'M' seven take on NCAA

By Sam Duwe

Daily Sports Writer

Forget the Final Four. Think Final Two- Hundred and Seventy.

That's the number of swimmers that will splash about the IUPUI Natatorium this weekend for the 2000 NCAA Women's Swimming Championships.

Out of this mass of swim caps and Speedos, Michigan, the 15th largest team, will contribute only seven athletes to the field.

"We will have to be perfect," Michigan coach Jim Richardson said. "Everyone has to swim well and rack up points for the team."

Last season, Michigan placed seventh overall.

"It would be a great accomplishment to place in the top ten again this year," Richardson said. "We've had three weeks of good practice, and I think everyone is rested up, so we'll go and see."

Key performances will include the 400-meter relay, in which members Shannon Shakespeare, Jen Crisman, Missy Sugar and Jenay Karlson took first at the Big Ten Tournament last month.

The one to watch is Shakespeare, who shattered records left and right at Big Tens. This will be the last collegiate tournament for the four-time competitor, who is expected to drown the opposition before moving on to Canadian Olympic Trials in June.

Also competing for Michigan are Lindsay Carlberg, Emily Cocks and Laura Kaznecki.

The meet marks the third NCAA appearance for Crisman and Sugar, second for Carlson and Cocks and the first for Kaznecki and Karlson.

Due to the Olympic year, instead of traditional yards, the tournament will be measured in meters. This will prepare elite swimmers for Olympic Trials this summer.

"We have been pushing it harder this past couple weeks," Richardson said. "We need to be stronger than normal, for that extra length at the end of the race."

The tournament starts today and runs through Saturday in Indianapolis. Preliminaries and finals are held each day, with Michigan swimming in events all three days.

"It's going to be fun," Richardson said.

KRISTEN GOBLE/Daily

The women's swimming team heads down to Indianapolis this weekend to compete in the NCAA Championships.