2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 22, 2004
04
CLUBSPORTSWEEKLYr
Losing record, car crash can't shake lady icers
By Ellen McGarrdty
Daily Sports Writer
On March 11Ith Michigan women's club hockey
players Stacey Moses and Mary Catherine Finney
were 40 miles from Marquette and the Central Colle-
giate Women's Hockey Association (CCWHA) league
tournament. Each was at the wheel of a University
van, leading the way for two more vans that also held
members of the team. After driving for more than
seven hours in the snow and winds that Michigan is
known for, the drivers were mentally preparing them-
selves for the hardest leg of the trip - the three tour-
nament games they would be playing over the
weekend.
. Little did they know that the worst was just seconds
away.
Moses's van went first. After losing control of the
car, Moses was helpless as her van spun around and
was whipped into the ditch on the opposite side of the
road. The next car in line was Finney's. Her car too
was taken from her by the high winds, but she had
luckily left enough space between her van and Moses's
to come to a stop without hitting the other car. She
thought she was safe, but then BAM! Finney felt her
van being ploughed into suddenly. It was the third van,
which ultimately ended up parallel to hers and facing
the opposite direction. Only the fourth van escaped
without damage.
"I was sitting in the driver's seat and I just watched the
whole thing (in the rear view mirror)," Moses said. "I was
like, 'Everyone ok in our van?' and then I was thinking,
'Oh my God,' when I saw the others."
No one was injured in the collision, but the team
was forced to abandon one of the vans and the triple
accident put it even further into debt. As if this debacle
wasn't enough, Michigan (4-18-2) won just one game
while in Marquette - against league bottom dweller
Notre Dame - leaving it in second-to-last place in the
final league standings.
In fact, this accident was just the latest bump in the
very bumpy road the team has endured since the
beginning of the season.
Just a year ago, the club program was in a great
position. It had a 18-12-5 record, sitting at No. 2 in
league standings behind Michigan State. Hal Krenkel,
a Michigan student, was the fun-loving coach and
close friend of many team members.
But Krenkel graduated. Only one senior returned. The
three top goal scorers were lost to injury and study
abroad programs. The backup goalie was injured, and
Finney was the only returning player on defense.
Moses, club president, tried to pick up the pieces.
She hired a new coach, Steve Wartecker, and pulled in
nine freshmen to round out the team.
But the Wolverines learned that rebuilding can take
time. Wartecker's previous experience was in coaching
boys' PeeWee hockey leagues, and initially he may not
have been prepared to take on a collegiate women's team.
"He definitely improved a lot over the season,"
Finney said. "There were obstacles coming in, so we
were going to have problems no matter what."
Wartecker feels the biggest problem was the team's
composition.
"Practically three quarters of the team were fresh-
men," Wartecker said. "A lot of the girls hadn't played
organized hockey before, so it was difficult to gel with
the team when everyone was coming from all over the
place. There's a lot more things these girls worry about
than just hockey. The first year at a big university is a
big deal."
Not surprisingly, older players found it discouraging
to be on such a struggling team after having success in
recent years.
"The biggest problem with having a new team is
having the chemistry to (create) an offense," Finney
said. "It was hard to keep losing, but feel like we had
the potential to put it together and just wondering if we
were ever going to get there. This year could have
been even more frustrating, but we had a really moti-
vated group of people."
Another issue has been the strength of the league
Michigan plays in. The 10-year-old CCWHA is the pre-
miere club league in the country, and Moses claims that it
only gets better with every year that goes by.
Despite an extremely trying season, the players have
confidence that the team will stay together next year.
Moses said she thinks the team will just lose one or
two of its current members.
"Regardless of the win-loss record, I think the girls
had a lot of fun this year" Wartecker said. "That's all
that really matters in the end. We (plan) to be a lot
more competitive next year."
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Who: Lorilyn Wilson Sport Softball
Hometown: Salem, Oregon Year: Freshman
Why: Wilson struck out 12 en route to a one-hit shutout against Saint Louis.
Wilson, who has yet to yield a run as a Wolverine, has been almost perfect
in 27 2/3 innings of work.
Wilson
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Whitehead takes first for 'M' in triple, long jump
By Phil Kofahl
Daily Sports Writer
By the end of March, many ath-
letes find themselves getting stir-
crazy from all the indoor practices.
Michigan runners are no exception.
While it's invaluable for the team to
be able to get in shape when there's
snow outside, it couldn't be happier
to be outdoors. The shortened track
indoors can take its toll on the run-
ners, and the fresh, outdoor air reju-
venates the Wolverines.
The Michigan men's track team
shook off the cobwebs over the
weekend at the Florida State Uni-
versity Relays in Tallahassee, Fla.
The team's first meet brought it
exactly what it needed - sunshine.
The athletes faced heat and talented
competition the entire weekend, and
fared well.
Michael Whitehead led the
Wolverines with a pair of victories.
He captured first in the triple jump
Gold (premier) division, followed
by a win in the Garnet (lower) divi-
sion in the long jump.
"It worked out really well, it was
a really good time," Whitehead
said. "It was very sunny the whole
time and it was really hot. I'd rather
perform in the heat than in the cold
any day."
Whitehead was able to win the
triple jump with a leap of 50 feet-
4.5 inches despite fouling some of
his biggest jumps to date. His per-
formance in the long jump of 22
feet-7 inches was a personal best. It
was only his second time competing
in that event as a Wolverine.
"I know that I can definitely do
better," Whitehead said. "The long
jump isn't what I'm used to, but I'm
glad I could contribute."
Michigan entered few athletes on
the track, but those who did run
were able to contribute.
The top finish in the relays came
from the 4x400-meter relay team,
who captured second place behind
the team from the University of
Florida. Freshmen John D'Arcy and
Stann Waithe, along with juniors
Seth Waits and David Battani
crossed the finish line in 3:14.67.
Michigan also showed some depth
in the 400-meter hurdles, placing
three competitors in the top seven.
Waits captured first in the event,
knocking more than a second off his
personal-best for his third collegiate
victory. Battani finished in third,
while senior Nick Meter captured
seventh place. The Wolverines will
be back in action in two weeks at
the Yellow. Jacket Invitational in
Atlanta.
While the rest of the team was in
Florida, sophomore phenom Nick
Willis got to don the jersey of his
native country, New Zealand, at the
World Cross Country Champi-
onships in Brussels, Belgium. He
finished 40th out of 140 competi-
tors in the short-course (4000-
meter) format. He was less than a
minute behind the overall winner
from Ethiopia. While his time was
only one second better than when
he competed last year, it was 50
places better. Willis is red-shirting
the outdoor track season in prepara-
tion for the Olympics this summer,
where he will be representing New
Zealand.
01
s Y 4
2. Philadelphia 96 pts.
" One more injury and the Tem-
ple University Hospital will be able
to field a playoff team.
2. Detroit 46-25
k Pistons have held last seven
opponents to an average of 68.4
points. Sheed's finally found a home
4. Colorado 93 pts.
The Avs still need to watch out for
Vancouver. it has atendency to sneak
up from behind and attack
4. Minnesota 48-22
" Wolves dropped six of 10 since
Wally's return; talks of NBA cown
replaced with fears of another early exit
6. San Jose 92 pts.
. There is still plenty of room on
the Cheechoo train. He has six goals
in five games.
6 . San Antonio 46-24
Pop should bench Ginobili more
often. Manu scored 26 points in just
24 minutes in win over celtics.
0I
RYAN WEINER/Daily
Junior Dave Battani placed third In the 400-meter hurdles, and also helped the
4x400-meter relay team take second in the Florida State Relays this weekend.
Every Tuesday Is Calming and
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REGISTRAR'S BULLETIN BOARD
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