From Page 10

would fit in this category.
The winner is the last of the 

three, against the best opponent 
in likely the biggest game. And as 
coach Jim Harbaugh put it after 
the game: “The fellas really came 
out ballin’ right from the start.”

He 
was 
right. 
Chesson 

returned the opening kickoff 96 
yards for a touchdown, but it was 
thanks to the defense that those 
points were the only ones the 
Wolverines needed, even if they 
did tack on 31 more. The defense 
forced a three-and-out on the 
ensuing possession and never 
let up, harassing the Wildcats all 
afternoon.

Northwestern managed just 13 

first downs and 38 rushing yards. 
It punted eight times, possessed 
the ball for less than 23 minutes 
and converted two third downs. 
Michigan had one interception — 
which Jourdan Lewis returned 
37 yards for a touchdown — four 
sacks and eight tackles for loss. 
Much like they had with their 
previous two opponents, the 
Wolverines beat the Wildcats 
into submission, forcing them to 
use three quarterbacks.

By the end of the game, North-

western was out of answers, 
and Michigan was rolling. As 
the crowd at Michigan Stadium 
begged for more even in the final 
minutes, chanting “DE-FENSE!” 
repeatedly, the game served as a 
highlight of the Wolverines’ sea-
son.

Game of the Year: Michigan 

72, No. 10 Indiana 69, March 11, 
2016

On the morning of March 11, 

the Michigan men’s basketball 
team’s NCAA Tournament hopes 
were on life support. Even after 
all of the chances the Wolverines 
had to lock up a return trip to 
the “Big Dance,” they still need-
ed one more win in the Big Ten 
Tournament quarterfinals.

That one more win had to come 

against Big Ten regular-season 
champion Indiana, which had 
run Michigan off its home court 
in the teams’ only prior meeting, 
22 hours after the Wolverines 
escaped with an overtime victo-
ry over No. 9 seed Northwestern.

And the game was in India-

napolis.

Still, Michigan scrapped and 

clawed, 
overcoming 
another 

poor shooting game and avoid-
ing runs like the 28-0 spurt that 
proved fatal in the first matchup. 
Duncan Robinson hit a 3-point-
er in the final minute to tie the 

game at 69, and an Indiana turn-
over on the next possession gave 
the Wolverines the final shot, 
the closest they had been to a 
marquee win in two months. 
They needed one more play — 
from point guard Derrick Wal-
ton, who ran the clock down near 
midcourt, 
or 

perhaps 
Zak 

Irvin, or even 
Robinson.

As it turned 

out, that play 
came 
from 
a 

most 
unlikely 

source. 
Wal-

ton drove right 
and passed the 
ball 
to 
Kam-

eron Chatman 
— thinking he was kicking it to 
Aubrey Dawkins — who hoisted 
a desperate 3-point try and bur-
ied it.

The Michigan bench, right 

behind Chatman as he shot, 
mobbed him immediately. The 
Wolverines all knew that shot 
likely 
made 
the 
difference 

between them making and miss-
ing the NCAA Tournament. As it 
turned out, they were right. They 
made the field as one of the last 
four teams in.

Freshman of the year: Kyle 

Connor, ice hockey

It’s hard to believe Connor 

was a freshman with the way he 
so thoroughly dominated NCAA 
hockey this season. His line 
with Tyler Motte and JT Com-
pher was regarded as one of the 
top in the nation, and with good 
reason. By season’s end, they all 
ranked in the top four nationally 
in points, and they formed one 
of the most feared combinations 
in the country come tournament 
time.

But it was Connor who stole 

the show. His 71 points were 
eight more than anyone else 
in the country, and his near-
est challenger was his linemate, 
Compher. The freshman sensa-
tion also led the country with 
35 goals and was tied for third 
nationally with 36 assists.

Among his many highlights 

were a pair of memorable games 
in the Big Ten Tournament. Con-
nor scored four goals in the semi-
finals before adding a one-goal, 
three-assist encore in the Cham-
pionship the next day, leaving 
a trail of exceptional plays and 
stunned goaltenders in his wake.

He seemed to be the odds-

on favorite for the Hobey Baker 
Award before Harvard senior 
Jimmy Vesey was announced as 

the somewhat surprising win-
ner. In any case, Connor’s season 
speaks for itself, with or without 
the Hobey.

Connor signed with the Win-

nipeg Jets this offseason, ending 
a short but superb college career.

Coach of the year: Mike Bot-

tom

Technically, 

this award is for 
Bottom’s work 
with the wom-
en’s swimming 
and 
diving 

team, but would 
anyone 
com-

plain if it were 
for the men’s 
team 
instead? 

By this point, 

Bottom has a case for this award 
every year. 

He rounded out his fourth 

season coaching the women’s 
team by leading the Wolverines 
to their first Big Ten title in 12 
years — and doing in front of the 
Canham Natatorium crowd, to 
boot.

The championship meet was 

a fitting breakthrough, with a 
contributions coming from stars 
new and old to claim the title. 
Ali DeLoof, who was a fresh-
man in Bottom’s first season, 
fought through an illness that 

week to finish second in the 100-
yard backstroke and anchor the 
400-meter freestyle relay, while 
freshman Siobhan Haughey was 
named Swimmer of the Champi-
onships. 

Bottom has improved the 

women’s Big Ten finish each 
successive year he has coached 
them, and while there’s no way 
to improve upon first place, it’s 
hard to bet against the renowned 
sprint coach to 
hold the Wol-
verines 
steady 

at the top of the 
conference for 
the foreseeable 
future.

Female Ath-

lete 
of 
the 

Year: 
Cindy 

Ofili, women’s 
track

Multiple 

members on any one of Michi-
gan’s four Big Ten champion 
women’s teams — women’s track 
and 
field, 
softball, 
women’s 

swimming and women’s tennis — 
could make a case here. But Ofili 
has had a year that tops them all, 
culminating with a trip to the 
Olympics.

Last month, Ofili won her sec-

ond straight silver medal in the 
100-meter hurdles at the Brit-

ish 
Athletics 
Championships. 

This one qualified her for next 
month’s Rio Games, where she’ll 
compete alongside her older sis-
ter, Tiffany Porter, who beat Ofili 
by two hundredths of a second.

Ofili has plenty to call her own 

in Ann Arbor. After spending 
most of her career rivaling her 
sister, who also had an illustri-
ous career at Michigan, this was 
the year Ofili broke through. On 

March 12, at the 
NCAA 
Indoor 

Championships, 
she 
won 
the 

national title in 
the 
60-meter 

hurdles 
after 

failing to qualify 
for the finals in 
2015. It was her 
first crown, and 
her time, tied for 
the sixth-fastest 

in NCAA history, broke the last 
program record her sister had.

Competing in the 100-meter 

hurdles at the Outdoor Champi-
onships, she finished fourth, still 
good enough for her fifth All-
American honor. Combined with 
the indoor title, she had the best 
season of her career in the two 
events.

And for the last three years of 

her career, she slowly picked off 

Chatman’s last-

second shot 
gave his team 
the victory.

Ofili will 
compete at 

this summer’s 
Olympics in Rio.

11

Thursday, July 21, 2016

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SPORTS

