Tuesday, May 4, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com AARON AUGSBURGER/Daily Senior Leah Robertson, pictured here, won Eastern Conference Championship MVP honors this past weekend in College Park, Maryland. Michigan wins conference title, secures Tourney bid BIG TENS From Page 11 we step up or we go home. It's a learning experience; it's good for us. We had some pressure on us and it was good to see that they could come through." But the Hawkeyes' home-court advantage wasn't enough to stop the surging Michigan squad. "(Iowa) had a good crowd (Satur- day)," Michigan coach Ronni Bern- stein said. "But we're going to have to win on the road if we want to do well in the postseason. So while it was tough, it was good to see that we can do it away from the Varsity Tennis Center, too." That win would be the end of the road for Michigan's weekend. On Sunday, they ran into a North- western team that was hungry for revenge. Earlier in the season, the Wolver- ines handed the Wildcats their first conference loss since 2006. It was clear that No. 5 Northwestern came to Iowa with a purpose. The two teams had met in the tournament final in each of the past six seasons, and Northwestern was crowned tournament champions each of those years. "We didn't play our best and Northwestern played really well," Bernstein said. "We're disappoint- ed, but we're going to go back to the drawing board and will be ready to go in two weeks because we've had a great season, and we're not ready to stop." Even with the disappointing OSU From Page 11 opposite way. With former shortstop Barry Larkin and a medley of Michi- gan baseball alumni in the stands to honor the retirement of Larkin's jer- sey, the Wolverines were unable to seal the win. "It's definitely disappointing (to lose), especially on a day when we are retiring Barry Larkin's jersey," junior leftfielder Ryan LaMarre said. "But I mean, we fought. We battled." A double in the bottom of the eighth by LaMarre tied up the game as redshirt junior second baseman Anthony Toth came sprinting across home plate. As the score evened out to 2-2, the Wolverines had a chance at a come- back win. But the late run was for naught as the Buckeyes tallied one more run in the top of the tenth inning and Mich- igan, unable to match it, fell 3-2. In the rubber match on Sunday, loss in the finals, there are definite bright spots for the program this weekend. Bernstein was named the conference's Coach of the Year, while junior Denise Muresan was named Player of the Year. Along with Muresan, the team had two more players on the All-Big Ten team. Freshman phenom Mimi Nguy- en - who was undefeated in singles during conference play - took home Freshman of the Year honors, and junior captain Whit- ney Taney also made the distin- guished team. It was Taney's second time on the prestigious list, but in her usual fashion, she immediately deflected all the glory to her team and team- mates. "Mimi and Denise deserve it 100 percent," Taney said. "They're so well deserving of the awards, and I'm just so proud of them. "They've done so much to deserve it so it's awesome for them and it's awesome for the program. It just goes to show how well Michi- gan has done." The Wolverines' fate is now out of their hands. The NCAA Tournament selec- tion will 'take place on Tuesday, when Michigan - who will most likely remain a top-five team - will be hoping to host regional action for the tournament, which begins Fri- day, May 14. "Our mentality is going to be to do what we do," Taney said. "We know what Michigan can do and what Michigan's game is, so we need to go out there and go for it and do it together as a team." the Wolverines won by that one-run margin, which could prove to be a huge 'W'. Friday night's offensive duo was back in action as Dufek and Urban both launched a home run out of Ray Fisher Stadium. "I felt a lot better at the plate this weekend," Urban said. "I felt more comfortable and that I was seeing the ball better and it paid off." Michigan also played solid defense, producing only one error on the weekend. Although a number of pitchers contributed to the series win, Bur- goon made a valiant effort in closing- out all three games. "What a job again by Tyler Bur- goon," Michigan coach Rich Malo- ney said. "I mean, pitching three straight days - that's just willpower. It's a tough spot to be in and to be able to get the double play when it's all on the line; he was just pitching with heart. "That's what your closer needs to do." 0 Eac Cha Leah why she Division decisive reation lege Par Eastern MVP. She le polo tea consecu which ix Tournar After over Ha 12-8 -i goals - rival No "Wec to win wins third straight San Diego," Michigan coach Matt Anderson said. "We viewed it as, stern Conference 'We don't lose to Indiana'." The Wolverines showed a promis- mpionship, defeats ing balanced attack against the Hoo- rival Hoosiers siers, as they exploded for five goals in the first half against a stubborn Indiana defense, matching their BY: JAMES BLUM total from their April 24 victory. Daily Sports Writer The second half was about hold- ing off the surging Hoosiers, who Robertson proved exactly were trying to overcome a three- was named CWPA Western goal deficit. a MVP in the Wolverines' But freshman goalkeeper Alex weekend at Eppley Rec- Adamson and the Wolverines' Center Natatorium in Col- defense were able to fend off Indi- k, Maryland by winning the ana's best efforts. Indiana made it Conference Championship a 5-4 game heading into the fourth stanza with two unanswered goals, ed the No. 7 Michigan water but a late goal by junior Lauren Orth am to a record-setting third sealed the Michigan victory. tive CWPA division title, "We put five on them in the first ncludes an automatic NCAA half," Anderson said. "We actually ment bid. handled them differently in that we two high-scoring victories busted through their defense for rvard, 18-10, and Princeton, five goals. And at 5-2 not very many in which Robertson had six teams, if any, are going to come back the Wolverines met arch- on us. . 14 Indiana. "And that's what the ladies were didn't view this as a game feeling at halftime - that Indiana a bid for the final eight in would make a run, but we were going to play lock-down defense and that's what we did." And some Wolverines celebrated more than just a NCAA Tourna- ment bid after defeating the Hoo- siers. Robertson wasn't the only one recognized for her performance this season. Anderson was awarded his fifth and second-consecutive Western Division Coach of the Year crown and freshman Kiki Golden was enshrined as both the West- ern Division Rookie of the Year and Eastern Conference Rookie of the Tournament. Michigan will look to continue its hot streak on a much larger scale starting May 14 in San Diego, where the Wolverines will face the best in the country in search of their first NCAA Tournament Championship. "To do three in a row is harder than to win it the first time or the second time," Anderson said. "After last year, losing seven of our top 16 and losing roughly four starters, people didn't expect this to happen. But we felt as a program that we could do it. ... It made it very satis- fying for the team to complete the three-peat."