The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, February 9, 2007 - 9
Freshman Adam DeJong, who won a state title at Canham Natatorium while in
high school, hopes to add to his trophy collection while at Michigan.
Prep champs
fond of Canham
By COURTNEY RATKOWIAK
Daily Sports Writer
As a sophomore and senior,
Adam DeJong and Grant Burtch
were champions at Canham
Ntatorium.
High school state meet cham-
pions, that is.
But the current Michigan
freshman and junior hope that,
as a sophomore and senior in col-
lege, they will be Big Ten cham-
pions in the same pool.
DeJong and Burtch won the
2004 Michigan High School Ath-
letic Association Division I state
championships while attend-
ing Holland High School. Next
season, they will again compete
in Ann Arbor while attempting
to add another championship to
their history as teammates.
The athletes swam together for
two years at Holland and for four
years as part of the West Michi-
gan Swimmers club team. The
club gained exposure while both
athletes and DeJong's brother,
Chris, were on the team.
Chris, a Big Ten record hold-
er and five-time All-American,
swam for the Wolverines from
2002 to 2006.
"When my brother was there,
West Michigan was smaller, but
now it's a much more competitive
(swimming club)," DeJong said.
"We helped build it. Now, there
are a few (Division) II and (Divi-
sion) III athletes, but not many
(Division) I schools recruit from
West Michigan."
Michigan coach Bob Bowman
chose to recruit DeJong after
coaching Chris, but noted that
the strong emphasis on stroke
development at their club pro-
gram also contributed to his
recruiting decision.
"Adam's been coming to meets
and was always a Michigan fan,"
Bowman said. "We felt like he
would want to be involved with
Michigan, and we were thrilled
to pursue him."
Before coming to Michigan,
the two athletes set Division 1
state records as seniors in high
school - Burtch in the 100-yard
breaststroke (2004) and DeJong
in the 500-yard freestyle (2006)
- and both earned high school
All-American honors.
Burtch, a current Michigan
co-captain, was also the Hol-
land swimming captain as a
senior. DeJong said that having
his former high school captain
as the leader of his new team has
improved his transition to colle-
giate swimming.
"In Holland, we lived a few
blocks away from each other and
we drove to practice (together)
every morning," Burtch said,
laughing. "I think I know what to
expect from him.IScan geton him
and keep him in line."
Said DeJong: "Grant was look-
ing at a lot of schools (during his
senior year), more than I was. He
being here helps out a lot."
Though just a freshman,
DeJong has already earned an
NCAA'B' time with an 800-meter
freestyle relay. During the past
three years, Burtch has earned
NCAA All-American Honorable
Mention, participated in the
U.S. World Championship Trials
and finished fifth at the Big Ten
Championships.
In 2008, Burtch hopes to fin-
ish his collegiate swimming
career the same as in high school
- with a team title in Ann Arbor.
And the junior feels that, by 2010,
his longtime teammate can help
Michigan to be an NCAA cham-
pion.
"I want Michigan to win a
national championship sometime
while Adam's still on this team,"
Burtch said. "It's a challenging
but realistic goal."
Senior Jason Dest and his Wolverine teammates need two wins this weekend to keep their CCHA Title hopes alive.
G oing B owling, then Icers
look to knock down Spartans
By NATE SANDALS
Daily Sports Writer
When asked why teams often
look past lesser opponents with
big games
looming Michigan vs.
ahead, Michigan State
Michigan Matchup:
coach Red Michigan 21-
Berenson 9-0; Michigan
coolly replied: State 17-8-2
"Because of When: Saturday
questions like 7:35 P.M.
that." Where: Joe
If that's the Louis Arena
case, hopeful- TV/Radio:
ly Berenson FSN Detroit
made sure the members of the No.
8 Michigan hockey team didn't
listen to reporters' questions all
week.
With the biggest game of the
season - against archrival No. 6
Michigan State - tomorrow night
at Joe Louis Arena, the Wolver-
ines will be hard-pressed to be
focused on tonight's road tilt with
last-place Bowling Green.
Of course, both players and
coaches are quick to assure that
Bowling Green (3-19-1 CCHA, 5-
24-2 overall) is their first prior-
ity.
"(Bowling Green is) a team that
hasn't won many games," junior
Kevin Porter said. "They're going
to come out hard at their own
rink. It's a tough place to play.
We've got tobe ready for that."
That sounds like hot air, espe-
cially since Michigan (16-6-0, 21-
9-0) shut out Bowling Green, 5-0,
exactly one month ago at Yost Ice
Arena.
But Porter isn't posturing. Last
season, Michigan experienced
firsthand just how difficult it is to
win on the Falcons' home ice.
After thrashingBowling Green,
6-1, inAnnArbor on Jan.20, 2006,
the Wolverines traveled south the
next night and paid the price for
taking the Falcons lightly. Bowl-
ing Green dominated Michigan,
5-2.
And just like this year, the next
opponent on Michigan's schedule
was Michigan State.
Michigan doesn't want to
overlook Bowling Green, but it's
impossible to ignore the weight of
Saturday's game against the Spar-
tans.
The result will be crucial in
decidingboth CCHA playoff seed-
ings and potential NCAA Tourna-
ment bids.
As if a game against Michigan
State needed extra incentive.
"Coming in as a freshman, I
told myself that was a team I never
wanted to lose to," Porter said. "I
didn't care if we lost to Ohio State
every game, but Michigan State
was a team I never wanted to lose
to."
If Michigan defeats Bowling
Green and the Spartans dispatch
their Friday night opponent (Fer-
ris State), the rivals will go into
Saturday night's game as two of
the nation's hottest teams.
Currently, Michigan State (13-
6-2, 17-8-2) is unbeaten in seven
games. The Wolverines have won
six straight and eight of their last
nine.
So far this season, the Spartans
and Wolverines have split their
four meetings.
Michigan has won both games
in which sophomore defense-
man Jack Johnson played, and
lost the two he didn't. Johnson
missed Michigan's 7-4 to loss on
Nov. 3 while serving a one-game
suspension. The sophomore was
absent from the Wolverines 4-1
Great Lakes Invitational final loss
because of his participation in the
IIHF World Junior Champion-
ships.
Johnson is expected to start
Saturday.
But Friday night still comes
first, and Michigan knows how
devastating a late-season loss to
Bowling Green can be.
After last season's tumble at
Bowling Green, Michigan fin-
ished its remaining conference
schedule 4-4-4, concluding one of
the worst seasons in recent pro-
gram history.
That can't happen this year, not
if Michigan has serious aspira-
tions for first place in the CCHA.
Notre Dame currently leads the
Wolverines by four points with
just six games remaining.
With no room for error, the
Wolverines are confident they've
learned from last year's collapse.
"We know exactly how we
have to play," senior Tim Cook
said after last weekend's sweep
of Western Michigan. "If we play
hard, play defensively, do the lit-
tle things, then we'll be ok."
Just as long as no one brings
this article onto the bus.
Twenty and counting: At
" home, M' hopes to snap skid
WOE'GYMNASTK%
Frosh thrives
after getting
through injury
By MARK GIANNOTTO
Daily Sports Writer
It's one of the most overused
sayings in sports.
Many simply shrug it off as
coach-speak.
But the Minnesota at
phrase "must- Michigan
win game" Matchup:
has never Minnesota 9-15;
rung truer for Michigan 16-8
the Michigan When: Saturday
men's basket- 8 P.M.
ball team. Where: Crisler
Coming off Arena
four straight TV/Radio:
Big Ten loss- ESPN Plus
es, the Wolverines need a home
victory tomorrow night against
Minnesota. Michigan hasn't won
a game since Jan. 20, when it
defeated Purdue, 71-55.
Without a marquee noncon-
ference win on their tournament
resum6, the Wolverines must win
the games they're favored in.
Just seven games remain for
Michigan before the Big Ten
Tournament, and with games
against Michigan State, Indiana
and Ohio State looming, a loss to
the underdog Gophers would be
devastating.
The Wolverines (4-5 Big Ten,
16-8 overall) are coming off one
of their better performances of
the year, even if it was in a losing
effort.
Facing No. 3 Ohio State in
Columbus on Tuesday night,
Michigan kept the game within
reach until the closing minutes,
when the Buckeyes pulled away
for a 76-63 win.
"Obviously, there are some
things from (the Ohio State) game
0 that we would like to take into
Saturday night (against Minne-
sota)," Michigan coach Tommy
Amaker said.
One of the positives was the
Wolverines' play on the interior.
Even though his inconsisten-
cy has plagued him in the past,
V senior Courtney Sims followed
one of the best games of his career
(29 points and 11 rebounds against
Iowa on Jan. 31) with another
strong showing.
Sims's performance against
Ohio State showed his growth. He
scored 17 points while going one-
on-one with Buckeye freshman
sensation Greg Oden for much of
the game.
Freshman Ekpe Udoh also had
a standout game in the loss. Start-
ing in just his third game of the
year, Udoh scored a career-high
14 points and showed no fear in
the hostile environment while he
filled in for senior Brent Petway.
The Gophers are in the midst
of a rebuilding season. Minne-
sota (3-7, 9-15) has struggled to
recover since coach Dan Monson
resigned eight games into the sea-
son. Interimhead coach Jim Moli-
nari has done an admirable job,
though, and the Gophers sit just a
game and a half behind Michigan
in the Big Ten standings.
Even though Minnesota is
stocked full of underclassmen,
a trio of juniors leads the team.
Guard Lawrence McKenzie, for-
ward Dan Coleman and center
Spencer Tollackson each average
more than 13 points per game.
Each player could pose match-
up problems for the Wolverines,
a situation that could potentially
be made worse given Michigan
may be shorthanded heading into
tomorrow.
Petway played limited minutes
against the Buckeyes after tweak-
ing his knee last Wednesday
against Iowa.
The senior's mobility remains
a question mark despite being
cleared to play, and the forward
is listed as day-to-day. If he can't
start, Udoh will likely get the nod
again.
Sophomore Jerret Smith didn't
even make the trip to Columbus
and has missed two of the Wol-
verines' last three games. The
Romulus native is still dealing
with the effects of a slight concus-
sion he suffered at Wisconsin on
Jan. 24. His status is a gametime
decision.
In response to the injuries,
Amaker opened uphis benchmore
than usual on Tuesday. Freshman
DeShawn Sims and sophomore
Jevohn Shepherd saw extensive
time against Ohio State and gave
solid performances.
By ALEX PROSPERI
Daily Sports Writer
When Michigan women's gym-
nastics coach Bev Plocki recruited
freshman Kelsey Knutson, she saw
first-team All-American talent in
the three-time Iowa Gymnast of
the Year.
But after arriving in Ann Arbor,
Knutson had to play the waiting
game.
After working hard during the
fall, a back injury keptKnutson out
of the team's first three meets. For
Knutson, not being able to perform
was a huge disappointment.
"I was really anxious to get the
year started, because our team
was looking so good in the pre-
season," Knutson said. "We had
a lot of talent, we were all driven
to be successful this year and we
had high goals that we all wanted
to achieve."
So when senior captain Lindsey
Bruck and freshman Jordan Sex-
ton went down early with season-
ending injuries, the Wolverines
needed someone to step up, espe-
cially in Knutson's premier events:
uneven bars and balance beam.
But that someone wasn't Knut-
son.
She was still waiting, still nurs-
ing her back.
Plocki knew the team would
be better off with Knutson in the
lineup and understood how hard
it was for her to sit and watch the
team perform. And with the inju-
ries and the adversity the team
went through, and is still going
through, it made the wait even
more difficult.
"It was very difficult to go
through those couple meets and
watchthe team fromthe sidelines,"
Knutson said. "I really wanted to
be out there and contribute to the
team because knew I had some-
thing to offer."
Finally, her wait was over.
On Feb. 3, Knutson was healthy
enough and Plocki put her into the
lineup to compete on the balance
beam. In her first collegiate event,
Knutson scored a 9.875 - good
enough for a third-place finish
at the State of Michigan Classic.
Knutson's score on the beam was
also the highest score on the appa-
ratus for a Michigan gymnast this
year.
"It was a great feeling this
weekend coming back and being
able to hit a routine that I knew I
was capable of," Knutson said. "It
just feels terrific."
Even without Knutson crack-
ing the eighth-ranked Wolver-
ines' lineup, the beam and uneven
bars were statistically their best
events. With Knutson's addition,
the events could very well remain
atop the Wovlerines' resume.
But off the mats, Knutson adds
even more.
"She brings such a sparkle,"
Plocki said. "She has such a won-
derful personality. It is very hard
to get her down. When she smiles,
she lights up a room and she's very
much a team player, very selfless,
very hardworking, and just a very
enjoyable person to be around and
to work with."
By combining that type of per-
sonality with Knutson's talent and
potential, the sky is the limit for
the Ames, Iowa, native.
Despite Knutson's wonderful
debut, the second highest debut
score on the beam since 2004, her
back is still giving her trouble.
During training she has to limit
her repetitions in order to save her
back. And although she doesn't
necessarily enjoy holding herself
back in training, Knutson knows
it's essential to achieve her goals.
"I really want to try to get to
where I knowI amcapable ofbeing
on bars and beam and then maybe
on floor someday," Knutson said.
And hopefully for the Wolver-
ines, Knutson won't have to wait
long for that.
Senior Courtney Sims looks to dig Michigan out of its four-game losing streak
against Minnesota this weekend. Sims has scored 29and 17 points in his last two
games, respectively.
"Being on the floor, you get In the end, it won't matter who
a better feel for the game," is on the floor, as long as the Wol-
DeShawn Sims said. "That way, I verines do something they haven't
can have more of a positive impact done in 20 days and counting
while I'm out there." - win.
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