The Michigan Daily - SportsWednesday - January 5, 2005 - 7B
MENS SWIMMING AND DIVING
'M' hands Trojans
season's first loss -
By Kevin Wright
Daily Sports Writer
It was the first loss of the season.
No, not Michigan's. The No. 9 Michi-
gan men's swimming and diving team
handed No. 1 Southern Cal its first loss
of the season yesterday, 145-117.
After spending winter break training
in California, the Wolverines started
2005 on a positive note. Beating South-
ern Cal gave the younger swimmers on
the team the confidence that they can
perform at the highest level with elite
competition.
During their training, the Wolverines
worked on some of the fundamental
strokes, basic techniques and overall
conditioning, Michigan coach Bob Bow-
man said.
Because of the strenuous workouts,
the Wolverines may not have been as
sharp as they could have been, but they
still managed to defeat the top-ranked
Trojans.
In the 500-yard freestyle, Michigan's
Peter Vanderkaay edged out fellow
Olympic teammate Larsen Jensen of
Southern Cal with a time of 4:30.18 to
Jensen's 4:31.44. Jensen wouldn't play
second fiddle for the entire meet though
and won the 1000-yard freestyle with a
time of 9:18.29. He beat out Michigan's
Brendan Neligan who finished second in
9:21.24.
Vanderkaay also won the 200-yard
freestyle in 1:38.61. Coming in second
was Southern Cal's Ous Mellouli, who
finished in 1:39.55.
Michigan took a slight 20-16 advan-
tage after two events with Chris DeJong,
Christian Vanderkaay, Peter Vanderkaay
and Davis Tarwater, winning the 400-
yard medley relay in 3:20.55.
Michigan never relinquished the lead
as it continued to excel. Tarwater won
the 200-yard butterfly with a time of
1:50.46, and freshman Alex Vanderkaay
took second, finishing in 1:52.07.
The Wolverines increased their lead
to 73-58 after DeJong won the 100-yard
backstroke, finishing in 49.39.
But Southern Cal closed the gap with
Mike Mintenko, beating junior Peter
Vanderkaay in the 100-yard freestyle with
a time of 45.35 to Vanderkaay's 45.70.
Later in the meet, the Wolverines -
with a lead of 129-97 - sealed their vic-
tory with a decisive win in the 400-yard
freestyle relay when DeJong, Christian
Vanderkaay, Tarwater and Andrew Hurd
posted a time of 3:04.73. Southern Cal's
squad composed of Sean Sussex, Tyler
Panos, Tyler Wilson and Ous Mellouli
finished second with a time of 3:10.71.
The Wolverines' Christian Vanderkaay
also won the 100-yard breaststroke with
a time of 57.13, beating out Southern
Cal's Paul Fahey, who finished just
three-tenths of a second behind.
In the 200-yard backstroke, Michi-
gan's DeJong won with a time of 1:47.65.
Southern Cal's Victor Bodrogi finished
second in 1:50.49.
Held at the USC Physical Education
Building because of resurfacing done
to Nova Aquatics - the facility where
the Trojans normally swim - it was
the first meet in the Physical Education
Building since 1983.
Bowman said he believed that compet-
ing in the building - nicknamed the "dun-
geon" - helped add to the atmosphere.
"The pool had a good environment,"
Bowman said. "It was really enclosed,
so it allowed for a good energy. We
got to swim in a meet with the best in
the nation, and the pool environment
allowed everyone to get excited."
Bowman appeared pleased with his
team's performance and said he hopes
that it can propel the Wolverines to
achieve other similar victories.
"A win against Southern Cal is a nice
step along the way for us," Bowman said.
"We have to make sure that we don't get
overconfident because we still have a
long way to go and goals to accomplish.
Still, we took a big step forward in the
right direction."
Helsman winner Matt Leinert and the Southern Cal Trojans defeated Oklahoma 55-19 in the Orange Bowl for their second straight National Title.
TROJANS
Continued from page 1B
poll at the end of the regular season. The BCS com-
puter rankings favored Oklahoma, even though the
Sooners lost the Big 12 title game 35-7.
Oklahoma then washed out in the BCS champi-
onship game, losing to LSU in the Sugar Bowl 21-14
to give the Tigers the top spot in the coaches' poll.
The Trojans wrapped up their 2003 national title
three days before the BCS championship game by
beating Michigan 28-14 in the Rose Bowl.
They won't have to wait for their trophy this season.
With the aide of four Oklahoma turnovers, the
Trojans (13-0) ambushed the Sooners (12-1) with
38 points in the final 20 minutes of the first half.
"I think they're great, and they sure proved it," Okla-
homa coach Bob Stoops said. "We just got whupped."
The first meeting of Heisman winners couldn't have
been more one-sided. Leinart set an Orange Bowl
record with his five scoring tosses and Jason White
spent another BCS title game running for his life.
Oklahoma's Heisman winner finished 24-of-
36 for 244 yards with three interceptions and two
touchdowns.
Leinart was 18-of-35 for 342 yards and he had the
Southern Cal band playing "Fight On" all night. The
laid-back Californian who replaced Carson Palmer
became the first Heisman winner to win a national
title since Michigan's Charles Woodson in 1997.
Leinart looked nothing like the overrated
quarterback for an average offense as Oklahoma
defensive end Larry Birdine described him.
He tossed four scores in the first half as the Trojans
turned an early 7-0 deficit into a 38-10 halftime lead.
And when the demolition had ended, the Tro-
jans bounced and danced their way to the locker
room, grooving in the end zone as Outkast's "Hey
Ya" blared through Pro Player Stadium. Mean-
while, the Sooners trudged off having already
allowed more points in a bowl game than any
team in school history.
Leinart shrugged off Birdine's comment and played
great in what could be his farewell to college football.
The junior could be a top pick in the next NFL draft.
He also got plenty of help. The Trojans reached
a season high for points and turned the game into a
USC highlight reel, with Leinart making pinpoint
passes and his receivers making spectacular catches.
Steve Smith caught an Orange Bowl record three
touchdowns, LenDale White ran for 118 yards and
two scores and the Southern Cal's defense smothered
Oklahoma's freshman sensation Adrian Peterson.
Peterson, the Heisman runner-up, managed just
82 yards on 25 carries.
Senior Mark Bradley made a freshman mis-
take that set off one of those Southern Cal runs
that have done in so many opponents during the
Trojans' 22-game winning streak.
The Sooners' most versatile player and the son
of former Oklahoma quarterback Danny Bradley
tried to scoop up a punt that had bounced inside
the Oklahoma 5. Collin Ashton grabbed on to
Bradley, the ball squirted away and Southern Cal
recovered at the 6.
Bradley trudged back to the sideline, where he
received some pats on the head and back.
His mood no doubt worsened on the next play,
when LenDale White reached the ball over the
goal line to give the Trojans a 14-7 lead late in
the first quarter.
Southern Cal made it 21 straight points with
the help of Oklahoma's second turnover. Under
pressure, White heaved a deep ball into qua-
druple-coverage and Jason Leach came up with
Southern Cal's 20th interception of the season.
Then the Trojans went to work on Oklahoma
freshman cornerback Marcus Walker with their
own star freshman, Dwayne Jarrett.
The 6-foot-5 Jarrett went over the 5-11 Walker
for an 18-yard gain on third-and-8.
Cagers still not healthy for Big Ten
By Megan Kolodgy
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan men's basketball
team has listed its possible starters
for today's Big Ten opener at No.
14 Iowa as freshman Ron Coleman,
junior Chris Hunter and sopho-
mores John
Andrews,
Courtney ThNTGWT
Sims and}
Dion Har- owa
ris. Of this T 9:O0p n
bunch,
Harris and
Sim s are _PN-P_ _ _ _
the only
players who started in Michigan's
first contest of the season, when the
Wolverines took on Binghamton.
This lineup is probably not what
Michigan coach Tommy Amaker
envisioned when the Wolverines (8-
5 overall) embarked on a season two
years removed from NCAA sanc-
tions. Michigan's resources have
been severely depleted since mid-
December, when Amaker announced
that captain Lester Abram was out
for the season and that captain Gra-
ham Brown, junior Dani Wohl and
junior Daniel Horton would have to
sit on the bench for four to six weeks
due to injuries.
Horton has since stated that he
has started practicing lightly and
could potentially return to the floor
tonight or soon after.
Although their estimated return
dates are still up in the air, Amaker
is pleased with the way his previ-
ously less-prominent players have
performed - particularly Coleman,
who put up 17 points against UNC-
Asheville on Dec. 31.
"It's been very positive to see how
aggressive he's been," Amaker said.
"He's worked hard, he's a great kid,
but he's also been able to make some
shots and get some confidence."
Even with the possibility of Hor-
ton returning, the Wolverines will
have their work cut out for them
against Iowa (12-1) on the road.
The Hawkeyes are currently riding
a nine-game winning streak. Michi-
gan's two-game streak pales in com-
parison.
"I think it's obvious that we have
some momentum going into confer-
ence play," Amaker said. "We have a
daunting task in playing the Hawkeyes.
We recognize that they are one of the
hotter teams in the nation, and we're on
the road against those guys."
Tonight also marks Michigan's
first game against a ranked oppo-
nent since it defeated then-No. 20
Notre Dame at the beginning of
January before most of the injuries
occurred.
Iowa boasts guard Jeff Horner,
who falls in the top 11 of seven sta-
tistical categories in the conference.
His 3-point shooting percentage
puts him at the top of the Big Ten,
while he is second in the league
with an average of 6.3 assists per
game.
Hawkeye Erek Hensen's average
of 3.9 blocks per game also sur-
passes all of his conference coun-
terparts. Michigan does not have a
consistent threat from beyond the
arc, but sophomores Brent Petway
and Sims rank fourth and fifth in
shot-blocking.
Still, Amaker feels that the course
of the season can take any direction
when Big Ten action begins.
"We're pleased with (our last two
wins), but we know that now things
completely change for everybody, in
terms of all teams in college basket-
ball," Amaker said. "Every coach in
every conference will probably say
that conference play is different.
And certainly conference play is
different when you're on the road."
AP PHOTO
Junior Chris Hunter, left, and sophomore Courtney Sims will be two of Michigan's biggest
weapons as it begins conference play in Iowa tonight.
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