The Michigan Daily - michigandailytcom

December 14, 2009 - 3B

SHEENA
From page lB
and practiced new techniques that
allowed him to maximize the use of
his fully functional right leg.
Sheena tries to emulate the style
of Arizona State wrestler and All-
American Anthony Robles, who
was born without a right leg and
entered this season as the No. 3
wrestler in the nation.
"I try to watch film of him at
least once a day," Sheena said. "I
ask myself, 'What does Robles do
in this situation? Can I do the same
thing?'
But as much as Sheena takes
after Robles's wrestlingtechniques,
nobody has influenced his work
ethic more than his father. Sheena
described him as a "workout fiend,"
the man that drove him to train
harder, lift more and set goals.
"In the short term, my goals
involve working hard, getting bet-
ter, and helping the team in any
way I can." Sheena said.
And he does that much more
than his 0-4 record from the early
season warm-up matches shows.
"When players are stressed with
managing practice and schoolwork
and such, they look at Sheena and
what he has to overcome," McFar-
land said. "It kind of brings them
ELITE EIGHT
From page lB
Hawaii's aggressive serving
style gave Michigan trouble hand-
ing the ball on service receive and
passing.
Despite the Wolverines' season
coming to a close, the team has
plenty to be proud of from this
season.

back to reality."
Coming off the bench hasn't
stopped Sheena from thinking big.
After all, every athlete dreams of
achieving a career-defining perfor-
mance.
Michigan basketball star
DeShawn Sims' double-double that
led Michigan to an upset over No.
4 Duke last season and quarter-
back Tate Forcier's final drive that
stunned Notre Dame in September.
And Sheena recalls his defining
moment at Brother Rice without
hesitation.
In his sophomore year of high
school, Sheena was scheduled for a
varsity start at the Catholic League
Tournament, where he got his
chance at redemption against the
only opponent who had pinned him
that year.
Sounds like a climax taken from
a movie script.
"It was a beautiful match," Shee-
na said. "I wound up winning 18-9.
I just killed him."
Sheena hopes to have another
career-defining moment in the
next four years, but right now he is
just focusing on his goal of starting
for the Wolverines.
And it's clear from his past that
he will continue to work hard,
inspire his teammates and build
on the moments that wrestling has
given him.
They had a record-setting year
in which they made it to their
fourth consecutive NCAA Tour-
nanment and earned a spot in the
pro'gram's first Elite Eight.
"Anytime that a program can
get to the Elite Eight, I think you
have to respect the team and know
that they have a lot of fight," Hunt
said. "This year, making it to the
Elite Eight, we've definitely prov-
en ourselves."
in each of her three years in
Ann Arbor, the Wolverines have
increased their win total and have
reached at least the Sweet 16.
"We've created this culture of
expecting to win and advancing in
the tournament," senior right side
hitter Megan Bower said. "It didn't
come easy, and it took a lot of work.
This senior class has really shown
good leadership and brought Michi-
gan along with them. We're not just
on the map. We're on the top of that
map.:
Duringthe Wolverines'match
againstthe Corhuskers over three
months ago,thetwo commentators
were both Nebraska fans. It was obvi-
ous from their tone andsufficient
knowledge of the Corhusker team.
After Michigan won the opening
two sets, those commentators were
at a loss for words. They tried in
vain to describe a team they knew
nothingabout.
After the Wolverines' season, it's
a sure bet the media will know who
Michigan is next fall.

RESPECT
From page 1B

Junior Carl Hagelin has been a bright spot on the Wolverines' power play this season with three goals. He also leads the team in points (16).
Questions still loom on speclc
teams after weekend series sp

By MARK BURNS Fighting Irish's penalty killers.
Daily Sports Writer With the puck on the outside of
the box, Notre Dame only had to
SOUTH BEND - When it has minimize the amount of offensive
the man advantage, the Michigan activity within the heart of the
hockey team possesses the puck box.
with the best of Finally, with five seconds left
the CCHA. NOTEBOOK in the power play, senior defense-
Its crisp, man Chris Summers let a slap shot
tape-to-tape passing has been a go from the top of the left circle.
strength on the power play all Notre Dame goaltender Mike
season. Johnson easily stopped the puck.
But the Wolverines' shooting It's shots and scenarios like
- or lack thereof - has plagued these that have haunted the Wol-
them. verines' power play more than
This weekend was no different. two months into the season.
in the split against No. 18 Notre "Most of our chances tonight
Dame, Michigan registered one were on the four-on-four or five-
tally in 10 chances. on-five," junior forward Carl
On Sunday afternoon, Michi- Hagelin said. "We didn't get
gan (5-7 CCHA, 9-9-0 overall) enough shots through. We had
drew a power play 37 seconds into good movement and good puck
the second period. For a minute protection, but we didn't get those
and 55 consecutive seconds, the grade-A scoring chances (on the
five Wolverines on the ice contin- power play)."
ued to just pass the puck to each Michigan's power play cur-
other. rently sits in seventh place in
They made things easy for the the CCHA, and with a bulk of its

conference schedule still looming
after the holidays, the Wolverines
will need to revamp their power
play if they want to finish at the
top of the conference.
"Most goals on the power play
aren't tic-tac-toe plays," Hage-
lin said. "They're shots from the
point, just a tip. Today we got a
couple of shots through, but we
had no real tips or rebounds."
LIVIN' IN THE BOX: With just
under nine minutes remaining in
yesterday's matchup against the
Fighting Irish and Michigan down
by a 2-0 margin, senior Brian Leb-
ler took an elbowing penalty - his
second infraction of the night.
The Wolverines committed
nine penalties against Notre Dame
on Sunday, almost a full period's
worth of penalty killing. Penalties
are becoming dangerous for the
team. Michigan is second only to
Ferris State in the CCHA in total
penalty minutes.
"I think we took four penalties
in a row during the second period,

and especially a f
that really hurt us
coach Red Berenson,
no momentum out o
period even though\w
pretty well."
The team's relati
the sin bin grew ever
iar when the Wolveri
another four penalti
period.
The plethora of
ruined the momentu
team was trying to
road in a hostile(
And it eliminated an;
tinuity with players
binations.
Some players w
more energy on the p
others sat out for mii
which -caused Mich
momentum.
"You take a per
shuts everything d
defenseman Steve K
"You're sitting back(
and reacting to them

ARIE L BOND/Daly It was the only time all season the
Lady Lions - who beat California
on Saturday to earn their 100th
consecutive win - have been
a i pushed to the five-set match limit.
Talk about earning some
respect.
The seniors have put this pro-
gram on the map and they have
changed the standards for what
Michigan volleyball is," junior set-
ive-on-three, ter Lexi Zimmerman said. "We're
," Michigan still creating that image, and we're'
said. "We got definitely not comfortable where
f-that second we're at, but we're headed in the
e started out right direction. This program is
getting better every year, which is
ionship with something to be proud of."
n more famil- It's obvious Zimmerman doesn't
nes garnered want the program or her team-
es in the final mates to become complacent,
which is a sign of her maturity and
infractions leadership.
m Berenson's But Zimmerman should feel
create on the comfortable about the program's
environment. current position.

y kind of con-
and line com-
ere exerting
enalty kill as
nutes on end,
igan to lose
nalty and it
own," senior
.ampfer said.
on your heels
now."

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Santander shines in intrasquad matchup

Defending Big Ten
Co-Champs hold
exhibition match
By MICHAEL LAURILA
Daily Sports Writer
The annual Maize and Blue
Intrasquad meet on Saturday was
the Wolverines' first judged event
of the season. Michigan coach Kurt
Golder was not very excited about
his team's performance in the
exhibition.
After last year's runner-up per-
formance at the NCAA Champion-
ships, the sixth-ranked Wolverines
are back in action again.
"I saw a lot of good things,"
Golder said. "But I saw a lot of
missed routines tonight, too. I
doubt whether we hit 50 percent of
our routines tonight, because we've
been hitting around 50 percent in
practice. That's disappointing."
One of the "good things" was the
performance of senior Mel Anton
Santander, who won the pommel
horse and finished third on the
rings.
"I thought he looked the best
prepared out of all the guys on the
team," Golder said. "During the
regular season, I always have most
outstanding performance and I
would give it to him for the total of
all the events-tonight."
In this year's intrasquad meet,

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Senior Mel Anton Santander won the Maize and Blue Intrasquad meet on Saturday a
Santander and junior Chris Cam- starting point for me, and hopeful-
eron traded roles from last year. ly, it will just continue on to better
In last year's meet, Cameron things in the future of our season."
beat Santander in overall points by Cameron, an All-American last
a mere 3.1 points. This year San- year, was disappointed with his
tander got retribution by taking a performance at the meet. Thougla
slim 3.4 point victory, leading the he won the floor exercise and fin-
Maize team to a victory. ished second on the high bar, he felt
Even though Santander was the he could have done better.
overall winner, he was not com- "At no point should 1 drop to the
pletely satisfied with his perfor- level that I performed at today,"
mance. Cameron said. "There's no excuse
"I had some good things and for that. When it all boils down to
some bad things," Santander said. what I needed to do, it was nothing
"Overall, I felt like it was good, but near what this team needs of me."
not good enough. This is just a good Other top performers for the

ARIEL BOND/Daily
nd led the Maize team toa victory.
Wolverines included freshman
Rohan Sebastian, who finished
third in the overall competition
and junior Thomas Kelley, who
won the high bar by at iimpressive
1.2 points.
Up next for Michigan is the
Windy City Invitational in Chi-
cago on Jan. 16. Golder is hoping
for a better showing than his team
exhibited Saturday.
"We better hit a lot more rou-
tines, and we better look a lot
cleaner," Golder said. "We better
win it. We won it last year, and we
should be a better team this year."