Monday, June 9, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com avorites no more, core liely gone } 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, We've been supporting the UM Community since 1939... Bring them to the Third Annual Sock Swap Meet at the Michigan Union! Find missing matches and trade for a sense of wholeness in your drawer, but more importantly, in your life!