Almost flawless, women's track takes first By David Edelman Daily Sports Writer As Michigan women's track coach James Henry watched St. Louis and Tennessee yesterday, he might have realized that his own Super Bowl is on the horizon. The Big Ten Indoor Championships, of which Michigan is the two-time defending champion, are slowly approaching. Just a month away (Feb. 26-27), this single winner-take-all competition in Minneapolis is what the whole season focuses around. All Big Ten schools attend this prestigious competition, regardless of prior record. As shown by Henry's decision to root for the Rams, chances are he won't be supporting the underdogs at the Big Ten Championships. The Wolverines continued their dominance Saturday at the Michigan Intercollegiate Championships by winning for the third consecutive year . "The team was able to get most of the bugs of their systems," Henry said. "The match supplied a significant source of confidence to the athletes." The win marked their first road victory of the season for Michigan, which had 10 first-place finishes out of the 16 events. Triumphant Michigan performances came from Nicole Denamur and Brandi Bentley, who won the high jump and long jump, respectively. Freshman April Phillips followed up her shot-put victory in the Red Simmons Invitational with another win in the Intercollegiate. Although the Wolverines placed strong in all events, Henry was most surprised by his freshmen, who have continually contributed to the team's success this season. "I haven't had these types of performances before from my freshman athletes," Henry said. "They have made a wonderful transition from high school." Michigan's solid outing will be used as a tune up for future events. The Wolverines will increase the intensity of their practices, placing a greater emphasis on better results as the championships near. "We will move our emphasis from endurance to speed," Henry said. "As we head into our February schedule, the level of competition will become higher. "This match was another step towards the Big Ten Championship. When we reach that point all the records are thrown out the window. These matches are just small gages on the screen of a bigger picture. The best is yet to come." Originally on page 7B in the 1-31-2000 issue of the Daily.