NCAAs 'icing on the cake' for swimmers

In basketball, they call it "The Big Dance." In almost every other sport, it's the highlight of the season, the culmination of everything the athletes have worked for all season long.

For the Michigan women's swimming and diving team, however, this weekend's NCAA Championships in Minneapolis are just "icing on the cake." The pinnacle of the Wolverines' season was the Big Ten Championships, where they brought home their 12th straight championship trophy, said Michigan coach Jim Richardson.

"To be in this meet is a pretty significant accomplishment," Richardson said. "But, it's really not a defining moment. We proved we were capable of swimming fast at the Big Tens and all season long.

"I think the defining moment comes in October and November when we start pushing our people to see just how much we can get out of them. The girls have all worked really hard. We'll just try to worry about what we can control - how we swim.

WARREN ZINN/DAILY The Michigan women's swimming team will compete today in Minneapolis at the NCAA Championships.

"Let the bean counters count the beans."

This year, the Wolverines have taken control of their season.

After a slow start, the team came alive in the second half of the season and finished the year undefeated. While Michigan's record is impressive, however, only 10 swimmers qualified for the NCAA Championships.

Among those 10 are five seniors, all of whom will swim in their final meet in Michigan suits this weekend. Talor Bendel, Kim Johnson, Rachel Gustin, Ellen Fraumann and Linda Riker have become a part of the Michigan swimming legacy.

During their time here, they have seen four (or in some cases five, for those who took advantage of an extra year of eligibility) Big Ten championships, a second- and a third-place finish at the NCAA meet, and several individual championships.

This year the team is at a disadvantage because only 10 swimmers qualified for the meet. Most contenders usually send between 14-18 swimmers.

"We don't have the numbers to finish in the top few places," Richardson said. "So now the goal is for every individual to have a strong race. Hopefully we will produce a national championship."

Michigan does have one huge advantage. All five of its relay teams qualified for the meet. The Wolverines' relay teams have long been recognized as outstanding. The 1995 400-yard medley team won an NCAA championship. In the past few years, the Wolverines have consistently finished in the top 10.

Two members of that 1995 championship team remain - Gustin and Bendel. Between the two of them, Gustin is the biggest surprise. She has recovered from shoulder surgery to once again take her place among the top swimmers in the country.

The 235 swimmers attending NCAAs represent 50 teams, many of which are sending only one or two swimmers. In stark contrast are perennial swimming powerhouses like Georgia, Southern Cal, Stanford and Texas.

The Bulldogs are the pre-event favorites because they sport the largest championship team, with 17 swimmers in the meet. Richardson said Southern Cal is also a strong candidate to take home the crown.

"USC will be really tough," Richardson said. "They won last year, and this year they are supposed to have an even better team. But, in a meet like this it's always possible for unexpected teams to pop up and make their mark."

Perhaps one of those teams will be Michigan. Even though the team is small, the Wolverines are loaded with talent.

They feature a former Olympian in Shannon Shakespeare, a multiple Big Ten record holder in Jennie Eberwein, and others who have seen great success as well. But more importantly, all the swimmers have had national exposure, including the three freshmen.

Regardless of what happens, Richardson says he is pleased with his team's performance this year.

"It hasn't been a perfect year," Richardson said. "But perfect years are so rare. We've really come together as a team, and we've stepped up to another level. We'll see what happens."

03-19-98