14A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 10, 2005 Wrestling lacks major sport hype By David Murray For the Daily As if suffering through grueling two-a-day workouts, maintaining a specific weight and going into fierce hand- to-hand combat to represent the block 'M' isn't enough, the Michigan wrestling team has even more to overcome. The Wolverines also have to deal with the lack of expo- sure they receive around campus, despite their achieve- ments. Besides the women's softball team, which won a national championship last spring, the wrestling team was the most accomplished varsity team to sport the Maize and Blue in the 2004-05 season. But for some reason, five All-Americans, a Big Ten dual meet championship and a runner-up finish at the National Championships isn't enough to earn campus-wide respect. "We have to take it one step at a time," senior captain Ryan Churella said. "As we become more successful over the next couple of years, hopefully the exposure and fan base will come with it." The opponents they wrestle seem to be easier compe- tition than the obstacle they deal with on campus - a student body with a high sports IQ not coming to support one of the University's most successful teams. "People don't understand that at other universities, wrestling is a huge thing, where here it is not," Churella said. "Michigan has never had the huge home crowds like Oklahoma State and Iowa." Coach Joe McFarland said he feels the Wolverines' fan base has improved from his wrestling days in the 1980s, 0 MEN' SOCCER Blue ready to redeem its season . By Jamie Josephson Daily Sports Writer IFILE PHOTO Despite wrestling's obscurity at Michigan, Churella and his teammates are still one of the top teams in the nation. when he was a four-time All-American. But he said the lackluster support the wrestling team receives now has a greater impact than people realize. "Unfortunately, it has an effect on recruiting - if a recruit goes to Iowa City and they put a few tapes in for him and the kid looks at the crowd and sees how excit- ing it is," McFarland said. "It is no different than football players wanting to come here and play in front of the Big House." The best explanation Churella - an All-American himself - could think of for the absence of student atten- dance is the lack of media coverage, and therefore the lack of understanding for the rules and scoring. "(Wrestling) is not televised very often, and when it is people don't want to grasp the concept just because they don't understand the rules or don't want to learn some- thing new," Churella said. The wrestling program, which has been spitting out perennial All-Americans and national contenders since the 1920s, will continue to search for an identity among the students. "A lot of people get caught up in other sports, and that's all they want to talk about," McFarland said. "That gets a little frustrating especially when you have one of the top programs in the country." The Big House overflows with 110,000 people who pass through its gates every Football Saturday. Until Dec. 9, when the Wolverines open the home schedule against Nebraska, the 1,800 seats at Cliff Keen Arena will anx- iously wait for Michigan wrestling fans. A fresh start. Today - that's what the Michi- gan men's soccer team will be given. Coming off a disappointing three- game losing streak, the Wolverines (2-4-0 Big Ten, 8-9-1 overall) will face-off against intrastate rival Mich- igan State (2-3-1, 6-5-5) in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament today at 10 a.m. in Evanston. Shutout in two of its last three games, Michi- Mh gan has been focusing on goal conversion in practice this week. Evanst "I think, more than anything, we are just reaffirming that we're playing well and, two, that we need to try to capi- talize on scoring goals," Michigan coach Steve Burns said. "We are cre- ating chances. But we're not turning those chances into goals. So it's just a matter of that final shot. That's really what we're working on - our confi- dence, belief and composure around the face of the goal." Michigan earned the fifth seed in the eight-team tournament, while the Spar- tans are seeded fourth. The last time the two programs squared off was on Oct. 16 in East Lansing, where Michigan State defeated the Wolverines, 2-0. "I think our team is relishing the opportunity to put a better perfor- mance together (against Michigan State) because we didn't play up to our potential in that first game," Burns said. "Our confidence was suf- fering at that time. This is an oppor- tunity to get out and hopefully play the way we're capable of." In the 2-0 loss, the Spartans scored two first-half goals - both off of counterattacks. Burns mentioned that Michigan State plays in a 3-5-2 offen- sive shape with three dangerous players At up front. Also in the Spartans' arsenal is a tendency to play a slower, more methodical game that the Wolverines are uncomfortable with. Spartan attacking midfielder Ryan McMahen will especially have a target on his back - he currently holds the team lead in goals (7) and assists (5). "McMahen is a special player and carries the load (for the Spartans), offensively," Burns said. "Last game, we had a man-marker on him, and he still got the game-winning goal. He's a very dangerous player - we need to be aware of ga t where he is at all times." T As hosts of the Big } y. Ten Tournament last year, Michigan defeated Ohio State in the first round. But in the semifinals, the Wol- verines' championship hopes were crushed at the hands of this year's host, Northwestern. The No. 1 seed in the Tournament is Penn State, which boasts a perfect unde- feated record in conference play this season. The Nittany Lions have won seven straight games, its longest win- ning streak since 2002. The winner of the Michigan-Mich- igan State contest will take on Penn State - who earned a first-round bye - at 1 p.m. tomorrow in the semifi- nal round of the tournament. To have a chance of earning an NCAA Tournament bid, Michigan needs a solid performance and at least two wins in the Big Ten Tournament, which would give the Wolverines an overall record of .500. Though Michigan heads into the tournament having accumulated three straight one-goal loses, Burns is con- fident that his team can take advantage of the even playing field that postseason action offers. "We are trying to emphasize that point right now that (in the Big Ten Tournament) every team has zero wins and zero losses," Burns said. "It's now wide open." new england ltratur program Wigansi I A Am.wA mass M..Ung Th1400 , November 17.7m L ~Oc~mstryBuilding Hike New Hampshire, taupe in Maine, vlsft Cape Cod, spendSpring Term n New England Ak BOOK A PARTY PACKAGE Ib I -L ACC)M0DATO1N C LI U PAS S, DISCCtNP3 ROOMS AS I10WJ AS $20 PIRI PERSON 0R NK I DAILY SPORTS. WE ARE ALL FANS OF THE MICHIGAN WRESTLING TEAM. not just for engOMhmajors $ cuetd Its t I