10A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 17, 2005 C not content in second place By Bryan Hamilton Daily Sports Writer No one remembers who finishes second. But, when teams are up against a nation of skilled college athletes vying for a championship, second-place is pretty darn good. So when the Michigan men's wrestling team took second place at last year's NCAA Championships, the Wolverines saw the season as a success. "I was really happy with our guys last year," coach Joe McFarland said. "For the previous four years, we had been in the top-10 but could not break into the top-five. We finally did that last year." And break in they did. Headed by five All-Americans, the Wolverines matched the program's all-time best finish at the NCAAs. Only powerhouse Oklahoma State topped Michigan, a tremendous step forward for the Wolver- ines' consistently successful program. Now, with a second-place finish in hand, all of Michigan's players and coaches know there's only one way to improve on last season's success. "We definitely have the team to do it," McFarland said. "Our guys are very capa- ble of being there, competing for the title." As the 2005-06 season opens, Oklahoma State should once again find itself atop the polls. McFarland admits his team may need a little help at the national cham- pionships to get past the Cowboys, but players like fifth-year senior Ryan Churella know the best thing the Wolverines can do is help themselves. "We have a group of guys who understand what it takes," Churella said. "They know how to compete on that level, and if we can.get a couple more guys to step up and be All-Americans, we'll have a good shot at the title." If Churella's wish comes true, and Michigan has some new faces earning All- America honors this season, those players will be joining a very talented squad that already returns four of its five All-Americans from last season - Churella, and his younger brother, Josh Churella, plus Eric Tannenbaum and Greg Wagner. All four of them finished in the top-eight of their individual weight classes at NCAAs last season. Though top-eight finishes are impressive, recent success has many of the Wolverines - including Ryan Churella - thinking bigger this season. After claiming third- and fourth-place finishes in the 165 pound weight class at the last two national championships, Churella's hunger for the top individual spot 0 MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY Woods moves on without Harriers By Bridget O'Donnell For the Daily TOvASOGO Zv/ uiy Fifth-year senior Ryan Churella and the Wolverines are hoping for a national title. is stronger than ever. "I know he wants it," McFarland said. "It's the first thing he thinks about when he wakes up and the last when he goes to bed. We've sat down, and he's written about it - he wants to be a national champion." It should come as no surprise that Churella has such high aspirations, since he came from an impressive lineage of wrestlers. Churella's father Mark was a three- time national champion for the Wolverines in the mid-'70s, and even though it has always been a goal of Ryan's to follow in his father's footsteps, he also wants to create his own legacy at Michigan. "We've never won a national championship as a team here," Churella said. "It would mean so much to us and the school if we could finally do that this year." In his last season as a Wolverine, Churella has one final shot to shape how he will be remembered. Since few people remember who finishes second, Churella and the rest of his teammates will do everything they can to make sure they aren't forgotten. Bittersweet. That's how Mike Woods described the Michigan men's cross country team's perfor- mance at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional this past Saturday. While Woods, a sophomore, qualified for nationals with a fourth-place indi- vidual finish, the team, which placed eighth overall, wasn't as successful. "We definitely underperformed," Woods said. "It was a very achievable goal (to make nationals). We were pretty disappointed." But while Woods wasn't happy with the team's result, he was pleased with his own performance in the 10,000-meter race. With a time of 31:11.7, Woods placed high enough to qualify for nationals in Terre Haute, Ind., this Saturday. "I thought it was not only one of my bet- ter races of the year, but also of my entire cross country career," Woods said. "But at the same time, it was bittersweet because the team didn't make it." The team's season may have ended, but it's just the beginning for Woods. After placing 174th at nationals last year and after a difficult start earlier this year, Woods has seen his run- ning career take off. "It was tough at the beginning because I started track and field so late into the season and I didn't have the ability to build up like the other runners did," Woods said. But after missing the first two races, he has been the Wolverines' top finisher in five of the team's eight meets this year. Coach Ron Warhurst said he believes that Woods has improved dramatically since the start of the season. "Earlier on, he was struggling, but I think he is running his best cross country right now," "Y2 NOTE King and Pery to retire from football announcing Michigan Stadium public address announcer Howard King, who has held the post for 33 years, will work his last game this Saturday against Ohio State. King came to Michigan in 1972 and immediately replaced Steve Filipiak, who had spent 15 years in the Michigan Stadium press box. "I've been treated extremely well by everyone at Michigan," King said Warhurst said. "He wasn't training as hard ear- lier on, and it took a while to build his mileage up, but he has tremendously improved." Warhurst also feels that Woods has taken up a new role as a leader of the team. "He definitely has (acted as a leader)," he said. "He speaks to his teammates through his actions." Since former captain and three-time All-American Nate Brannen graduated last year, Woods has gladly taken the driver's seat this season. "It's good to be able to say that people look up to me," Woods said. "I've got big shoes to fill, which I haven't entirely filled yet. But hopefully, I can perform just as well as Nate did." Like Brannen, Woods hopes that he can con- tend for a top-30 finish at nationals - which would qualify him to be an All-American. "I hope to be All-American, but I'm not going to put too much pressure on myself," Woods said. "It's a big chance to prove that I can run with some of the best runners in the nation." Woods is also optimistic about the team's prospects for next season. "Hopefully, next year the entire team can go to nationals," he said. "I'm almost positive we will because we will be more experienced" As for his own future, Woods hopes to eventually "be a contender for a top-10 fin- ish." But for now, he just wants to focus on the upcoming race. "I'm just going to have an open mind, have fun, and I will run to the best of my ability to make the top-30," Woods said. Warhurst is confident that Woods is pre- pared for the race on Saturday. "Mike will have a good showing," War- hurst said. "He's prepared, he's ready, and he's a gamer." through the athletic department. "I've had a lot of fun and many great memo- ries." King attended the College of Wooster and Ohio State before moving to Michigan. Pat Perry, who has served as Michi- gan's press box announcer since 1980, will also retire following the Wolver- ines' game against the Buckeyes. Perry began working for the athletic department in 1969 in a part-time posi- tion. According to the athletic depart- ment, Perry "was one of the first women to have a working position in a major college press box." - Gabe Edelson 9 1 ti., at"