The Michigan Daily - Thursday, February 17, 2005 - 9A Women's hoops aims to set record Bertin back on top of his weight class By Matt Singer Daily Sports Writer The Michigan women's basketball team is offering substantial prizes - including a year's worth of Domino's pizza and 10 footballs signed by football coach Lloyd Carr - to some lucky fans attending tonight's game against Purdue. The promotion comes in an effort to surpass the program's all- time attendance record. And the prizes aren't T: N even the best part. If Michigan surpasses its attendance mark of 4,611 - which was set in last year's matchup against Michigan State Ci.r - one dollar will be donated to C.S. Mott Children's Hospital for each fan in attendance. "What I appreciate so much about the promotion is that it's a great way for our team, the program and Michigan ath- letics to give back to the community," Michigan coach Cheryl Burnett said. "It's a win-win situation for the hospital - a win-win situation for us. It's a way to say 'thank you' (to the community)." Since taking the helm of the Michigan program last season, Burnett has sought to spur local interest in women's basket- ball. From popular post game autograph * MEO TRACK & FIELD sessions to October's "kids clinic," the women's basketball team is already becoming a hit with many families in the Ann Arbor area. And with tonight's promotion, the Wolverines hope to reel in even more potential fans. "I think it would be a good oppor- tunity for us and the fans that haven't seen us play," senior co-captain Tabitha Pool said. By Mark Giannotto Daily Sports Writer Arena. Michigan's fan base is committed, but not par- ticularly sizable, as evi- denced by the Wolverines' 8th-place ranking in Big Ten attendance. They aver- age 2,143 fans per game, leaving lots of empty seats in an arena that holds over 13,000. But the sport clearly has growth potential. Three Big Ten schools - Purdue, Penn State and Minnesota - average over 8,000 fans per game. The team hopes that impressive attendance numbers tonight will spark more long- lasting support for the program. "That'd be really exciting (to set the attendance record)," Pool said. "We go to other gyms, and they have over 5,000 people. We need to have that (at Michi- gan) for women's basketball." Even with an unprecedented crowd supporting them, the Wolverines will have to bring their A-game to top Purdue Freshman Jessica Starling and the Wolverines hope to take down Purdue tonight. (6-6 Big Ten, 13-10 overall). The Boil- ermakers are led by sophomores Erin Lawless and Katie Gearlds, both out- standing inside-outside threats. The duo combined for 28 points in Michigan's 60-43 loss in West Lafayette and will have to be contained if the Wolverines (1-11 Big Ten, 5-18 overall) want to come away with an upset victory. Michigan is unusually well-rested for its matchup with the Boilermakers. The Wolverines have had a whole week to recharge their batteries after suffering a demoralizing 72-39 road loss to No. 2 Ohio State. "(The week off) really gave us a chance to get ourselves refreshed," Burnett said. "We had quite a few little nagging injuries that honestly needed some rest." He's one of the only wrestlers still in the weight room, but that doesn't mat- ter to him. He yells loudly as he struggles through repetition after repetition on the abdominal machine. A casual bystander would think he had hurt himself. But after a brief break, he gets right back on the machine and struggles through another set of exercises. After finishing his set, he notices that another teammate is struggling with his own exercises. He goes over and lends a hand. Senior co-captain Ryan Bertin knows 'what it takes to achieve the ultimate prize for a collegiate wrestler because he's done it before. But he is not going to forget the rest of his team in the process. In 2003, Bertin captured the NCAA Championship in the 157-pound weight class. Last year, he suffered some setbacks and lost in the semi final round of the national tournament. But in 2005,he's right back in contention again. "Last year, when the (NCAA) tourna- ment came around, I wasn't quite as healthy as I wanted to be," Bertin said. "In the semi- finals, I got in a real tough match against a real tough kid, and we got in a scramble situation, and he won the scramble." This year is a different story for Bertin. He is completely healthy and has compiled a 22-0 record. After his win over two-time All-American Alex Tirapelle of Illinois, Bertin is now ranked No. 1 by Intermat in the 157-pound weight class. The pressure of these accolades has not fazed Bertin. "To this point, I've been really focusing on going out onto the mat and wrestling hard," Bertin said. "My goal is to get better every week regardless of the result of the match. "This year I've been able to use my ath- leticism a lot more. The sport is so much easier for me when I'm healthy. You don't have to worry about being hurt, and your body works the way you want it to." Bertin's past experiences winning and losing at the NCAA Championships is pay- ing dividends this season. He's been able to use some mistakes from previous seasons to improve his training for this season., "You get smarter as you get older," Bertin said. "When I'm in the (weight room) I work hard, but, when I'm not, I make sure to get the proper rest and to eat the right foods. I've matured a lot over my five years (at Michigan), and I know what it takes to get to the top." Although he has his sights set on specific individual goals this season, Bertin knows he cannot forget his duties as a captain and leader of the team. "He brings great leadership to the table," co-captain Ryan Churella said. "Every day he sets the standard for everyone else, and he shows what it takes to be a champion. He's a three-time All-American and a for- mer national champion, so obviously he's doing the right things." Bertin's ability to lead by example has really helped the wrestlers around his weight class. Because Bertin is able to be practice partners with those around his size, his work habits rub off on them. Josh Churella, Eric Tannenbaum and Ryan Churella are all ranked in the top-five in the 141-, 149- and 165-pound weight classes, respectively. "I've never been the most vocal guy," Bertin said. "I just come into the wrestling room and put in the time I know you need do in order to be successful. I feel a lot of the guys look up to that." Bertin's quest for a second national championship is not without its road blocks. Amateur Wrestling News currently ranks Matt Gentry of Stanford No. 1, and Tirapelle is still a threat. Bertin and the Wolverines will look to continue their winning ways this weekend when they visit Michigan State on Friday and host Purdue on Sunday. DArcy says wning, not ck By Pete Sneider Daily Sports Writer In a sport where times and splits are the top priori- ties, sophomore John D'Arcy is an athlete who likes tq win as well. While D'Arcy does not debunk the value of times, his ability to finish first is what sets him apart. D'Arcy is a proven winner for the No. 3 Michigan men's track team, and his track record speaks for itself. He has won both of the 600-meter events that he has raced in this season. And his team has won two of the three 4x400-meter relays this year. "I'm a real competitive person," D'Arcy said. "It's definitely part of my personality. I don't like to give anyone an edge. I just try to go out and beat that per- son, and a time is just something else that happens." D'Arcy is not the fastest middle distance run- ner for the Wolverines, but he finds a way to win. Last weekend at the Sykes-Sabok Invitational in State College, he came from behind to edge Cen- tral Michigan's Steven Wezner by .03 seconds in the 600-meter run. His time of 1:18.12 was a per- sopal record. "He's a tremendous competitor," coach Ron War- hurst said. "You should have seen him at Penn State. He was at least eight yards behind (the leader) for the entire race but came around the turn and won." Winning often takes a backseat to the clock - a runner's primary competitor. Provisional and auto- matic qualifying times, school records and personal bests are etched into a runner's memory like an inter- active database. If they seek a flight in the NCAA championships, they know the required time down to a tick. Yet there are still runners who store that extra fire in their belly. D'Arcy fuels that fire at the finish line. "I usually have a pretty strong finish," D'Arcy said. "I may not be the fastest guy on the track, but I can hold my speed for a long time." D'Arcy's competitive demeanor has not gone unnoticed by his teammates. "He comes to every single race thinking he can win," senior captain Seth Waits said. "It's a testa- ment to how strong he is, mentally." D'Arcy's impact as a consistent winner rarely comes into fruition, as most meets on the Wolver- ines' schedule are non-scoring. But the Clayton, Ohio native plans to light up the scoreboard at the upcoming Big Ten Championships. " 0 "Last year, I only scored one point (at the Big Ten Championships)," D'Arcy said. "I really had a disap- pointing performance, and I want to improve. Hope- fully, I'll be able to score some team points in the 600. It's a real competitive field this year, but I think I can win." Because the NCAA Indoor Championships do not host the 600-meter event, a first-place finish at the conference championship would be the premier dis- tinction. D'Arcy will also run a leg in the 4x400-meter relay, joining Waits, sophomore Stann Waithe and senior Darnell Talbert. If the foursome runs a 3:08 or bet- ter - seven seconds faster than their season's best - they could have a shot at provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championships in March. "My main focus now is to qualify in the 4x400 relay," D'Arcy said. "We might try to do that in (the Big Ten Championships) or last-chance meets, but we'll need to run (a time of 3:08) to be on the edge of getting in." D'Arcy will sit out this weekend at the Harold Sil- verston Invitational in Ann Arbor. He will return to the track next weekend at the Big Ten Champion- ships in West Lafayette. TONY DING/Daily Senior co-captain Ryan Bertin is looking to defend his 157-pound NCAA title. INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS AUSTRALIA Sydney CHINA Beijing ENGLAND London FRANCE Grenoble Paris IRELAND Dublin ITALY Padova PERU Ayacucho & Lima This is B.U. This could be you. STUDY ABROAD SUMMER 2005 INTERNSHIPS LANGUAGE F> I ...... ..