U The Michigan Daily I michigandaily.com ( April 6, 2009 AT LAST! TUMBLERS CLAIM FIRST BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP IN NINE YEARS Palushaj jumps to NHL after two seasons Sophomore signs with St. Louis Blues, reports to AHL affiliate By GJON JUNCAJ Daily Sports Writer Saturday night marked the end of a one-week offseason for Aaron Palushaj. The former sophomore for- ward for the Michigan hockey team made his professional debut in Moline, Ill., for the Peoria Riv- ermen of the American Hockey League after foregoing his final two years of NCAA eligibility. Palushaj's first game came just two days after he signed an entry- level contract with the St. Louis Blues, who drafted the Northville native in the second round (44th overall) of the 2007 National Hockey League Entry Draft. Palushaj first thought about leaving college early last sum- mer, when roommate and close friend Max Pacioretty signed with the Montreal Canadiens after his freshman year at Michigan. Palushaj said he put some thought about turning pro throughout this season and expressed his interest with his parents during the year. After Air Force knocked the Wolverines out of the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Mar. 27. Palushaj said he start- ed weighing his options. He con- tacted St. Louis early last week to express his interest in joining the Blues, and said he and the team's front office were on the same page in their discussions. "Theyfeel that if I'm ready, then they'll welcome me with open arms," Palushaj said. "It'd be an opportunity for me, but there are no guarantees or promises in this business. It'll be a really hard sum- mer, and I'll just keep workingvery hard." Palushaj met with Michigan coach Red Berenson and assis- tants Mel Pearson and Billy Pow- ers last Thursday to notify them of his intentions. The Wolverines' staff, and Berenson in particular, is traditionally adamant that players should stay four years to earntheir degree and to fully develop their on-ice skills before jumping to the next level. Despite the conflicting philoso- phies, Palushaj said the 90-minute conversation was neither confron- tational nor combative. "It went really well," Palushaj said. "I just told them how I felt, where I was. They gave me their input and their opinions, and I took it for what it was worth. "As much as they maybe think I should stay for another year, I think all three of them were pret- ty supportive. They understand where I'm coming from and there are definitely no bad vibes leaving Michigan." Palushaj believes his maturity See PALUSHAJ Pa AB ARIEL BOND/Daily Sophomore Thomas Kelley beat out teammate Chris Cameron for the conference all-around championship on his way to Big Ten Gymnast of the Year honors. 'M' splits title Kelley wins all- with Illinois around crown After judges' conference, Blue earns title By COLT ROSENSWEIG Daily Sports Writer The No. 5 Michigan men's gymnastics team appeared shell-shocked, staring silently out at the competition floor while the fourth-ranked Fight- ing Illini started roaring in tri- umph, holding up the Big Ten Championship trophy. But a few minutes after Illinois started celebrating, a whisper began to spread around Crisler Arena. Michigan's last parallelbars score was wrong. Suddenly, the scoreboard changed, and sophomore Chris Cameron was awarded a 14.45 instead of a 13.85 - a correction that moved the Wolverines into a tie for first place with the Illini at357.10 points. The maize-and-blue clad competitors were already in the tunnel, waiting to re-enter the arena for the post-meet ceremo- nies. Their non- competing teammates See BIG TENS, Page 3B By COLT ROSENSWEIG Daily Sports Writer No one could blame sophomore gymnast Thomas Kelley for being a little surprised. At Friday night's Big Ten men's gymnastics championships, his teammate, sophomore Chris Cam- eron, was whisked away for a TV interview as the all-around champi- on before the six N teams marched NOTEBOOK out on the floor for awards. But when the results for the all-around were announced, Cameron was called second. Kelley won the all-around title by just a quarter of a point. "I was not expect- ing it at all," Kelley said. "My goal was to get in the top six, and I had the meet of my life tonight. I've never been more on in my life. I stuck floor, six dismounts - I don't do that." Kelley posted scores of 15 or above on four of his six events, including an astronomical 15.65 on high bar and a season-high 14.70 on his last event, parallel bars. But the sophomore was so immersed in the team competition that his individual performance took a back seat. "The meet was over, I thought we'd lost, so I don't even remem- ber anything that happened in my p-bars routine," Kelley said. - The Libertyville, Ill., native's success carried into Saturday night's event finals. Kelley finished third on the parallel bars with a new season-best 14.75 score and second on the high bar (14.975). To cap his weekend, Kelley, who was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2008, was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Year. He is the first Wolverine to win the award since Justin Laury in 2005 - the last year Michigan hosted the Big Ten Champion- ships. See KELLEY, Page 3B SAID ALSA LAH/Daily Sophomore Aaron Palushaj is now a member of the AHL's Peoria Rivermen. SOFTBALL Blue sweeps Purdue for third straight year ARIEL BOND/Dal y F Wolverines allow 12 unanswered runs By CHANTEL JENNINGS Daily Sports Writer The Michigan dugout looked stunned. Wolverine coach Rich Maloney stared at the scoreboard in disbelief. The young fans stood pas- sively, wondering whether to ask for autographs. The Wolverines had just allowed the Nittany Lions to score 12 unan- swered runs en route to a16-5 loss at RayFisher Stadium, PENN STATE 16 which MICHIGAN 5 sealed a 2-1 series loss on the weekend. The loss yesterday wasn't on the tail of a major catastrophe or break- down, and the team hadn't fallen apart. On Saturday, the Wolverines and Nittany Lions (3-3 Big Ten, 17-12 overall) had split their doublehead- er, with Penn State taking the first F game 6-4 in the 10th inning. But the Wolverines fought back from a 5-2 deficit in the second game to win 9-4 with the help of five home runs. But on Sunday, the Wolverines just failed to do the little things. "It all added up over time, one mistake after another," sophomore Ryan LaMarre said. "A few plays, a few inches, a few bounces, then it's a whole different game. But today, it just all added up." Unlike other games where the Wolverines (3-3, 18-10) have found a way to fight back, the hole they dug themselves into was too deep to escape. As the game went own, the little miscues became more glaring. Maloney worked hiswaythrough the bullpen, using six different pitchers, but all failed to slow the Nittany Lions' offensive surge. And when the Wolverines looked for a game-changing performance, no one answered the call. "It takes one or two guys to step See NITTANY LIONS, Page 4B By AMY SCARANO Daily Sports Writer The Michigan softball team practices like it's on ESPN - and on Saturday, it paid off. The Wolverines have a drill named after the sports channel. With- out a PURDUE 1 ball, the MICHIGAN 3 players imagine PURDUE 3 diving, MICHIGAN 4 making spec- tacular catches and completing highlight reel, SportsCenter- worthy plays. On Saturday, senior co-cap- tain Teddi Ewing made her ESPN-caliber play. And later, she was thrown out at first base when she was on the wrong end of a highlight play nearly as impressive. With a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning of Saturday's second game, Ewing displayed amazing athletic ability. Boilermaker second base- man Kelly Miller led off with a strong hit to mid-leftfield for what looked like a base hit. Ewing, a shortstop, threw herself in the air and managed to turn 180 degrees before land- ing feet toward home base, her stomach in the dirt, ball in her glove. The play helped close out the 4-3 win to complete the week- end sweep. "I always say with diving, you never know unless you try," Ewing said. "So if I think there's any chance of getting it, I just go for it. And it's always nice when it lands in the glove." In the sixth inning, Ewinggot a taste of her own medicine. She made solid contact at the plate for what 'looked like a potential double, but Purdue outfielder Beth Cinadr made a diving catch in leftfield for the out. Cinadr's dive was character- istic of the scrappy Boilermak- ers. After No.10 Michigan won 3-1 in the opening game, spurred by a 2-0 first-inning lead, Purdue found its confidence and rhythm in the second contest. "The bottom line is, you can't get your confidence or your lack of confidence from the other team," Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said. "And they stayed confident for two reasons: One, because they were in the game. When you are in the game, you have a chance to win it. And two, if you look at it on paper - who's supposed to win - they have no pressure." The second game went to See PURDUE, Page 4B Sophomore Ryan LaMarre went 7-for-12 and hit three homers against Penn State. BLUE MISSES OUT CENTURY MARK U The Michigan women's gymnastics team's Senior Chisako Sugiyama tied the all-time streak of 16 straight NCAA Championship Michigan singles record for wins with 100. She appearances was snapped. Page 2B. could break the record Thursday. Page 3B.