8A — Wednesday, September, 21, 2016
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wolverines third
after strong finish
When the first day of the
Inverness
Intercollegiate
wrapped up for the Michigan
men’s golf team, the Wolverines
weren’t where they wanted to
be. After shooting a team score
of 592, Michigan found itself in
ninth place out of 13 teams.
But Tuesday, the second and
final day of the tournament, the
Wolverines changed that.
Shooting
a school and
tournament
record of 270,
Michigan
catapulted
itself up the
leaderboard to
a
third-place
finish.
“I told them
(Monday)
night
that
attitude is one of the few things
that we’re able to control on the
golf course,” said Michigan coach
Chris Whitten. “The execution
and the bounce of the ball is
something where you hope for
the best and want the best, but it’s
out of your control sometimes. So
we just had to have an A+ attitude
and hope that it would bleed into
the scores, and it did (Tuesday).”
The Wolverines were led by
sophomore Nick Carlson. The
righty,
who
finished
fourth
place
in
the
U.S.
Amateur
Championship in August, carried
his summer momentum to a first-
place tie with a score of 209.
Carlson
didn’t
stop
there,
though.
On
the
first
hole
of the playoff to decide the
tournament’s
overall
winner,
Carlson hit his approach shot to
about 15 feet and two-putted for
a par. His opponent, Jake Shuman
from Duke, missed the green to
the right and couldn’t recover,
finishing with a bogey.
The victory was the first of
Carlson’s career.
“I think he’s hitting the
same shots that he always has,”
Whitten said. “The difference
is that he believes he can win,
and he’s expecting to play well.
I think a lot of people know that
golf is mostly a mental game, and
I think (Carlson) is starting to
figure that piece out. He’s got a lot
of confidence.”
Carlson
wasn’t
the
only
Wolverine
who improved
on
Tuesday.
Senior
Tom
Swanson
tied
Carlson’s final
round with a
67, while junior
Kyle
Mueller
and
senior
Bryce
Evon
each shot 68 to
fuel the team’s
comeback.
The tournament was the first
in a long season for Michigan,
which enters the year with a
mostly returning cast. But in the
2016-17 season, the Wolverines
expect even more. Michigan will
now face a quick turnaround,
when it travels to Windon, Ill.,
for the Windon Memorial Classic
on Sunday. But if Carlson and the
rest of the team can maintain thir
momentum, they stand a good
chance of living up to their lofty
expectations.
“We’ve gone to (the NCAA
Regionals) the past two years,”
Whitten said. “I know that the
Big Ten Tournament is a really
important one for (the team) —
and going back to the regionals
and then going to the national
championship,
which
our
team hasn’t done in a couple of
years. But that’s a very realistic
expectation,
and
we’ll
work
toward that.”
MIKE PERSAK
Daily Sports Writer
Wolverines find bearings too late
Last season, the Michigan
women’s golf team far exceeded
expectations. The Wolverines
finished 18th at the NCAA
Championships despite barely
being ranked in the top 50.
And with four of five golfers
returning from last season,
this year’s Wolverines seemed
poised to have another good
season.
But Sunday, Michigan faced
the reality that this year isn’t
last season.
Competing at the East & West
Challenge at Radrick Farms Golf
Course — one of the two courses
owned by the University — the
Wolverines got off to a slow
start, finishing fifth out of eight
teams on Day 1. Michigan shot a
first-day total of 598, 15 strokes
behind fourth-place Oregon.
The three-day tournament
was structured so that the first
day consisted of 36 holes of
team-stroke play, with the top
four teams and the bottom four
teams competing in a match-
play winners and consolation
bracket, respectively. By placing
fifth, the Wolverines went to the
consolation bracket to face off
against eighth-place UC Davis.
Michigan’s
struggles
only
continued Monday, as the team
fell to UC Davis, 3-2, in the
consolation bracket semifinal.
Junior Megan Kim, senior Grace
Choi and sophomore Elodie Van
Dievoet — all veterans from last
year’s NCAA tournament —
faltered in their matches.
“We had a couple of rough
stretches
on
the
36-hole
day, which kept us out of the
championship
bracket,”
said
Michigan coach Jan Dowling.
“And we hit a UC Davis team
that putted really well and got
us thinking about needing to
improve our putting.”
Even though the Wolverines
couldn’t find their sense of
direction Day 1 and Day 2, there
was still another day to get
on course against Big Ten foe
Nebraska. And as if Michigan
were using the sextant for the
first time after sailing blind, get
on course is what they did.
All of the Wolverines finally
put a complete round together,
beating the Cornhuskers, 5-0,
to secure seventh place in the
tournament. Choi and Kim won
their matches 1-up, while juniors
Kathy Lim and Emily White
— the only Wolverines to win
their matches against UC Davis
— won commandingly, 4-and-3
and 3-and-2, respectively.
“We played really well today;
we finished the tournament
on a high note,” Dowling said
about Tuesday’s match. “We
certainly have some work to do
and exposed some weaknesses,
but we’re ready to work.”
A bright spot for Michigan,
though, was freshman Alisa
Snyder, who was competing
in
her
first
collegiate
tournament. Snyder took part
in the individual competition
comprising of players that are
not part of each team’s five-
person lineup.
Snyder shot 157 on Day 1 to
qualify as the No. 3 individual
golfer. In Monday’s semifinal,
Snyder defeated No. 2 seed Kate
Granahan from Penn State,
before falling to the No. 1 seed
from Kentucky in the Individual
Match Play championship.
“She’s
gaining
some
confidence
and
some
experience
as
a
collegiate
golfer, and it’s a big step from
junior golf to collegiate golf,”
Dowling said. “I’m thankful
she got the experience and got a
tournament under her belt.”
Dowling also said she realizes
one of the difficult parts of a
new season is keeping up the
momentum from the last one.
Since the golf season is made
up of both a fall and spring
season, the fall season can be
used to identify weaknesses and
develop the players.
“I don’t think there is a team
in any sport that plays their best
every single week,” Dowling said.
“It’s a great motivation how you
react to it. I wouldn’t say we’re
thrilled with our finish, but at the
same time we have to learn what
didn’t go well and get better.”
MATTHEW KENNEDY
Daily Sports Writer
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
The Michigan women’s golf team finished seventh out of eight teams at the East & West Challenge this week.
Evenson making another splash
Before
she
joined
USA
Triathlon, Avery Evenson had
ridden a road bike maybe twice in
her life.
But that didn’t stop her from
making a huge splash at her debut
race.
On June 29, 2013, just five
months after she joined USA
Triathlon, she competed in the
Vila Velha PATCO Triathlon
Pan American Championships.
Evenson notched sixth place and
completed the grueling course in
1:06:38, only one minute behind
the winner — her teammate
Tamara Gorman.
“It was definitely a huge
adjustment just learning how to
clip in. Learning how to go on
an hour ride and not tip over at a
stoplight,” Evenson said.
Now, Evenson is a junior on
the No. 10 women’s cross-country
team, and despite suffering an
injury last spring that kept her
from running until mid-July this
year, Evenson has made a similar
early impact at Michigan.
***
Much has been written about
Wolverine senior Erin Finn, and
justifiably so. A three-time All-
American runner, Finn has looked
better than ever this season,
rocketing her way to victories at
both of the Wolverines’ 5,000-
meter races, finishing 45 seconds
ahead of the runner-up each time.
Evenson’s
statement
at
Michigan’s
first
two
meets,
though, shows that she may share
some of the spotlight with Finn.
Just like at her first triathlon,
Evenson made a huge splash for
the Wolverines at the Michigan
Open on Sept. 2 and the Sycamore
Invitational on Sept. 10, finishing
third at both. Evenson posted
times of 17:43.6 and 18:01.0,
respectively.
“Even
though
she’s
a
newcomer, she seems like one
of the veterans,” said Michigan
coach
Mike
McGuire.
“She’s
very businesslike, very mature
with a businesslike approach
to what she’s doing. It’s been a
really seamless transition in my
opinion.”
Making an immediate impact
has been a staple for Evenson
since she was at Hartland High
School.
In her first ever high school
meet on Aug. 25, 2009, Evenson
won the 5,000-meter race with
a time of 19:15.04. She finished
1:37.08 ahead of her nearest
competition,
teammate
Anna
Pasternak, who was two years
older than Evenson and had
finished 62nd out of 242 runners
at the Michigan Division I State
Championships the year before.
“I honestly just love to race,”
Evenson said. “I don’t think about
it. I just show up on the line and
and give it all I have. I think that
feeling after my first race back in
high school was just like, ‘Wow!
I didn’t know that was going to
happen!’ I just toed the line. I’m
just a racer I guess.”
Evenson then proved that her
breakout performance was no
flash in the pan.
She ran to a runner-up finish at
the 2009 State Championships in
18:10.3, leading the Eagles to 15th
place out of 28 teams. She placed
11th in her sophomore year with
a time of 18:01.7 and 5th in her
junior year at 17:57.2. Still, her best
time in high school was 17:40.6 — a
school record — against Brighton
on Oct. 28, 2011.
At the same time, she excelled
at long-distance track running,
breaking
(and
still
holding)
Hartland’s records in every race
greater than 800 meters except
for the 2,400-meter race.
But during her senior year,
Evenson made the decision to
train with USA Triathlon, as
she had been on the swim team
at Hartland and was skilled at
cycling.
She
graduated
high
school one semester early and
would forego her last year of
eligibility in cross country and
track for the Eagles.
***
After her spectacular 2013
triathlon debut, Evenson never
slowed down.
She
finished
fifth
at
the
2014 Junior World Triathlon
Championship and took fourth
place
at
the
2015
Under-23
World Triathlon Championship.
Evenson’s
success
had
her
preparing for triathlon tryouts for
the 2016 Summer Olympics.
“I think I really grew in those
three years as a triathlete,”
Evenson said. “I learned how to
be successful when you’re not
training. So recovering right,
eating right, doing all of the little
things that I can control.”
Unfortunately
for
Evenson,
her injury prevented her from
competing in the tryouts as well
as competing for the Big Ten-
Champion
Michigan
women’s
track team in 2016, but she still
has her eyes set on 2020.
“After I’m all done with my
eligibility, I plan to go back to
training for triathlon,” Evenson
said. “It’s one of the reasons I went
to NCAA running. I knew that my
run needed work if I ever wanted
to be on an Olympic team, if I ever
wanted to stand on a podium at
the Olympics. My run needed to
be faster.”
***
Evenson’s injury last spring only
hardened her desire to be a part
of a Big Ten title team, whether in
cross country, track or both.
“It’s
honestly
the
most
motivating thing ever,” Evenson
said. “We want that feeling again.
Coach says it’s all about the
process. We’re ranked pretty high
up, but he’s like, ‘We have to earn
it every day.’ ”
And for Evenson, her triathlon
experience might prove to be a
unique asset in achieving that
goal.
“It makes a cross country race
look like a sprint,” McGuire said.
“She’s so aerobically strong and fit
from everything that she’s done
in the pool, on the bike over the
years. I think if we continue to
keep her healthy, I think she’s just
starting to scratch the surface.”
NATHANIEL CLARK
Daily sports writer
MEN’S GOLF
“The difference
is that he
believes he can
win.”
Michigan comes back from rough first
day with record-setting final round.
AMANDA ALLEN/Daily
Avery Evenson has made an early impact for the Wolverines.
ROWING
Elmore returns golden
Amanda Elmore isn’t exactly
sure what her future holds. She’s
just excited to finally be back in the
lab. But this time around, she has a
gold medal to her name.
Elmore, a Michigan graduate
student, was selected to represent
Team USA at the Rio Olympics for
the women’s eight rowing team.
After years of training, for which
she put her education on hold,
Elmore came home with the gold.
Elmore’s
doctoral
thesis
adviser, Patrick Schloss, threw
a party to welcome her home
and allow her research team to
celebrate her Olympic journey.
Elmore wasn’t shy about sharing
her medal with her peers, allowing
anyone the opportunity to hold or
get a picture with her hardware.
“It was an amazing experience
competing at the Olympics for
Team USA,” Elmore said. “I’ve
been working with the national
team training center for over two
years now, and to get to be apart
of the women’s eight — (which)
hasn’t lost a race in 11 years now —
was the most amazing experience
of my life.”
Elmore wasn’t always a rower,
though. She started rowing during
her sophomore year at Purdue. She
walked on to the team and quickly
learned that she could have a
future in the sport.
Some of her many accolades
include Purdue’s Most Valuable
Oarswoman in 2012 and 2013 and
ACRA First Boat All-American
honors in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
After graduating from Purdue,
Elmore
arrived
at
Michigan
to join the graduate program
in biomedical sciences in the
Department of Microbiology and
Immunology. With a season of
eligibility left, she looked to see if
she could compete as a Wolverine.
As it turned out, she could.
During her time rowing for
Michigan, she helped the team to a
second-place finish at the Big Ten
Championships and earned All-
Big Ten First Team recognition.
“I remember asking her, ‘So
are you good?’” Schloss said. “She
said, ‘Well, I’m OK,’ and here she
is now years later and she’s the
best in the world. So, is she good?
Come on.”
Once her college rowing days
were over, Elmore thought it
was finally time for her to focus
solely on her graduate studies.
That was until she received a
phone call from the national team
coordinator asking her to come
train at the national team training
center.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t
a little bit disappointed because
she’s an amazing student and
person, and we wanted her a part
of our research group,” Schloss
said. “But, how could I say no?
That’s my job, I think, to help my
students do well in life, whether
it’s in science or on a boat.”
Elmore decided it wasn’t an
opportunity she could pass up. She
moved to Princeton, N.J., where
the national team training center
is located, and set her sights on the
Olympics.
But, she didn’t abandon her
studies completely. She kept in
touch with her lab through Skype
phone calls and e-mails and did
work on her laptop anytime she
could — all while competing
against 30 other women for the
nine spots in the boat that would
compete in Rio.
Now that the Olympics are over,
Elmore has to make the transition
from athlete back to scientist.
Though, she doesn’t think it will
be a tough one.
“My education has always
been my priority,” Elmore said.
“Growing up, I always did sports,
but I always put my academics first
and then that was a side hobby to
keep me fit and competing and
having fun.”
That balance was never more
difficult than when she was
training for the Olympics while
working toward a Ph.D.
But Elmore seemed to manage
just fine.
PAIGE VOEFFRAY
Daily Sports Writer