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April 17, 2006
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cares
Varsity past
BuckeyeS
By J. Brady McCollough
November 24, 2003
Sitting in the visiting locker room at Kinnick Sta-
dium after their 30-27 loss to Iowa Oct. 4, the Michi-
gan football team's seniors were in the midst of some
major soul searching.
The Wolverines were 4-2 and had lost their chance
at a national championship. With one more loss in
their remaining six games, the seniors would likely
leave Michigan without playing in a Rose Bowl.
"We never thought we'd be 4-2 at that point in
the season," Michigan fifth-year senior captain Carl
Diggs recalled. "I never imagined that."
But celebrating their 35-21 win over Ohio State
Saturday on a rose-covered field with an emotional
student body, the Wolverines were a long way from
their somber locker room in Iowa. With six straight
wins, three over top-10 teams, Michigan rewrote the
script of its season, clinching its first outright Big Ten
title and Rose Bowl berth since 1997.
"It's like a storybook (ending)," senior tailback
Chris Perry said. "It feels surreal right now, but after
tget home and sit down and think about it, it'll feel
even better."
Perry better have gotten some ice before he sat
down. Struggling with pain in his right hamstring
throughout the 100th meeting between Michigan and
Ohio State, Perry ran for 154 yards and two scores on
31 carries. The Heisman Trophy candidate also caught
ive passes for 55 yards, giving him his fifth game this
season with more than 200 total yards (209).
Perry and quarterback John Navarre benefited
from a determined offensive line, which shut down
one of the nation's most dominating defensive fronts.
The Buckeyes, previously leading the country allow-
ing just 50.5 rushing yards per game, gave up 170
to the Wolverines. The Michigan line also gave
Navarre ample time to throw, holding the Buckeyes
without a sack.
"It's a great feeling, Michigan offensive tackle
Tony Pape said. "That was the No. I defense in the
nation. They're the defending national champions,
and they were a great defense."
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr had to resort to trickery
to get the Wolverines on the board with 39 seconds
left in the first quarter. To the delight of the 112,118
strong at the Big House (a new NCAA record), Michi-
gn receiver Steve Breaston lined up behind center,
and Navarre spread out wide with the Wolverines
facing 3rd-and-goal from the 3-yard line. Breaston
sprinted to his right and followed the right side of the

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0 CE HOCKEY
Icers drop lead,
another shot at

national title

By Bob Hunt
April 11, 2003

FILE PHOTO
Michigan running back Chris Perry celebrates following Michigan's 35-21 win over rival Ohio State. The win gave the
Wolverines their first outright Big Ten Championship since their national title season in 1997.

BUFFALO, N.Y. - It seemed
like the Michigan hockey team was
finally going to take that next step.
After coming out and dominating
the first period, developing a 2-0
second-period lead, the Wolverines
had a berth in the NCAA national
title game in their grasp.
But for the third straight year, it
wasn't meant to be.
Minnesota goals late in the sec-
ond period and early in the third
gave freshman Thomas Vanek a
chance to score in overtime, and
the Golden Gophers defeated
Michigan to advance to their sec-
ond straight title game.
At 8:55 in overtime, Vanek got
away from junior alternate captain
Andy Burnes behind the net before
he received the puck and put it
between goaltender Al Montoya's
right shoulder and the post.
The defeat was the seventh
national semifinal loss in nine
NCAA Frozen Four appearances
for the Wolverines in the past 12
years.
"We really came in here feeling
like we had a chance to win it,"
Burnes said.
"We had the chemistry all year
long and the leadership. I still
feel like we should have won that
game."
Michigan got the vast majority
of the scoring chances in the first
period, outshooting Minnesota
15-5 and scoring at 9:33 when
freshman Andrew Ebbett passed
the puck off the draw to fellow
freshman Brandon Kaleniecki,
who wristed the puck past Min-
nesota goaltender Travis Weber's
glove. But the Wolverines mus-
tered just one goal in the period
in part to some spectacular saves
by Weber.

"We really needed to score more
than one goal in the first period,"
Michigan coach Red Berenson said.
"We had them on their heels, and
we needed to make those chances
count because you knew that it was
not going to be a one-sided game."
Senior two-year captain Jed Ort-
meyer received a pass from fresh-
man Jeff Tambellini right in front
and put the puck through Weber's
legs, putting the Wolverines up two.
But the Golden Gophers controlled
much of the play in the second
period and cut into the lead three
minutes after Ortmeyer's goal.
Montoya had stopped two ini-
tial shots, but the puck trickled
past him toward the net, allowing
forward Troy Riddle to come by
the net and poke it just past the
goal line.
Minnesota then tied the game
1:35 into the third period when
freshman Gino Guyer received a
pass in the middle of the zone from
sophomore Barry Tallackson and
one-timed it through Montoya's
legs.
Michigan had numerous chances
to take the lead in overtime, head-
lined by when sophomore Jason
Ryznar got the puck with the entire
net wide open. But Minnesota
defender Paul Martin dove in front
of Ryznar to save the shot and the
game with his stick.
The loss ends the career of six
Michigan seniors, including Ort-
meyer and alternate captain John
Shouneyia, who have stayed with
the program while two classmates
left early for the professional ranks
the past two summers.
"When you lose, it's players
like Jed Ortmeyer (who) don't get
another chance at something like
this," Berenson said. "They've
given so much to the team and to
the program, and they don't get
another chance."

a

line into the endzone, giving Michigan an all-impor-
tant 7-0 lead.
Two minutes after Breaston's score, Navarre hit
Edwards on a slant. Edwards shed safeties Will Allen
and Nate Salley on his way to a 64-yard touchdown
reception, the longest of his career. Edwards later put
the Wolverines up by 21 with a 23-yard reception that
capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive.
With less than six minutes left in the half, quarter-
back Craig Krenzel led the Buckeyes on an 81-yard
drive to cut Michigan's lead to 21-7 - the first points
given up by the Michigan defense at home in the first
half all season.
The Wolverines began the second half with a five-
play, 62-yard drive capped off by a Perry 30-yard run
for a 28-7 lead.
Michigan looked to have taken a 34-7 lead when
Navarre hit a streaking Edwards for an 87-yard touch-
down pass on its next drive. But the Wolverines were
called for holding, erasing the play and giving the
Buckeyes new life.
Ohio State, showing the will of a defending national

champion, fought back with two consecutive scores to
come within 28-21. Krenzel hit Santonio Holmes for
his second touchdown of the game, this one coming
on a 13-yard fade route over cornerback Leon Hall.
Two drives later, Ohio State backup quarterback
Scott McMullen, filling in for Krenzel (injured left
shoulder), led the Buckeyes on a 10-play, 93-yard
drive. Lydell Ross quieted the Big House crowd with
a 2-yard touchdown run to bring Ohio State within
seven.
On the Wolverines' ensuing possession, Navarre
underthrew Edwards, and Ohio State cornerback Chris
Gamble intercepted the ball at the Ohio State 36.
"We love sudden changes," Michigan linebacker
Scott McClintock said. "We thrive on it. We like get-
ting on the field with as much on the line as possible."
With its season on the line, the Michigan defense
held strong, giving the ball back to the Michigan
offense at its 12. Eight plays and 88 yards later,
Michigan took a 35-21 lead on a Perry 15-yard scam-
per to the outside with less than eight minutes left in
the game.

6
6

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Blue tops
UCLA
for first
ever title
By Scott Boll
June 13, 2005
OKLAHOMA CITY - After 1299
days since Michigan's last champion-
ship, three more innings couldn't hurt.
The No. 1-ranked Michigan soft-
ball team put together its second
comeback victory in as many nights,
defeating No. 7 UCLA 4-1 in 10
innings to win the 2005 College
World Series.
The national championship is the
first title that any of the 26 varsity
teams from Michigan has won since
the field hockey team won its national
title in 2001.
"This is obviously a great moment
for Michigan and for Michigan soft-
ball and all the alums in the Big Ten
Conference," Michigan coach Carol
Hutchins said. "I'm mostly so proud of
these kids because they are incredible
and have been all week."
After several failed attempts by
both teams to break the 1-1 tie in
the 10th, it was freshman Samantha
Findlay who finally sealed the deal.
Stepping up to the plate with run-
ners on first and second and two outs,
Findlay took a 1-1 fastball from UCLA
pitcher Anjelica Seldon deep over the
leftfield wall. She was met by a swarm
of elated teammates at the plate as she,
along with teammates Tiffany Haas
and Alessandra Giampaolo, crossed
the plate to give Michigan a 4-1 lead.
"I tried to keep my head down on
the ball because I had been pulling it
out earlier," Findlay said. "I kept my
head in and then looked up and saw
it go out."
It was also Findlay who gave
Michigan (65-7) the opportunity to
play for the title in extra innings.

0

MIKE HULSEBUS! Daily
The Michigan women's softball team celebrates its first national champslonship. The
win was the first time a team East of the Mississippi has won a national title.

With the bases loaded and no one out
in the sixth inning, Findlay roped a
single into right field. That run was
the lone run the Wolverines could
muster in the inning, as Seldon and
the Bruins pulled off a Houdini-like
escape.
Following Findlay was senior
Nicole Motycka, who hit a line drive
right down the third-base line. The

ball found the mitt of UCLA third
baseman Andrea Duran, who then
doubled up Giampaolo, who broke
from third base early. Seldon then
got junior Grace Leutele to strike
out looking with a pitch that caught
the outside corner of the plate.
"I think that stopping the bleeding that
inning - that we did today and hadn't
See SOFTBALL, page 7C


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