10 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 12, 2005 Unorthodox foe, tests Wolverines By Megan Kolodgy a force for Michigan thus far - he current- Daily Sports Writer ly leads the Wolverines in rebounds and is second on the team in blocks. But Amaker Tonight, Courtney Sims may have the believes that Sims's formidable reputation, toughest matchup of any Wolverine when as well as the absence of other dominant Michigan (1-0 Big Ten, 10-5 overall) takes frontcourt players, has made him a target on Northwestern. This trial comes at a time on other teams' scouting reports. Deiley stands tall for 'M' tumblers when the 6-foot-l1 center is - not quite living up to the inun- dation of preseason hype that To was part and parcel with his Mic 25-pound weight gain and his Nor 68 blocked shots that placed him at the top of the Big Ten7 last year in that category. Cris Sims must battle Wildcats ES center Mike Thompson, a _ Duke transfer who Michigan coach Tommy Amaker described as a "big, strong post player who is highly regarded and who was highly recruited." And on the night of this considerable task, Sims could be without his usual frontcourt counterparts. Sophomore Brent Petway and junior Chris Hunter both sus- tained injuries in Saturday's game against Fairfield and may not be able to take the court this evening against Northwestern (1-1, 8-6). With the health status of junior captain Graham Brown still uncertain, Sims could be the lone usual starter getting knocked around in the paint. This is not to say that Sims has not been NIGHT higan vs. thwestem p.m. der Arena PN-Plus "I think what we have to do with Courtney is that he has to make quicker decisions," Amaker said. "I think he's taking too much time on the post. We have a saying around here that sometimes you have to make the shot before you take the shot. He has to have that kind of prepa- ration as he's posting." While Sims and Thompson match muscles down low, sophomore Dion Har- ris and junior Daniel Horton will split time at point guard. Horton is still working his way back into the lineup and, according to Amaker, may return to his starting posi- tion tonight. Horton is in no particular hurry to be on the court at tipoff. "If I start, I start," Horton said. "If I don't, I'd feel fine coming off the bench. Those guys have played well for over a month without me being in the starting lineup or playing at all." Michigan will have to cope with North- Sophomore Courtney Sims faces a tough matchup against Northwestern tonight. western's Princeton-style offense, which is an anomaly in the Big Ten. The Wildcats beat Indiana last week but then suffered quite a blow when they traveled to East Lan- sing and were crushed by Michigan State. The Wolverines will also have to deal with junior forward Vuksic Vedran, who averages 16.3 points per game. The Big Ten has already proven to be an evenly matched conference - Indiana has beaten Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State have beaten previously No. 14 Iowa, and, last night, Wisconsin toppled the Buck- eyes. Only No. 1 Illinois and No. 15 Michi- gan State have 2-0 conference records. In a league where it is abundantly clear that no win is a gimmie, the Wolverines must operate under just one motto tonight in their opening Big Ten game at Crisler Arena. "That's one thing that we always strive to do since I've been here is protect our home court," Horton said. "We had one disappointing loss at home this year, and we're trying to make that the only one." By Katie Niemeyer Daily Sports Writer At 5-foot-5, junior Jenny Deiley is tall for a gymnast. But Deiley uses her height, which is normally construed as a disadvantage in her sport, to accentuate her artistic per- formance. "She has such a flair for the dra- matic," coach Beverly Plocki said. "She's very beautiful to watch. I think the artistry of her gymnastics is one of her strengths. It's very cap- tivating to watch her." Deiley started her career as a Wol- verine with a bang. As a freshman, she made the NCAA All-America first team in the all-around. After setting a Michigan record for most all-around scores of 39.000 or higher (out of a possible 40) in a single sea- son, Deiley suffered an ankle injury last year. "I'm very consistent, but one of my weaknesses is that I get very frus- trated," Deiley said. "Last year, over- coming an injury was frustrating, but it was a very good learning experi- ence for me. I think I've completely recovered, and I feel a lot stronger coming in. I'm more confident and ready for the season." Deiley debuted at Michigan with an incredible freshman campaign, and, after two years at the college level, she has learned the college system and settled into a routine. Deiley said her experience has added to her calm approach to competition. Plocki agrees. "I think that this season has even more potential than her freshman year because she has a great deal more experience," Plocki said. "Her maturity and her ability - the way she approaches competition - will be a great asset to her. She's very levelheaded. She has a very calm demeanor when she approaches com- petition." Along with experience comes responsibility. Because of Deiley's maturity and ability to consistently perform well, Plocki will be looking for her to step into a leadership role for the younger gymnasts. "I think I contribute most through how I present myself," Deiley said. "I always come calm and ready, and I think that relaxes people with less experience. I hope to lead by example with my work ethic and how I come prepared for things." Like every gymnast, Deiley knows what it's like to feel pain. Often bothered by a sore ankle or tendon- itis in her knees, she still competes and practices every day and fights through the pain. "When she's not feeling good, she can take a landing and it's like she's going for an academy award," Plocki said. "And then she'll shake it off and three minutes later, she's back up there doing another tumbling pass. I know that when she's hurting, I know she's really hurting. But she's always able to walk into the corner, shake it off and get back up there and do what she knows she needs to do." Because of her love for the dra- matic, it's no surprise that Deiley's favorite apparatus is the floor exer- cise, where she can let the inner per- former and dancer out. "She's just a great, funny kid and she's an absolute pleasure to coach and be around," Plocki said. "I think that this could be a great year for her. She could accomplish an awful lot in a lot of different areas." After placing fourth in the all- around against Nebraska this past weekend, even with a fall on the floor exercise, Deiley hopes that this season will end with a good finish at the NCAA Championships and a team national title. 0 0 6 c WOMEN'S SWtMMdNGe Richardson, team travel to train and recover By Dan Ketchel Daily Sports Writer Not everyone can multitask like the Michigan women's swimming team can. During the last week of winter break, the Wolverines took on many dif- ferent roles: They were athletes, competitors and, most importantly, ambassadors. Every year around this time, the team takes a trip to somewhere tropical for about a week to concen- trate entirely on getting into top shape for the final grind of its season. This year, the Wolverines' annu- al winter training trip took them to the island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean. There they participated in five days of rigorous training, swam in an exhibi- tion meet against both Notre Dame and some St. Lucia locals and managed to fit in about two days of traveling. Michigan swimming coach Jim Richardson plans these types of trips every year with two main focuses in mind: intense training and recovery. He loves the idea of having his athletes give complete attention to their conditioning and nothing else. When put into this relaxing environment, they are able to eliminate many stresses they face on an everyday basis dur- ing the semester, including going to class and stay- ing up late studying or writing papers. Richardson also gets their undivided attention for a week and can push them to work their hardest and get into the best physical shape. "We can do a lot of very focused work," Richard- son said. "We are able to do some things technically with people that they can apply without thinking about this exam tomorrow or wherever else their mind may be normally." Richardson also emphasizes the team bonding that is an important part of these trips. The athletes travel together and spend a week away from home, living very close to their teammates. They are together constantly for the entire trip, which means they see each other on a much more frequent basis than during the semester. Richardson claims that this sort of intimate and prolonged team exercise gives the Wolverines their identity; it defines them as a team and helps them operate as a team. Richardson is most proud of the cultural impact that his players had on the people of St. Lucia and the lasting effects the people of St. Lucia had on his athletes. "Our kids get to see a different place in the world," Richardson said. "They see people from different parts of the world who don't live the way they live in some respects. It also gives those people a glimpse of students at Michigan and what they're about and what this institution is about." The people of St. Lucia have a.swimming pro- gram of their own that helps train native children and teenagers to become more dominant swimmers. Richardson hopes that a visit of this nature could encourage some of these swimmers to be interested in becoming future Wolverines. This was Michigan's first time venturing down to St. Lucia, where both Richardson and his swim- mers marveled at the extensive swimming facility. Mertha, a popular company that produces pools for the U.S. Olympic trials, manufactured the impres- sive pool where the Wolverines swam during the week. The resources available in St. Lucia made it a very attractive location for Michigan's swimming program, but that was not the only incentive for this vacation. At the exhibition meet in St. Lucia, the Wolver- ines also got a sneak peak at the Notre Dame swim- mers, and they hope it will help this weekend at the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend. A calm demeanor and maturity makes junior Jenny Delley a leader for Michigan. 4 UBS is one of the world's leading financial firms, employing around 66,000 people in We are currently accepting resumes from the Class of 2006. We welcome those 50 countries. Our wealth management, global asset management and investment banking businesses offer clients a wide range of products and services designed to help them meet their individual needs and goals. We seek highly talented individuals who can bring something different to our organization and offer them superb career opportunities to match their potential. Our people reflect a diversity of views and cultures that is unique in the industry. 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