SPORTS
The Michigan Daily Friday, May 16, 1986
Three Blue netters head to NCAAs
Page 15
By PAUL DODD
Three members of the men's
tennis team hope their season
won't end as disappointingly as it
did for the rest of the squad at last
week's Big Ten Championships in
Bloomington.
Freshman standout Dan Gold-
berg, junior Ed Filer, and senior
Jim Sharton will be traveling to
Athens, Ga., for the NCAA Cham-
pionships tomorrow, while trying.
to forget what the Wolverines
failed to capture the league title
for only the second time in 19
years.
TOP-SEEDED Minnesota
downed Michigan, 5-1, last Sunday
to win the 77th Big Ten men's ten-
nis championships. The
Wolverines, seeded third going in-
to the tournament, had won 17
league crowns in the past 18
seasons, including last year's title.
The Gophers went through the
league schedule unbeaten in nine
matches. Wisconsin, a 5-4 winner
over the Wolverines at Madison
this spring, went in seeded second,
but got its come-uppance from the
Michigan team Saturday. The
Badgers ended up in seventh
place.
Sharton, an All-American, and
Goldberg were two of the 13
players selected to the All-Big Ten
squad by the conference coaches.
COACH Brian Eisner, the men-
tor for the last 15 titles, was less
than thrilled about being the run-
ner-up, but was pleased with his
team's performance in the final.
"(That) was our best match of
the whole tournament," said
Eisner. "We (Michigan and Min-
nesota) are the two powerhouses
in this part of the country right
now, and two of the best teams this
league has had in a long time.
"It isn't that we played poorly;
we just got beat by a better team.
All we can do is take our hats off to
them. We played the best we
could," added Eisner.
ALTHOUGH the Big Tens were
a bitter pill to swallow this season,
Eisner is optimistic about the
prospects for next spring, despite
the loss of Sharton to graduation.
Ed Nagel, a transfer student.
from Pepperdine, could rival
Goldberg for the number-one spot
and brings still more consistency
to the Michigan lineup, which will
be well-experienced by next Mar-
ch.
Battling for next year's top spot
will probably be one of the last
4
things on Goldberg's mind this
week, however, as the first-year
collegiate from Avon, Conn. takes
to the court against the best
college players in America.
"I'M NOT the least bit worried
about him," said Eisner,
dismissing any concern over
possible freshmanitis in post-
season play. "A lot depends on the
draw at nationals, but Dan has
always handled pressure well."
Pressure is no stranger to
Goldberg, who was the 12th-
number one in the Midwest," said
Eisner flatly. "Our players could
do unbelievably well in the tour-
nament. Both are among the best
in the country."
Eisner attributes Goldberg's
It's not like we played success on the court to consisten-
poorly ; we just got beat by cy, plain and simple.
a better team. All we can "He doesn't make a lot of
do is take our hats off to mistakes and he will not beat him-
them.' self," Eisner said. "Dan keeps the
ball in play and just wears his op-
-Michigan tennis coach ponents down. Many become
Brian Eisner frustrated because they cannot
handle his great consistency."
WHILE Goldberg's play this
year has been only a mild surprise
to Eisner, Sharton has been his
usual self - a solid player, day in
and day out.
ranked junior player in the coun- "This isn't anything new for
try before graduating from high Jim," said Eisner about Sharton's
school. Playing number-one return to national competition.
singles the majority of his fresh- "For four years he has been a
man year, Goldberg racked up an coach'a delight, a very mature
impressive 9-1 record in Big Ten and consistent player.
play during the regular season. "His record wasn't quite good
Goldberg will be entering the enough (to make the NCAA's as a
NCAAs as the third-ranked player singles player) this year," added
in the Midwest, while the Filer- Eisner. "He had some close
Sharton duo is rated as the losses, but doesn't have any hard
premier doubles team in the Mid- feelings about Dan. He realizes
west. that what is good for the team is
"I THINK (Goldberg) should be good for Jim Sharton."
Tracksters to host
Paddock Invitational
I
After leading the Michigan
track team in the Phil Diamond
Invitational last Saturday, Omar
Davidson and Todd Steverson will
attempt to do the same tomorrow
in the Paddock Invitational at
Ferry Field.
Davidson and Steverson teamed
with Wiley Boulding and Thomas
Wilcher to win the 4x100-meter
relay in 41.0 seconds. Steverson
(46.22) finished runner-up to
Davidson (46.22) in the 400-meter
dash.
MICHIGAN shop putter J.J.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
1432 Washtenaw Ave.. 662-4466
(between S. University and Hill)
Sunday 9:30 and 11:00a.m.
Coffee Hour - 10:30 Social Hall
Adult Education Classes during
both services.
Campus Group: Coordinator -
Jamie Schultz
Meets for Bible Study 7 p.m., Wed-
nesdays.
Dr. William Hillegonds -
.Sr. Minister.
Grant (53'3"), and Michigan's
4x400-meter relay team (3:07.1)
also took seconds.
"I was happy with Omar and
Todd," said Michigan coach Jack
Harvey. "They both ran three
races in about two hours, and they
ran well. We also got good perfor-
mances out of Rollie Hudson in the
1500 (third place, 3:51.29) and J.J.
Grant in the shot put. Both had
season best outings."
While the Diamond Invitational
consisted of state men's teams,
the Paddock Invitational will in-
clude the Michigan women's team
as well as a contingent from Pur-
due.
Both meets, however, are con-
sidered warmups for the Big Ten
Championships, which take place
next weekend in Madison.
"Most importantly, we got out
of here without any injuries,"
Harvey said after Saturday's
meet. "We just can't afford any
this close to Big Tens.'
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Daily Photo by ANDI SCHREIBER
Greener days ahead?
Michigan's Terry Mage (left), Purdue's Laura Medima (middle), and Wisconsin's Jean Hackbarth tee
off at the 15th hole at the University of Michigan Golf Course in the Big Ten Championships Sunday. The
Wolverines finished eighth in the nine-team field with a four-round total of 1369, 119 shots behind first-
place Indiana. Michigan's struggling men's team may not do much better in the men's Big Ten Cham-
pionships at Michigan State this weekend.