Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Friday, April 15, 2016 — 7
Karas has found the perfect home
By LANEY BYLER
Daily Sports Writer
At the tender age of 2 years old,
Olivia Karas used to flip off her
family’s couch.
In an attempt to channel their
child’s energy in a more controlled,
less dangerous way, Karas’ parents
enrolled her in “mommy and me”
gymnastics classes. At first glance,
the building where the classes
were held was just a run-down
warehouse in Chicago. But for
Karas, it’s where she began her
life’s journey as one of the most
accomplished athletes in college
gymnastics.
Four years later at that same
warehouse, one of the gymnastics
coaches asked Olivia to try out for
a team. Karas had a charismatic
attitude and undeniable talent
even at that age, and she officially
made the team at the age of 6.
But after about a month, she
decided she hated it and quit.
Now, as a member of the
Michigan women’s gymnastics
team 12 years later, Karas has
garnered a long list of honors and
awards, including All Big-Ten
first team, Big Ten Freshman of
the Year and three-time Big Ten
Gymnast of the Week.
With that impressive haul, it
seems unbelievable that Karas
almost didn’t become a gymnast
at all. After initially quitting
gymnastics, Karas returned to
her energetic self, so much so that
her parents told her she had to do
something — anything — to settle
down.
“I was a crazy kid,” Karas said.
“Eight months after I quit, nothing
changed and I was still crazy
because I had so much energy.
My mom told me, ‘You have to go
back, you have to do something.’
I told her, ‘I kind of want to try
gymnastics again,’ so I went back
and I’ve loved it ever since.”
And so she began her path
toward becoming a successful
college gymnast. After Karas
made a trip to the national
meet as an eighth-grader, she
received a recruitment letter
from Michigan. At the time, she
felt it was too soon to be thinking
about college, so Karas and her
family stuck the letter in a box
and left it alone.
During her sophomore year
of high school, though, Karas
realized she was almost late to
the recruitment process. She
was injured her freshman year
and
remained
uncommitted.
Gymnasts all around her were
already committed, and she had
almost no idea where she wanted
to go. Almost.
As it turns out, that letter in a
box was never forgotten.
“This was always my dream
place,” Karas said. “I always
wanted to come to Michigan. My
friends and I, we would always
watch
Michigan.
We
never
watched anyone else compete.
From then on, I told myself, ‘If I
go to college for gymnastics, I’m
going to Michigan.’
“My parents tried to get me to
branch out, but I wouldn’t have it.
This was the place. I knew from
the start, as soon as I walked in
those doors on my first visit, this
was the place. I had no interest
in going anywhere else. This is
perfect for me.”
Karas committed to Michigan
just before her junior year and
stepped on campus this past fall
ready to do what she had always
done since the age of 2.
Coming off of a successful
high school gymnastics career,
where she competed with IK
Gymnastics, Karas was prepared
for collegiate athletics. Competing
in events like the Nastia Liukin
Cup and winning vault two years
in a row at the J.O. National
Championships, Karas was clearly
a good recruitment choice for the
Wolverines.
One
thing
Karas
didn’t
anticipate was how welcoming the
team would be. For her, the team
has been one of the driving factors
that keeps her relaxed on the floor.
Karas
was
one
of
two
freshmen
to
join
the
team
for the 2015-16 season, along
with Emma McLean. The two
immediately bonded together —
at meets, they give pep talks to
each other. At practice, they’re
keeping each other loose. And
while she doesn’t necessarily
dive off her family’s couches
anymore, Karas still has that
energetic attitude that got her
started in gymnastics in the first
place, according to McLean.
“Outside of the gym, she’s just
like she is in the gym,” McLean
said. “She’s full of energy, very
spunky. She’s like the Energizer
Bunny in the commercials. She
never stops.”
Some freshmen struggle to
adjust in college, particularly to
the demanding nature of athletics.
Karas,
however,
apparently
hasn’t had that problem. Serving
multiple times as an anchor, she
has been a consistent name and
reliable presence in the lineup all
season long.
The energy Karas had as a
kid has followed her out of the
warehouse in Chicago and into the
gym at Michigan. As a freshman,
Karas has already made her mark
on Michigan gymnastics — she
finished the season ranked among
the top-10 gymnasts nationally in
three events: she tied for second
on beam, seventh on floor and 10th
in the all-around.
Karas has been a force in the
all-around, winning the event
four times in the past season. She
also has 12 individual titles, eight
of which were on vault.
It’s clear that Karas’ strong suit
is vault. She made her college debut
at the Cancun Classic, where she
won vault with a 9.925. She also
received a second-place finish at
the Big Ten Championships with
the same score. Her career best
is a 9.950, and in a meet against
Eastern Michigan and Maryland,
one judge even awarded Karas a
10.0 for the event.
However, one can’t be an all-
around winner just by performing
well on the vault. Known for her
energetic floor routines, Karas has
also racked up three individual
floor titles this year.
“Seeing her in competition
and seeing how charismatic she
is, you just can’t miss her,” said
Michigan coach Bev Plocki. “You
sit in a gym and you have all of this
stuff going on around you, but no
matter where she is in the gym,
your attention will just be drawn
to her because of how charismatic
and dynamic she is.”
There’s no doubt about it, Karas
is charismatic. She’s still the
energetic gymnast she was in that
run-down warehouse in Chicago.
Karas may only be a freshman,
but she’s a freshman who has been
consistently leading the pack all
year. With her accomplishments
and personality, it’s clear that
the little girl who used to flip
off couches has exceeded all
expectations.
LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily
Freshman Olivia Karas briefly stopped doing gymnastics at age 6, but she has stuck with it since then and earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors this season.
Reviewing Michigan’s season
By TED JANES
Daily Sports Writer
The
Michigan
women’s
basketball team was up, down,
up, down and up again this year.
What started as a record-tying
undefeated streak turned into
a forgettable stretch of losses,
followed by a predictable Big
Ten season, a setback in the
conference tournament and a late
postseason run.
Yet at the end of it all, the
season finished as many would
have expected. On the brink
of the NCAA Tournament, the
Wolverines’ (9-9 Big Ten, 21-14
overall) hopes were cut short, but
they stepped up in the WNIT for a
second consecutive year.
The
Daily
recaps
the
highlights and lowlights of the
2015-16 season.
Best
game:
Michigan
77,
Temple 76
The best game of the year
arrived late. Michigan battled
Temple in the quarterfinal of the
WNIT for a Final Four berth,
which both teams had achieved
the year before. Temple led by
15 early on, but the Wolverines
rallied in the second half to
close the gap. Down to the wire,
the game witnessed 12 lead
changes in the fourth quarter.
The Wolverines trailed by only
one, and the game’s final scoring
chance came for Michigan. The
team executed to come out on top
— more on that later.
Worst game: Eastern Michigan
64, Michigan 63
For their final game before
tipping off Big Ten season, the
Wolverines traveled down the
road to Eastern Michigan for
what was supposed to be an
easy win. Last season, Michigan
won by 29, but on Dec. 23, the
Wolverines lost all momentum
before conference play.
Missed
free
throws
were
the
difference
maker.
With
the chance to tie or take the
lead, freshman center Hallie
Thome blanked on back-to-back
attempts from the line, and the
Eagles ran out the clock to stun
the Wolverines.
Best individual performance:
Madison Ristovski in the WNIT
While
sophomore
guard
Katelynn Flaherty was usually
the one putting up points, senior
guard Madison Ristovski had
perhaps the best performance by
any player during a four-game
stretch in the WNIT. Ristovski
scored
19
points
with
nine
rebounds in the quarterfinal
against Temple, and she played
a crucial role in leading the
Wolverines as far as they went.
Ristovski’s career at Michigan
ended in a semifinal loss at
Florida Gulf Coast, and despite
three straight years in the
WNIT, Ristovski did get a taste
of the NCAA Tournament her
freshman year. In the opening
round of the Big Dance, she
played nine minutes against
then-No. 1 Stanford. Her role
grew over the years, and she
went out on a high note, having
been named to the WNIT All-
Tournament team.
Most important game: Iowa 97,
Michigan 85
The Wolverines had a chance
to advance past the opening
round of the Big Ten Tournament
and possibly boost their NCAA
Tournament
chances
against
Iowa, a team with which they split
the season series.
After Thome and Michigan
clobbered
the
Hawkeyes
in
the paint early, a few defensive
adjustments by Iowa shut Thome
down after the first quarter,
and the Hawkeyes stuffed the
Wolverines’ hopes of making the
Big Dance.
Play of the year: Thome’s
game-winner against Temple
Late in the game against
Temple, Michigan was down,
76-75. With under a minute left,
the Wolverines bounced four
shots off the rim and grabbed each
offensive rebound. On their fifth
and final attempt, Thome grabbed
her own board and scored the
go-ahead, game-clinching basket
to advance them to the semifinals.
Most valuable player: Katelynn
Flaherty
This one is easy. Flaherty,
a sophomore guard, was an
honorable mention All-American
and first team All-Big Ten. Among
the nation’s top-10 scorers, she
lived up to — and often exceeded —
the hype surrounding her second
campaign. Flaherty’s 22.1 points
per game earned her the all-time
single-season scoring record for
Michigan women’s basketball.
Flaherty
stepped
into
the
spotlight this season after three
key seniors — who accounted
for more than 50 percent of the
scoring and rebounds — graduated
and moved on. Flaherty rarely
staggered, though, and had one of
the best individual seasons, if not
the best season, of any Wolverine
in school history.
Up next: Michigan
coach
Kim Barnes Arico begins her
fifth season at the helm in 2016-
17, which means her impact is
starting to take shape. Barnes
Arico will have fully recruited
each player on the roster next
year, and if the success of the
current underclassmen is any
indicator, things are looking up.
Players like Thome and Flaherty
made immediate contributions,
but many underclassmen with
smaller roles stepped up as well.
Freshman guards Boogie Brozoski
and Nicole Munger each had
special moments, and sophomore
forward Jillian Dunston also
fought for key minutes.
Each class continues to bring
more talent than the previous one.
Joining the roster next year from
Benton Harbor, Mich., is guard
Kysre Gondrezick, who shattered
the Michigan high school scoring
record this year in a 72-point
outing that included 10 3-pointers
on 27-for-54 shooting. The class
is ranked No. 13 by Prospects
Nation and No. 20 by HoopGurlz.
Regardless, there will be new
talent in Ann Arbor next fall.
DELANEY RYAN/Daily
Junior Danielle Williams will return for one final season at Michigan next year.
SOFTBALL
Michigan battles
Buckeyes for first
By BETELHEM ASHAME
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan versus Ohio State.
As supporters of both schools
know, it doesn’t get any bigger
than that. The
connotation
is understood,
and
the
ensuing battle
is expected to
be fierce and
relentless.
While
any
series between
the Wolverines
and Buckeyes
carries
an
added
significance,
when it shifts
to the softball
diamond this weekend, this one
carries even more meaning than
a heated rivalry could muster
alone.
No. 2 Michigan (8-2 Big Ten,
30-4 overall) is set to take on
No. 23 Ohio State (9-1-1, 25-8-1)
in a battle for first place in the
Big Ten.
Both teams are equipped
with potent offenses that have
powered their successful seasons.
The Wolverines rank second
nationally in scoring average,
third in on-base percentage and
fourth in slugging percentage
and home runs per game.
The Buckeyes rank near the
top of the conference in multiple
offensive categories as well,
staking claim to a .322 batting
average, 292 runs scored, 48
home runs and a .424 on-base
percentage.
But Michigan’s bats have
cooled off lately. The Wolverines
scored just 13 runs against
Nebraska last weekend after
posting more than double that
amount with 31 against Indiana
the weekend before.
The offense will need to
rediscover
its
earlier
form,
especially since Ohio State boasts
a stingy pitching staff. Buckeye
pitcher Shelby Hursh has a 2.09
ERA with 109 strikeouts in 90.1
innings pitched, and pitcher
Lena Springer has a 2.73 ERA in
43.2 innings pitched.
If Michigan needed a practice
run to prepare for the type of
challenge the Buckeyes present,
its 3-0 win over Michigan
State Wednesday could serve
as an important lesson. The
Wolverines
gained
valuable
experience scraping together a
victory in a close contest despite
early struggles at the plate.
As
junior
third
baseman
Lindsay Montemarano pointed
out, the Wolverines need games
like the one against the Spartans
to prove they are capable of
sticking together to pull out a
narrow win even if their offense
doesn’t score in the manner it is
accustomed to.
“We do a really good job of,
no matter what type of game
we’re in, we try to keep the same
process and try not to put too
much pressure (on ourselves)
even if it’s a close game or we’re
ahead by a lot,” Montemarano
said. “(Michigan coach Carol
Hutchins) always says, ‘Don’t give
at-bats away, because you don’t
know how many at-bats you’re
going to have left in the season.’ ”
After motivating her team
to victory over Michigan State
with a particularly impassioned
huddle before the Wolverines’
fifth-inning
rally,
Hutchins
knows it will be up to the players
to decide the outcome of the
series against Ohio State.
“We’re
really
capable
of
taking on the challenge, but we
have to be excited about the
challenge and not afraid of it,”
Hutchins said. “They’re coming
here to beat us, so I hope we go
on the field to beat them. It’s a
battle. … You have to attack the
challenge.”
It’s Michigan versus Ohio
State in a battle for first place
in the Big Ten. The Wolverines
shouldn’t
need
any
more
motivation than that.
Ohio State
at Michigan
Matchup: Ohio
State 25-8-1;
Michigan 30-4
When: Friday 6
P.M., Saturday
2 P.M., Sunday
1 P.M.
Where:
Alumni Field
TV/Radio:
BTN Plus/BTN