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 0 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 1 O FF College Night! the ornge, i REGISTRAR'S BULLETIN BOARD PRIORITY REGISTRATION FOR SPRING, SPRING-SUMMER, SUMMER AND FALL 2004 BEGINS MARCH 29 BACKPACK IS AVAILABLE NOW! REGISTRATION HOURS You cannot register before your appointment time. Registration and drop/add are available at the following times: Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 a.m. Saturday 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Sunday Noon - midnight Wolverine Access: http://wolverineaccess.umich.edu REGISTRATION SCHEDULE Students can access Registration anytime after their appointment time. Your appointment start time is now available on Wolverine Access. i I a One Hour Soak for TWO Sunday-Thursday Not valid on holidays or weekends. Not valid with any other offer. Coupon required. Expires 4-15-04. Must be 18 with ID. surroundings of a well-tended garden setting... spacious and private, a sparkling clean hot tub and the great outdoors! Call for reservations. U. 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