Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, April 5, 2016 — 7

Young ‘M’ lineup stands out 
in narrow loss to Terrapins

Wolverines can’t 
overcome injuries, 

but freshmen 
flash potential

By JORDAN HERBSTMAN 

Daily Sports Writer

The Michigan men’s lacrosse 

team showed up to its Big Ten 
season-opener determined to 
pull off an upset against No. 
5 Maryland. The Wolverines 
put together an impressive 
performance, but in the end 
they came up just short and lost, 
8-7. 

Michigan 
(0-1 
Big 
Ten, 

3-6 overall) found itself in a 
tough position with its two 
leading offensive players out 
with injuries, so it turned to 
a younger starting lineup to 
battle the Terrapins (1-0, 7-2). 
The Wolverines started five 
freshmen 
and 
two 
seniors 

Saturday, compared to zero and 
four for Maryland, respectively 

With a young squad on the 

field, 
Michigan 
focused 
its 

effort on utilizing a combination 
of freshman youth and senior 
experience to combat the strong 
Maryland team. 

After falling behind 1-0 in the 

first quarter, the Wolverines 
turned to their seniors to get 
things going. Just over five 
minutes into the game, senior 
attacker Peter Kraus continued 
the 
aggressive 
play 
shown 

earlier by fellow senior Evan 
Glaser, and netted his first goal 
of the day to tie the game.

Senior faceoff specialist Brad 

Lott won the following faceoff 
to 
give 
Michigan 
another 

possession straight off the goal. 
Once again, the Wolverines 
turned to another senior in 
midfielder Mike Hernandez, 
who sniped in a shot to give 
Michigan a 2-1 lead.

Lott played a key role in 

the first quarter success for 
Michigan by securing three of 
the five faceoffs, two of which 
came directly after goals. 

“I thought Brad Lott was a 

big part of our ability to be in 
the game today,” said Michigan 
coach John Paul. “Once we 
started winning faceoffs early, 
and 
once 

we 
had 
got 

some stops on 
defense, some 
guys 
started 

believing.” 

After 

allowing 
two 

quick 
goals 

in the second 
quarter, 
the 

Wolverines fell 
back on their 
seniors once again. Hernandez 
and 
Kraus 
stepped 
up 
on 

offense, and Kraus found the 
back of the net for his second 
goal of the day, regaining the 
lead for Michigan early in the 
second quarter. 

Freshman 
attacker 
Rocco 

Sutherland 
also 
gave 
the 

Wolverines 
an 
impressive 

offensive 
effort. 
After 
the 

team went up, 4-3, Sutherland 
was determined to maintain 
possession by picking up ground 
balls off faceoffs and collecting 
missed shots behind the net, 
allowing 
Michigan 
to 
keep 

offensive possessions alive. 

The Wolverines fell behind, 

6-4, in the third quarter, but 
just as they did throughout 

the first half, the shorthanded 
Wolverines 
turned 
to 
the 

freshmen 
and 
seniors 
to 

stop 
the 
Terrapins 
from 

widening their lead. Kraus and 
Sutherland fired shot after shot, 
but it was freshman midfielder 
Decker Curran who scored the 
first goal of the quarter for 
Michigan. 

“It’s so awesome to see so 

many guys step in like that,” 
Kraus said. “If one guy goes 
down, whoever it is, if it’s a 
freshman or senior, he’s got to 
step up and play his role. That’s 

exactly what 
they 
did 

today.” 

In 
the 

fourth 
quarter, Kraus 
got 
back 
in 

on the action 
and netted his 
third goal of 
the day, tying 
the game at 
six.

“Luckily I was in the spot 

to get the shot off,” Kraus 
said. “(We) just kind of ran the 
offense correctly and that’s 
what happens.” 

However, a late push by 

Maryland was too much for the 
Wolverines, and they fell short 
by only one goal. Though it 
was not the result they wanted, 
Paul was still proud of his team 
and the potential the freshmen 
showed, as well as the poise the 
seniors exhibited. 

“We’ve been searching for the 

right guys, the right chemistry 
and the right execution, and it’s 
really just the next man up until 
we find the right group,” Paul 
said. “This group did a pretty 
commendable job.”

MEN’S LACROSSE

“It’s so awesome 
to see so many 

guys step in 
like that.”

Michigan continues home 
success in weekend sweep

By MIKE PERSAK 

Daily Sports Writer

In a surprisingly strong season, 

the No. 20 Michigan men’s 
tennis team has been fueled in 
its turnaround by consistently 
strong performances at home. 
The Wolverines have compiled 
a perfect 12-0 record at the 
Varsity Tennis Center, a record 
paramount to their surge into the 
ITA Top 25.

This weekend was more of 

the same for Michigan (4-1 Big 
Ten, 15-4 overall), as it hosted 
Indiana (0-3 Big Ten, 4-12 overall) 
on Friday and Purdue (1-2 Big 
Ten, 12-5 overall) on Sunday. 
The Wolverines came out of the 
weekend undefeated, beating both 
teams, 4-1.

“We’ve played well here,” said 

Michigan coach Adam Steinberg. 
“We’ve had a heavy home schedule 
this year, not like last year, where 
we were on the road a lot. I think 
the guys have gotten into a rhythm 
when playing here.”

The Wolverines, who have 

dubbed their home courts “The 
Slaughterhouse,” were in danger 
of having their flawless home 
record tarnished against Purdue. 
Despite charging to an early 3-0 
lead thanks to quick wins from the 
No. 6 and No. 5 players, freshman 
Myles Schalet and sophomore 
Davis Crocker, the Boilermakers 
showed some fight by winning in 
the No. 1 singles match. Purdue 
also prolonged other matches 
before finally being defeated by a 
No. 4 singles win from Michigan 
sophomore Runhao Hua, 6-3, 4-6, 
6-2.

After the match was done, 

Michigan’s 
focus 
immediately 

shifted. But the shift wasn’t to its 
next opponent like it normally is. 
Instead, the Wolverines geared up 
to teach the fundamentals of tennis 

to children in the community in a 
post-match clinic.

 “I think it’s important that 

we get a nice home base,” said 
sophomore Davis Crocker. “We 
have had great fans this year. The 
fans have been awesome. Club 
tennis has been incredible as far as 
influencing matches, and I think 
it’s important, like with the kid’s 
clinic today, to get the community 
involved with the tennis.”

But while the fans are a bonus 

for the team, it is ultimately 
the improved play on the court 
and comfort with their home 
surroundings that have resulted in 
Michigan’s success.

“I think we have more of a 

comfort level here,” Crocker said. 
“It’s easier for us to support each 
other from these specific standing 
points. We’re used to the courts, 

and I think that all plays a factor.”

Though the home victories 

for the Wolverines have driven 
them to their current place in 
the standings, they will now be 
forced to get wins away from Ann 
Arbor. They will play four straight 
conference matches on the road 
before returning home to finish 
the regular season.

But if Michigan is able to 

maintain its perfect home record, 
it will have already improved 
on its disappointing seasons of 
the past. The Wolverines have 
already 
beaten 
three 
ranked 

teams at home this season. They 
beat Duke, Penn State and Tulsa, 
who were ranked No. 25, 25 and 
22 at the time, respectively. So 
now, all that’s left to do is prove 
that Michigan can get it done on 
the road, too. 

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Myles Schalet cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 victory against Purdue on Sunday.

Isaac impresses in Spring Game

Redshirt junior 
makes case as 
complementary 
back for 2016

By JACOB GASE

Daily Sports Editor

When Ty Isaac broke free 

for a 76-yard touchdown run 
against UNLV last September, it 
looked like he was announcing 
his arrival as a force to be 
reckoned with in the Michigan 
football team’s backfield.

But 
after 
a 
two-fumble 

performance 
at 
Maryland 

two weeks later, and later an 
“internal 
matter” 
that 
led 

to 
him 
being 
temporarily 

left off the team’s dress list, 
Isaac plummeted down the 
depth 
chart. 
After 
getting 

just two carries each against 
Northwestern on Oct. 10 and 
Michigan State on Oct. 17, Isaac 
didn’t touch the ball again for 
the rest of the season, leaving 
his future in the Wolverine 
backfield in doubt.

Fast-forward 
six 
months 

later, though, and the redshirt 
junior has burst right back into 
the picture.

As the featured back for 

the Maize team in Michigan’s 
Spring Game on Friday night 
— last year’s top backs, senior 
De’Veon Smith and fifth-year 
senior Drake Johnson, both 
found themselves on the Blue 
team — Isaac picked up 10 
carries and made the most of 
them.

Early in the second quarter, 

after netting zero yards on 
his first two attempts, Isaac 
took a handoff at midfield for 
a 29-yard gain down the right 
sideline, setting up a 13-yard 
touchdown pass for the Maize 
team’s first score of the game. 
On a nearly identical play in 
the third quarter, Isaac broke 
outside again, threw a stiff arm 
in the secondary and picked 
up 30 yards to the Blue 21-yard 
line. Five plays later, redshirt 
sophomore quarterback Wilton 

Speight found the end zone on 
a bootleg scamper that ended 
up being the game-winning 
touchdown.

Isaac looked like a different 

player under the lights Friday, 
and he felt like one, too. So far 
this offseason, Isaac has shed 
14 pounds and five percent body 
fat.

“I feel a lot better, just all 

around, physically,” Isaac said. 
“I dropped some weight, lost 
some body fat and I just feel 
really good physically. I can 
play faster. ... The difference 
between 10 pounds or 15 pounds 
is huge — I could even tell 
during conditioning stuff.”

It might be difficult to get 

carries in a backfield that 
already has a starter set in 
stone — after Smith picked 
up 753 rushing yards and six 
touchdowns last season, the 
coaching staff has made it clear 
that it’s his job to lose.

Smith 
didn’t 
play 
much 

in the Spring Game, though, 

saying he was trying to “get 
(his) body all the way healthy 
before the season.” With no 
other back getting more than 
five carries, it was Isaac’s time 
to shine. Lighter and faster, 
he showed signs of the skill 
set that made him a five-star 
Southern 
California 
recruit 

before he ultimately transferred 
to Michigan.

Smith 
has 
noticed 
the 

dramatic changes in Isaac’s 
appearance and playing style, 
too. Smith’s mindset hasn’t 
wavered with Isaac’s resurgence 
— he’s dead set on keeping his 
job as the lead back — but he 
understands the benefits of a 
capable complementary option, 
and he thinks Isaac could be 
that player.

“Ty’s 
6-(foot)-3, 
230 

(pounds). It’s gonna be trouble 
for teams, with two power 
backs,” Smith said. “We have 
a stable of backs — everybody 
could play right now. I’ll be 
happy whoever’s backing me 

up.”

As the only running back to 

gain more than 11 yards on the 
ground — he had 78 — Isaac 
certainly took advantage of 
his opportunity Friday night. 
His 
strong 
performance 
in 

the Spring Game was just the 
culmination of an improved 
spring, one that had Michigan 
coach Jim Harbaugh and fifth-
year senior offensive lineman 
Kyle Kalis raving about his 
improvements over the last few 
weeks. Still, Isaac knows it’s 
going to take more than that to 
stay in the backfield mix in the 
fall.

“It’s good to hear it getting 

noticed,” Isaac said, “but it 
definitely can’t be something 
that you hear one time and 
think, ‘I’m all right, I’m good, I 
can lay back.’ I want to continue 
to be like that.

“Every time I come out, I 

want it to be noticed. I don’t 
have to talk about it. I’m just 
going to do it.”

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Ty Isaac broke off two long runs in Michigan’s Spring Game, totaling 78 yards, most of any running back.

Wolverines finish 
11th at Bryan Park

By LOGAN T. HANSEN

For the Daily

Following 
a 
multi-week 

reprieve from competition, the 
Michigan women’s golf team teed 
off over the weekend at Bryan 
Park Golf Course in Greensboro, 
N.C., participating in the Bryan 
National Collegiate from Friday 
through Sunday.

In the face of stiff competition 

— including heavyweights in No. 
20 Virginia, No. 21 Florida State 
and No. 28 East Carolina — and 
some unforgiving weather, the 
Wolverines finished 11th as a team 
with a total of 926 strokes over 
three days and 54 holes of golf.

Sophomore Kathy Lim led the 

way for the Wolverines, tying for 
eighth place individually with a 
career-best 224 (76-74-74) stroke 
total. The tally resulted in her 
second top-10 finish of the season.

“(Kathy) came off a tough week 

in Arizona a couple weeks ago 
and she came 
into 
practice 

each day with 
a 
purpose, 

had a plan and 
stuck 
to 
it,” 

said coach Jan 
Dowling. “I’m 
really proud of 
her that it paid 
off 
and 
that 

she was able 
to be resilient. 
As a coaching staff, we believe 
in her and I hope this gives her 
confidence to continue believing 
in herself.”

Lim carded the lowest totals in 

each round for Michigan, but she 
was quick to note that the course 
was no cakewalk.

“Overall it was a tough course 

to deal with,” Lim said. “We were 
definitely disappointed with the 
(11th-place) finish.”

Following Lim on the scorecard 

for the Wolverines was junior 
Grace Choi, who shot 232 (79-75-
78) and finished tied for 42nd. 
Senior 
Catherine 
Peters 
and 

sophomore Megan Kim both 

tallied 236 (81-78-77 and 80-77-79, 
respectively) and finished tied for 
51st, and sophomore Emily White 
came in at 242 (79-81-82) strokes, 
tying for 65th.

Conditions at Bryan Park Golf 

Course were not ideal for the 
15 squads participating in the 
weekend’s event. Friday’s opening 
18-hole round was delayed nearly 
four hours due to heavy rains and 
thunderstorms.

“We had some tough conditions 

to deal with this week, and our 
team did really well with that, 
actually,” Dowling said. “It was 
a course that’s already tough 
to begin with, but the rainy 
conditions and the 10- to 25-mile-
per-hour wind did not help at all.”

Dowling said the team was 

not familiar with the Greensboro 
course, 
meaning 
Thursday’s 

practice round was extremely 
important 
for 
them. 
The 

competition they saw over the 
weekend was no stranger to them, 

however.

“We’ve 

seen many of 
those 
teams 

throughout 
the whole year, 
which is great,” 
Dowling said. 
“You can’t get 
better 
unless 

you 
see 
the 

better teams. I 
know our team 

loves seeing that field; they’re 
competitors and we know that we 
were close to beating them if we 
improve our putting and a little bit 
of the short game.”

With 
the 
2016 
Big 
Ten 

Championships 
(Apr. 
22-24) 

waiting in the wings, Lim came 
away from the chilly rain-soaked 
outing with some positives as well.

“This course really showed us 

our true weaknesses,” Lim said, 
“Which is perfect because we 
are heading to Big Tens now — 
basically the most important event 
of our season. We’re excited to 
work hard on our weaknesses and 
get better.”

WOMEN’S GOLF

“This course 
really showed 

us our true 
weaknesses.”

