The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
February 15, 2016 — 3B

‘M’ finishes regular season strong

By JORDAN HERBSTMAN

Daily Sports Writer

Senior Night can often be

a source of distraction and
emotions, but the No. 9 Michigan
wrestling
team
was

able to look
past
the

festivities and finish the regular
season
strong
Friday
night,

beating No. 23 Purdue, 30-11.

The Wolverines (8-1 Big Ten,

13-2 overall) followed the same
script they have been using for
most of the season: Keep it close,
and the big guys will close out
the match.

“The duals are usually real

close, and then we crush people
in the last three fights,” said
sixth-year senior Max Huntley.

Though the bottom three

weight
classes
secured
the

victory and the match, they could
not do it without the help of some
of the lighter-weight wrestlers.
After earning major decisions
from both redshirt junior Conor
Youtsey and senior Rossi Bruno,
the Wolverines jumped out to an
early 8-0 lead, and they looked
like they were going to coast to
victory and head into postseason
play with momentum.

However, the Boilermakers did

not go down easily. Purdue (4-4,
8-6) was able to take advantage
of lineup changes by Michigan,
which suffered a setback at the
141-pound weight class that has
struggled most of the year.

“We are still trying to figure

out 141,” said Michigan coach
Joe McFarland. “We are giving
both guys opportunities to go
out and compete, and we just
gotta evaluate them.”

After the win, Purdue was

on the board and hoped to
continue its momentum, but
Michigan
sophomore
Alec

Pantaleo regained control and
earned another major decision
for the Wolverines. It was not
an easy victory for Pantaleo, but
he broke open the match in the

third period by outscoring his
opponent, 8-1.

“I think that kid watched a

little tape,” Pantaleo said. “ (He)
probably knew what I was gonna
do, so that shut me down a little
bit. (Then) a
thing
kinda

twitched
in

my head, ‘I can
score on this
kid whenever,’
so I started
moving a little
bit, and I got in
more angles.”

The

Boilermakers
continued to fight back, and with
just four duals remaining, they
found themselves trailing by only
one point. The next dual played
a pivotal role in the match, and
Michigan
looked
to
redshirt

sophomore Aaron Calderon to

shut down the chance of a Purdue
victory.

This season has been anything

but normal for Calderon. He
recently accepted the challenge
of stepping in for injured redshirt

freshman
Davonte
Mahomes.
Calderon
fought
tough

and secured a
victory for the
Wolverines,
giving them a
15-11 lead, with
Michigan’s
“Murderer’s

Row” still left to wrestle.

“It’s been a great experience,

really kind of changing my view
on the team,” Calderon said. “I
get to be a part of it more and
go on the trips and build some
camaraderie with the varsity

team members that I haven’t
really gotten too much of a
chance to get to know.”

With Michigan’s top-three

wrestlers coming to the mat,
the match was all but secured
with the Wolverines up by four.
The bottom three combined for
15 points in their matches, with
Huntley ending his regular-
season career on a high note,
earning a technical fall and
giving Michigan a 19-11 lead
to
make
a
Purdue
victory

impossible.

As he has done his whole

wrestling career as a Wolverine,
Huntley was lighthearted and
cracked jokes after the match.
After all, not only had he
experienced some Senior Night
camaraderie, but Michigan had
just earned the momentum it
needed to propel itself into the
postseason.

RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily

Junior wrestler Adam Coon (right) and Michigan’s vaunted end of the lineup continued their dominance against Purdue.

“We crush
people in the

last three
fights.”

PURDUE
MICHIGAN

11
30

Wolverines beat
Michigan State

By AVI SHOLKOFF

Daily Sports Writer

No matter the competition, the

rivalry between Michigan and
Michigan State will always be
present.

Behind junior Talia Chiarelli

and freshman Olivia Karas, the No.
3 Michigan women’s gymnastics
team was able to win this round
of competition, 197.225-195.425,
against the Spartans on Sunday at
Crisler Center.

Anchored
by
a
stellar

performance from Chiarelli, who
scored a career-high 9.925 in the
vault, the Wolverines started
strong and never looked back.

Though the rivalry between

Michigan and the Spartans can
sometimes
be
aggressive,
in

gymnastics, the players see it
differently.

“It’s always fun to compete

against them,” said junior Nicole
Artz. “I’d say it’s more of a
friendly rivalry with gymnastics.


We get along with them, but it is
also always nice to beat Michigan
State in Crisler.”

Artz had a successful day

herself, tying season highs in the
vault and uneven bars with scores
of 9.800 and 9.925, respectively.

The Wolverines (4-1 Big Ten,

8-1 overall) beat the Spartans
(1-4, 3-5), despite having less
preparation time than usual
because of their meet on Monday.

“We’ve never had a Monday

night meet before, and we don’t
typically have Sunday meets,”
said Michigan coach Bev Plocki.
“We’ve had to be a little bit creative.
Last week, we took Tuesday off
and trained Wednesday, Thursday
and Friday.”

Michigan won the meet even

though
it
competed
without

senior Briley Casanova for the
fourth straight time.

“(Casanova) has a back issue

going on right now, that we just
need to get resolved,” Plocki said.
“(There’s) nothing we can really
do except for wait. Hopefully it
will resolve and heal itself and
she’ll be feeling better.”

Plocki did not give a specific

time table for Casanova’s return,
but did not deem it a season-
ending injury.

Even though Casanova could

not participate, others such as
senior Lindsay Williams continued
to perform at high standards.
Williams notched her career best
in the beam with a 9.900.

After
a
disappointing

performance in the beam two
weeks ago against Nebraska, the
Wolverines’ work in practice has
shown, maintaining their new
streak of “49s.”

Before that meet in Lincoln,

Michigan had five straight meets
in which it scored at least a 49
in every event. A disappointing
showing against the Cornhuskers
contributed to the streak’s ending,
but a new one now continues.

Other
bright
spots
for

Michigan included Karas, who
after a slight trip at the end of
her vault routine, attained the
top floor score in addition to solid
performances in bars and beam.

Plocki reiterated the friendly

rivalry concept articulated by
Artz. Many of the Wolverines
have preexisting relationships
with athletes on the Spartans.
Plocki also spoke of her positive
relationship with Michigan State
coach Kathie Klages.

“A lot of times when we go

to college meets (the athletes)
have old teammates on other
teams,” Plocki said. “During the
competition, it’s very competitive,
but after they’re going over and
hugging their old friends.”

And for the Wolverines, they

had more to hug about than just
seeing their old friends.

WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

Florida tops Wolverines

By MATTHEW KENNEDY

Daily Sports Writer

Six minutes — that’s all that

stood between the Michigan
women’s lacrosse team and a
program-
defining
upset
win

against No.
7 Florida on Saturday.

But during those six minutes,

the Wolverines watched their
lead, and potential first-ever
win against a ranked opponent,
slip away.

Florida’s
comeback
started

when attacker Shayna Pirreca
scored an unassisted goal to
narrow Michigan’s lead. Just
45 seconds later, Pirreca scored
another goal to shrink the Gators’
deficit to one goal; 30 seconds
later, Pirreca scored her third
straight unassisted goal to tie the
game at 11. The Wolverines’ lead
had vanished.

“You slow down for five

minutes, and they’re going to
catch up,” said Michigan coach
Jennifer Ulehla. “That’s an Xs
and Os thing, and that’s on me as a
coach to make sure we’re focusing
on those things in practice.”

With four and a half minutes

remaining, and all the momentum
on
the
Gator
sideline,
the

Wolverines were forced to be
on the defensive for the rest of
the game. Florida was able to
consistently hold the ball, taking a
few shots in the process. As each
second passed, Michigan’s once-
solid lead was a fleeting memory.
With 10 seconds remaining, and
overtime seeming like a possible
refuge from the disaster of the
final six minutes, attacker Sammi
Burgess fired a lethal shot into the
back of the net, giving Florida a
12-11 lead.

Michigan managed to win

the final faceoff, and, with time
expiring, junior attacker Jess
Angerman fired a shot at the
net. But the shot went wide.
Time expired, and with it went
the Wolverines’ hopes for the
program’s biggest win ever.

Despite the heartbreak, the

loss was a promising result for a
program that is only in its third
year competing in Division I. In

the past two years combined,
Michigan lost to the Gators by a
combined score of 41-4.

“The program has come so

far since the last time we played
Florida,” Ulehla said. “Are we
disappointed about the loss?
Most definitely. But for us, this
program took big strides today.
Nationally, as far as gaining
respect, we’re a program to be
reckoned with. We’re definitely
looking forward to this season
and getting better and better as
each game goes by.”

Michigan (1-1) opened up its

second game of the season strong,
with two early back-to-back goals
by junior midfielders Madeline
Dion and Anna Schueler to seize a
2-0 lead in Gainesville, Fla.

The Gators tallied three goals

in three minutes to reclaim a 3-2
lead. The Wolverines responded
just as strongly, though, scoring
two goals to take the lead back at
4-3. Florida had the upper-hand
for the rest of the half, scoring
four unanswered goals to take
a 7-4 lead, before a late goal by
Angerman narrowed the Gators’
lead to 7-5 at halftime.

“I think just the fact that we

really competed (stood out), every
single one of us,” Ulehla said.
“Normally, when you look at the
stats, it’s very clear as to who our
big guns are, and today that’s not

the case. This, overall, was just a
great team performance.”

After a quick goal 10 seconds

into the second half, the Gators
held an even bigger 8-5 lead. Yet
the goal also managed to have
another effect: waking up the
Wolverines’ offense.

Junior
midfielder
Kim

Coughlan started the comeback
for Michigan, scoring her first
goal of the game to narrow the
deficit to 8-6. Within the next
minute, junior attackers Lauren
Oberlander and Tess Korten both
scored to tie the game at eight.

But the Wolverines weren’t

finished yet. After eight minutes
of scoreless play, junior attacker
Allie Breitfeller found twine to
give Michigan its first lead since
the 14-minute mark of first half.

Following four more minutes

of scoreless play, the Wolverines
further added to their lead.
Oberlander and Coughlan each
scored an unassisted goal to take
an 11-8 lead. On the verge of a
historic upset, all Michigan had
to do was survive the final 10
minutes.

Four minutes ticked off the

clock. The Wolverines were still
holding strong with a three-
goal lead.

But from there, it went all

downhill. Six minutes proved to
be too much.

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Junior midfielder Kim Coughlin scored twice in Michigan’s 12-11 loss to Florida.

Throwers power Michigan

Wolverines set
21 total personal
records between
split-squad meets

By SYLVANNA GROSS

Daily Sports Writer

Just
seven
short
months

ago, Grant Cartwright started
training on the weight and
hammer throw for the first time
since a lower-back injury in
high school. But even after a few
years, the redshirt sophomore
threw 19.71 meters to place
fourth overall Friday.

“Throwing
this
mark
is

definitely a big milestone for
me in my athletic career,”
Cartwright said. “I let myself
be happy with what I did today,
but the goal is to keep throwing
as far as I can and score as
many points for the team. It’s
obviously satisfying to throw
benchmarks, but I don’t get
satisfied very easily.”

Cartwright and the Michigan

men’s track and field team
participated in its fourth and
final split-squad weekend of the
indoor season. The Wolverine
field event athletes traveled to
Geneva, Ohio, to compete in the
SPIRE Collegiate Invitational
for a two-day event, and the
runners went to Ames, Iowa,
for the Iowa State Classic. In
the
second-to-last
weekend

before the Big Ten Indoor
Championships begin, Michigan
set a total of 21 personal records.

Adding
to
an
already

impressive weekend, Cartwright
participated in the shot-put
event and threw 19.94 meters,
the third-best throw in program
history, on the second day of
competition.

“I wanted to do it for my

team,” Cartwright said. “They’re
working hard for me, so I should
work hard for them. Everybody
really cares about other people’s
accomplishments. We’re moving
in a right direction as a program.
The culture is changing rapidly
into a highly competitive and

positive area, where we just try
to go out there and be the best
we can. It’s very exciting to be a
part of it.”

Though Cartwright sustained

a pointer-finger injury back in
December, he didn’t let it stop
him from trying to rehabilitate
as quickly as possible — a pattern
in his track and field career.

“I think I came as far as I have

because coach Jerry Clayton
is such a fantastic coach,”
Cartwright said. “I listen to the
best of my ability to everything
he’s told me to do.”

Added Clayton: “The thing

with
(Cartwright),
he’s
one

of the athletes that has really
focused in, and does everything
he can, to be the best he can.
He’s made that commitment. He
does everything he’s asked, both
on and off. That’s the type of
individual we need leading our
team.”

Cartwright puts emphasis on

his relationship with his fellow
thrower and training partner,
redshirt freshman Joe Ellis,
for helping him with his focus.
Ellis, himself, made headlines
when he threw 20.08 meters
in the weight throw to finish
fourth — over Cartwright’s fifth
— overall. The distance also
qualified as the third best in
program history.

“The two of them are working

together and focused, and that’s
the key,” Clayton said. “That’s
what I’m used to in the most
successful
programs
I’ve
been
a

part of. That’s
the
type
of

atmosphere,
leadership
and
individuals
I’m
used

to
working

with.
These

two throwers
are young and the future of the
program.

“They really feed off of each

other with staying focused.
It’s not just in athletics, but in
academics, they make those
sacrifices, too.”

Clayton is in his third season

at the helm of the program
and
works
primarily
with

the throwers and jumpers. In
total, Clayton has coached 16
individual NCAA Champions.

Elsewhere in Ohio, redshirt

junior Steven Bastien set a
personal record in the pole
vault,
clearing
4.73
meters.

Bastien finished fifth overall,
right behind redshirt freshman
Kevin
Haughn.
Freshman

Nick Burkhalter also cleared a
personal record at 4.58 meters.

During
the
second
day

of
competition,
redshirt

sophomore
triple-jumper

Kevin Stephens Jr. took third
place after flying 14.89 meters.
Stephens finished third and also
claimed the ninth-best distance
in program history.

In Iowa, the runners also

made fast strides en route to the
Big Ten Indoor Championships.
In the mile run, all three
Wolverines set personal bests,
led by redshirt freshman Chase
Barnett (4:03.77) in 13th overall.

In
sprints,
senior
Phil

Washington III ran 47.99 in the
400 meter to finish ninth overall
and second in his section.
Freshman Blake Washington
(49.09) ran a personal best in the
same event.

Next week’s meet, the Alex

Wilson Invitational on Saturday,
Feb. 20, will wrap up the regular
season, with the Big Ten Indoor
Championship just two weeks

away.

“This is a

time for people
to change their
workload,”
Clayton
said.

“The
critical

phase is: are
they going to
make
those

adjustments?
We, as coaches,
don’t
get
on

the track, the athletes have to
have that confidence. That’s the
thing I was pleased about this
weekend. The athletes really did
compete. We have a lot of work
ahead of us, but we’re excited
about the focus going forward.”

MEN’S TRACK & FIELD

“They really feed
off of each other

with staying

focused.”

MICHIGAN
FLORIDA

11
12