Monday, June 9, 2008
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
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} By JASON KOHLER
On Baseball
Sometimes it hurts too much.
It certainly did two Sundays ago
when the Michigan baseball team
ended its season with a crushing
loss to Kentucky in the Ann Arbor
Regional.
It hurt for juniors Jason Chris-
tian and Zach Putnam as they likely
left Ray Fisher Stadium for the last
time, tears in their eyes.
The duo knew it had an opportu-
nity to be part of the best baseball
team in Michigan history. They
didn't want to see the seniors leave.
They didn't want the season to end
this way.
All year, the Wolverines' expec-
tations were high.
Painted on the dark blue walls
of their locker room in maize let-
tering is "One team goal." Next to
it, "Omaha," the site of the College
World Series.
All season, the Wolverines tried
to live up to the expectation of
exceeding last year's super regional
appearance. That meant Omaha.
But they didn't even make it out
of Ann Arbor.
Although this team didn't sur-
pass last year's moment of great-
ness when Michigan knocked off
then No. 1Vanderbilt to advance to
a super regional, this season wasn't
a failure.
"Our goal was Omaha, and we
came up short," Putnam said. "But
you can't take away from this spe-
cial season we had."
Michigan set the Big Ten record
for conference wins and won the
Big Ten Tournament (unlike last
year). And for the first time since
1986, the Wolverines hosted a
regional.
But it hurt so much because of
the success they had experienced
all season.
They expected to win the Big
Ten, and they did. They expected
to host a regional, and they did.
They expected to make it to
Omaha, and they didn't.
Michigan coach Rich Maloney
and his players knew this was their
year. Next season, acore group
of seniors will be gone, and some
important juniors probably won't
be around to lead the charge to
Omaha.
"It's just tough knowing that
this team won't be together again,"
junior Adam Abraham said. "It's
over now. In the end of we did
everything we could, and it just
wasn't quite enough. It's just hard
to look at the older guys in the
face."
Two of Michigan's best pitchers
in Putnam and Mike Powers and
other experienced position play-
ers like Abraham, Christian, Nate
Recknagel and Derek VanBuskirk
were picked in the Major League
Baseball draft this weekend.
The Wolverines won't have
the pressure that comes with the
expectation of winning every time
they take the field next year. They'll
still be favorites to win the Big Ten,
but they won't be a preseason top-
ten team like this season.
Last year, they were under the
radar when they went down to
Nashville, Tenn. and knocked off
Vanderbilt.
Maloney loves to be the under-
dog. Although Michigan wasn't
the favorite to win the Ann Arbor
Regional, being the home team
gave didn't allow the Wolverines to
feel like underdogs.
They will next year.
Junior Zach Putnam was selected by Cleveland in the fifth round of the R
Club Wolverine gears up for Olympic trials
By RYAN A. PODGES
Daily Sports Writer
Most students think of summer
break as a time to let their bodies
relax and ease their minds.
But the only mission of the 62
members of Club Wolverine, Michi-
gan'sprofessionaland post-graduate
swim team, is keeping their minds
and bodies focused on their train-
ing for this summer's U.S. Olympic
trials.
With less then a month of train-
ing left before the Olympic trials
begin, Alex Vanderkaay, who gradu-
ated from Michigan in April, says
simply, "It's crunch time."
"The Olympic trials is the main
focus right now," he said. "As you
get closer, it's really the only thing
on your mind, so everything you do
during the day is focused around
that and making sure you're ready.
It's those things you do outside the
pool that make the difference from
here on out."
Many of the swimmers at Club
Wolverine have been training with
Michigan coach Bob Bowman since
the end of the 2004 Summer Olym-
pic Games in Athens. After the
games, Bowman designed a four-
year plan for his swimmers that
would allow them to excel during
their college seasons and at world
championship meets, all while pre-
paring them for the 2008 Summer
Olympics. Bowman said despite
some minor adjustments for a few
individuals, the team has kept on
schedule with its training, and the
plan is working well.
For a few elite swimmers like
Michael Phelps, the Olympic trials
are a stepping stone to the Olympics.
But for most athletes, the trials will
be the most competitive and chal-
lenging meet of their lives.
"I'm very happy with the way the
training is going," Bowman said.
"And while you always have to keep
the Olympics in your head, and it's
very exciting for a large group of
people because the Olympic trials
will be a lifetime-highest level for
them. We think of it as a peak-per-
formance meet"
Club Wolverine members spent
three weeks last month training
at high altitude at the U.S. Olym-
pic Training Center in Colorado
Springs, Colo. As the Olympic tri-
als get closer, their workouts will be
less intense and include shorter dis-
tances to make sure their bodies are
rested and healthy for competition.
In addition to easier practices,
most swimmers agree that the pres-
sure of the Olympic trials is lower
as the meet approaches. Two-
time Olympic silver medalist Eric
Vendt believes that accomplish-
ing the goals he set before train-
ing has given him a greater sense
of confidence and more motiva-
tion to stay focused.
"A year ago it was harder to
focus on the end game, but now we
can see the light at the end of the
tunnel and I'm thinking hard about
every stroke I take, so I'm much
more focused lately," he said.
The Olympic trials will run
June29 through July7 in Omaha,
Neb. After the trials, those who
qualify for the U.S. Olympic ream
will fly to Palo Alto, Calif. for a
pre-Olympic trainingcamp. After
that, the team will fly to Japan for
more training and then to Beijing
for the start of the games.
For now, though, the Club
Wolverine members remain cen- main thing is just to stay focused."
tered on their training routine in
Ann Arbor.
Each day their excitement
may grow, but their mindset
stays the same.
"I'm eating, sleeping, living
swimming," Vendt said. "The
As University ofMichigan Afuasni,
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