2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 15, 2004 4 CLUBSPORTSWEEKLY Lacrosse maintains high national ranking cale ffikbigwn Ball ATHLETE OF THE WEEK By Chastity Rolling For the Daily The Michigan women's lacrosse team's boom box helps the Wolverines show their ability to incorporate a little bit of fun into their intense games. "Before each game, we blast our music from the team's boom box while the other teams look at us like we're crazy," Michigan junior Alyson Gilbride said. But this team is not just about fun. The Wolverines' warmup gets their adrenaline flowing and also gives their audience a taste of what its weekly practices are like. The team does a five-minute warm-up, stretches, forms line drills and does a special drill called "fast feet." Gilbride describes "fast feet" as a technique where players put their sticks in front of them and jump over them from side to side and then from front to back. As if this extensive workout is not enough, the coach has the Wolverines spin from left to right as a response to her whistle com- mands. But the warmup is nothing, compared to practice. Three times a week, the Wolverines work on strategies for an hour and a half. Practices consist of sprints and running drills. Gilbride says that the 7 a.m. practices, which take place on Monday mornings, are "solely for speed and agility." The long hours that the team puts into its practices seem to be worth it, looking at its success. Maintaining the excellence, how- ever, is no easy task. As one of the four varsity-club sports, the women's lacrosse team has a reputation of excellence to uphold. When Michi- gan lost to Florida on Valentine's Day, it was a learning experience. "We came back from being down by five to only losing by one," said junior Kate Finkenstaedt, who has been on the lacrosse team since her freshman year. "That was a real rebuilding expe- rience. We showed that our team had commitment." Despite the team's loss, it decided to convert its negative energy to positive, proving the players' commitment to the game and to one another. In addition to winning its last five games, Michigan sits at No. 4 in the U.S. Lacrosse Women's Association. Michigan has proven itself to be a force to be reckoned with. "I like the thrill of competition," Michigan coach Mary Ann Meltzer said. "I like to see the things we work on in practice implemented in the games. It is great to see (a strategy) work" Next for Michigan, on March 28, the Wolverines will travel to Annapo- lis, Md., for the Navy tournament, where they will compete against No. 8 Virginia Tech, George Washington, James Madison and No. 1 Navy. Michigan blew out Oakland 21-0 last Saturday. Who: Nate Brannen Hometown: Cambridge, Ontario Sport: Track Year: Junior 0 Why: Brannen won his second consecutive indoor 800-meter run national title by recording a school-record time of 1:47.61 at the NCAA Indoor Track and Feld Championships on Saturday. Brannen was also a member of the Distance Medley Relay team that set a new collegiate record. 0 WOMEN'S TENNIS Wolverines suffer first loss in Tuscaloosa By Waldemar Centeno Daily Sports Writer The 1989-90 season was the last time the Michi- gan women's tennis team had a 7-0 record to start off its season. But streaks don't always last. The 17th-ranked Wolverines suffered their first loss of the season against No. 37 Alabama yesterday, as they fell 4-3 at UA Outdoor Rec Courts. "Even though we didn't win the dual match today, we actually competed well," Michigan coach Bitsy Ritt said. "It was a match that could have gone to either team. We just came up a little short in singles, but we played well against a good team outdoors." Despite playing outdoors, the Wolverines (7-1 overall) said their character grew because of the loss to Alabama (8-4). "We learned that we can compete against a very competitive team on the road, outdoors," Ritt said. "Traditionally, we have been known as an indoor team, and a lot of our good wins this year have been wins at home. So we know that we are close to beat- ing a good team on the road. There are a lot of posi- tives to take away from the match." In the loss, Michigan received positive play from No. 36 doubles tandem Kim Plaushines and Debra Streifler. With Kavitha Tipirneni and Leanne Ruther- ford capturing a close doubles match 9-8, Plaushines and Streifler sealed the doubles point by winning their match 8-3. Both Streifler and Tipirneni went on to win their singles matchups, but they were the only Michigan singles winners on the day. Despite respectable singles rankings, No. 67 Eliza- beth Exon and No. 99 Michelle DaCosta both lost in straight sets. DaCosta fell to No. 50 Robin Stephen- son, Alabama's only ranked singles player 7-5, 6-2. Michigan also faced a two-week layoff between matches, but the Wolverines still felt ready for the match. "I really don't think (the two-week layoff) con- tributed to the loss today," Ritt said. "We had two weeks off, but we practiced well and we were ready to play today. It really was not a factor." With the Wolverines' upcoming matchups, Michigan's season will see a complete change of pace. Michigan will now face Western Michigan, Marquette and Michigan State in the next week and a half. "We are fit," Ritt said. "We trained hard in the off- season and we have a good balance of cardio work. We'll be ready to play. Tennis players are used to playing back-to-back days and spending a lot of time on the court. I think we are really ready for this por- tion of the season where we have a lot of matches in a short period of time." The Wolverines will look to respond to their first loss of the season when they played against Western Michigan on Wednesday, something that they have not had to do all year. "Western is a really well-coached team, and they always fight hard," Ritt said. "If we can put this loss behind us and have a good practice on Tuesday, we'll be ready to go on Wednesday. Western Michigan will be a very competitive match." q I Badgers gain little from tournament victory DayaNLPwRndgDaflyys APwr adns 1. ., s. 1.Indiana 49-16 ' * M." L is mal ng a se. * Reggie's been inconsistent late- s>s""ase r"te st;'tb ot the yunlike the team's seven consecu- ,stp. Red Ws tive wins by at least seven points. 2. Tampa Bay 95 pts. 2 Macramen 48 ' * Only one team has clinched a Gf layfpotThat team, the Tampa y INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - It turns out the Big Ten tournament champi- onship game didn't mean much. Wisconsin rolled to a 70-53 win over Illinois for its first tournament title yesterday, then sat and watched as the NCAA selection committee gave a higher seed to the Illini in the NCAA tournament. The Badgers (24-6) were seeded sixth and will face 11 th-seeded Rich- mond in the first round. Illinois (24-6) got a fifth seed, despite losing to Wis- consin twice this season, and will play 12th-seeded Murray State. But the Badgers aren't complaining. They'll be playing close to home in Milwaukee. "I can't see a difference between the 3 through 8 seeds" Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "I wouldn't want to be in that room, making those decisions. I'm pretty excited about it." And Devin Harris is even more excited. Sure, his Badgers got seed- ed lower than they were hoping, but they'll be playing in Harris' home- town. "We were hoping for Milwaukee," Harris said. "We got a high seed, but we're playing close to home, so it worked itself out." Harris was spectacular in the Big Ten tournament, never more than in the title game. The tourney's most out- standing player led the Badgers with 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting.. The 10th-ranked Badgers also held Illinois to a season-low 32.7 percent shooting to snap 12th-ranked Illinois' 12-game winning streak. Illinois' last loss came at Wisconsin on Jan. 24. "We couldn't get shots, couldn't get a run, couldn't get momentum," Illi- nois coach Bruce Weber said. "We just could never get over the hump." Harris had a lot to do with that. He scored Wisconsin's first 11 points of the second half and also had three steals. The junior punctuated yesterday's win with an explosive alley-oop dunk as the Wisconsin faithful chanted "One more year! One more year!" Both teams were shoo-ins for the NCAA tournament and were more interested in a higher seed than the automatic bid that goes to the tourna- ment winner. It turns out the Illini had nothing to worry about. They finished with the best seed of any Big Ten team. Michi- D171 lOp AHD COITEUTIE14 a A MICHIGAN ATW1TACS. The Michigan Sports Marketing team is looking for individuals with the same dedication and commitment that has made our sports teams champions. Become a part of the team that drives Michigan athletics! Do you want the opportunity to delve into the day-to-day operations of a high profile athletic department's marketing team? Working with Michigan Sports Marketing provides experience with various business skills: ticket sales, developing and implementing marketing plans and creating advertisements, learning customer relations skills, event management, and fundraising. We need students interested in the business of sports marketing, who are creative, hard working and driven. The opportunity provides potential for leadership opportunities, coupled with valuable mentorship by senior staff. No prior experience is necessary, just interest in learning the essentials of sports marketing. Join us in keeping Michigan Sports 'the leaders and best.' Send a resume or letter stating your interest and goals in becoming a member of the Michigan Sports Marketing Team by March 22, 2004. Please note, this internship is unpaid. Send questions, letters or resumes to Bess Tortolani (btort@umich.edu or 734-647-3072) gan State was the other conference team to make the field. The Spartans are a No. 7 seed. Illinois is headed to its fifth straight NCAA tournament. Last year, the Illi- ni lost to Notre Dame in the second round of the West Regional. "I feel good about it," Dee Brown said of their fifth seed in Columbus, Ohio. "We're in the tournament. As long as you're in the tournament you have to be happy because a lot of peo- ple didn't get in." Brown was Illinois' only effective offensive player. He scored 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting. His teammates were 10-for-37 from the field (27 percent). The Illini appeared lethargic, too often settling for jump shots that fell short. They were also outrebounded 34-27 and outscored 12-2 on fast- break points. "We were lacking some emotion today," Weber said. "We were moping around feeling sorry for ourselves." The Badgers set the tone in the first seven minutes of the game, shooting over 50 percent from the field and outrebounding Illinois 9-1. Clayton Hanson's hook shot gave Wisconsin a 16-6 lead. Illinois shot 29 percent in the first half. Brown kept Illinois in the game with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting. His teammates managed just 12 points on 3-of-18 shooting. But Weber has reason to be opti- mistic. "The last time we lost to Wisconsin, we won 12 in a row," he said. "Let's see what happens now." The Badgers will be making their sixth straight NCAA tournament appearance and seventh in eight years. They lost to top-seeded Kentucky in last year's Midwest Regional semifinal 63-57. 6. San Jose 87 pts. " Nothing seems to shake the Sharks anymore, a good sign when playoffs roll around. :: t 8. Boston 91 pts. " Leading the Northeast is impressive. Mike Knuble is en fuego en route to the playoffs. 9. Houston 39-26 " Who's the most underappreciat- ed person in Houston? Patrick Ewing. He's got Yao playing ball. 10. Vancouver 87 pts. * Free Bertuzzi? How about free hockey in Vancouver? The Canucks don't have a prayer. M9 NOTE Coben dominates Zone C diving meet Jason Coben qualified for his fourth national championship at the NCAA Zone C diving meet in Bloomington. The senior finished second in the three-meter springboard event on Friday, won the one-meter event on Saturday and came in sec- ond in the platform competition Sun- day. Coben was the platform diving co-champion in 2003. Coben finished second in the three- meter springboard to Timo Klami of Iowa, and was runner-up in the plat- form to J.R. Hillis of Ohio State. The NCAA Championships will be held from March 25 to 27 in East Meadow, N.Y. - Staff Reports 4 * ofuM, f L , 7k5 www.naylormotors.com ATTENTION EMPLOYEES OF: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PFIZER, INC. PROQUEST CITY OF ANN ARBOR CREATIVE SOLUTIONS DOMINO'S INC. NSK CORP. WASHTENAW COUNTY BORDERS GROUP, INC. WASHTENAW COMMUNITY COLLEGE ST. JOSEPH MERCY HEALTH SYSTEM MEIJER COS. LTD. INC. VETERANS ADMIN. MEDICAL CTR. E.T.A.S. I -1' m