Sports
6A — Friday, October 9, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Robinson impressing teammates

By KELLY HALL 

Daily Sports Writer

Aubrey 
Dawkins 
once 

witnessed 
Duncan 
Robinson 

make 41 consecutive 3-pointers 
before he missed a basket. It was 
an eye-opening experience.

“Duncan can really shoot the 

ball, and I thought I could shoot,” 
Dawkins said Friday before the 
Wolverines’ first practice of the 
season. “I couldn’t match that.”

Robinson, a 6-foot-8 redshirt 

sophomore swingman, will be 
eligible this year after transferring 
from Williams College before last 
season and sitting out per NCAA 
transfer rules.

After averaging 17.1 points, 6.5 

rebounds and 34.7 minutes per 
game during his freshman year at 
the Division III level, he waited 
his turn and made some pretty 
considerable transformations.

Robinson weighed in at 185 

pounds at Williams, but just a year 
later, the guard built himself up to 
210 pounds for this season.

“All I know is Duncan can 

really shoot and really pass, and 
D.J. (Wilson) can really shoot, 
he can pass OK right now for a 
young guy,” said Michigan coach 
John Beilein in a radio interview 
on WKTA. “The biggest issues 
for both of them are, ‘I used to 
be a string bean and people used 
to 
push 
me 

around and so 
I 
didn’t 
like 

physical 
play 

… well now I 
weigh 
20 
or 

30 
pounds 

more and have 
to learn how 
to 
embrace 

physical play.’ ”

Playing in Division I games 

will be reality soon enough, 
but in practice, Robinson has 
impressed everyone from Beilein 
to senior captain Spike Albrecht 
to former Wolverine and current 
Philidelphia 76ers guard Nik 

Stauskas.

“We 
need 
to 
schedule 

something,” Stauskas told the 

Daily 
this 

summer. 
“(Robinson) 
might 
even 

beat me — at 
least 
that’s 

what the guys 
have 
been 

telling me.”

Albrecht, 

who, 
like 

Stauskas, is famous in his own 
right for sinking unorthodox 
3-pointers, spent time in the gym 
with Robinson and can attest to 
his teammate’s talent. Though the 
Wolverines don’t plan on living 
and dying by the 3, Michigan 

will undoubtedly have plenty of 
options beyond the arc.

“Dunc’s just gonna be another 

weapon for us out there, especially 
offensively,” Albrecht said. “He 
has versatility. He’s long. He’s got 
length. He can obviously shoot 
the ball, everyone knows that. 
He’s a really high-IQ basketball 
player, so we’re looking forward 
to getting him out on the court 
with us.”

But with a roster that showcases 

plenty 
of 
guards, 
including 

senior 
Caris 
LeVert, 
junior 

Derrick Walton Jr., Albrecht 
and 
sophomore 
classmates 

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman 
and Dawkins, the competition 
for playing time will be fierce. 
Minutes will be hard to come by, 

but Robinson has been nothing 
short of impressive.

During the Wolverines’ open 

practice on Friday, Robinson 
drained unopposed shots from 
all over the floor with ease. 
That could always change in 
live game action, but that isn’t 
something Robinson’s teammates 
are concerned about right now. 
They’ve seen his ability and don’t 
think it will stop.

“We got some new weapons 

and some guys who add some 
stuff to our offense, so this year 
will be really exciting for us,” 
Walton said. “Aubrey and Caris 
can shoot, but Duncan is different 
— real different.

“You almost get confused when 

he misses.”

JAMES COLLER/Daily

Duncan Robinson has impressed his teammates with his shooting ability so far during his time at Michigan.

“You almost get 
confused when 

he misses.”

Goalie Catt not a 
typical freshman

By MINH DOAN 

Daily Sports Editor

For most freshmen, the start 

of college can be a phase when 
they might not know anyone 
at the University. The overall 
adjustment takes some time.

For most freshman athletes, 

joining a new team takes some 
adjustment as well.

But 
for 
Chad 
Catt, 
the 

Michigan 
hockey 
team’s 

freshman goaltender, the story is 
a little different. For one, he is 21 
years old and hasn’t taken a class 
in two and a half years.

“I’m 
the 
oldest 
possible 

freshman,” Catt joked.

But that’s not all. Catt is also 

familiar with much of the team, 
having played with many of his 
new teammates at various levels 
of junior hockey. In 2009, Catt 
played with former Wolverine 
Andrew 
Copp 
and 
junior 

forward Max Shuart, and they 
won a national championship 
with Detroit Compuware.

As Catt grew older, he ran into 

more current Michigan players, 
especially at Victory Honda U-18, 
where he teamed up with five 
current Wolverines including 
Shuart, 
sophomore 
forwards 

Alex Talcott, Niko Porikos and 
Tony Calderone and sophomore 
defenseman Cutler Martin.

Catt’s familiarity with most of 

the team also provides him with 
many resources who have gone 
through his current transition, 
which has made it easier for Catt 
to find his way at Michigan.

“The guys told me everything 

from just moving into the dorms, 
to knowing where classes are 
and to knowing how practices 
are organized,” Catt said. “It was 
nice to be able to talk to the guys 
over the summer. I came here for 
a couple skates over the summer, 

too, so that was nice to see the 
guys.”

But one of the most important 

junior hockey connections Catt 
has is with his goaltending 
counterpart, junior netminder 
Zach Nagelvoort. The two played 
together for a short period of 
time for the Aberdeen Wings, a 
Tier II junior hockey team that 
plays in the North American 
Hockey League. However, their 
ties go back even further than 
their days at Aberdeen.

“We grew up facing each other 

in Detroit,” Nagelvoort said. “I 
don’t think we ever played with 
each other in youth hockey, but 
we knew each other well as the 
guy on the other side of the ice.

“I knew he was coming from 

the USHL, so when I got traded 
(to Aberdeen) I had heard that 
Chad might be there, so that 
would be kind of interesting.”

For the two goaltenders, the 

prior connection has helped 
them gel a lot faster than most 
veterans and freshman, and it 
has helped the two get straight 
to 
business 
instead 
of 
the 

formalities that come with a new 
season.

“We had a good relationship 

at Aberdeen,” Nagelvoort said. 
“I think I played three or four 
more games than him there, but 
it was a pretty good working 
relationship. I got to jump right 
past that because I know Chad 
really well, and I knew what kind 
of kid he was and that coming 
in he was going to work his bag 
off and push me everyday, so I’d 
have to do the same.”

While Catt may be older 

than 
the 
majority 
of 
the 

undergraduate 
population 
at 

Michigan, his time in Ann Arbor 
is just starting. With a plethora 
of old teammates here, he isn’t 
just any old freshman.

ICE HOCKEY

Swenson builds off of 
strong start to season

By LELAND MITCHINSON

Daily Sports Writer

Sam Swenson didn’t take 

much time to earn the starting 
goalkeeper 
position 
for 
the 

Michigan field hockey team.

As 
a 
freshman, 
Swenson 

appeared in all 20 games for 
the Wolverines, starting 18 and 
posting 
a 
1.34 
goals-against 

average.

The 
native 
of 
Harrogate, 

England, has continued her good 
form into her sophomore season. 
Through 
12 
games 
Swenson 

has improved her goals against 
average to .94 and carries a .796 
save percentage into this Friday’s 
game against No. 20 Iowa.

“I think my decision making 

has 
improved 
the 
most,” 

Swenson said. “I’m getting a 
lot better at knowing where I 
should be on the field, and the 
decisions I need to make as a 
play is progressing. I also feel 
more confident in my skills. I 
feel like that’s an aspect that 
has improved, that my actual 
skills have gotten better and I 
can execute once I’ve made the 
decisions out there.”

Her coach, Marcia Pankratz, 

has counted on her from day one.

“I think coming into the 

University of Michigan as a 
freshman, not only for the 
American kids but certainly 
someone who’s coming all the 
way across the ocean to a new 
culture, it’s a big adjustment,” 
Pankratz said. “I think coming 
into her sophomore year, she 
knows what it’s all about.”

Though 
she 
is 
just 
a 

sophomore, 
Swenson 
brings 

plenty of experience, having 
captained her prep team in 
England 
for 
five 
seasons. 

Swenson’s play has been strong 
enough this year to earn two 
Big Ten Defensive Player of 
the Week honors. She has also 
been a part of four shutout 
performances by the Michigan 
defense while allowing just 11 

goals all season.

“It’s 
really 
nice 
to 
be 

recognized,” Swenson said. “As 
a defensive player it is something 
really 
special. 
Sometimes 

goalkeeper is not as rewarding as 
other positions on the field, so it is 
really nice to be recognized, but 
I couldn’t do it without the rest 
of my team. They really do push 
me in the right way every day in 
practice and in every game, so 
it’s really all down to them for 
making me who I am today.”

Swenson has been able to learn 

on the job while benefitting from 
the support of an experienced 
Wolverine back line, but when 
the time comes, she has been 
in position to defend her net. 
The team, in turn, has taken 
advantage of having a goalie 
as good as Swenson, taking 
risks further up the field that it 
wouldn’t normally. They trust 
her to come up with the saves.

Early in the season, Swenson 

and 
the 
defense 
struggled 

defending penalty corners but 
Swenson has stepped up into 
a leadership role in penalty 
situations. Part of the leadership 
process for Swenson has been 
studying plenty of film prior to 
games.

“She’s making the big-time 

saves,” Pankratz said. “She did 
last year as well, but even more 
this year. When the game has 
been tight and close, she’s been 
coming up with a couple of 
really big saves that have kept 
us in the game and have allowed 
our attack to then score in the 
second half to win it.”

Swenson continues to grow 

and develop as a leader on the 
defense, just as the competition 
will toughen on the way to the 
Big Ten Tournament. But in her 
second year at Michigan, it’s safe 
to say she’s right at home.

GRANT HARDY/Daily

Sam Swenson has twice earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors.

JAMES COLLER/Daily

Sophomore forward Taylor Timko and Michigan scored a key Big Ten win over the Wildcats on Thursday night.
‘M’ dominates Northwestern

By ORION SANG

For the Daily

Thursday night, the Michigan 

women’s soccer team beat No. 22 
Northwestern in a 1-0 game that 
was 
not 

nearly 
as 

close as the 
score indicated.

The game’s lone goal came in 

the 34th minute, when senior 
midfielder Corinne Harris fired 
a shot from 25 yards out to 
provide the Wolverines with the 
only tally they needed.

Michigan (4-1-1 Big Ten, 9-4-1 

overall) dominated play and 
possession with a high-powered 
offense that generated 18 total 
shots compared to seven from 
the Wildcats (3-2-1, 9-3-2).

“There 
was 
never 
any 

question who the better team 
was today,” said Michigan coach 
Greg Ryan. “I thought from the 
first whistle to the last we were 
aggressively attacking.”

The Wolverines got off to a 

quick offensive start, with junior 
forward Nicky Waldeck creating 
an early scoring opportunity a 
minute and a half into the game. 
It was one of many opportunities 
Michigan had on the day.

On 
the 
other 
side, 

Northwestern was unable to 
establish a consistent attack. 

Michigan’s 
defense 
stifled 

the 
Wildcats, 
successfully 

challenging balls in the midfield 
to prevent Northwestern from 
possessing it in the Wolverines’ 
half.

“Our defensive organization 

was fantastic,” Ryan said.

Leading the charge from the 

midfield was Harris, who was 
splendid on both offense and 
defense.

“We 
had 
two 
center 

midfielders 
playing 
against three 
of them,” Ryan 
said, 
“and 

Corinne 
still 

dominates 
in 

that situation 
and finds the 
winning goal.”

With 
11 

minutes left in 
the first half, 
Harris had perhaps her finest 
moment.

Set up by a touch pass from 

freshman forward Reilly Martin, 
Harris took two dribbles before 
unleashing a shot into the upper 
right corner of the net.

“As we get closer to the end of 

the season, the upperclassmen 
who have experience have been 
trying to step up more and make 
a difference in the games,” 

Harris said.

Michigan took the one-goal 

lead into half and would not give 
it up. The Wolverines continued 
their offensive onslaught after 
the break, equaling their shot 
output from the first half. 
Sophomore 
forward 
Taylor 

Timko and redshirt sophomore 
forward Ani Sarkisian both 
had late chances to extend 
Michigan’s lead, but neither was 
able to convert.

It was an 

important 
win 
for 
the 

Wolverines, 
who were in 
a 
four-way 

tie for second 
place in the Big 
Ten 
heading 

into the game.

With 
just 

five games left 
before the Big 

Ten 
conference 
tournament, 

Ryan feels good about where the 
Wolverines stand.

“I feel like this is one of the 

best teams I’ve ever coached at 
Michigan,” Ryan said. “They 
needed tonight’s win against a 
top-ranked team so they have 
confidence. We face several of 
those teams over the next few 
weeks, so we need to roll up our 
sleeves and go after them.”

N’WESTERN
MICHIGAN 

0
1

“There was never 
any question who 

was the better 
team today.”

