10A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, January 6, 2005 Quintet falters at World Juniors By Ryan Sosin Daily Sports Writer Like college team, like national team. The United States entry to the World Junior Hockey Championships was stocked with five Wolverine players, and it met a stunningly similar tournament exit to the Michigan hockey team's loss last week in the final of the Great Lakes Invitational. The U.S. team, led by Michigan junior Al Montoya, played very inconsistently. A week after Michigan's holiday tour- nament hopes were dashed by Michigan State with a soft overtime goal on junior backup goalie Noah Ruden, Montoya let a soft shot slip between his pads in overtime of Tuesday's Bronze Medal game. The goal gave the Czech Republic a 3-2 win and left the Americans without a medal. Michigan sophomore T.J. Hensick was almost nonexistent during the tourna- ment. He and fellow sophomore Mike Brown wound up on the team's fourth line by the time the tournament ended. "T.J. may have played really well," Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson said. "But he didn't seem to play much or play a big role." Michigan freshman Kevin Porter had the best tournament for the Wolverine del- egation. Porter put up five points in seven games including a goal - which was assisted by Hensick and sophomore Matt Hunwick - in the Bronze Medal game. "I'm not surprised that they liked him and they put him in a role of penalty kill- ing, playing on the point during the power play," Berenson said. "(He was) playing with good players against the other team's top line, and he did well." While en route back to Ann Arbor after the tournament - hosted in Grand Forks, N.D. - the quintet fought the snowstorm that terrorized the Midwest yesterday and didn't make it back in time for practice yesterday. Last season, all three of the Wolverines that played in the tournament - Montoya, Hunwick and junior Jeff Tambellini - returned to the lineup for the weekend series following the break. "They should practice Thursday with the team," Berenson said. "And (then) we'll evaluate who, if any or all, should play on Friday." Berenson said that he expects the play- ers all to be ready to play this weekend against Western Michigan before resting them the following week. "I think a couple of them will be really excited to get back," Berenson said. "And a couple will still be feeling the ill effects and fatigue of that tournament." Despite the struggles of Montoya and the limited impact from Hensick, Beren- son sees the tournament as a bonus expe- rience - one that will have primarily positive long-term effect on his players' careers. "We are going to take that all with a grain of salt," Berenson said. "We know what they can do when they are playing well, and we know what they can do to help our team." " Michigan goalie Al Montoya struggled while playing for the United States in the World Junior Hockey Championships. Tobias closes in on M' pin record 0 MENS TRACK & FIELD Kaiser brings in team attitude By Ian Robinson Daily Sports Writer By Mark Giannotto Daily Sports Writer For a wrestler, winning a match by pinfall is the ultimate goal. In a dual meet, a pin gets the team six points. In a tournament, a pin shows complete dom- inance over the opposing wrestler. Even though a pin - when the wrestler's shoulders are flat on the mat for at least two seconds - is particularly difficult to get, senior Jeremiah Tobias is on the verge of breaking the Michigan all-time falls record. With 51 pins for his career, Tobias is five pins shy of breaking Jeff Catrabone's record set in 1998. More than half of Tobi- as's wins have come by pinfall. "When I go out on the mat, all I think about is pinning (the other wrestler)," Tobias said. "I don't just want to beat the guy, I want to pin him." This aggressive style has served Tobias well this season. He captured the 149- pound weight class title at the Michigan State Open and finished third at the East- ern Michigan Open. "I don't really go out onto the mat thinking about the record," Tobias said. "But afterwards, it is always in the back of my head. I want the record, but it doesn't affect how I wrestle." Despite his penchant for pinning, Tobi- as has been unable to crack the Michigan starting lineup. This season Tobias has been in and out of the lineup depending on the importance of the match. He has been behind redshirt freshman Eric Tan- nenbaum, who is currently ranked No. 7 in the 149-pound weight class by Intermat and Amateur Wrestling News. Usually, a wrestler has plenty of time to prepare for his upcoming matches. In Tobias's case, he may not find out whether he is going to wrestle until minutes before the match. "Last year, I only wrestled four varsity matches, so I never really knew if I was going to wrestle," Tobias said. "I'm just always prepared to wrestle no matter what." Even though many of his matches end by pinfall, Tobias says there is no explana- tion for why he does it so often. "It's just natural," Tobias said. "I just have a feel on top for when to go for the pin. It's all about feeling comfortable. I usually use simple moves like a wing or a half nelson and try to pound the living crap out of somebody. I did that in high school, and I do it now. And it seems to work." Although he has not been wrestling on a consistent basis, Tobias believes he will get the record this season. There is a different feeling around the indoor track building this year. Assistant coach David Kaiser - in his first year with Michigan as the field coach - stresses the idea of track and field being a team sport. Kaiser is a proven winner, having coached many All-Americans and conference champions while work- ing at many schools, including Pur- due, DePaul and Kansas. Although individual accolades are great for the team, Kaiser's goal is to coach his team to a Big Ten champi- onship. He attempts to instill a team attitude in a sport where results are dependent on individual events. "We must unite 45 individuals into a team that are all doing something different," Kaiser said. "Our chal- lenge is to get everybody to under- stand their roles." The team is divided into distance runners, sprinters and field athletes. And this division makes it difficult to achieve a team identity. "An individual winning their event does not mean the team will win," sophomore triple-jumper Mike Whitehead said. "An individual can- not win the title. You must do it as a team." For the field athletes, realizing this team identity proves more dif- ficult because of the diversity of events. Kaiser builds team unity by training the jumpers, throwers and pole-vaulters together. "When you sweat together, bleed together and hurt together, it brings your group closer together," Kaiser said. Even though the season has not started yet, the athletes notice a dif- ference between this year's and last year's squad. "Last year, we had team unity issues on the team, but the lines that separated us are beginning to melt," Whitehead said. "It doesn't matter what event you are competing in, you need the support and admiration of your teammates." Kaiser wouldn't specify about the specific issues, but said, if the team wants to accomplish its goal of winning a Big Ten championship, it must not rely on just a handful of athletes. "You are not going to win a con- ference championship with two or three superstars." Kaiser said. "We need the rest of our team to attain that championship level to comple- ment the superstars." The Wolverines hope to improve upon last year's sixth-place finish at the Big Ten tournament. The athletes see the application of Kaiser's coach- ing method as a step towards improv- ing their place in the Big Ten. "The addition of Kaiser to the program has had a positive effect on the team," Whitehead said. "I expect big things this year." The hope is that the impact of Kai- ser's efforts to create a team feeling on the team will be apparent when the team participates in the season opening meet. The Wolverines host the Jack Harvey Invitational on Sat- urday at the Indoor Track Building. TONY DING/Daily Senior Jeremiah Tobias is just five pins away from breaking the pin record. "It would be cool to break the record at a home match here in Ann Arbor, but it doesn't matter as long as it gets (broken)," Tobias said. The next opportunity for Tobias to move closer to the pinfall record comes this weekend in the Lone Star Duals when Michigan faces No. 4 Nebraska, No. 23 Army and unranked Stanford in dual meet action. Geiger retires from Ohio State, I -------------- - REC SPORTS INTRAMi)RALS The University of Michigan Department of Recreational Sports Intramural Sports Program www.recsports.u miCh.edu 734-763-3562 REC SPORTS ISTR AMURA L COLUMBUS (AP) - Andy Geiger is stepping down as athletic director at Ohio State, citing burnout after almost two years of NCAA investigations into the school's football and basketball programs. Geiger, whose 11-year tenure included some of the Buck- eyes' greatest victories and biggest embarrassments, said he'll leave the post June 30. He denied being forced out due to a series of investigations and public stumbles. "I can't help perceptions," Geiger said at a news confer- ence yesterday. "We talk a lot about reality and perception. I'm a reality guy. I can't help what other people's percep- tions are." From the time Maurice Clarett led the Buckeyes to a foot- ball national championship in 2002, the school's athletic department has been beset by NCAA investigations. "I find my work is no longer fun and I no longer look forward with enthusiasm to each day," Geiger said. "I'm just tired. Just bone-weary. Not the tired that a good night of sleep fixes. 'Burnout,' I guess, is what they call it in the industry." Geiger, 65, got choked up at one point and took several moments to compose himself. He said the stress of running one of the largest athletic departments in the country led to his decision to leave. University president Karen Holbrook said Geiger will stay at the school until June 2006 as a fund-raiser and consultant. Geiger, who held the post since 1994, has 17 months left on his contract. After leading Ohio State to the national title as a fresh- man, Clarett was suspended for lying to investigators during an NCAA probe of allegations that he received improper ben- efits from a family friend. Last month, the school imposed a one-year postseason tournament ban on its men's basketball team over an alleged $6,000 payment to a recruit by former coach Jim O'Brien. Holbrook said the firing of O'Brien on June 8 was the first step in appeasing NCAA investigators. She and Geiger said more penalties may be coming. In football, quarterback Troy Smith was suspended for the Alamo Bowl for accepting benefits from a booster. Clarett has accused football coach Jim Tressel of set- ting him up with cars, said boosters provided him with no-show jobs and that Ohio State professors gave breaks to football players. A search of court records by The Associated Press revealed at least 14 arrests involving 14 football players in the period following Tressel's hiring in January 2001 and May 2004. Others, such as Smith and running back Lydell Ross, were suspended for at least one game following other disciplinary problems. Entries taken: Mon, 01/10 ONLY 1100 AM - 5:30PM IM Building Entry Fee: $88.00 per team Manager's Meeting: MANDATORY Wed, 01/12 6:00 PM or 9:00 PM IM Building Play begins: Thurs, 01/13 IM Building & Coliseum Basketball Entries taken:- Mon, 01/10 ONLY 11:00AM M5:30 PM 1M Building Entry Fee: $8800per team Managers Meeting: MANDATORY Wed, 01/012 8:i00 PM Iii Building Pay begns:. Sun, 01/16 Coliseum Fild Hock Indoor a: Entries taken: Thurs, 01/06 ONLY 9:00 AM -4:30 PM IM Building Entry Fee: $440.00 per team Manager's Meeting: MANDATORY Thurs, 01/06 6:00 PM IM Building Play begins: Sun, 01/09 Yost Ice Arena HAWKEYES Continued from page 8A with 1.6 seconds remaining and had a chance to tie the score. Pierce's first attempt hit the front end of the rim, and after another miss, the game was over. Michigan was just 2-6 on the road last season in the Big Ten, winning against bottom-feeders Penn State and Northwestern. "I told them in the lockerroom not many people are going to come in this place and win," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. "Certainly I'm sure the weather played a role in not having a normal crowd, and this is the time of year that the students aren't here." Although it's early, with the road win, Michigan jettisoned back onto the national radar for NCAA Tourna- ment contention. "That's a big-time win for a confer- ence opener," forward Brent Petway said. "We start 1-0 on the road. Last year people said we weren't a good road team. Our record showed that. So now, to come out and win our open- ing road game against a ranked team - that's big. That's going to help us out a lot." Despite a 44-30 halftime lead, Michigan allowed the Hawkeyes to cut the lead to one, 48-47, with 11:42 remaining in the game. The Wolver- ines did not tally an assist the entire second half after having 12 in the first, but were able to counter Iowa's con- tinual second-half charges. "In the last 10 minutes of the game, (they) made their free throws and we didn't," Iowa coach Steve Alford said. Petway played one of his most com- plete games as a Wolverine, scoring 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and grab- bing seven rebounds. The forward logged additional minutes after junior Chris Hunter left the game in the first half with a right ankle sprain, and his status is uncertain. Hunter's absence opened the door for Iowa's second- half fight, as Iowa continually battled back with strong interior play. Ice Hockey Entries taken: Mon, 01/10 ONLY 11:00 AM- 5:30 PM IM Building Enry Fee: $88,00 per team Manager's Meeting: MANDATORY Wed, 01/12 7:15PM Pay begins: IM Building Inner Tube Water Polo HOW THE AP TOP 25 FARED Associated Press Poll for the week of Dec. 7-13 Games updated through Jan. 4 FINAL AP TOP 25 (first-place votes in parentheses) TEAM Team: 1. Southern Cal 2. Oklahoma 3. Auburn 4. California 5. Utah 6. Texas 7. Louisville 8. Georgia 9. Virginia Tech 10. Boise State 11. Iowa This week: beat Oklahoma 55-19 lost to Southern Cal 55-19 beat Virginia Tech 16-13 lost to Texas Tech 45-31 beat Pittsburgh 35-7 beat Michigan 38-37 beat Boise State 44-40 beat Wisconsin 24-21 lost to Auburn 16-13 beat Louisville 44-40 beat Louisiana State 30-25 1. Southern Cal (62) 2. Auburn (3) 3. Oklahoma 4. Utah 5. Texas 6. Louisville 7. Georgia 8. Iowa 9. California 10. Virginia Tech 11. Miami 12. Boise State 13. Tennessee 14. Michigan REC 13-0 13-0 12-1 12-0 11-1 11-1 10-2 10-2 10-2 10-3 9-3 11-1 10-3 9-3 PTS 1,622 1,559 1,454 1,438 1,391 1,261 1,204 1,111 1,060 996 917 888 868 842 Pvs 1 3 2 5 6 7 ,8 11 4 9 14 10 15 13 1 I