*I

8A - Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

, -, .
, ,.
r . --..> 'era,

Lewan captivates witt
his comedic uresence

N,

ARIEL BOND/Daily
Senior forward Carl Hagelin was named to the Preseason All-CCHA team.
Four icers named
to 2010 Preseason
All- CCHA squad

By JOE STAPLETON
Daily Sports Editor
During a press conference Mon-
day following the Michigan foot-
ball team's win over Bowling Green
two days prior, junior wide receiver
Darryl Stonum held court at the
podium wearing a black necktie
with his short-sleeved Michigan
football polo, as well as a gigantic
pair of horn-rimmed glasses taped
together at the middle (the actual
usefulness of the glasses is still
under review). Stonum was enter-
taining, funny and informative in
fielding the reporters' questions.
When Stonum stepped down, up
walked redshirt freshman left tack-
le Taylor Lewan. There were a few
chuckles among the media, saying
Lewan had a tough act to follow for
his first time at the podium.
The media, of course, didn't
know Lewan.
The Scottsdale, Arizona native
was before the media Monday
because he started for the first time
against Bowling Green and played
nearly the whole game. He was
part of an offensive line that paved
the way for Michigan backs to gain
more than 460 yards on the ground.
That was the story.
But by the time he left the podi-
um, Taylor Lewan was the story.
When asked whether he and
his former high school teammate,
sophomore linebacker Craig Roh,
do any recruiting in Arizona:
"There's a kid who went to my
school, his name's Andre (Yrureta-
goyena)," Lewan said. "He actually
committed to Oregon, so I guess I
didn't do a very good job."
His favorite thing about Ann
Arbor?
"All the different people. You got
some weird people out here."
Lewan started really having fun

once he stepped down from the
podium. Reporters flocked to him
like sharks at a feeding frenzy, each
knowing that if Lewan kept going,
they would have to do little more
than transcribe his quotes for a
good mid-week story.
And kept going, he did. Lewan
held his audience captive by telling
tales of linemate Patrick Omameh's
eating habits ("He had like, eight
eggs Benedict, three omelettes
and like a muffin" at a buffet they
went to.), referring to himself as an
"attention whore" and calling his
teammate Stonum's look "ridicu-
lous."
But of course, according to red-
shirt junior defensive lineman Ryan
Van Bergen, that last comment in
itself was ridiculous, considering
Lewan's own wardrobe.
"During film, he was wear-
ing sweatpants, a fedora and a
sweatervest with no shirt on under-
neath," Van Bergen said at the press
conference, rolling his eyes.
Lewan kept the ball rolling, act-
ing more and more like a stand-up
comedian than a Michigan offen-
sive tackle. He said he is a wide
receiver trapped in a lineman's
body, meaning he has an outsized
ego while playing a position in
which he receives recognition only
when he's guilty of a penalty. Lewan
lamented the lack of stats associ-
ated with offensive lineman perfor-
mance.
"We don't really have stats,"
Lewan said. "We need something
cool. We don't really have anything
going on."
Lewan has the kind of harmless
ego and self-awareness that will
make him a media darling for years
to come. He knows how to make
himself sound ridiculous because
he knows exactly how ridiculous he
actually is.

By MICHAEL FLOREK
Daily Sports Editor
The Michigan hockey team
has had a good season and the
games haven't even started yet.
One day
after the Fs e
Wolverines First seen on
were ranked -the game
No. 4 in the
USA today coaches poll and four
days before they open the season
against Mercyhurst, four player
were selected to the preseason
All-Conference teams.
Seniors Carl Hagelin and
Louie Caporusso are preseason
selections for first team All-
CCHA. Hagelin was the top
vote-getter as a unanimous
selection. Caporusso was the
third forward selected, getting
five less votes than Miami's'
Andy Miele.
Seniors Matt Rust and Chad
Langlais were selected to the
second team. Rust beat out
Northern Michigan's Gregor
Hanson by one vote for the final
forward spot. Langlais was the
final defenseman to make the
squad as well.

Here are the full teams per the
press release:
2010-11 CCHA PRESEASON
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
Preseason First Team
Forward:
Carl Hagelin, Michigan
Andy Miele, Miami (Ohio)
Louie Caporusso, Michigan
Defense:
Zach Redmond, Ferris State
Chris Wideman, Miami (Ohio)
Goaltender:
Cody Reichard, Miami (Ohio)
Preseason Second Team
Forward :
Carter Camper, Miami (Ohio)
Andy Taranto, Alaska
Matt Rust, Michigan
Defense:
Torey Krug, Michigan State
Chad Langlais, Michigan
Goaltender:
Pat Nagle, Ferris State

Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Taylor Lewan got his first start of his career in
the Wolverines'65-21 win over Bowling Green last Saturday.

Lewan is known for being very
aggressive. He said he was often
flagged for excessive blocking - "I
don't even know if that's a rule" -
which seems to be a penalty invent-
ed specifically for players like him.
His aggression has also shown
itself in practice, apparently. Lewan
has been in multiple fights during
practice or, as he calls them, "this
awkward, wrestling-tugging thing
that never goes anywhere."
His nice, gregarious nature off
the field and his nastiness on it
make for a very interesting con-

trast. Lewan showed himself to be a
well ofmediagoldthatdoesn'tseem
to be drying up any time soon. But
the craziest thing about him, some-
thing thatgoes beyond the realm of
sanity, has tobe the tattoo.
On his right index finger he has a
tattoo of a mustache. Just so he can
hold it to his upper lip for laughs 0
and the occasional pick-up line.
On Monday, Lewan held the
entirety of the Michigan media
captive. And in the future don't
be surprised if Lewan becomes a
household name for the Wolverines.

In fifth year, Neschke serves as mentor
to Wolverines' wealth of young talent

READY FOR
HOCKEY SEASON
TO START?
So are we.
STAY TUNED FOR THE DAILY'S
WEEKLY HOCKEY COVERAGE
ON TWITTER AND
MICHIGANDAILY.COM,
STARTING SATURDAY

By EVERETT COOK
For the Daily
Coming into the season, there
were plenty of questions about
the Michigan women's soccer
team's youth.
There were debates over
whether the influx of new players
would divide the team, making
it weaker, or if this youth would
make the team more cohesive and
stronger. Through tlgames, it
seems to be the latter.
The Wolverines' youth move-
ment is in full swing, but that
doesn't mean the veterans are
going away anytime soon. Michi-
gan coach Greg Ryan has relied
on his seasoned defense this sea-
son, which allows him to take
more risks on the offensive end.
"It allows us to attack more
freely," Ryan said. "We have put
an emphasis on attacking play
and have got more shots than we
have ever had at this point in the
season."
There is no shortage of veteran
talent, most notably on defense.

Senior defenders Kylie Neschke,
Amanda Bowery and Jackie Carron
all bring experience and leadership
to an otherwise young group.
Sophomore defender Alyssa
Engstrom is one of the players
who has benefited the most from
this veteran leadership, par-
ticularly from fifth-year senior
Neschke.
Recently, Engstrom has been
coming off the bench for Neschke,
and the pair have made for an
impressive one-two punch. Hav-
ing an older player there for guid-
ance is very important, according
to Engstrom.
"I think it helps so much to
have people who actually know
what they are doing, and have a
ton of experience to just bring a
calming presence to the field,"
Engstrom said. "It definitely
helps me a lot."
Being the oldest member of the
Wolverines (0-1-0 Big Ten, 5-2-2
overall) and a two-time captain
comes with a lot of responsibil-
ity, and mentoring some of these
young players is part of that

responsibility.
Neschke has embraced this
mentor role, while still continu-
ing to focus on her own play after
coming back from a season-end-
ing ACL injury. For some players,
it would be a tough decision to
try and come back for a fifth year
after that kind of injury. But not
for Neschke. She had to put in a
ton of off season work, but for her
it was well worth it.
"The team is awesome,"
Neschke said. "It was a big moti-
vation to get myself ready."
While Neschke's on-field suc-
cess is something special, it is
impossible to measure her impact
on some of the younger players,
especially Engstrom.
"She is a very vocal leader,"
Engstrom said. "She definitely
helps people relax and figure out
where they should beon the field."
Neschke has picked up an
immense amount of knowledge
in her five years, and with that
experience comes assurance and
a sense of comfort. Recently, Ryan
has been playing both Neschke

and Engstrom, with a belief that
Engstrom is growing rapidly as
a player due to the guidance of
Neschke,
"We have been starting out
with Kylie because she is very
sure of herself and very confi-
dent," Ryan said. "I think it helps
Alyssa to get some time watching
the game and Kylie to get ready to
step on the field."
Although the season is young,
Ryan can still plan for the future.
The defense will to be very young
next year, but the experience that
players like Engstrom and Sheli-
na Zadorsky are getting is invalu-
able.
"It is important to get as many
young players as much experi-
ence as we can in the back," Eng-
strom said.
As the Michigan women's soc-
cer team is learning, there is no
substitute for a good mentor.
With Neschke leading the way
for young players like Engstrom,
both the current and the future
of Michigan women's soccer is
bright.


LIKE SPORTS?

If so, you're qualified to write for Daily Sports.
Come to the final mass meeting of the semester at
420 Maynard St., tomorrow, 7 p.m.