2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 1, 2004 Blue finishes second despite late charge ATHLETE OF THE WEEK By Matt Singer Daily Sports Writer Too little, too late. After two straight years on the Big Ten throne, the Michigan women's track and field team has finally given up the crown. At this weekend's Big Ten indoor championships in Iowa City, a late charge pulled the Wolver- ines (98.33 points) within striking dis- tance. But an injury-riddled Michigan team could not get over the hump. Penn State's (115 points) well-rounded squad fended off the Wolverines and celebrated their first-ever Big Ten championship. "Penn State was a big, big favorite," Michigan coach James Henry said. "And we gave them a run for their money." Injuries plagued the Wolverines. Long-distance runner Rebecca Walter and pole-vaulter Elizabeth Boyle were out the entire indoor season, while star thrower Melissa Bickett competed with a sprained knee, placing eighth in the shot put. With Michigan's stars out, the Nittany Lions rose to the top, winning Walter's event, the 5,000- meter run, and Bickett's event, the shot put. "We need to get healthy," Henry said. "We brought a limited squad." The Wolverines entered the second day of competition in fourth place, but were still confident about their chances. "We had .a significant number of people qualify for the next round," Henry said. "We got 30 percent more people in the finals than we expected." The Wolverines came through with eight top-three performances in 12 events on the meet's final day, even pulling within six points of Penn State after the 600-meter run. But they just couldn't match the Nittany Lions' fire- power. "We overachieved," Henry said. "That's indicative of the type of team we have." Two Michigan middle-distance run- ners earned individual Big Ten titles. Sophomore Katie Erdman continued her undefeated indoor season with a track record, earning a victory in the 600-meter run (1:29.57). Junior There- sa Feldkamp placed first in the 800- meter run (2:09.96), earning her first ever Big Ten victory. Michigan's distance-medley relay team of Andrea Parker, Vera Simms, Stephanie Hirtle and Katie Erdman (11:33.76) highlighted the first day of competition with its first-place finish. While the Wolverines would have preferred a victory in Iowa City, they are .keeping the second-place finish in perspective. "When you looked at it on paper, we were a fourth or maybe fifth-place team," Henry said. Who: Jennie Ritter Hometown: Dexter Sport: Softball Year: Sophomore Why: Ritter fanned 13 of the 26 batters she faced in Michigan's 2-1 loss against No. 20 South Carolina on Saturday. She also recorded no walks and pitched the entire game for the Wolverines. Ritter WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3 M Basketball at Indiana THURSDAY, MARCH 4 W Basketball Big Ten Tournament Rd. 1 - Indianapolis, Ind. FRIDAY, MARCH 5 Baseball at Duke W Track/Field Alex Wilson Invitational - South Bend M Track/Field Alex Wilson Invitational - South Bend W Basketball Big Ten Tournament Qtr. final - Indianapolis, Ind. SATURDAY, MARCH 6 M Basketball at Northwestern Baseball at Duke Water Polo CWPA Tournament - vs. Slippery Rock Water Polo CWPA Tournament - vs. Grove City College Ice Hockey vs. Michigan State - Joe Louis Arena M Gymnastics at Iowa Water Polo CWPA Tournament - at Indiana W Track/Field Alex Wilson Invitational - South Bend M Track/Field Alex Wilson Invitational - South Bend Wrestling Big Ten championships SUNDAY, MARCH 7 M Basketball at Northwestern Baseball at Duke W Gymnastics at UCLA W Basketball Big Ten Tournament Semifinal - Indianapolis, Ind. Wrestling ' Big Ten Championships 6 p.m. TBD 3 p.m. TBD TBD TBD TBD 1 p.m. 1:45 p.m. 6 p.m. 7:35 p.m. 8 p.m. 8:15 p.m. TBD TBD TBD TBD 1 p.m. 5 p.m. TBD TBD 0 RYAN WEINER/Daily Junior Theresa Feldkamp (3) won her first Big Ten title by taking the 800-meter run, but the Wolverines still lost the team conference title to Penn State. Although a third-straight "triple crown" is now impossible, the Wolverines' goals for the upcoming outdoor season have not changed. With Walter, Boyle and Bickett expected to return, and the arrival of Sierra Hauser-Price from the basket- ball team, Michigan is confident it can re-establish itself atop the Big Ten this spring. "Our goal every year is to be in the top three or defend our champi- onship," Henry said. "We'll get some rest, re-energize, get healthy. All the other characteristics of a winning team are in place." Tiger downs Love for WGC title 6M9 NOTES CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) - Tiger Woods made it sound so simple, even after making it look so hard. "It all boils down to what my dad always told me when it comes to match play," Woods said. "All you have to do is just be better than your opponent that day. All you have to do is win more holes than you lose." When he tapped in a 4-foot par putt on the 34th hole yesterday, Woods proved again that he has no match. Spraying his tee shots all over La Costa Resort, unable to take the lead until the 25th hole, Woods turned a ter- rible tee shot into an unlikely birdie, then roared past putt-starved Davis Love III to win the Match Play Cham- pionship for the second straight year. "He's obviously the best at what he does," said Love, who failed to win a hole over the final 17. "That shows even more in match play. He can play the game no matter what rules you put out there." Woods won for the 40th time on the PGA Tour in just his 149th start, the quickest anyone has reached that mile- stone. Jack Nicklaus played 221 events before he won his 40th tournament. Woods earned $1.2 million, the biggest prize to date on the PGA Tour, and reminded everyone who's No. 1 in the world - and who's the best when the world gets together. He won for the eighth time in the 14 official World Golf Championships he has played. Even more impressive are his back- to-back victories in the Accenture Match Play Championship, the most unpredictable format in golf because of the five 18-hole matches required to get to the finals. Woods thrives on this format. "Right from the first tee, it's eyeball- to-eyeball," he said. "That to me is a great rush." His amateur record was among the best ever: three straight U.S. Junior Amateurs, followed by three straight U.S. Amateur titles. His professional record is starting to catch up. Woods is 20-3 in this tournament, and 30-5-1 overall in match play. He has won 12 straight matches in this fickle format. Perhaps even more amazing, Woods has reached the finals three of the last five years. He wasn't as dominant as last year, when Woods needed only 112 holes over five days to win. Had it been stroke play, he said he probably would have won by a lot. And if this week had been stroke play? "I wouldn't have won," Woods said. He wasn't at his best. But in this for- mat, no one is better. Water Polo goes 1-2 against top-1" teams At the U.C. Santa Barbara Invita- tional this weekend, the Michigan water polo team lost to No. 5 San Diego State 5-3 on Sunday. Kerney scored two goals and Megan Haus- mann scored one. Michigan beat No. 7 Loyola Mary- mount 3-2 on Saturday. Michigan struck first with a power- play goal by junior Sheetal Narsai in the first quarter. After a Loyola goal early in the second period, senior Julie Nisbet's goal regained the lead for the Wolver- ines heading into the second half. Narsai scored one more in the fourth quarter. Junior goaltender Betsy Armstrong finished the low scoring game with 10 saves to keep Michigan on top. Michigan finished the day with a 6-4 loss to No. 1 Southern Cal. The Wolverines took their only lead of the game early in the second before Southern Cal. pulled away after three straight goals. Nisbet and junior Casey Kerney scored two goals a piece, and Arm- strong made 15 saves in a losing effort. - Katie Niemeyer Softball loses final two at Leadoff Classic The Michigan softball team wrapped up a busy Spring Break on Sunday with a 4-0 loss to No. 5 Okla- homa at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. The Wolverines fin- ished the tournament with a 3-2 record and reached the Gold Bracket playoffs for the fifth time in eight appearances. The NFCA Leadoff Classic is considered one of the top non conference softball tournaments in the country On Saturday, No. 7 Michigan fin- ished pool play with a 3-0 record, with wins over No. 14 Nebraska, Vir- ginia Tech and Georgia Tech. Senior Jennifer Olds led the Wolverines throughout pool play, hitting three homeruns, including the game-win- ner against Georgia Tech. After finishing in first place in Pool One, Michigan advanced to the Gold Bracket quarterfinal contest to face No. 20 South Carolina. Despite a strong performance from sophomore Jennie Ritter, who struck out 13 bat- ters without issuing a walk, the 4. Vancouver 81 pts. * Naslund is back, and Daniel Sedin has found his magic stick. All they need is a goalie. * The Blewud Jovto have #afT Luf Dues 6. Ottawa 84 pts. " Bondra and Smolinski spent time with theVipers while in contract disputes. That makes them good. 7.140s" n2 pis " Put Your at n m m goale, oure stfl going to oe t 8. Toronto 82 pts. e Ed Belfour is back from his vacation, giving the Leafs plenty of time to create false hope in Canada. 9. New JOrs$y 78 pt, SBrodeuristogodte het ta n fa e et'13 go 10. Dallas 75 pts. " Dallas is setting up for the first playoff run where it's an underdog since Jon Casey minded the nets. Wolverines lost 2-1 in eight innings. Sophomore Tiffany Haas drove in Michigan's only run in the third. Following the quarterfinal loss, Michigan moved onto the Gold Bracket consolation semifinals to take on Oklahoma. Junior Nicole Motycka took the loss, allowing four runs on nine hits in four-plus innings. Ritter came in on relief and struck out six batters in the final 2-plus innings. The Wolverines' 4-0 loss eliminated them from the tourna- ment, while the Sooners advanced to the consolation final against Central Michigan. Michigan was led by strong pitch- ing throughout the tournament, as the Wolverines' pitchers finished with 40 strikeouts and three walks in 36.1 innings. Ritter performed consistently in each of her two appearances, going 1-1 with a 0.79 earned run average, while striking out 27 batters and walking one in 17-plus innings. Senior Monica Schock led the team with a .364 average, going 4-for-11, while junior Jessica Merchant went 4-for-13. Olds also had four hits, :>ieerf:rr.:;~we ts*N :.' ~ '~ 4. New Jersey 36-21 *Frank is not a genius. Those 14 consecutive wins ALL came against the Leastern Conference. 6. Los Angeles 37-20 " With Malone returning in early March, inseltown is talking champi- onship again. Poor Kobe. Well ... 8. Detroit 37-24 t Sheed's first- fulgame.resuts in a home loss to the Orlando Tragic. Plus, he's gone after this season. S il' " owrRnkns BHysNA oe anings 1.set,,,t~r ist .., _,, 44 * AddIng one ef th H' top e Snapped Lawrence Frank.4& Robie angQe ~ sak 2.Colorado 82 pts. 2. Sacramento 42-15 " Forsberg is heading for Swee- * Just when Webber's suspen- den at season's end, so it's now or sion is about to expire, Kings place never for the Denver Warriors. Jackson on IR. Miller may join him. 10. Houston 34-24 * Mobley calls refs "retarded," gets fined $5,000 - about the price for a family of 4 at the new Toyota Center. matching Schock and Merchant, to help the team in the tournament. - Stephanie Wright Tennis sweeps on Hawaiian adventure The Michigan women's tennis team got to spend its spring break in Hawaii for winning the Leaders and Best award for receiving the highest grade point average of any Michigan sports team. But, in receiving their free trip, the Wolverines weren't done performing. Michigan dominated on the court on Saturday, winning 11 out of 12 singles matches en route to a sweep of Long Beach State and Hawaii by scores of 6-1 and 7-0, respectively. The wins upped Michigan's record to 7-0, its best start since the 1989-90 season. Junior Michelle DeCosta, fresh- man Elizabeth Exon, senior Kavitha Tipireni and junior Leanne Ruther- ford all won two matches each. - Staff Reports RAL IE TANFA~STIC Your Spring Break CO E iAN ATOMIC TAN CO Headquarters SPECIALIZING IN U ..:.FILLET MIGNONS, C v HWAIIAN CHICKEN, AND .. k.x%%:.. }".PRIME RIBS . HAPPY HOUR: M-F (4-7) >< :1 MTk.5; TAAT DRINK SPECIALS! vb xrf.h: .,.52..::::h>.:..., Plymouth Rd. across from }}: the. watertower (00 Commonwealth Blvd. 5( 72)0 61 85 :::......::9. . ..:.: ...:. : . ,n. nt:..FO OD:...444 rFOR,...?.:TH O U G HT: v } }'.. 25}{ { "SS :;: : }i; ;}4v 4t;{ :t:. ., }. v 2"x}:h8.;%nkW asb. ,itx Peaceful? .; :. 0 a 1m