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. WE'RE BLOGGING LIKE MADMEN (AND WOMEN) ON "THE GAME." MICHIGANDAILY.COM.