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There's more to Michigan coach than meets the eye

AUSTIN, Texas -- Michigan men's swimming coach Jon Urbanchek is regarded as one of the world's greatest coaches. His prowess in the sport has earned him the respect of swimmers and coaches around the world, and he has the hardware to prove it.

The most recent additions to his resume include the Baton of Victory Award, given to the previous year's championship coach, and the Wolverines' third-place finish at this year's NCAA tournament.

Five of his swimmers, three current and two former, secured spots on the 1996 U.S. Olympic team under his guidance and training earlier this month. This achievement earned Urbanchek the honor of assistant coach on the U.S. team.

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE: Casey Kasem wasn't there.

Nor was Rick Dees.

But the championships still sounded like a rock n' roll countdown without them.

Music echoed throughout the Jamail Swim Center as the finalists arrived on deck before their events, as well as when the awards were handed out.

Among this year's most notable tunes -- Guns `n' Roses, Motley Crüe, Pearl Jam, Van Halen, AC/DC, Black Sabbath and Tone Loc.

The selection provided extensive listening pleasure for a wide range of musical tastes, except for easy-listening fans and the large group of Texans who still swear by the inspirational power of Garth Brooks and other country music.

Who's to say if the music had the motivational effect intended?

Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." might have had an effect at the U.S. Olympic Trials, but in the final heat of the 100 freestyle in Austin, the Boss's psychological significance was lost on the event's participants -- Francisco Sanchez from Venezuela, Ricky Busquets from Puerto Rico, Nick Shackell from England and Bela Szabados from Hungary.

SO LONG, FAREWELL: Captain Jan Wenzel, the only senior making the trip to the championships this weekend, competed in his final meet as a Wolverine.

Finishing 17th in the 1,650 freestyle for the second consecutive year, Wenzel missed Honorable-Mention All-American honors by just over a second.

"I felt really good about my time, it's my highest finish at NCAAs," Wenzel said. "I'm really glad I swam faster than I did at Big Tens."

Wenzel will graduate this May and start law school in the fall.

"I'm glad to be done," Wenzel said. "I'll miss the team and the meets, but practice hurts a lot. I don't think I'll miss that much."

A DIFFERENT KIND OF LANE: The Wolverine swimmers donned the maize and blue Nike warm-ups which the basketball team and fab-fiver Juwan Howard have made fashionable.

The jackets, in contrast to the traditional nylon warm-ups worn by the other participating teams, caught many people's attention at the championships.

In fact, some even mistook the zippered short-sleeved jerseys for bowling shirts.

"What's your team shooting this year?" Stanford coach Skip Kenney asked Urbanchek.

Urbanchek responded, "I think we're bowling about a 300. I don't know much about bowling, but I think that's a good score."

REPEAT PERFORMANCE: The 1996 Men's Swimming and Diving Championships will be aired on ESPN at 1 a.m. April 2 and at 2 p.m. April 6