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4B - March 2, 2009

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

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Bue I11T
Michigan finishes
just 7.5 points out
of first place in
Bloomington
By AMY SCARANO
Daily Sports Writer
Colorful "Go Blue" and "Michi-
gan Wolverines Big Ten '09" signs
hung conspicuously in the stands
of the Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse
this weekend.
Last week, the No. 4 Michi-
gan women's track and field team
threw a poster-decorating party as
a chance to loosen up before their
biggest meet of the season so far -
the Big Ten Indoor Championships
in Bloomington.
"I think for the most part, every-
body went in relaxed," senior
co-captain Casey Taylor said.
"Everyone had the same goal in
mind. We were all happy and excit-
ed to be there."
The Michigan contingent in the
stands, mostly composed of par-
ents, was slightly outnumbered by
the hometown Hoosier crowd.
But despite their enthusiastic
cheering, after two days of compe-
tition the Wolverines didn't rank as
high as they hoped.
BIG TENS
From page 1B
Bottom estimated that 15 swim-
mers secured qualifying times and
possibly three or four more could
be added. Last season, the team
took 12 swimmers to the NCAA
championship meet.
Michigan absolutely dominated
the meet from start to finish; win-
ning 13 of the 18 swimming events.
No other team won more than two
events.
Sophomore Tyler 'Clary was
named the Big Ten's Swimmer of
the Year and the Swimmer of the
Championships. Clary broke a
record in each of his events, includ-
ing a school record in the 200-yard
backstroke and a Big Ten record in
the 200-yard individual medley.
Clary also set an NCAA record in
the 400-yard individual medley
(3:38.03) which was formerly held

The squad placed third in the
meet with 121.5 points, behind first-
place Minnesota (129) and second-
place Penn State (125).
Lastseason,theWolverinescame
to second in the Big Ten Champion-
ships, just behind Minnesota and
ahead of Pettn State.
"We always expect to be in the tsp
three and to be in position to win,"
Michigan coach James Henry said.
Since 2005, Penn State, Minne-
sota and Michigan have all placed
in the top four at the Big Ten Cham-
pionships, swapping places every
year.
In 2005 and 2006 respectively,
Michigan took the title. In 2007
and 08 Minnesota carne in first.
"Minnesota and Penn State were
both favored, and we were justhop-
ing we would be able to get in front
of them," Henry said. "It has been
a three-team race for years, and
it just so happens that Minnesota
and Penn State got the better of us
today."
A championship was looking
promising after the first day of the
competition, when the Wolverines
were tied for first with Minnesota.
Michigan was led by impressive
performances by senior co-captain
Tiffany Ofili, the top scorer in the
entire meet with 31 points, and
senior co-captain Bettie Wade (28
points), helped the Wolverines.
by three-time Olympic gold medal-
ist Ryan Lochte. Michigan has now
won that event in 11 consecutive
seasons.
"I felt really good in the water,"
Clary said about his race in the 400-
yard individual medley. "I didn't
think I was going to go so fast, I,
thought I would swim a 3:39 high
or a 40 low. But as I turned to start
the breaststroke, I heard the roar
of the crowd get louder, which was
cool. So I knew I was swimming
fast at that point and I just buckled
down and tried to get my hands on
the wall."
. Senior co-captains Matt Pat-
ton and Bobby Savulich also had
outstanding swims. Patton won
the 500-yard and 1,650-yard free-
style events and Savulich won the
100-yard freestyle. Patton, who
was tired from a challenging week
of training leading up to the meet,
said his race in the 1,650-yard free-
style was the most painful race of

e e MEW~S TRACK I ELD
ird-place finish 'Despitle injuries,
Wolverines take
, second at Big Ten

4

FILE PHOTO
Senior Tiffany Ofill won the 60-meter hurdles at this year's Big Ten Championships.

"A lot of stuff that was stressed
(in our team meetings last week)
was to make sure we had fun and
to go as hard as we could because
every point was going to count,"
Wade said. "Overall, we tried our
best and gave it our all and ran our
hearts out."
The Wolverines are now instead
his career.
"Basically, Matt just gutted it
out," Bottom said. "He didn't win it
easily. There was a guy right there
racing him and we all watched Matt
fight his way through that race."
But Michigan's overall margin of
victory was not built on first-place
finishes alone. In fact, the team's
top swimmers were all quick to
share the credit for the Big Ten title
with their teammates.
Bottom said the team's victory
was built on swims where the ath-
letes overcame some kind of dif-
ficulty to swim well - swims like
junior Alon Mandel's race in the
backstroke. Mandel had three races
on Friday, all 20 minutes apart. Bot-
tom advised Mandel to back off on
his middle race to save his energy
and win his final race, the 100-yard
backstroke. Mandel tied for fifth in
the 100-yard butterfly, the middle
race, and first in the backstroke.
"Alon said to me, 'That's not the

gearing up for nationals on March
13-14 in College Station, Texas.
"Asa captain, I feel it's important
to stay positive and keep our head
up," Taylor said. "It's a time people
can beat themselves up. But all four
captains are keeping their heads
up, just looking forward towards
nationals and the outdoor season."
Michigan way.' And I just said,
'You do it your way, go for it," Bot-
tom said. "I'm still learning from
these guys about the tradition of
this program and being a Michigan
man means having a drive that goes
beyond points and winning, it's a
attitude of not giving up and learn-
ing from competition and applying
it to life."
Michigan has clearly been the
best team in the Big Ten all season,
finishing undefeated in conference
dual meets. Savulich called the
atmosphere on deck for Michigan
"relaxed" and said the Wolverines
felt more comfortable being the
team with the lead instead of trying
to catch up.
"When it counted, our guys were
pumped and ready to swim fast,"
Savulich said. "But at the same
time, the pressure wasn't on us,
it was more on the other teams to
come after us, so we just focused on
finishing the job."

Harris shines with
two individual wins
as Minnesota takes
the championship
By ROGER SAUERHAFT
Daily Sports Writer
All season, the Michigan
men's track and field team has
been plagued by key injuries
and unpredictability. And when
a tweaked hamstring prevented
junior captain Frank Shotwell
from attempting to defend his Big
Ten heptathlon title Saturday, it
looked as though the conference
championship meet would be
more of the same.
But Sunday proved tobe differ-
ent. Four Wolverines won a total
of five events - including two
conference titles by senior sprint-
er Adam Harris - which helped
Michigan finish second overall
behind No. 13 Minnesota at the
Big Ten Indoor Championships
in State College.
The Golden Gophers entered
the meet as the clear-cut favorite
and obliterated the rest of the field
with 135 team points. Michigan
wasn't within 'triking distance
of first with 92 points, but it had
more than enough to place ahead
of host Penn State's 78 points.
Michigan coach Fred LaPlante
was satisfied with his team's per-
formance, given the wide array
of injuries the Wolverines have
dealt with this the season. But he
stopped short of saying he was
surprised by how well his squad
competed.
"Minnesota had clearly shown
they were the strongest team
on paper," LaPlante said. "But I
felt like if we somehow got it all
together, we could give them a
run for their money.... There is a
crazy part of me that thought we
could win if we somehow pulled
it together."

Despite not being able to bring
home the Big Ten Indoor Cham-
pionship, the Wolverines 'still
validated the optimism of their
coach.
Harris, an All-American who
struggled with back ailments
throughout the season, rebound-
ed last week at the Silverston
Invitational to break his own
school record in the 60-meter
dash with atime of 6.60 seconds
- the best recorded time in the
Big Ten this season.
He followed it up with a 6.62
on Sunday to defend his 60-meter
title, while also taking first in
the 200-meter race, an event in
which he'd never before reached
the finals and breaking another
school record.
"That was definitely the high-
light of the Big Ten meet for me,"
Harris said. "I was telling every-
one I've never made a final before
and hoping this year was differ-
ent. I knew if I just went as fast
as I could and tried to hold it, I
could get it.
"I knew I was really close to
the school record. ... That time
was great - I definitely didn't
expect to go that fast."
The distance medley relay
team also won a conference title
behind the effortsofjuniorsBran-
don Fellows and Roger Billhardt,
sophomore David St. Amant and
senior anchor Justin Switzer. In
addition to running on the cham-
pion medley squad, Switzer also
came in first-place in the mile
with a 4:02.60.
Redshirt junior thrower Sean
Pruitttook the weight throw after
coming into the meet with the
top throw in the conference and
a school record in the event. His
throw of 67 feet and 7.50 inches
was more than a foot longer than
any other throwers.
"It was a day where our big
guns were great and our sup-
porting cast was great," LaPlante
said.


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