Despite lack of fans, promotion, 'other' sports leave impression

By Chris Farah
Daily Sports Editor

Often, they don't draw the thousands of fans that flock devotedly to Crisler Arena, Michigan Stadium and Yost Ice Arena.

Most of their athletes will not go on to make millions in any type of professional league, as many men's basketball, football and hockey players do.

In fact, many of their athletes won't even garner the attention they deserve at the collegiate level.

But Michigan's non-revenue sports programs require just as much devotion and hard work from their athletes as the big three - and often times can brag of even more success.

Last year, the women's gymnastics team led the way for the other Michigan sports teams.

As the No. 1 seed, the Wolverines entered the NCAA championship in Gainesville, Fla., on quite a roll.

Michigan finished the regular season with a 15-5 record and ranked among the top three teams in the nation. The Wolverines followed up their impressive regular season with their sixth-straight Big Ten title at the conference championships in Minneapolis.

But the best was yet to come. Michigan went on to defeat traditional gymnastics juggernaut Alabama in the NCAA Central Regional, held in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines used a team-record score of 197.7 to beat the Crimson Tide by 1.45 points - a significant margin in gymnastics.

At the NCAA championships, however, it became clear that Michigan had peaked too soon. The Wolverines finished a disappointing fourth after a subpar floor exercise at the end of the competition destroyed any chance of a national title.

But with the return of the young team, women's gymnastics should be at the forefront of Michigan sports - revenue or non-revenue - next year.

Softball - the only Michigan team to have never had a losing season - also achieved a great deal of success.

After stunning Iowa - which had gone undefeated in the conference during the regular season - by winning the Big Ten tournament on the Hawkeyes' home field, the softball team, like the gymnastics team, won their regional competition at home.

But also like gymnastics, the softball team experienced only limited success in the championship round. Michigan won the first Women's College World Series game in the program's history, but was eventually eliminated from tournament play with losses to Iowa and UCLA.

Athletic Director Joe Roberson said the accomplishments of gymnastics coach Bev Plocki and softball coach Carol Hutchins should not be taken lightly - even at a school that traditionally emphasizes other sports.

"Both started programs that were either last in the Big Ten or in the building stage," Roberson said. "Both of them built consecutive Big Ten championships. To go from zero to dominance speaks very highly of their coaching."

With traditionally dominant Michigan teams like men's and women's swimming, as well as the expected upswing of several other sports, non-revenue programs will contribute more than their share to Michigan's winning tradition.

Who knows? In a few years, maybe Michigan will be known not as a football school, but as a gymnastics, softball and swimming school ...

Nah.

JOHN KRAFT/Daily
Senior Andrea MacDonald and the rest of the Michigan women's gymnastics team may not shoot hoops, score touchdowns or skate on ice, but they still gave Michigan one of its most outstanding sports performances last year.

Summer Orientation 1997