The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Wednesday, October 29, 2014- 7A
Sport: Wednesday, October 29, 2014- 7A
Seniors rejuvinate team
with last year's memories
ALLISON FARRAND/Dally
Freshman center Terra Stapleton got her first chance in front of fans at practice, but may not see much time this season.
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By MINH DOAN back to the community as well
Daily Sports Writer as embracing the community to
build our fan base," Barnes Arico
vasn't a normal practice. said.
re were spectators in the The 30 minutes of practice
, photographers standing consisted of "high-energy
d the court and assistant drills." The squad was split up
es Megan Duffy, Joy into two teams and competed
rvey and Melanie Moore in competitions, ' including
nicrophones intheir hands. a modified 3-point shooting
this wasn't a normal contest. The drill highlighted
ce at all. It was the the 3-point shooting prowess
gan women's basketball of freshman forward Katelynn
first-ever open practice Flaherty, junior guard Madison
public at Crisler Center, Ristovski and sophomore guard
omething more than just Sierra Thompson.
g in front of its supporters. After the drills ended, the
ile' the team has had Crisler Center floor was opened
ive open practices for up to the public, and fans were
-ticket holders in the past, given the opportunity to shoot
was the Wolverines' first around on the court and take
ce that was open to all pictures with the players.
ers of the public. "It's really important to
I it gave Michigan a chance connect with the community,"
something that coach Kim said senior forward Cyesha
s Arico has been preaching Goree. "They come to our games,
he came to the University: so it's nice to give them a chance
out to the fans. to shoot around with us and
think our kids and our watch us practice to show how
am are all about giving hard we work."
Last week, some ofthe players
teamed up with Habitat for
Humanity to help build a house.
And last Sunday, the Wolverines
held a basketball clinic at the
Crisler Center and coachedyouth
players throughoutthe day.
It gives the fans a chance to
create a personal connection
with the players, something
that bigger sports such as men's
basketball and football don't
have.
"One of the nicestthings about
women's sports in general at
Michigan is that the games and
athletes are very accessible,"
said longtime fan Alicia Green.
"Because of the fact that you
don't have the opportunity to
turn pro, we get to see the ids
really develop over their four
years."
Barnes Arico wants people
in the state of Michigan to see
what her Wolverines do on
the court. And it's events like
open practices that she hores
will draw attention to "some
incredible kids" in her program.
By BRANDON CARNEY
For theDaily
Any loss hurts, but for the
Michigan field hockey team,
a 1-0 loss to Iowa in last year's
Big Ten tournament was
more devastating than most.
The affair ended a season of
underperformance for the
Wolverines, as they finished
12-8 overall and were left out of
the NCAA Tournament for the
first time since 2009.
"I was in shock" said fifth-
year senior midfielder Lauren
Hauge. "The longer and longer
I sat (thinking about missing
the tournament) I got mad."
And the omission was not
taken lightly by Hauge and
fellow seniors, back Leslie
Smith, midfielder Ainsley
McCallister, midfielder
Sammy Gray and forward Emy
Guttman. Four of the five were
on the team in 2010, though
they were redshirted the last
time field hockey won the Big
Ten tournament. Falling from a
championship-level program to
a middle-of-the-pack team over
three years isn't the way this
group wanted to go out, and it
has fueled them this year.
But before games even
started in late August, the
Wolverines had to overcome
their fair share of adversity.
Junior midfielder Caroline
Chromik had to undergo knee
surgery after an injury in spring
practice. Delayed renovations
to Ocker Field left the team
without a home, and it had to
take its summer practices on
the road.
It was on a team trip to
Virginia Beach, Virginia at
the beginning of preseason
that Smith noticed something
special about the group of
women assembled. After a day
of travel frustrations, Smith
thought the team would arrive
at its opening practice in bad
spirits unwilling to go through
its annual runningtest. Shewas
wrong.
"We're all tired, but we were
like, 'screw it,' we're going to
go out there with smiles on our
faces and absolutely kill this
(running) test," Smith said.
"From that moment, I thought
if our team could overcome
these setbacks on the very first
day, I think we can overcome a
lot."
That attitude has been
the driving force behind the
Wolverines running right
into what has been a special
season so far. After starting
0-2, Michigan rebounded with
six straight
victories
- the most
impressive "The]
win of the
streak coming and lon
against then-
No. 6 Penn (thinkir
State on the
road. nlma
"We were
down 2-0 at
halftime, and
all of us had to believe that we
could back and win," Gray said.
"It was a moment of everyone
buying in to all our hard work
and preparations. And (it)
would really set the tone (for
upcoming games)."
The Wolverines currently
sit 11-6 overall, a record that
in large part is due to the
goal-scoring efforts of the
senior class. They've scored
20 of Michigan's 44 goals on
the season with McCallister
leading the Big Ten with 17
assists.
"We have the experience
to step up in high-pressure
situations," McCallister said.
"Being able to play intensely
and stay levelheaded is
something (us seniors) have
gained confidence in."
All the seniors agree they
all respectively bring different
personalities to the field, which
has been the formula for success
thus far. While they may not all
agree the bond between the
five of them is anything special,
Guttman, the only true senior,
says the bond extends to the
entire team.
"My class went from seven
to two. (The fifth-year seniors)
havemadememoreoftheirclass
because mine has dwindled so
much," Guttman said. "Overall,
they have made our whole team
become super close this year.
Our team chemistry is really
good and that
can be seen
on the field."
longer With the
postseason
ger I sat arriving in
less than two
ig), I got weeks, every
Michigan
. player is
convinced
that the team
will make up
for last year's setbacks. A deep
run in both the Big Ten and
NCAA tournaments is not only
a goal, but a belief.
Hauge is driven to make an
addition to a prize from her
freshman year. On herring from
the 2010 Big Ten championship,
Hauge had "Those Who Stay"
inscribed inside. Ever since
receiving the ring, she has
dreamt of being able to add the
phrase "Will Be Champions"
below it after winning another
championship.
"I didn'tget(a championship)
last year," Hauge said. "So
I came back because I'm
convinced we'll have that
opportunity this year."
Wolverines hope
to forget Vegas
M' prepares for Coleman
By DANNY VARGOVICK
Daily Sports Writer
Some days, you just don't have
it.
The Michigan men's golf
team didn't have it Monday, or
Tuesday. It finished 10th out of
12 with a score of 59-over par at
the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate
in Dallas, the Wolverines' final
tournament of the fall schedule.
Oklahoma State won the
event with a score of 15-over par,
as Baylor senior Mikkel Bjerch-
Andresen took home first-place
individual honors with a score
of six-under par.
K Freshman Kyle Mueller paced
the Wolverines at nine-over par,
finishing tied for 24th.
"Kyle really played a solid
event again," said Michigan
coach Chris Whitten. "I know
there's a couple swings he
would like to have back, but he
really earned the respect of his
teammates through his play in
the fall season."
Senior Noori Hyun, junior
Chris O'Neill and junior Brett
McIntosh all finished tied-44th
with scores of 13-over par. It
was Hyun's first start of the year
as a result of the tournament's
6-count-5 players format instead
of the usual 5-count-4.
Because this team is one of
the deepest Whitten has had, it
wasn't surprising to see a player
not normally in the starting
lineup come in and execute.
Unfortunately for Hyun, his
opportunity didn't come at the
best of times - his next potential
start won't come until February.
Still, Whitten was nonetheless
impressed.
"I know Noori is able to play
at a really high level," Whitten
said. "He showed flashes of that
this week."
Hyun's tournament was cause
for celebration. But O'Neill's
performance was cause for
concern, as the team's leading
scorer from each of the past two
years has dropped off his pace.
"I know that Chris is a really
competitive person," Whitten
said. "We really try to get them
not to think about their score
or their finish as much as the
process, and how they're going
about managing the purse and
playing each shot one at a time.
I'm sure as he looks back, he'll
feel like he has some unfinished
business."
O'Neill has been slowed by
nagging injuries all fall. Injuries
combined with some technique
issues have forced him to try to
get the most that he can out of
a golf swing that neither he nor
Whitten has been satisfied with.
Still, Whitten said that he
thought O'Neill struck the ball
about as well as he has all fall at
this tournament and affirmed
that his leading scorer over the
past two years is "a really good
player (who) often plays some of
his best golf in the spring."
Sophomore Bryce Evon
finished just one stroke behind
Hyun, O'Neill and McIntosh at
14-over par. Sophomore Reed
Hrynewich rounded out the
Wolverine squad with a score of
17-over par.
The conditions in Dallas
on Monday and Tuesday were
unlike anything the team has
seen thus far this season. The
golf course was especially firm;
and strong winds pervaded the
first day in rounds one and two.
Many of the opposing schools
were from the surrounding area,
so the conditions were more
familiar to them.
Despite not seeing the
outcome that he wanted,
Whitten remained upbeat.
"On the scoreboard, not has
high as we wanted to finish, but
there were definitely some good
things from the guys," Whitten
said. "I think they feel like
they're a little bit behind where
they'd like to be, but at the same
time I think they know that they
can get right back into position.
I think they're really hungry to
prove what they can do."
By MAX COHEN
DailySports Editor
Often in football, an offens e
player's statistics read like a
video game. But that wouldn't
be an apt description for thcse
of Indiana running back Texin
Coleman. His statistics from
this season are reminiscent
of a kid teaching his younger
brother a video game for the
first time and then beating the
pulp out of him.
Through seven games,
Coleman has rushed for 1,1)2
yards and 11 touchdowns. He
has surpassed 100 yards rushing
in every game and scampered
for more than 200 yards twice.
And Coleman's 170.3 rushing
yards per game leads the nation.
He's a constant big-play
threat and has had a run of t
least 40 yards in each of the
Hoosiers' games.
Coleman's unique talent
poses a formidable threat to
Michigan on Saturday. The
Wolverines have struggled at
times this season against the
Big Ten's top running backs.
Michigan State's Jeremy
Langford scorched Michigan
for 177 yards and three
touchdowns last weekend ard
Minnesota's David Cobb fared
similarly on Sept. 27, blistering
the Wolverines for 183 rushing
yards.
"I think it was a combination
of not getting off blocks,
maybe not being as physical
as we thought we could
be," said Michigan redshirt
sophomore defensive lineman
Chris Wormley of last week's
performance. "Just an overall
D-line problem, I guess."
In the week to rectify the
Wolverines' defensive issues,
Wormley said he was noticed
an uptick in the physicality of
practice. Monday, Michigan
coach Brady Hoke said he'd
consider structural changes to
the way the team practiced in
order to increase productivity
on game day.
Perhaps a strategic shift in
Hoke's practice methodology,
Wormley said he thought the
_I
Fifth-year senior linebacker Jake Ryan will have his hands full Saturday as he tries to stop the Big Tens best hack.
team did more one-on-one quarterbacks transfer since
drills than normal Tuesday. last season, the job fell into
The difficulty of those drills the hands of freshman Zander
could help the te
Coleman.
"He's
shifty, fast,
knows how to
run the ball,
everything
you want in
a back," said
Michigan
fifth-year
senior
linebacker
Jake Ryan.
Indiana's
offense has
dealt with its
share of adversi
but Coleman I
constant. Hoos
quarterback Nat
injured in the
against Iowa on
separated shoul
for the season.
Because India
am prepare for Diamont. He completed just
5-of-15 passes
for 11 yards
in the team's
"He's shiftr 56-47 loss two
. weeks ago
fast knows how before the
team's bye
to run the ball. week.
Despite the
Everything you struggles in
the passing
want in a back." game, the
Hoosiers'
offensive
line was still
able to spring
ty this season, Coleman loose for 132 yards on
has been the 15 carries, and the offensive line
sers' starting will again present a challenge
e Sudfeld was for Michigan's defensive line.
team's game "They're definitely one of
Oct. 11 with a the better offensive lines that
der and is out we've seen, especiallywhen you
rush for 200-and-some yards a
na has had two game," Wormley said.
If the defensive line fails to
contain Coleman, the rest of the
Wolverines' defense could be in
trouble. Michigan has keyed on
avoiding the big plays Coleman
has a penchant for making.
"When he gets out in space,
he can definitely break it out,"
Ryan said. "He's also good in
holes. ... That's one thing we
need to stop this week."
Stopping Coleman would
go a long way toward stifling
the Hoosier offense. The
Wolverines' defense knows
that.
Ryan said he isn't worried
about goals, bowls or any of the
other things that have plagued
Michigan this season. Coleman
is plenty to worry about.
"It's just all about Indiana
right now," Ryan said. "Indiana,
Indiana, Indiana."
I