest region in terms of opponent skill level. These factors heighten the chances for Michigan to finally earn a spot in this year's tour- nament. And if the team wins its last three games of the season, it could even thrust them into the nation's top 10. What's more important than the benefits for this year's team are the long-term benefits for the future of the soccer program. When Michigan made the jump from club to varsity four years ago, Michigan coach Steve Burns focused more on the great academics and atmosphere of the university to attract players. The team's record has improved each successive season, but now the team has officially estab- lished itself as a dominant force in the nation. Consequently, the team can now boast top- for 'M' soccer quality performance, as well as academics and atmosphere as a reason to choose Michigan. Especially students who are juniors in high school will begin to look at Michigan as a top choice for soccer. "Now we're able to attract really the top eschilon of students and players," Burns said. It's all cyclical - they go hand in hand with each other. It's the horse that kind of drives the cart." Although team members are excited to have finally received their due credit, some admitted that the ranking could work against them. "It's good to get the recognition, but I don't want us to get too comfortable," junior Dawson Stellberger said. "It's almost a false sense of con- fidence. We just can't let down - we have to keep working hard." Junior Jeff Mirmelstein also worries about how other teams will perceive them. "It's giving us more to live up to," Mirmelstein said. "Teams are going to start recognizing that we're a team to beat - which is different than we're used to. We're used to being the under- dogs." The team will get a chance to test its new "top- dog" status this weekend when they take on two tough rivals on the road: Akron tomorrow and Penn State on Sunday. 4 I Blue golfers prepare for winter 'hibernation' Kevin Savitskle defends the ball during Michigan's 2-1 win over Northwestern last Friday. After four wins in a row, the team Is ranked No. 11 nationally. Senior harnier enjoying final year of eligibility By Steven Shears Daily Sports Writer The animal that is the Michigan women's golf team is about to go into its annual hibernation. No more invitationals, no more tour- naments and no more cold weather will be in store for the Wolverines for over three months. But before the team bun- dles up for the winter, it has one more competition to take care of - the Lady Paladin Invitational, held this weekend in Greenville, S.C. Unlike many other sports at Michi- gan, golf consists of two seasons: fall and spring. During the winter, when there is a break from competition, the team completes cardio and weight train- ing. In addition, the Wolverines work on individual technique as formal com- petition, which begins in February, draws closer. However, some kinks are already being worked out. Last weekend, the Wolverines struggled with their short game, which accounted for their disap- pointing sixth place finish in a field of 12 teams. Since then, Michigan has worked consistently to correct this. "We've put more emphasis on the putting game," Michigan coach Kathy Teichert said. "We did not have a good weekend of putting. It just was not good." This weekend will prove to be an important test to assess the level that the Wolverines are at, going into their win- ter "break." "It is important for our confidence to show signs of improvement," Teichert said. "We haven't played any easy golf courses to get some lower scores. We're- expecting better things this week. If we see better scores, we'll be very happy." For this to happen, Michigan needs good rounds from its established golfers, namely Laura Olin and Amy Schmucker. Last week, Olin finished with 78-81-77 and Schmucker shot 81- 80-76. More consistent scores will be needed this weekend in all three rounds. "We're expecting Laura Olin and Amy Schmucker to be the starting block," Teichert said. "We need to keep seeing a good effort from them." Brandi Zielinski also needs to con- tribute if the Wolverines want to end the fall season on a good note. Teichert has put her in the fifth and final spot, which means her scores will count towards the team's score. The fall and spring seasons count towards NCAA qualifications, but competitions in the spring are given greater emphasis when determining standings, because the NCAA gives preference to teams performing the best By Anne Uble Daily Sports Writer It's seven o'clock on a Monday morning. The sun hasn't come up yet and there is a small layer of dew - soon to be disturbed - still resting on the quiet country roads 15 minutes out- side of Ann Arbor. While most Univer- sity students are sleeping off their hectic weekends, Jessie Allen-Young and Rebecca Walter are out running 12 miles before their classes begin. Allen-Young is new to the Michigan women's cross country team, but has already had four years of collegiate run- ning experience at Dartmouth College. Now a graduate student at the Universi- ty, Allen-Young still has one more year of eligibility left. "In the back of my mind, I knew when I was deciding on graduate schools I could run one more year," Allen-Young said. "Running brings a lot to everything else I do, so picking a school where I could run was pretty important. Michi- gan has a great graduate architecture pro- gram, and a great cross country team, so I got everything I wanted." Allen-Young's career at Dartmouth was accomplished, but she was continu- ously plagued by reoccurring injuries. In her first two months here at Michi- gan, Allen-Young has already made a name for herself as a top-class runner, placing first in her opener as a Wolver- ine at the Miami Invitational (Sept. 13), being named Big Ten co-Athlete of the week (Sept. 16) and finishing 18th in a field of 210 runners at the NCAA Pre- Nationals this past weekend. "Jessie was highly recommended as a determined athlete by her coach at Dart- mouth," Michigan coach Mike McGuire said. "She has become an integral part of our team this season." Due to the intense demands of her graduate level classes, Allen-Young can only practice with the team on Tues- days. For the rest of the week, she either works out in the morning with other runners, or runs on her own. "It has been tough running on my own," Allen-Young said. "But the team has been extremely supportive in help- ing me train." Rebecca Walter and senior Lindsay Gallo have done multiple workouts with Allen-Young. "It's great to see some of the runners helping out their teammate and the posi- tion she's in," McGuire said. "I think it's made them better runners for it." This weekend, Allen-Young and her fellow Wolverines will be competing in the Eastern Michigan Classic in Ypsi- lanti. Race time is 4:30 in Rolling Hills Park. TONY DING/Daily Junior Laura Olin and the rest of the women's golf team heads to the Lady Paladin Invitational this weekend in Greenville, S.C. for their last tournament until Spring. around tournament time. According to Teichert, for some other teams around the nation, winter invitationals are used for training and aren't taken as seriously as the spring competitions. But Michigan isn't like every other team. For the Wolverines, winning, along with improvement, is just as important - no matter when the competition takes place. "Every tournament counts," Teichert said. "We're hoping this weekend to put it all together. If we put together low scores together as a team, that will tell us we can do it in the spring." 4 p U I I Noble sportsmanship is important on the field and in the stands A "One of the issues that we're trying to get our hands around in college football is the sportsmanship issue. It is a vital issue; we've taken great pride at Michigan that our fans conduct themselves in a way that makes all of us proud." 0 I Imi