The Michigan Daily - Friday, May 30, 1986 - Page 15
Thinclads pushed to limit in Big Tens
Cathy Schmidt and Omar
Davidson win NCAA trip
By EMILY BRIDGHAM
When women's track coach James
Henry said he'd be relying on his
seniors this year, he wasn't kidding.
Seniors Cathy Schmidt, Sue
Schroeder, and Angie Hafner got the
Big Ten Championship fever last
weekend, picking up top finishes and
placing the Wolverines fourth in the
Big Ten with 62 points. Wisconsin won
the title.
"I think we did the best we possibly
could," said Henry. "To take third
would have taken some miracles."
FOR SCHROEDER, scooping up
the win in the 5000 meters and taking
second in the 3000 meters paved a
reassuring road to the NCAAs, which
will be held June 3-7 in Indianapolis.
"Personally, I was really happy
because in the past I have not run so
well in the Big Tens," said Schroeder.
"The times are not my bet, hut con-
sidering that I doubled, I am pretty
happy."
Schroeder qualified for the NCAAs
earlier in the season, and by trim-
ming her winning time in the 5000
meters from 16:09.13 to 16:02.12, she
showed she had a lot left in her for the
NCAA race.
At the other end of the team,
sophomore Debbie Duncan and
freshman Starry Hodge proved their
talent by taking third and fifth in the
shot put. Duncan also took third in the
discus, winging it 146-2.
NOT AS pleased with its perfor-
mance and riddled with injuries, the
men's team turned out a fifth-place
finish - 40 points behind first-place
Wisconsin. It was a meet of hidden
success for the Wolverines, however,
who managed to qualify Omar
Davidson in the 400 meters for the
NCAAs.
Davidson broke a track record in
his preliminary heat, roaring to a
46.13 finish, but pulled a hamstring af-
ter four steps in the finals. The injury
also knocked him out of the relay,
which, void of his talent, only
managed to place fourth. Davidson's
400-meter time beat the winning time
clocked by teammate Steverson, but
his recovery is questionable.
Steverson won the 400 meters in
46.29, but is till .09 shy of qualifying
for the NCAAs. Steverson, along with
triple jumper Butch Starmack, will
be scooting over to Evanston for the
Michigan's Thomas Wilcher, who finished second in the 110-meter high hurdlies in the Big Ten Championships
Saturday, will compete in the NCAA Championships June 3-7.
FRESHMAN ABBOTT JUST GETTING STARTED:
Star Casey closes out career
By PAUL DODD
There weren't many, if any, Michigan baseball fans in
Ray Fisher Stadium who weren't disappointed with the
Wolverines' early exit from post-season play. A close look
back at the season would turn many of those frowns up-
side down.
If a 47-12 record, a Big Ten title (the fifth in seven
years), and being ranked one of the top ten teams in the
country for-most of the season wasn't enough, there were
the individual standouts.
TWO PLAYERS come up immediately when discussing
this spring's Michigan baseball team. One has started his
collegiate career with nothing less than a flourish, the
other has concluded it with one.
In his first year at Michigan, Jim Abbott brought more
attention from the media and the public in general to the
baseball program than any victory in the wildly suc-
cessful seven-year tenure of coach Bud Middaugh.
Big Ten Player-of-the-Year Casey Close emerged from
the shadows of former Wolverine stars Mike Watters and
Barry Larkin. Larkin had won the league MVP crown two
years in a row before joining the Cincinnati Reds after last
season.
ABBOTT, the rookie, and Close, the veteran, per-
sonified the type of team the Wolverines are.
Abbott, a blond-haired wiry freshman from Flint, was
drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays right out of high school.
But the youngster, who spent hours at a time throwing a
ball at a garage to perfect switching his glove from his
right arm to his left hand, wanted to pitch for the Univer-
sity of Michigan.
Along with his gloves and spikes, Abbott brought along
the interest of the likes of NBC, ESPN, and Parade
magazine. He was a national celebrity almost before he
threw a pitch in a college game. And he didn't let anybody
down.
IN BETWEEN interviews, which he carried on with the
utmost patience and class, Abbott racked up a 6-2 record
with a 4.11 ERA. He also struck out 44 in just over 50 in-
nings of work.
While Abbott's numbers don't really speak for
the contributions he made, Close's numbers do.
The Indianapolis native smashed 19 home runs this
year, 72 in his career to top the list of his Michigan recor-
ds. Close's 72 runs batted in this year is also a Wolverine
best, as is his .869 slugging percentage. IN THE 3000 meters, Schroeder Central Collegiates this weekend to try
CLOSE WAS named to the GTE-Cosida Academic All- didn't even crack her season best of to hit the standard.
American team yesterday. His 3.22 grade-point average 9:11.2 and was still able to take
in Communication and .440 batting average gave him a second in the race with a 9:14.7. Her Out of nowhere, Starmack was able
spot in the outfield after making the third team as performance topped last year's in to clinch second in the triple jump,
designated hitter lastspring. both of her events. going 50-7 after not leaving the ground
He made the all-tournament team everywhere Schmidt, the other half of the duo for several weeks. He was beaten by
Michigan played, including Rollins (Fla.) Baseball Week, that will represent Michigan in the Wisconsin's Kip Wright (50-8), but he
Wheaties Tournament of Champions, the Big Ten Cham- Nationals, took second at the Big Tens has yet to return to his old form which
pionships, and the Mideast Regionals here last weekend. in the 1500 meters Saturday, trim- placed him within a quarter-inch of
It was in the Wheaties tournament in the Minneapolis ming her best time by three seconds thestandard last March.
Metrodome against defending national champion Miami and gaining a berth for the trip to
where Close delivered the biggest of his 16 game-winning Nationals. She finished in 4:19.3. Another damaging injury occurred
hits this year: a two-out, two-strike grand slam in the bot- The second place finish, the same in the 110-meter hurdles. Senior stan-
tom of the 11th. as last year's, but with a faster time, dout Thomas Wilcher managed to
earned the team points that proved earn second, running far from his
ABBOTT'S heroics included four innings of no-hit pit- instrumental in its move from sixth best after his calf tightened up on
ching in his first appearance at Fisher Stadium against place in the indoor Big Tens to fourth him. His time of 14.18 was nowhere
Grand Valley March 24. Scott Kamieniecki had thrown place this spring. near his record-holding 13.68. Never-
three no-hit innings prior to that, but made only five ap- theless, Wilcher has already qualified
pearances all season and may red-shirt himself. WITHOUT question, Angie Haf- for the NCAAs and should be ready
Abbott's most astounding performance may have been WTr's winnsng ea of- nie Hag-to Compete.
against Minnesota at the Big Ten Tournament. The ner a winning leap of 54 in the high
Gophers shelled Abbott in a nationally televised game jump elevated the team to a higher
earlier in the year, but the gutsy youngster fired 6% in- placing. The senior psychology
nings of three-hit ball while registering ten strikeouts. He major, equally as slight in stature as
entered the game down by one, but held on to allow his Schmidt and Schroeder, is still a few
team to come back with its usual late-inning fireworks. inches away from qualifying for the
Sixteen times the Wolverines scored in their last at-bats NCAAs.
to win this spring. Three of Close's homers were game- Last year Hafner sprang for a
winning hits. All of this made the end of last Saturday's second-place finish at the Big Ten
gawi g rChampionship, but she has not been
game with Oral Roberts thatmuch more disheartening. able to repeat her record-breaking 6-
"Our team showed a lot of character out there (in the 0% leap since 1984, which would
ninth inning rally)," said Close while toweling off from easily have qualified her for
his last shower in Fisher Stadium. "We gave it our best Nationals.
shot, but when you win the games we have this year, UNIVERSITY
you're doomed to lose a few."
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