The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, March 13, 2008 - 9A
HAWKEYES
From Page 5A
Michigan has lost three straight,
while the Hawkeyes have dropped
three of their last four games.
For the Wolverines to keep their
season alive, they must rely on their
top two scorers - Sims and freshman
Manny Harris.
They are arguably the two best ath-
letes on the court any given night, but
INJURIES
From Page 5A
said. "I didn't even realize what had
happened. My jaw kind of hurt, (but)
I didn't really think much of it until I
woke up the next morning and it was
a little tender to the touch. I was like,
'Oh, it'll go down in a couple days,'
but it just kept getting worse and
worse."
Vaughan practiced Friday and
Saturday with a slightly swollen jaw
before informing coach Red Beren-
son of the pain. Trainer Rick Ban-
croftscheduled a 10a.m. appointment
Monday at the School of Dentistry,
and by 2 p.m., Vaughan was in sur-
gery.
After having four titanium plates
inserted into his jaw, Vaughan's
face was noticeably swollen. He was
released from the hospital yester-
day, the same day his mother flew to
Ann Arbor from his Placentia, Calif.,
hometown. He has been on a liquid
diet since the surgery, but should
be cleared to eat mashed potatoes
and other soft foods after a doctor's
appointment today.
Vaughan said his pain has sub-
sided and he hopes to skate in this
problems with consistency, especially
for Sims, have prevented the Wolver-
ines from being more competitive in
conference play.
If Michigan passes the first round,
it will square off against Wisconsin
Friday. The Badgers needed every
last second to defeat the Wolverines
in their last meeting in Madison, and
could have similar problems dealing
with Michigan on a neutral court.
"There's got to be a sense of urgen-
cy out there now," Beilein said. "They
afternoon's practice.
"Just getting off these meds, com-
ing down from that, I feel a lot bet-
ter," he said. "I'm just hopefully
getting my legs back under me, get-
ting in shape and just getting ready
for this weekend."
Berenson wasn't optimistic about
Vaughan's chances to play against
Nebraska-Omaha. Michigan will
likely fill the hole on defense with
either junior Danny Fardig, who has
played just two games on the blue
line in three years but has played in
27 of the team's 36 games on offense,
or walk-on sophomore defenseman
Eric Elmblad, who has yet to see
game action.
"We've got to let this thing settle
down," Berenson said. "I'm not forc-
ing (Vaughan) back in the lineup,
that's for sure."
Rust's status for the rest of the
week is also uncertain. The forward
suffered a possible knee injury in
practice yesterday afternoon after
banging knees with defenseman Eric
Elmblad during a drill. Berenson said
Rust's knee would be reexamined
after swelling decreased and the
team will evaluate his status today.
If Rust is scratched this week-
end, freshman Carl Hagelin could
know their season ends with being
out, so you have to blend that sense of
urgency with that sense of toughness
that we need to win this game."
Regardless of the final outcome,
the only thing that matters for Beilein
and his players is that they see signs of
improvement.
"Coach Beilein is good for the pro-
gram and he's having a lot of success
in the building stages of it," Sims said.
"People may not see it down the road,
but he's building it from the floor up."
potentially take over at center. When
Michigan played the Mavericks in
Omaha, Hagelin played center in the
Friday night game. Berenson said
junior Tim Miller could also replace
Rust for the weekend if needed.
Despite possibly losing two of its
most talented freshmen this week-
end, Michigan will almost certainly
have its second-leading scorer back
on the ice. Senior Chad Kolarik, who
has been sidelined since suffering a
hamstring injury against Lake Supe-
rior State Feb. 16, said there is a very
strong chance he will play in Friday's
game. He resumed skating with the
team last Tuesday.
"I'm just getting my hands back,
getting my endurance back," he said
yesterday. "I'm feeling a lot bet-
ter today. I was pretty excited out
there, having a good time and joking
around."
NOTE: Kolarik and captain Kevin
Porter were both named to the
CCHA All-Conference First Team
announced yesterday. The two fin-
ished 1-2 in the league in points, and
Porter was the only first-team unani-
mous selection. Defenseman Mark
Mitera made the second team and
goalie Billy Sauer earned Honorable
Mention.
CATRAMBONE
From Page 8A
eventlineup for the rest of the season. And after
placing fifth on high bar at the 2007 Winter Cup,
Catrambone didn't hit a routine on his favorite
apparatus until NCAA team qualifiers.
From day one, Catrambone had taken the con-
cept of team gymnastics to heart, and the feeling
of letting his teammates down was hard to bear.
"It was more frustrating knowing that it was
for the team, and havingthe guys watching, every
single weekend, day in and day out, every prac-
tice," Catrambone said.
His discouragement was readily apparent.
Small mistakes on easy skills could ruin a practice,
leaving him silent and frustrated for the entire
afternoon.
Even his parents were upset by the season.
Catrambone talks to them on a daily basis, and
they've almost never missed a meet since he start-
ed gymnastics at the age of three.
"(It was) hard, especially being so far away,
even though we did talk a lot," said Pat Catram-
bone, Joe's mother. "With him, I think a lot of it
was mental."
The Deptford, N. 4, native couldn't figure
out what was wrong. Though his old brilliance
returned briefly at NCAAs, he remained inconsis-
tent and searched doggedly for a solution.
He consulted former Michigan team captains
Chris Gatti and Justin Toman, trying to discover
what had made them such successful competitors.
A psychology major, Catrambone looked to sports
psychology books for help.
"It's changed my focus on what I'm doing, why
I compete, howI practice," Catrambone said of his
work to regain his confidence. "My approach to it
is a little different. ... Not everything is goingto be
perfect every time."
In preparation for U. S. Senior National Team
Qualifiers and Championships, Catrambone con-
tinued practicing routines all summer, a time when
most gymnasts scale back their workouts and learn
new skills. He began to focus less on the entire
routine and more on individual skills, meanwhile
workingto hone the mental aspect of his sport.
Catrambone's new methods and positive atti-
tude had obvious results. Now, he's one of Mich-
igan's go-to competitors in meets. He's won the
high bar title in three of his six meets this season.
Last year's co-captain Andrew Elkind, who
grew up with Catrambone, noticed the change
even from his new home in Colorado through reg-
ular phone calls with his friend.
"I could tell he was much more confident going
into the season," Elkind said. "Right from the get-
go, (he) had that excited attitude. He's much more
excited and ready to go this year."
Once again, the team can count on Catrambone
for a big high-bar score in the clutch. His holds
and positions on rings improve weekly, and his
parallel-bars sets have grown more and more con-
sistent. When called on, he can even add solid per-
formances on the floor exercise and vault.
His positivity extends beyond his own perfor-
mances. Catrambone is constantly plugging dif-
ferent team nights for the gymnasts and shooting
SITOMPUL
From Page 8A
try and hit it over the creek despite Michigan coach
Andrew Sapp's advice to lay up again. Sitompul cleared
the water and hit an easy wedge onto the green while
the rest of the team laid up.
"He's got a lot of talent," Sapp said. "Sometimes it's
just best for him to unleash it. When he doesn't play
well is when he's fearful and doesn't really go after
things."
Despite his risk-taking mentality, Sitompul isn't
reckless on the course. Sapp described Sitompul
as a smart golfer who only takes calculated risks.
He couldn't recall any instances where Sitompul's
approach hurt his score in a tournament.
"That's a credit to his ability," Sapp said. "I honestly
don't know that (Sitompul's style) will hurt him in the
future, either."
MALONEY
From Page 5A
ingnationally ranked.
Butbefore Michigan faces the upstart Chanticleers, Malo-
ney has to first revisit the past.
When Michigan takes the field against the Cardinals (7-
6), some of Maloney's Ball State players will be in the stands
to watch their old coach with his new team.
"Those kids bought into the vision that I had of building
a program," Maloney said. "Several of them chose to come
play for me rather than some other teams that had more his-
tory than we had. I will be forever indebted to those kids."
While the former Cardinals will have a tough time root-
ing for their old coach over their alma mater, Maloney has no
qualms about facing Ball State.
"We're going to win," Maloney said. "Despite the oppo-
nent, we're going to have to put our feelings aside and get
it done."
off encouraging e-mails to various teammates.
"Joe's very vocal," said junior Ralph Rosso, who
has known Catrambone since they were seven
years old. "You can hear him from wherever you
are in the gym.... Knowing that he wants you to do
better pushes you to do better, because you have
somebody else who believes in you."
And Catrambone always provides entertain-
ment in the gym, with his outsized personality
and dramatic crashes. Thanks to his flexibility,
tremendous even for a gymnast, he always seems
to bounce back.
Whenever BillShinavier,the team's trainerhears
a crash from the training room, his usual response
is to poke his head out and ask, "Where's Joe?" In
the span of one week last season, Catrambone fell
from the high bar onto his head three times. of
course, he competed in that weekend's meet.
"Joe has crashes and gets up and miraculously
lives through them, when most people would be
on a gurney,"junior Jamie Thompson said.
Despite the falls, Catrambone has never missed
a collegiate meet due to injury. And he's only get-
ting better.
One of Catrambone's old teammates from New
Jersey, Sean Golden, is now on the U. S. Senior
National Team. He said with time, Catrambone
could be extremely successful in his sport.
"I think if he would believe in himself, or see
the potential within himself that others see, that
his level of competition would raise exponential-
ly," Golden said.
This season, Catrambone doesn't justbelieve in
that potential. He's making it a reality.