Wolverines fueled by youth movement
After losing top goal
scorers from 2015,
‘M’ enjoying early-
season success
By ORION SANG
Daily Sports Writer
At
first
glance,
the
10th-ranked team in the nation
beating the first-ranked team
doesn’t seem like much of an
upset.
But when you consider just
who the Michigan field hockey
lost to graduation, its 1-0 victory
over then-No. 1 North Carolina
is much more impressive.
Michigan (4-1), now ranked
eighth in the nation, graduated
not only both of last season’s
leading goal scorers in All-
American center back Lauren
Thomas and forward Shannon
Scavelli, but also its entire
backfield — a trio that had
played together through the
seasons
and
represented
a
wealth of experience.
“It’s always hard losing your
seniors,” said Michigan coach
Marcia Pankratz. “We had a
first team All-American that
we lost. The biggest thing was
our backfield had three players
that played together all the
time and were
a really solid
unit, and we
lost all of them
at
the
same
time. So there
were a lot of
shoes to fill in
the
backfield
experience-
wise.”
Despite
the
shortage
of returning players, though,
Michigan has clearly coped
well: In addition to the win over
the Tar Heels, the Wolverines
tallied a 2-1 victory over then-
No. 11 Stanford, as well.
Just how has Michigan gotten
off
to
such
a
scorching
start?
The answer
lies
in
the
development
of
the
freshman
class.
It’s
cliche, but it’s
hard to argue.
And there may
be no better
example than Bree Bednarski.
The freshman forward has
serious speed — the type that
allows her to reach balls even
her teammates think are headed
out of bounds.
But to Pankratz, Bednarski’s
ability to transition quickly to
the collegiate level has been an
equally impressive aspect of her
game.
It’s a trait that — perhaps
unlike Bednarski’s speed — is
shared by all six freshmen on
the team.
“We did throw (the freshmen)
in the deep end of the pool
pretty quickly but so far, so
good,” Pankratz said. “They’re
really rising to the challenge,
training super hard and learning
every day, so we’ve been really
pleased.”
Added junior midfielder Katie
Trombetta: “When we get on the
field, (the underclassmen) are
really performing and coming
into their own,
so you forget
that
they’re
freshmen
or
sophomores.
I
rely
on
someone
like
Bree,
who’s
a
freshman,
just as much
as I rely on
(redshirt
junior
forward) Carly (Bennett).”
There’s a clear lack of a
“class division” with this year’s
team, which Trombetta says is
evidence of an evolution in team
culture over the past couple
years.
“Where we
are now (from)
my freshman
year,
the
dynamics have
changed
and
that’s
why
we’ve done so
much
better
since
then,”
Trombetta
said.
“Just
the
level
of
community
and
equalness,
not separating by class, really
being a real team that just
plays together and works hard
together.”
With this year’s team, the
upperclassmen say they don’t
think
of
the
freshmen
or
sophomores in terms of on-field
experience — they’re simply
“younger friends,” as Trombetta
puts it, who are eager to learn
the ropes.
It may sound idealized, but
the Wolverines say everyone
simply gets along, and that’s
what has allowed Michigan’s
freshmen to adapt so quickly
and successfully.
With the Wolverines meshed
together as a more cohesive unit,
they’re able to compete with the
nation’s best despite their youth.
“A couple of our teammates
from
last
year
have
come
back and watched (us play),”
Trombetta said. “The biggest
thing they say is that there’s no
one superstar, and we really do
play as one big team that passes.
Everyone is getting subbed in,
everyone’s getting cycled in,
everyone knows what their job
is. It’s very much one big team
that plays together the entire
time.”
RYAN MCLAUGHLIN/Daily
The Michigan field hockey team has had surprising success in replacing nearly half its scoring from a year ago and is off to a 4-1 start to the season.
BY THE NUMBERS
No. 8 Michigan field hockey team
46.43%
Percentage of goals scored last season by
players no longer on the roster.
10
Number of departed players from 2015
7
Number of goals scored by underclassmen
this season in five games
17
Number of seasons coached by Michigan
coach Marcia Pankratz
“The biggest
thing they say is
that there’s no
one superstar.”
“There were
a lot of shoes
to fill in the
backfield.”
8A — Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Bunting, Wanglers try hands at apparel
Former QB enlists
current players to
work on “Valiant”
By MAX BULTMAN
Managing Sports Editor
Normally, when a Michigan
football player walks around
Ann Arbor, it’s other students
doing double takes.
But a couple weeks ago, red-
shirt sophomore tight end Ian
Bunting was the one playing
paparazzi when he saw another
student walking around in a hat
he recognized.
“I kind of snuck behind
them,” Bunting said, “and took
a picture of it and sent it to Mr.
Wangler.”
Since this past summer, Bun-
ting has been working with
John, Jared and Jack Wangler
on a new apparel line called
“Valiant.” Bunting said the elder
Wangler — of Wangler-to-Cart-
er fame — brought the idea to
his sons and Bunting. Together,
they started up
a side enter-
prise.
Now,
the
fruits of that
labor are for
sale in the M
Den.
Valiant
hats,
visors
and shirts sell
in
the
same
store as Michi-
gan’s
“Jump-
man” apparel.
And according to the M Den’s
Rose Balzer, the Valiant gear is
selling better than you might
think.
“People are absolutely eating
it up,” Balzer said. “They love
it almost as much as the Nike
stuff.”
The differences are subtle.
Balzer
noted
the
women’s
apparel having three-quarter-
length sleeved shirts, V-cut
necklines
and
hoods,
and while the
Nike apparel
is sleek and
clearly
well-
liked,
Bal-
zer says the
Valiant
gear
offers
slight
variations
that go a long
way.
“A little different niche, just
a little bit,” Bunting said of the
Valiant apparel. “We love the
Jordan stuff, too, though.
“It’s just sort of like a little bit
of a different target audience.”
For Bunting, even the meet-
ings have been fun. Tuesday,
he recalled flying out to New
Jersey for a meeting with a part
owner that was supposed to be
quick — 45 minutes to an hour.
Instead, “We ended up being
in there for like five hours, just
bouncing ideas off each other,”
Bunting said. “It was sweet.
Really got the ball rolling.”
Bunting said the players went
through the school’s compliance
department and received clear-
ance to work with the company
— “It took a little while, but we
got it figured out,” he said — and
that Mr. Wangler had secured
the licensing to use the block ‘M’
on its apparel.
For now, Valiant’s identity is
tied inseparably to the Michigan
brand. Its name comes from the
Wolverines’ fight song, and Bun-
ting and the Wanglers are all
Wolverines. But soon, the com-
pany could take on an identity
of its own. Bunting is interested
in the prospect of selling street
fashion, too, as well as the other
design and business aspects he
presently enjoys.
And for now, he has a measure
of exclusivity. Wearing a Valiant
hat after practice Tuesday, a
reporter asked him how much it
retailed for. He responded that
the particular hat, with a wide,
maize block “V,” wasn’t for sale
yet.
Moments later, though, Bun-
ting reassured: “I’m sure even-
tually we’ll sell this one.”
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Redshirt sophomore tight end Ian Bunting (right) is involved in a new apparel company called “Valiant,” along with John, Jared and Jack Wangler.
MAX BULTMAN/Daily
The M Den sells Valiant apparel at its State Street location.
“They love it
almost as much
as the Nike
stuff.”