2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 21, 2005 CLUBSPORTSWEEKLY Rugby: Inspiration for 'The Victors' By Colt Rosensweig Daily Sports Writer When rugby captain Andrew Finn injured his knee 12 months ago, he thought his entire senior season was over. And not without reason - he had torn his ACL and LCL, both of which had to be reconstructed. "The referee at the game said it was the worst injury he'd seen in his entire life," Finn said. "And my father, who played for 30 years, also said he'd never seen an injury that bad." But thanks to the superb play of his teammates during the regular season, Finn will be able to play rugby this year. The men's rugby team, whose season normally ends in the fall, is headed to nationals this April. And Finn, who has been inspiring his mates from the sidelines all season, participated in his first match since the injury against Pittsburgh this past Saturday. It was a friendly match and didn't affect official standings. "Rugby is the best sport in the world," said senior Wes Farrow, a flanker on the team. "I like rugby way more (than American football) because it's a more free- flowing game, and it's pure competition. You need your whole team to win games." Rugby is the ancestor of football, as well as the inspi- ration for the Michigan fight song, "The Victors," which was written following a rugby match. The sport is played by fifteen players from each team on what looks like an extra-wide football field. Points are scored on tries, two-point conversions and drop-kicks. A try, which is worth five points, is achieved by touch- ing the ball down after crossing the opposing team's end line. Tries are followed by two-point conversion attempts. Drop-kicks are worth three points and are the equivalent of field goals in American football. Opposing players can be tackled, but only in specific ways. "There's a lot more strategy when you're tackling someone, because you're trying to gain possession of the ball more so than stopping them from getting that extra yard or meter," senior outside center Aaron Turk said. "You can't block, you can't pass it forward and, when you get tackled, you have to release the ball after a sec- ond," Finn said. Everything seemed to come together for the team this season, except, of course, on the injury front. The team went 11-0 and won the league. Its average win margin was 55-7, and just two teams - Michi- gan State and Bowling Green - scored more than 10 points against Michigan. It triumphed over Bowling Green, a team ranked 17th in the nation, to win the Midwest championship. "Winning Midwest allowed Finn to play with us for nationals," Farrow said. "We won one for 'The Gimper.' " But the team hasn't always been so dedicated and for- midable. "In 1998, we could barely field a team," president of the rugby club, junior Brett Barna said. "Now we have 60 members, and our level of competition has grown over the years." From being a club mostly for fun, the rugby club has become populated by hard-working, serious players who are hungry to win. "Starting in 2000-2001, there was a small group of guys that started taking rugby and the club here at Michigan a lot more seriously," Turk said. "They are the ones that taught us how to play when we came in. Everyone has made up their mind that they're capable of doing whatever it takes, and we're all willing to put in the effort now." "This year is far and away the furthest the collegiate team has ever gone (in competition)," Finn said. The rugby team, literally, went far as well. Over spring break, some of the players traveled to Thailand to aid in tsunami-recovery projects. "(Traveling) overseas with a group of 32 guys that you know well, play rugby with, care about (and) to use that unity and that athleticism to actually be on the ground, helping people affected by the tsunami, was amazing," Barna said. "If we'd stayed there another week to two weeks, we could've finished just about everything they had to do." On the pitch, the team hopes to improve on commu- nication, fluidity, and moving the ball more quickly. But these are minor tweaks, not large problems. "One of our strengths as a team is we're really solid from top to bottom," Finn said. "Every single (player) in our top-25 is a really outstanding athlete." The team is in the final eight for nationals. They will compete in Santa Cruz, Calif., on April 15. If they win there, they will compete for the national championship at Stanford at the end of April. fte auftttganonau .Athlete of the Week Name: Ryan Bertin Team: Wrestling Hometown: Broadview Heights, Ohio Class: Senior Why: Bertin won his second national title in the 157-pound weight class at the NCAA championships on Saturday in St. Louis, leading the Wolverines to a second-place finish over- all - their top finish since 1974. 'M' SCHEDULE Date Event 3/23 M Tennis vs. Michigan State 3/23 W Tennis vs. Michigan State 3/24-26 W Golf at Baylor Tapatio Springs Shootout 3/24-26 M Swimming & Diving at NCAA Championships 3/24-27 M Track & Field at Florida Relays 3/24-26 W Track & Field at Raleigh Relays 3/25 Hockey vs. Wisconsin at NCAA Midwest Regional 3/25-27 M Golf at Furman Intercollegiate 3/25 Baseball vs. Oakland 3/25-26 M Gymnastics at Big Ten Championships 3/25-26 Softball at Louisville Invitational 3/26 Baseball vs. Oakland 3/26 W Rowing at ACC/Big Ten Dual 3/26 W Tennis at Northwestern 3/26 M Tennis at Notre Dame 3/26 W Gymnastics at Big Ten Championships 3/26 Hockey at NCAA midwest regional (if necessary) Location East Lansing Ann Arbor Boerne, Texas Minneapolis Gainesville, Fla. Raleigh, N.C. Grand Rapids Greenville, S.C. Ann Arbor Ann Arbor Louisville Ann Arbor Columbus Evanston South Bend Iowa City Grand Rapids Madison Ann Arbor Time 6 p.m. 6 p.m. TBA TBA 9 a.m. TBA 8:30 p.m. TBA 3 p.m. 7 p.m. TBA TBA TBA 12 p.m. 1 p.m. 7 p.m. 8 p.m. 12 p.m. 1 p.m. 01 M' down two to Indiana this season By Kevin Wright Daily Sports Writer The shot clock was counting down from 15 seconds during sudden death overtime in Friday night's women's water polo con- test between Michigan and Indiana. Indiana junior Janis Pardy had the ball in the middle of the pool, looking to pass to one of her teammates. As the clock flashed seven, the Michigan player defending Pardy dropped back to protect the four-meter line, and Pardy lofted the ball into the air. Rotating ever so slightly, it soared over the water, over the out- stretched arms of Michigan's senior goalie Betsey Armstrong and quietly smacked the back of the net. The crowd at Canham Natatorium sat silent and stunned while the Indiana players celebrated. With that miraculous goal, No. 11 Michigan (6-1 CWPA, 17-10 overall) lost 7-6 to No. 9 Indiana (7-0, 17-8). "Sudden death is the same as a coin toss at the beginning of the game," Michi- gan coach Matt Anderson said. "You call heads or tails and hope it lands the way that you called it." In a matchup between two of the top teams in the CWPA, Michigan came out sluggish and didn't show signs of compet- ing until the last minute of the first half. Trailing 2-0, the Wolverines found a spark. Junior Carly Strub scored with 43 seconds remaining, and sophomore Shana Welch notched a goal on a breakaway with 23 seconds left. Heading into half- time, the Wolverines and Hoosiers were deadlocked at 2-2. Michigan continued to improve offen- sively in the third period as junior Megan Hausmann and senior Sheetal Narsai each scored to give the Wolverines a 5-4 lead. In the fourth period, Indiana junior Emily Schmitt struck back with a goal with 4:20 remaining to tie the game at five. Armstrong made a spectacular save on a breakaway shot with 24 seconds left, sending it into overtime. Welch scored first, but Indiana answered to tie it at six apiece, in the second over- time, sending it to sudden death. While the second loss to Indiana this season was hard for the Wolverines to take, Armstrong said that the toughness the team showed was a positive. "We're proud with the way that we played," Armstrong said. "We can use it for a catalyst for the rest of the season. In our home pool, we had the opportunity to get the fire back and get ready for the next couple of tournaments." Rebounding from the tough loss to rival Indiana, Michigan hosted the Wolverine Invite on Saturday. After easily defeating Brown and Wheaton 8-3 and 14-1, respec- tively, the Wolverines faced off against SOFTBALL Continued from page 1B sit on it - we scored early, and then we came back and scored again." Michigan received a solid outing from Wilson in its matchup against the Longhorns. Wilson pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits without walking a bat- ter. She struck out seven, including four of the first six batters she "faced while leading the Wolverines into the final game. Michigan started the tournament just as strong as it finished it, going undefeated in pool play. The Wolver- ines topped host Cal. State-Fullerton 3-2 in the first round of the tourna- No. 7 Loyola Marymount. In the Wolverines' second tight game of the weekend, Michigan held a 5-4 lead going into the fourth period. The Lions tallied four goals, countering the Wolver- ines' two goals in the final period. Michi- gan had a chance to tie when Welch stole the ball with 23 seconds left, but senior Jo Antonsen's pass was stolen by Loyola Marymount's sophomore Katie Hicks, clinching the Lions' 8-7 victory. After two heartbreaking losses, the Wolverines needed an emotionally charged senior-day game against Califor- nia Lutheran to raise their spirits. Before the game, the seven seniors were honored, and, as a testament to their tight-knit bond, all of them except for Armstrong scored at least one goal. The Wolverines defeated California Lutheran 12-2 and ended the Wolverine Invite on a high note. "We've been looking forward to this and dreading this day for a while," Anton- sen said. "There were a lot of different emotions. We're all excited to move onto the next chapter but sad because we'll be leaving each other and the program. It's going to be tough to say goodbye." After a shaky start against Indiana, Anderson felt that his team's improvement as the weekend progressed was extreme- ly important heading into the final few weeks of the regular season. "You want to know that you played bet- ter at the end of the weekend than you did at the beginning, and we definitely did," Anderson said. "We're following the steps that we have planned - to be able to oper- ate at the best level come playoff time." Overall, Anderson was pleased with a 3-2 record and his team's ability to com- pete with two top-tier teams in the nation over the weekend. "We were two bounces away from defeating two very good top-10 teams," Anderson said. "The key is, at the end of the season, in our final two games against that type of competition, that the bounces go our way." ment before rolling to shutout vic- tories over No. 24 Fresno State and North Carolina. Michigan then moved onto the championship bracket where it squared off against DePaul. Ritter tossed a complete game three-hitter to hold the Blue Demons scoreless, and Motycka hit a solo home run to notch the lone score for Michigan. The 1-0 victory gave Hutchins her 900th career win. "The best thing to happen to me is that there were a bunch of alums out here, all the kids that contribut- ed to those wins," Hutchins said. "It was just perfect timing to get that milestone win today, so that was pretty fun." 3/27 3/27 W Tennis at Wisconsin Baseball vs. Oakland 01 TOMMASO GOMEZ/Daily . Freshman Justine Mueller finished ninth in the 200-yard individual medley at the NCAA tournament. uefinis hes top,- 20 at the NCAAs* AMY uDRUMM/Uaily Junior Carly Strub scored three goals on the weekend in Michigan's efforts. By Anne Uible Daily Sports Writer HIRE YOURSELF. Just starting out? Finding the right job can be tough, especially with every student's least favorite word - experience - popping up in nearly every want ad. With Tupperware, the best business opportunity in America, you'll quickly be on your way to earning a terrific income, developing leadership skills, and building your own business- no experience necessary! Come hear how Monday, March 21St, 6pm at the Michigan Union - Pond B. All in attendance will receive an award-winning Tupperware product FREE! Questions call Janet: 810/231-6517 Swimming coach Jim Richardson stopped freshman Justine Mueller before she stepped up on the block for the 400-yard individual medley with just one piece of advice for her: "You belong here." Mueller took his words to heart and swam to three top-20 finishes - includ- ing two ninth place finishes in the 200- and 400-yard individual medleys - this weekend at the NCAA Championships to become Michigan's top individual leader. "You have to have a lot of confidence to swim well in a meet like that," Mueller said. "If you get ahead of yourself and try to think further than the race you're about to swim, you won't do well." The No. 17 Michigan women's swim- ming and diving team finished 14th at the NCAA Championships in West Lafayette this weekend, marking the Wolverines' 17th top-15 finish in the past 20 years. With a total of 84 points, the Wolverines tied with Texas A&M and were only three points away from Penn State, which held down the 13 position. Georgia ran away with the Champion- ship title after winning four individual events and claiming victories in all five relays - something that had never been done before in NCAA history. With a final team score of 609.5, the Bulldogs were more than 100 points ahead of sec- ond place Auburn. "It's amazing when you think about the amount of talent that this meet gathers," Mueller said. "It's kind of intimidating, Universiy ofMihigan 2005 f; Leadershp 0-0 May 9-4 or August 22-27 At LeaderShape you will... and you have to keep reassuring yourself that you deserve to be there." At the conclusion of the first day of events, the Wolverines sat in the 10th position with 39 points after the 200- yard freestyle relay team of sophomores Kaitlyn Brady and Lindsey Smith, senior Amy McCullough and junior Abby Ses- kevics swam to an All-American finish. The relay hit the wall in 1:30.55 for a fifth place finish, just 0.08 seconds behind fourth-place Texas. Mueller led the Wolverines in indi- vidual events on the first day with a ninth place finish in the 200-yard indi- vidual medley. Mueller held the fastest time in the event going into the finals on Thursday night. Her time of 1:57.58 was the second-fastest time swam this year in the nation. "I was really happy with my race," Mueller said. "In the finals race, all I thought about was trying to duplicate my morning swim. I knew that, if I could do that, I would do well." The Wolverines dropped to 14th place on second day of competition after scoring just 21 points. Smith led the Wolverines with an eighth-place finish in the 200- yard freestyle. Smith entered the finals on Friday night with a personal-best time of 1:46.93, which left her in seventh place. On the last day of the meet, Michigan was only able to qualify in the 400-yard freestyle relay team of Brady, Smith, Seskevics and McCullough. The team swam a 14th-place finish, which quali- fied them for the All-America team. It was Michigan's third All-American performance of the Championship and sixth all-time in the event. The conclusion of the meet this week- end marks the end of the team's season, but several swimmers will be working toward the World Championship trials, which are scheduled for April 1-6 in Indianapolis. FOOD FOR THOUGHT Politburo member Senator Dang Quang Minh, the 01 mmmmm Mobile study partner. Work whenever Wherever, Wirelessly. W., t h a P "3iowery'.ok, the tool