4B - April 13, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4B - April 13, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom 0 MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD Wolverines snatch pennant in outdoor version of The Dual 0 By FELIX CARREON Daily Sports Writer The Wolverines had their sights set on the multi-colored pennant at the Jesse Owens Memorial Sta- dium in Columbus on Saturday. Awarded to the winner of The Dual, the flag, which combined both schools' colors, stood at the finish line for the duration of the meet. For the Michigan men's track and field team, it served as a reminder of the missed opportu- nities to bring the pennant back to Ann Arbor in the previous two meetings between the teams. The Wolverines made sure they didn't leave empty-handed again. Michigan defeated Ohio State 105-98 and celebrated by taking a victory lap with the pennant wav- ing above their heads. With numerous injured run- ners, Michigan coach Fred LaPlante had to adjust his lineup against the Buckeyes "A lot times in track, there's not a whole lot of strategy involved, because a lot of meets aren't scored," LaPlante said. "Here's a meet where we as coaches are a little bit more involved in the outcome of the meet. It makes it exciting." Beyond the coaching, it was a total team effort for Michigan. Five different individuals earned two event titles each to spur the Wolverines to the win. Senior Lex Williams delivered a performance that reversed the outcome of the previous meeting between tle two team in Janu- ary. Last time, on an indoor track, Ohio State dominated the dis- tance events. On Saturday, Michi- gan took the top spots. Despite a strong headwind, Williams earned victories in both the 1,500- and 3,000-meter runs. Using teammates to shield against the gusts, redshirt junior Sean McNamara wasn't too far behind. McNamara crossed the finish line second in the 1,500- meter run and third in the 3,000- meter run. The atmosphere was more like a football game than a meet. But with the Ohio State march- ing band in the stands, Brutus the Buckeye dancing around the track and an appearance by Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel, the Wolverines weren't intimi- dated. "(Tressel) was the honorary starter for the last event (the 4x400-meter relay)," LaPlante said. "Obviously, those are things you don't typically see at track meets." The meet also gave the Wolver- ines an opportunity to prepare for the less-common events that will be featured in two weeks at the Penn Relays, which is the oldest and largest track and field com- petition in the United States. The 3,000-meter steeplechase was probably the most intrigu- ing example. Runners not only have to cover the distance but also have to jump a total of 28 barriers and seven water jumps. Senior Brandon Fellows finished in first place (9:15.80), providing the team with a strong start to the running events. But in the end, it was Michi- gan's success on the track that garnered all the attention. Led by All-American senior Adam Harris, the Wolverines won eight of 11 track events to secure the victory. Harris's performances were the highlight of the day for Mich- igan. He cruised to victories in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. His times were good enough to qualify for the NCAA regional meet and impressive considering the windy conditions. It was Harris's .effort in the 4x100-meter relay that crushed the Buckeyes' hopes of retaining the pennant. In the closest race of the afternoon, the team of senior Andre Barnes, freshman Nicho- las Neuman, junior Kyle Trepak and Harris overcame a 10-meter deficit heading into the final leg. When Harris received the baton, he took over. He gave the Wolver- ines the victory in the event by the smallest of margins - one- hundredth of a second. "The pennant has now taken some pretty good significance," LaPlante said. "They won two meets in a row. For us to have the pennant on our bus, it was fun for the guys." SAID ALSALAH/Daily Incoming freshman Denard Robinson and early-enrollee Tate Forcier met Saturday at the spring game. The two will compete for the starting quarterback job. QUARTERBACKS From page 1B position in the summer - but neither of them seems too wor- ried about it. Forcier, who has the advantage of an entire semester in Ann Arbor and 15 spring prac- tices with the team, impressed the crowd with his swagger on Satur- day. Forcier threw for three scores - includinga50-yardbombto redshirt freshman Roy Roundtree - and ran for another. He seemed uncom- fortable in the pocket in the early goings, often scrambling instead of progressing through his reads. But by the end of the scrimmage, he had settled down. His strong, accurate arm and agile footwork were a wel- come surprise for Michigan fans, including one in particular. "I'm still close with some of the fifth-year seniors, and they tell me thathe hangs out with theguys, he's having a good time," said Forcier's brother, Jason, a former Michigan quarterback who was in Ann Arbor to see the game and apply for the SportsManagement Master's pro- gram. "Despite being a freshman, he's taking command of the team. They told me he's got that moxie, RATKOWIAK From page 1B Before Saturday's football spring game, it looked like the Athletic Department might be at it again. All it took was an offhand comment by Rodriguez three weeks ago about how he'd like to see more people at the spring game, and all of a sud- den, the press releases started roll- ing. See the inside of the Michigan football locker room! Kick field goals to win textbook money! Forget about last year's 3-9 sea- son! But this time, the publicity blitz worked - and it'll be a shame if this hyped-up edition of the spring game doesn'tbecome a tradition. The whole day was a little surre- al. Rodriguez set his goal at 40,000 attendees - chosen arbitrarily, I learned from an Athletic Depart- ment spokesperson later - and I thought there was absolutely no way that many people would come to a spring game. But after arriving at Michigan Stadium shortly after the locker room tours opened at 8:00 a.m., I walked up the tunnel and saw the line. It took 15 minutes to walk to the end. The line wove around Cris- ler Arena and down Stadium Blvd., curling back around Michigan Sta- dium and halfway down Main St. At the beginning of the game, attendance was estimated at a little less than 40,000. After the first set of plays, Associate Athletic Director Bruce Madej walked by our seats in the press box. "People are lined up outside. They're still coming in," he said, sounding sort of incredulous. The final attendance estimate was 50,000-- about 44,500 more than the estimated number at the last that confidence." Most point to Forcier's accuracy and growth during spring practices as reasons why he's got a leg up on Robinson. And Forcier is already seeing a payoff from his time with the team in the last few weeks. "These extra practices help so much," Forcier said. "The first day I was here, I was lost. I just didn't know what I was doing. But as time goes, you get coached up by all the coaches. You just see your whole game slow down that much. Since I've been here, I've felt so much more comfortable with everybody. We're on our way to a good start." But Robinson isn't conceding the starting job that easy. A sprinter who recently ran a reported 10.28-second 100-meter dash at one of his high school track meets, Robinson has been working closely with Michigan quarter- backs coach Rod Smith since Feb- ruary. The two talk on the phone almost every day, often discussing plays and schemes. Smith has even flown down to Florida several times to teach Robinson the spread-option attack face-to-face. "I've got a pretty good chance," Robinson said about his oppor- spring game under former Michi- gan coach Lloyd Carr. It was refreshing to see the foot- ball program lighten upa little bit and change the closed-door policies that were so prevalent in the Carr era. Some might think promotions cheapen the experience. But dur- ing a watered-down scrimmage that was a prime opportunity for marketing ploys, the Wolverines executed them in a way that earned some desperately needed positive attention. It wasn't only from the fans. They got attention from alumni, who came back in droves. Thirty- eight former players were on the roster for the flag football game, and Steve Breaston, Mike Hart and Desmond Howard, among others, strolled around on the field. Even current Pittsburgh Steelers line- backer Larry Foote took a break from his NFL conditioning to par- ticipate in the game with limited contact, contributing a one-handed touchdown to his new team. They got attention from recruits - running back Stephen Hopkins, impressed by the spectacle, verbally committed right after the game. "I've been to Texas A&M, Nebraska, Alabama, Texas, Texas Tech," he told GoBlueWolverine. com after the game. "The atmo- sphere here at Michigan blew me out of the water." They got attention from incoming freshman quarterback Denard Rob- inson, who walked the sidelines in his high school varsity jacket. When asked how he liked the atmosphere, he looked around at the fans on both sides of the stadium, nodded and smiled - and didn't stop. It took a few seconds for him to answer. "It's good, it's good. It's got me speechless - I don't really know what to say," he finally said, looking tunity for playing time in the fall. "That's my gut feeling, but the coaches are telling me I've got a chance to start." Robinson came up to Michigan for a chance to meet the team, see the spring game atmosphere and prepare himself for the changes he'll soon face. Robinson is mov- ing to Ann Arbor two days after his high school graduation on June 3. That could be hard for the self-pro- claimed momma's boy, who said the hardest part about moving would be "probably getting used to being without my mom." Robinson had a chance to sit down with Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez and others in the pro- gram in Ann Arbor, and that inter- action could help in Robinson's transition tothe college game. Rodriguez, who has given Forci- er high praise all spring, can see similarities in the two newcomers. "He's kind of like Tate, one that picks up concepts well," Rodri- guez said. "When he gets here this summer, he'll come by and see us and want to talk a little football.... Some of the veteran quarterbacks do a great job of getting together and teaching some of the things, so Denard will get thrown right in the mix. I'm excited to see him competing with the rest of them." Rodriguez expects the competi- tion for the starting job to last until the fall, since he knows both quar- terbacks will experience ups and downs. But Jason Forcier, who trans- ferred to Stanford from Michigan after the 2007 season, isn't con- cerned about either quarterback picking up Rodriguez's offensive scheme. Jason never fit in former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr's pro- style offense, and he said a spread is much easy for younger quarter- backs to pick up. "The spread offense is something that, if you can get the base down, you can add a lot of the ingredi- ents later," Jason said. "You can do variations of all kind of stuff off one play. ... Compared to the pro-style, it's much easier to learn, especially because there's not as much verbage in it. You're not saying a play that's 20 words long." Even though neither seems to be concerned about the other, both are known to be fierce competitors. Forcier and Robinson will fight all summer for the starting nod. The speculation surrounding next year's starter will keep heating up - but for now, let the introductions continue. MEN'S GOLF Late-round surge key in fourth-place finish By NICK SPAR Daily Sports Writer Tiger Woods and Phil Mick- elson weren't the only golfers to make late final-round pushes this weekend. As the third round of the year's first major professional champion- ship was underway Saturday, the No. 46 Michigan men's golf team was battling for fourth place at its last regular-season event - about 270 miles northeast of Augusta, Ga. in Wallace, N.C. The Wolverines were in a dog- fight with No. 29 Wake Forest for third place on the back nine in the final round of the River Landing Intercollegiate. The two-day, 54-hole event at the River LandingGolf Course was Michigan's final event until the Big Ten Championships on May 1. The Wolverines were bested by No. 45 and tournament winner Duke, No. 15 North Carolina State and Wake Forest, which were all playing in their home state. After the first day of play, Mich- igan trailed the same three teams. It then struggled early in the final round - sophomore Lion Kim was the only Wolverine who shotunder par on the front nine. But on the back nine, all five Michigan play- ers were under par, storming from a potentially disappointing sixth- place finish to a fight for third with the Demon Deacons. "I was proud of the way they played, especially in the last six holes or so," Michigan coach Andrew. Sapp said. "We got in a rally to make some birdies com- ing in and turned what was a bad round into a pretty good round." Sophomore Alexander Sitom- pul, who finished tied for third, got off to a great startby shooting a first-round, two-under score of 70. His performance was highlighted by a string of five consecutive bird- ies on the back nine. Sitompul then made two eagles in the second round and added another in the final round to finish five under in the event. "I basically just caught fire," Sitompul said. "I think it turned out pretty good for us, considering how bad many of the guys started. So I'm just happy that we finished the way we did overall after what happened in the beginning (of the third round)." But Sitompul was not the only Wolverine who helped his team to a respectable finish. Freshman Matt Thompson also got off to a hot start, birdying four of his final six holes in the first round to post a one-under 71. He finished tied for13th, and Kim con- tributed ateam-low, four-under 68 in the final round. Michigan made steady progress throughout all three rounds of the tournament. It posted a solid 289 and a 288 on the first day of the event but saved its best for last, tallying a 285 in the final round on Saturday. Sapp said he was pleased that multiple players were a factor this weekend but still feels there is ample room for improvement heading into the postseason. "That's the strength of our team - our depth," Sapp said. "It's real- ly beneficial when you got differ- ent guys who will step up at times and lead the team for us... (But) we have to get everybody playing like they're capable of leading the team all at the same time. That's what we have kind of been missing so far this spring." The Wolverines have a little less than three weeks to get ready for the Big Ten Championships in State College. Even though. Sapp wants improvement, he hopes his team is prepared to play its best golf in the postseason after second and fourth-place finishes in the last two regular-season tournaments. "We're going in the right direc- tion, but I think in the last two tournaments, everybody would say we haven't played our best and yet we've had solid finishes," Sapp said. "Hopefully, we're getting ready to peak at the right time in the postseason, and we'll have our games sharp and ready to go." cLFREEDER/Daily A Michigan spring game record 50,000-plus people came to the Big House Saturday. genuinely overwhelmed. Saturday's game showed that despite people complaining that Michigan is losing all its traditions, the core of the program is still there. Alums are still invested in the program. The rows of recruits watching from the stands, the vast majority from in-state, showed they aren't all running to East Lansing because they feel ignored by Rodri- guez. The incoming freshmen and new players are still just as awe- struck by Michigan Stadium as they were under Carr. And when you mix the classic elements of Michigan football with a little bit of new tradition, the fans should stop whining that the old way is the only way. "It's nice to have a positive record, for once," Rodriguez joked, referring to the Michigan spring game attendance record set Satur- day. "The fans were terrific - they really were." It's true that this time, the gim- micks worked. But here's hoping that like the basketball team, the on-the-field football show starts to speak for itself soon. - Ratkowiak can be reached at cratkowi@umich.edu.