The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
January 30, 2017 — 3B

Wolverines emphasize individual improvement during bye

The Michigan hockey team 
didn’t watch any film of its 
opponents this week.
Rather, 
the 
Wolverines 
spent this past week working 
on 
improving 
themselves. 
They didn’t focus on game-day 
activities — established lines, for 
example — instead emphasizing 
individual improvement.
“We can focus on ourselves 
every day,” said junior forward 
Dexter Dancs. “It’s an extra 
week to really figure out some 
problems we have, go out and 
solve them.”
However, 
that 
doesn’t 
mean that Michigan avoided 
a 
competitive 
atmosphere 
this past week. On Friday 
and Saturday, the Wolverines 
participated in 3-on-3 drills, 
organized by Michigan coach 
Red Berenson to make up for the 
lack of a weekend series.
The Wolverines also spent the 
week seeking to maintain their 
momentum from their shootout 
victory 
over 
Michigan State 
last 
Saturday, 
something 
that 
could 
be 
challenging 
during a week 
with no games. 
Especially 
for 
a 
team 
like 
Michigan — one 
that desperately 
needs 
to 
improve 
its 
record in order 
to make a run at the NCAA 
Tournament 
— 
playing 
in 
consecutive weeks might help 
its case.
While postseason play may 
seem like lofty goal for the 
struggling Wolverines, it is on 
the minds of the players.
“We’re sitting on the bigger 
picture 
right 
now,” 
said 
freshman 
goaltender 
Jack 
LaFontaine. “As this team right 
now, we’re talking about six 

weeks down the road, ‘How 
are we gonna feel? How are we 
gonna play? What are people 
going to say about us? What’s 
gonna be the outcome?’ 
“Six weeks is the Big Ten 
Tournament, 
and 
we 
want 
to be ready. I think with the 
leadership in the locker room, 
that’s possible. I think we have 
the ability to be an elite team not 
only in the Big Ten, but in the 
entire country.”
The 
time 
off 
allowed 
Michigan’s 
players 
to 
relax 
their bodies from game action, 
but not from intense practices. 
The Wolverines hit the weight 
room three times this week, 
an increase from their usual 
amount.
For Berenson, though, the 
bye week meant giving his team 
the opportunity to improve on 
essential aspects of its game 
that need improvement — most 
prominently, its shot selection.
“I want their shots to be on 
the net instead of over the net 
or miss the net,” Berenson said. 
“Let’s work at getting our shots 
away 
quicker. 
Let’s 
work 
at 
taking a pass and 
shooting it right 
away 
without 
over handling it. 
A lot of the little 
details of hockey, 
we can do some 
of those things in 
practice that take 
a little bit more 
time than we can 
afford to give in 
a regular game 
week.”
The coaching staff also had 
the chance to experiment with 
some new strategies with the 
Wolverines. 
The 
extended 
practice period allowed the staff 
and players ample opportunity 
for trial and error.
Most importantly, though, 
the bye week gave Michigan 
a time to rest. While the 
Wolverines still practice every 
day, it gave a team seeming to 

battle with injuries a necessary 
week to recuperate before the 
final stretch of its season.
“The body is not getting 
physically beat up,” Dancs said. 
“… Some players have problems 
that it’s good to get a couple 
weeks off so they can rest their 
body.”
Added 
LaFontaine: 
“(Everyone’s) a little bit tired, it 
gives us extra time to relax, get 
our feet under ourselves.”
Because the Wolverines had 
no opponent Friday night, the 
players could solely focus on 
making themselves better. The 
film watching would come the 
following week, but fine-tuning 
the basic hockey skills would 
come in the present.
This self-improvement might 

be what Berenson enjoys most of 
the bye-week. The players never 
asked their coach who would 
be playing or who would be 
starting. They could just focus 
on 
shooting, 
clean 
passing 
and 
aggressive 
defense.
“(In a game 
week) you’ve got 
the pressure of 
things 
you’ve 
gotta get better 
at,” 
Berenson 
said. “Sometimes 
you’ve 
gotta 
forget 
about 
worrying about 
all 
the 
other 
pressure builders or concerns. 
… We (didn’t have) the mental 

anxiety of ‘Geez I hope I’m in 
the lineup on Thursday. I hope 
the coach tells me at the meeting 
on Thursday I’m playing.’ No 
pressure this week. Just practice 
hard and have 
fun.”
Added Dancs: 
“... That’s really 
beneficial for a 
player. 
Things 
like 
that 
can 
really 
affect 
a 
player. … You’re 
not 
thinking 
about the game 
on 
Monday 
of 
the first week as 
much you would 
on 
Monday 
if 
you’re playing on Friday.”
As Michigan transitions to 

its game week against rival No. 
8 Ohio State, the film watching 
will begin. Set lines will start to 
formulate and the focus will turn 
to the Buckeyes. For the past 
week, though, the Wolverines 
focused 
on 
themselves 
and 
having an enjoyable time, free 
from the stresses of ranked 
opponents.
“In this bye week, morale is 
high,” LaFontaine said. “The 
boys are positive, coaches are 
honest, and they are keeping a 
competitive 
nature. 
Honestly, 
it’s awesome to have a bye week. 
You get to improve on things 
you won’t usually do in another 
week.”
And the Wolverines can only 
hope that the morale will last 
for the next six weeks. 

JEREMY MITNICK/Daily
Freshman goaltender Jack LaFontaine and his fellow Wolverines used their bye week to recover both mentally and physically before the final stretch of the season.

AVI SHOLKOFF
Daily Sports Writer

“It’s an extra 
week to really 
figure out some 
problems” 

“No pressure 
this week. Just 
practice hard 
and have fun”

‘M’ shines in annual Autism Awareness Meet

The No. 10 Michigan women’s 
gymnastics team had a day of 
firsts when it faced No. 19 Illinois 
last weekend. The team topped 
the 197.000 score mark for the 
first time this season, earned 
seven scores of 9.900 or higher 
and senior captain Nicole Artz’s 
floor routine garnered her a 
perfect 10, earning her a nod as 
Big Ten Gymnast of the Week.
It didn’t look like it could get 
any better for the Wolverines 
this early in the season. But then 
it did.
Boasting 
a 
season-high 
score of 197.225, Michigan (2-1 
Big Ten, 4-2 overall) seems to 
have found its groove, handing 
in-conference 
rival 
No. 
12 
Nebraska (2-1, 4-1) its first loss of 
the season, 197.225-194.800. The 
meet held unique importance 
to the Wolverines, as it was the 
team’s fourth annual Autism 
Awareness Meet, held at Crisler 
Center on Saturday.
The annual event began in 
2014 when assistant coach Dave 
Kuzara came back to Michigan 
and proposed the idea after 
running the event as head 
coach at Western Michigan. 
The 
Wolverines’ 
coaching 
staff 
was 
unanimously 
on 
board, passionate about raising 
awareness for the cause. 
“It’s just an amazing event,” 
said 
Michigan 
coach 
Bev 
Plocki. “It has been such an 
educational experience for all 
of our student athletes in terms 
of understanding and accepting 
people who are a little different, 
but having the realization that 
they are brilliant as well.”
Executing 
high-energy, 
intricate routines across the 
board, the Wolverines made 
the day even more special by 
repeating last week’s magic. 
They found themselves with 
eight scores of 9.900 or higher, 
spread 
throughout 
all 
four 
events. 
Michigan 
expected 
tough competition from the 
Cornhuskers, as they placed 
second behind the Wolverines 
in the Big Ten Championship 
last season. But on Saturday, 
Michigan swept all four events, 

led in score after every rotation 
and claimed the all-around title 
in the meet.
Artz 
continued 
her 
momentum, 
taking 
the 
all-
around title for the second 
consecutive week with a top 
score of 39.500 Saturday. Artz 
and junior Paige Zaziski tied 
for first place on bars, scoring 
a 
season-high 
9.925 
in 
the 
second rotation.
Finishing 
off 
the 
meet 
and 
securing 
for 
Michigan 
a 
season-high 
score, 
Artz 
earned a 9.900 
for her dynamic 
floor 
routine, 
which 
awarded 
her the first-place title for floor in 
a three-way tie with sophomores 
Olivia Karas and Emma McLean.
There was never a shortage 
of energy from the fans and 
gymnasts during the meet, but 
the room was the most electric 
after Karas’ vault performance. 

During the first rotation, Karas 
executed 
a 
one-and-a-half 
Yurchenko and stuck the landing, 
earning her both a career-high 
score of 9.975 and the first-place 
vault title in the meet.
“I 
couldn’t 
breathe 
when 
the team came over to hug me,” 
Karas said. “Those are the best 
hugs — you remember them 
forever.”
Vault has been 
a 
consistent 
high-point 
for 
Karas, who was 
one of the top-
ranked vaulters 
in the nation last 
year. 
According 
to 
Plocki, vault was 
the Wolverines’ 
strongest 
event 
of the day, as they demonstrated 
improvement in their landings. 
Michigan had struggled with 
inconsistency, 
specifically 
on 
vault dismounts.
“We have been working really 
hard on our landings,” Plocki 
said. “We have bigger, more 

dynamic vaults, but we haven’t 
done a great job of sticking 
landings.”
For 
McLean, 
there 
was 
much to celebrate. Not only 
was Saturday her birthday, but 
she earned a career-high 9.900 
on vault, matching her career-
high of 9.900 on floor to give 
her the joint first-place title. 
It is the second week in a row 
that McLean’s floor routine has 
earned her a near perfect score.
“This year I went in with 
the mindset that I’m going to 
have a party when I do my floor 
routine,” McLean said. “It makes 
it more fun.”
The Wolverines covered all 
their bases this week, as senior 
captain Talia Chiarelli won beam 
with a 9.925, setting herself apart 
from her competitors as the only 
gymnast to earn over a 9.850 in 
the event.
Between raising awareness 
for an important cause, sweeping 
Nebraska and earning a season-
high 
score, 
Michigan 
looks 
well on its way to returning to 
championship form. 

ANNA MARCUS
Daily Sports Writer

“I couldn’t 
breathe when 
the team came 
over to hug me”

Karas highlights 
win over Illinois

It 
didn’t 
take 
long 
for 
sophomore Olivia Karas to reach 
the vault. Sprinting full speed 
down the runway, she made 
contact with the springboard, 
flipping and soaring through the 
air. Somehow, through all of that, 
she managed to stick her landing 
cleanly.
As Crisler Center erupted 
in cheers, the team chased her 
down the mat and embraced her. 
They didn’t need to see the score 
to know Karas had executed the 
move spectacularly.
Team chemistry is clearly 
an important aspect of the 
Michigan women’s gymnastics 
team. After every event, the 
entire team congratulates their 
competing teammate with hugs 
and cheers.
“When one person is up there 
and you’re not, you have to have 

full trust and faith that they’re 
going to do everything they can 
do for you,” Karas said. “So you 
celebrate because they did the 
best possible thing for you.
“The best thing in the world 
is sticking the dismount and 
having your team come run 
up at you. It’s an indescribable 
feeling.”
Karas scored a 9.975, her 
career high on the vault, which 
was enough to secure her a 
first-place finish in the event. 
One contributing factor to her 
success in the event was her 
dismount, which the team has 
been focusing on in recent 
practices with assistant coach 
Dave Kuzara.
“Dave has done a really great 
job of getting everyone in the right 
mindset to minimize deductions 
and try your best to stick,” Karas 
said. “We’ve been working on it so 
much and it’s really nice to see all 
that hard work pay off.”
Her new career-high topped 
the 9.950 she scored back in 
March of last year at the Big Five 
Tournament.
Michigan coach Bev Plocki 
acknowledged both her difficult 
routine and flawless execution.
“Her vault is a one and a half, 
it’s a harder vault than the fulls, 
and to stick the landing like that is 
like the exclamation point,” Plocki 
said.
Along with her exemplary 
performance 
on 
the 
vault, 
Karas was also part of a three-
way tie for first place on the 
floor. She scored a 9.900, as did 
two of her teammates, senior 
Nicole Artz and sophomore 
Emma McLean.
A personal favorite for Karas, 
the floor provides a platform for 
gymnasts to showcase a diverse 
range of skills.
“I’m very animated when I do 
gymnastics, I like to get my team 
and the crowd involved in it,” 
Karas said. “Of course I like to 
tumble and stuff but the dancing 
is so fun.”
Following 
her, 
the 
team 
emerged victorious with a score of 
197.225 to Nebraska’s 194.880.

JEREMY MITNICK/Daily
Senior captain Nicole Artz claimed the all-around title for the second consecutive week and led the Wolverines to a victory over the Fighting Illini on Saturday.

SARAH HURST
For the Daily

