The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 12, 2004 -_9
____ ______ ______________ WOENS TRACK AND~ FIELD
Distance
By Matt Singer
Daily Sports Writer
It isn't a popular tourist destina
end, Fayetteville, Ark., will becon
collegiate track and field world. T'
letes will converge on the town
NCAA Indoor Championships a
the highest-level competition the
And in the midst of it all, five M
attempt to assert their position amo
"We're all pretty excited," sopho
said.
And they have reason to be. E
Wolverines' distance medley rel
includes senior Carly Knazze, juni
and redshirt junior Lindsey Gallo.
medley relay squad
nation's seventh-best time in the event (11:11.58).
Last year's medley relay, which included Erd
and Gallo, managed a 10th-place finish (11:19
tion. But this week- two spots short of All-America status. Michig
me the center of the semi-revamped relay team presents a formidablec
Fhe nation's best ath- lenge to its opponents.
a of 58,000 for the The boisterous crowd at Arkansas' Randal T
nd provide some of Track should provide an extra adrenaline boost fa
e sport has to offer. Michigan runners.
ichigan women will "It's so fun because it's packed," Erdman said.
Ong America's finest. spectators are set up higher up from the track a
omore Katie Erdman bit - it's really loud out there."
Three Wolverines will compete at the meet as
rdman leads off the viduals. Erdman enters the 800-meter run with
ay team, which also nation's seventh-fastest time this year (2:05.38)
or Theresa Feldkamp an unblemished indoor season at stake. Gallo
The squad holds the race in the one-mile run, in which she holds
ready to impress
eighth-fastest time in the nation (4:40.91). Junior Jen-
[man nifer Kulchar rounds out Michigan's individual field,
.61), hoping to top her previous best of 1.81 meters in the
gan's high jump.
chal- Michigan's athletes will have to rely on their experi-
ence to keep their nerves under control.
yson "Last year, I was pretty worked up about (the NCAA
r the Championships)," Erdman said. "I was pretty nervous
about everything."
"The But a year later, Erdman and Gallo know what to
little expect at nationals. None of the Michigan athletes are
strangers to pressure-filled situations - all five were
indi- state champions in high school.
h the While the competition will be fierce, Michigan will
and arrive in Arkansas with a positive attitude. Free of title
will expectations, the athletes aren't feeling pressure.
s the "We've got nothing to lose," Erdman said.
Michigan's Jason Coben will be competingi
COBEN
Continued from Page 8
this day, he makes his disgust known
bydhitting the shiny poolside railing
and forcefully throwing his towel to
the ground.
"It's really frustrating," Coben said.
"It's easy to get over it after my prac-
tice because I can sit down with Chris
and I can ask him, 'What exactly did
you see that I couldn't feel?' But if I
had to coach myself, I'd probably
hang myself. I just have to refocus
and go on."
Despite the difficulties of training,
Bergere is confident that Coben will
not disappoint.
"He's got a great shot," Bergere said.
"I expect him to qualify and go. He's
going in with a lot of experience, he
knows what the contest is going to be
about, he knows who's going to be
there. I just expect him to go in there,
have a good day, do what he's been
doing all year, and it should be no
problem."
If any diver knows what to expect,
it's Coben. He has qualified for the
NCAA Championships each of his
previous three years. In his signature
event - the 10-meter platform - he
has improved his final position every
year (28th as a freshman, seventh as a
sophomore and first as a junior).
Coben will take his past experiences
and successes with him to the Diving
Zones.
"(Winning the title) last year taught
me that anything is possible," he said.
"I didn't think that I'd even come close
to winning, and I just ended up win-
ning that year. I just want to come back
and either try to repeat or at least get in
the top three."
Coben's showing at the Big Ten
Championships two weeks ago in West
Lafayette was almost as impressive as
this national title run. He captured first
place in the one-meter springboard and
the 10-meter platform en route to
being named Diver of the Champi-
TONY UDWG/Daly
in the NCAA Diving Zones this weekend.
onship. The highlight of Coben's per-
formance came when he nailed a back
arm-stand double with two-and-a-half
twists from 10 meters up, a dive that
has been attempted by just 12 people
in the world.
This weekend, Coben will proba-
bly unveil a dive that is even more
difficult.
"His hardest dive is a reverse three-
and-a-half tuck," Bergere said. "That
other one has (a higher degree of diffi-
culty), but this one is a lot harder for
him, because you have to spin toward
the platform with your head."
Even with his long list of achieve-
ments, Coben knows he will have but-
terflies at the beginning of the
competition.
"I'm probably going to be very
nervous when I get there," he said. "At
Big Tens, I wanted to make sure that I
did better than I have in the years
before, and my nerves just went crazy.
I learned from that experience. I just
need to get out there, get my first dive
out of the way, and then my nerves
usually calm down."
Bergere knows that, even though
Coben is considered a favorite, the
senior must earn his spot at the
NCAAs in Long Island, N.Y.
"On any given day, even the best
person can be beat," Bergere said. "He
just needs to go in there and take care
of his business."
Coben knows exactly what he needs
to do this weekend. But practice is
once again proving to be more trouble-
some.
"You just look like you missed your
right leg a little bit in the tuck there,"
Bergere said to his champion. "But
you stayed over it better. The pickup
looked a little delayed, but you
seemed to make it no problem. If you
connect that a bit smoother, that will
be fine."
Another nod, another attempt.
If everything works out, another
berth in the NCAA Championships
will follow for Jason Coben.
M MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
Teammates to hit road for support at NCAAs
By Phil Kofahl
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan men's indoor track team has
four elite athletes who will compete in
the NCAA championships. But, not
everyone can compete in nationals, so
16 teammates will go down to cheer for
the four who will take part in the meet.
They're hoping that they can give
their teammates that added boost by
making the track feel like their own.
Juniors Nate Brannen and DarNell Tal-
bert, combine with sophomores Nick
Willis and Andrew Ellerton to make the
nation's No. 1 ranked distance-medley
relay. Going into today's race, the quartet
is confident.
"We just need to go into it with that
mindset, that we're the favorite," Eller-
ton said. "There's no reason we
shouldn't win, as long as we run to our
capabilities."
While Brannen, Willis and Eller-
ton competed on the distance med-
ley relay in Arkansas last year and
finished third, this will be Talbert's
first national meet. Talbert's hard
work throughout the season earned
him the right to run the 400-meter
leg, and he will treat the medley like
any other race.
"I keep it chill until the day of, and
even the hour before," Talbert said. "I
try not to think about it."
This race will be different than the
others Talbert's run in the past -
he'll have some extra support in the
crowd.
"It's just as exciting that my mom
and dad will be there," Talbert said.
"My dad has never seen me run a
collegiate race before. It's just great
that they'll be there. What better
meet to have them there, especially
my dad?"
Talbert won't be the only one with
some extra support. Brannen, who
will be defending his 800-meter run
title, and Willis, who will try to chase
down defending champion Alistair
Craigg of Arkansas in the 3,000-meter
run, will both have the aforemen-
tioned fan section of their own.
Last night, 16 Michigan men made
the 12-hour drive to Fayetteville to
cheer on their teammates at the Tyson
Indoor Track Center. Packing 16 people
into two hotel rooms for the weekend is
just part of the fun. The athletes trav-
eled overnight to make it in time to see
Brannen run his 800-meter preliminar-
ies at 4 this afternoon. And the group
will look forward to the distance-med-
ley relay tonight at 9.
"We'll probably have the second
biggest group of fans, only behind
Arkansas," coach Ron Warhurst said.
oll
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Saig0s Garen
6 Dine-In & Carry-Out
Vietnamese & Chinese Cuisine
1220 S. University (at the corner of Forest)
Sun-Thur. 11 am to 1l pm
Fri 11 am to 11 pm
Sat 11:30 am to Il pm
. 734 747-7006
----- -- ----- --- - ----
I1
A Night of Persian Sounds
Reza Derakshani, a vocalist and virtuoso of several
Persian instruments, such as the Tar and Setar
(Persian style lutes), Ney (reed flute), Tarmanche
and Kamanche (bowed strings), and Daf (Persian
handdrum), will perform a fusion of traditional
Persian music, jazz, and other world genres.
Sunday, March 14 at 6:00 p.m.
Michigan League Ballroom
911 N. University, Ann Arbor
Also well known as a visual artist, his paintings will be on
display and available for sale prior to the concert.
Information at 734-764-0350 or
www.umich.edu/~iinet/cmenas
U
I
CONGRATULATIONS!
The following students will be among those recognized during the Honors Convocation program on Sunday, March 14, 2004.
These individuals have demonstrated the highest level of undergraduate academic success by achieving seven or more consecutive
terms of all A's and earning the designation of Angell Scholar. The University of Michigan congratulates these students on their
superior scholastic achievement and wishes them continued success.
NINE TERM ANGELL SCHOLARS
Mark David Buckles
Nathan R. Platte
School of Music
School of Music
Julie Ann Blume
Aimee Marie Egan
Bryan David Emmett *
Erica Lauren Fenby
School of Music
School of Education
School of Natural Resources and Environment
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
EIGHT TERM ANGELL SCHOLARS
Paul Stephen Albertus *
Gwendolyn Bree Arnold *
Laurence Adam Benenson *
Jonathan W. Davidson
Elise Nicole Erickson *
Paul Kuttner *
Abigail Virginia Sebaly *
Eric Y. Shieh
Kristen D. Slosser
Sarah Ann Uhler *
College of Engineering
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
School of Management -- UM Flint
School of Nursing
Residential College
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
School of Music
College of Arts and Sciences -- UM Flint
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Caitlin Ellingen Friedemann* College of Literature, Science,
and the Arts
Mi ndy Shumin Han *
Thomas Mu-Chang Liu
Elizabeth Yi-Hsin Lin
Kate Elizabeth Longcore
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
College of Engineering
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Thomas Patrick McDonough College of Literature, Science,
and the Arts
Michael R. Nettleman
Crystal M. Pepperdine
Ofer Reger *
Rachel Helene Rose
Noah Franklin Roth
Mesian Kate Strauss *
College of Engineering
College of Arts and Sciences -- UM Flint
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
SEVEN TERM ANGELL SCHOLARS
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