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September 14, 2016 - Image 8

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The Michigan Daily

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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.”

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