The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Tuesday, January 31, 2017 — 7

Walton emerging as MVP for ‘M’

In Michigan’s loss at Illinois a

few weeks ago, Derrick Walton
Jr. had a moment atypical
of someone with his level of
experience and composure.

After
picking
up
an

offensive foul, Walton spiked
the basketball, picked up a
technical foul and was forced
to sit the rest of the first half on
the bench with two fouls.

What transpired afterward

made the senior guard’s actions
even more regrettable. The
Fighting Illini closed the half
on a 15-2 run, as the Wolverines
all but collapsed with one of
their captains sidelined.

The debacle in Champaign

may come to be the defining
moment for Walton this season,
but in a more positive way than
the initial reaction showed.

Since that Illinois run, Walton

has come to realize his multi-
faceted value for Michigan.

“I’m just an example guy,”

Walton said on Thursday. “I go
out there and show how much
it means to me. I’m pretty sure
the guys will huddle around
me and make sure they help me
take care of business.”

In the five games that have

followed the loss to the Fighting
Illini, Walton has averaged
18.6 points and 6.2 rebounds
per game. It’s been one of the
strongest stretches of games
he’s played in his Michigan
career.

And the Wolverines have

needed
every
point,
every

board and every assist the
senior earned.

Walton
made
several

adjustments
in
his
game

recently that benefit Michigan,
as the Wolverines have been
looking for consistency and
creativity on both ends of the
court.

Offensively,
Michigan

struggled
to
attack
the

basket off the dribble. The
Wolverines had been sinking
into a poor habit of settling for
low-percentage shots on the
perimeter, leading to wasted
offensive possessions.

Walton fell victim to that

trend — two-thirds of all the
shots he had taken through the
contest at Illinois were from
behind the arc.

In
Michigan’s
last
five

games,
though,
Walton

attacked the basket more than
he has all season. His field-goal
percentage rose three points
to 41.6 percent, while the
proportion of three-pointers he
took per game decreased.

Most
importantly
to
the

Wolverines’
offense,
Walton

has been willing to absorb
contact going to the hoop. He
set a season high with nine free-
throw attempts in Michigan’s
win over Nebraska, and topped
that over the weekend with 15
attempts, as he tried to carry the
offense against Michigan State.

Walton
made
a
visible

effort to look tougher and
more
confident
with
his

inside game on offense. While
the Wolverines needed the
change to boost their scoring
efficiency, Walton may have
needed it more to prove a point.

Since
Illinois
center

Maverick Morgan made his
“white collar” remarks toward

Michigan
following
the

Champaign blowout, Walton
has been on a mission to prove
how wrong Morgan was.

“As a point guard, I think

that’s a reflection on me,”
Walton said on Thursday. “If
you call a team white collar,
I think the point guard heads
the identity of that team. As a
person who’s never ever been
questioned
for
toughness,

it made me do a little self-
evaluation.”

That mentality, paired with

his style of leading by example,
has changed the way Walton
and
the
Wolverines
have

attacked opponents for the
better.

But defensively, Walton has

still shown that there’s room
for improvement over the five-
game stretch.

The
senior
struggled

to
contain
his
defensive

assignment
in
Spartan

freshman Cassius Winston, and
didn’t seem to have the mental
or physical edge that he showed
in prior wins.

Walton did have to spend

extra energy on the offensive
end with senior wing Zak
Irvin battling the flu. Still, it
seemed the rest of the team was
affected when he wasn’t at his
best.

“I know this team looks at

me as a leader,” Walton said
on Sunday. “When I play and I
show the face that it’s time to
win, I think they follow suit.
It’s a two-way street. They give
me courage and I try to exude it
by playing hard to start.”

If anything’s been proven

for Michigan over the past five
games, it’s that this team will
only perform up to the level of
its senior point guard. Walton
has carried the Wolverines in
their biggest wins of the season,
and made costly mistakes at
their lowest moments.

Gondrezick garners B1G honors

This season, freshman guard

Kysre
Gondrezick
became
a

prominent player for the Michigan
women’s basketball team. But it
wasn’t until this week that she
officially cemented herself as an
elite player in the Big Ten.
































































After the Wolverines’ 80-54

victory over Northwestern last
Wednesday,
Gondrezick
was

named not only the Big Ten
Freshman of the Week — an honor
she had received three times
previously — but also the Big Ten
Player of the Week. She is the only
freshman in the Big Ten to earn
the Player of the Week award this
season, let alone sweep the contest.

The last player to sweep the

conference’s weekly awards was
Nebraska’s sophomore forward
Jessica Shepard on Jan. 25, 2016.
Shepard ended last season as the
Big Ten Freshman of the Year — an
award that Gondrezick is putting
herself in position for. Currently,

she is the only freshman to win
multiple Big Ten weekly awards,
as she has garnered five such nods.

Against
the
Wildcats,

Gondrezick tied her career-high in
points and rebounds, with 22 and
seven, respectively. She also went
6-for-10 from behind the 3-point
line — another career-best — and
tallied 6 assists, which marks the
fifth time this season that she has
finished with at least five assists.

“I think the ball just went in

the basket more often than usual,”
Gondrezick said. “To be able to
shoot the ball that well gives me
a lot more confidence moving
forward. Being able to impact the
game, whether that was through
my scoring or rebounding or
passing, was definitely a humbling
experience.”

But before she could reel in

the accolades, it was a long path
to the starting five. Gondrezick
came off the bench in 14 games
before earning a starting position.
Despite needing to prove herself
during the first half of the season,

the rookie has solidified her
starting role since the start of Big
Ten play, scoring in double-digits
in seven of the last eight games.

But breaking into the starting

rotation wasn’t as smooth as
Gondrezick made it seem.

“When I first got here I

struggled
tremendously,”

Gondrezick said. “In the summer
I cried (on a phone call) home and
said ‘I don’t think I’m going to
be nearly half the player I was in
high school,’ because it truly is a
different level. … Ultimately, I had
to make the decision that I was
either going to do it, or I was going
to go home. And I did it.”

With 302 points this season,

Gondrezick
has
positioned

herself as one of the top three
Wolverine scorers, just 28 points
behind sophomore forward Hallie
Thome. Junior guard Katelynn
Flaherty still leads the pack with
440 points — a difficult statistic to
top — but Gondrezick continues to
thrive alongside her.

Flaherty and Thome are the

only other Michigan players to
be awarded by the Big Ten this
season — Flaherty made the
Honor Roll twice and Thome
won the Player of the Week
after her 37-point performance
against Wisconsin. Gondrezick’s
breakout performance has given
the Wolverines more recognition,
despite still being unranked.

If she can stay consistent,

Gondrezick will be essential to
helping Michigan achieve some
of its postseason goals — namely
making the NCAA Tournament.
Even if the Wolverines falter this
season, Gondrezick will keep
gaining experience, and will only
become more fun to watch.

But for now, Gondrezick is

not focused on gathering more
personal awards, even though she
is well-situated to do so.

“I go out there just to have fun,”

Gondrezick said. “I go out there
to win. Whether that is scoring 22
points or scoring two, as long as I
made my impact and we get the
best end result possible, then I’m a
happy camper.”

Wolverines thrive on Senior Night

Before the meet even started,

Michigan senior Chris Klein
could
feel
the
adrenaline

pumping through his veins,
as he prepared to race in
Canham Natatorium for the last
time in his collegiate career.
An Ann Arbor native, Klein
looked to cap off his days at
the natatorium in the same
dominant fashion that he had
begun them nearly 10 years ago.
After touching first in both the
200-yard breaststroke and 200-
yard IM on Friday, he had done
just that.

“I’ve been coming to swim

here and race here for over a
decade, so it just kind of means
an era coming to an end for me,”
Klein said. “In the last time I’m
ever going to race at Canham, to
come out on top of a couple of
races was really special.”

On Friday night, Michigan

hosted Ohio State in a contest
that was filled with a double-
whammy of emotions, as it was
both Senior Night and a rivalry
matchup. In the end, the ninth-
ranked Wolverines put forth a
commanding effort to win the
dual meet over the 17th-ranked
Buckeyes, 186-114.

“Any time a team at Michigan

faces Ohio State, the emotions
rise up,” said Michigan coach
Mike Bottom.

Added Klein: “It was probably

the most emotional meet I’ve
been to in a long time.”

Coming off its first dual meet

loss since 2010 against No. 4
Indiana, Michigan was itching
to get back on track in the pool.

“We were really excited to

get back to work,” said senior
Vinny Tafuto.

In the third event of the meet,

freshman Felix Auböck battled
Ohio State’s Josh Fleagle in
the 200-yard freestyle. Going
into the final turn of the race,
Auböck and Fleagle were neck
and neck.

But with a set of powerful

dolphin kicks underwater, the
freshman exploded off the wall,
fending off Fleagle to win the
event by just 0.01 seconds—the

narrowest margin possible.

“I knew at 150 yards it was

going to be super close. He’s a
strong finisher,” Auböck said.
“It was super painful … I just
put
my
head

down and gave
everything the
last five to ten
yards to make
that touch.”

The

Wolverines (2-1
Big
Ten,
4-1

overall)
won

11 of 16 events,
and
finished

with the top
three
spots

in the 100-yard breaststroke,
50-yard
freestyle,
200-yard

breaststroke
and
500-yard

freestyle. Michigan has now
won 20 dual meets in a row
against the Buckeyes (2-1, 9-1).

In the 100-yard butterfly,

Tafuto snuck away with the
victory, defeating Ohio State’s
Michael Salazar—the defending
Big Ten champion—with a time

of 47.45.

“I had no idea where I was in

that field,” Tafuto said. “I was
very fortunate and happy to get
my hand on the wall.”

For the senior,

it was a night
of
nostalgia
in

his
last
home

meet
for
the

Wolverines.

“I
was
just

talking with my
mom about my
recruiting trip,”
Tafuto said. “It’s
gone
by
really

fast.”

In
the
final

event of the meet, the 400-yard
freestyle relay, Michigan went
back and forth with Ohio State.
When freshman James Jones
dove into the pool in the second
leg of the relay, he was behind by
nearly a body-length. En route
to posting an incredible 43.41
split— the fastest out of anyone
in
the
pool—Jones
passed

Ohio State’s Andrew Appleby,

engulfing the natatorium in
a deafening cheer. But the
cheers were premature, as the
Wolverines ended up getting
disqualified due to an early take
off in the final exchange.

“That
was
a
little

disappointing
to
us,”
said

Bottom. “In a way it was good
for us, because it shows that we
can be better and we need to be
better.”

Just three weeks away from

the Big Ten Championships,
Michigan will look to defend its
title against the Hoosiers, the
presumed favorite.

“We’re going to battle in

the Big Ten Championships,”
Bottom said. “We’re gonna have
to pull something out.”

With a victory against Ohio

State, Auböck believes the team
sent off its eight seniors in the
most meaningful way it could.

“It was the best thing we

could give them,” Auböck said.
“They did so much for us this
year and we had to give them
something back.”

Michigan cruises
against Buckeyes

The No. 7 Michigan women’s

swimming
and
diving
team

battled No. 21 Ohio State, as
the Wolverines honored seven
of their seniors in Canham
Natatorium on Senior Night for
their last meet at home.

Michigan, which has won its

last 16 dual meets against Big
Ten teams, won 14 of 16 events
for a 212-88 victory against the
Buckeyes, improving its Big Ten
record to 3-0.

Many
individuals
earned

multiple
individual
victories,

helping Michigan go 1-2-3 in four
events.

Freshman Kristen Hayden,

having taken second in the
one-meter
and
three-meter

springboards in the last meet
against
Indiana,
showed

improvement in both events. She
scored 300.9 on the one-meter
and 323.30 on the three-meter
springboard, taking first in both
events.

“I came back and my coach

and I worked on a lot of basics
and just getting my entries right,
just getting my hurdles and my
take offs and doing more reps,”
Hayden said. “At Indiana, I didn’t
do them the way I could, so here,
I was relaxed and ready to go.”

While
a
number
of

Wolverines
improved
their

performance
from
Indiana,

many others continued their
dominant showing from the
previous
meet.
Sophomores

Siobhán Haughey, Yirong Bi and
juniors Emily Kopas and Clara
Smiddy swept their individual
events.

Haughey — who won three

individual events in the previous
dual meet to earn her second
Big Ten Swimmer of the Week
honor — repeating her impressive
feat, placing first in the 10-yard
freestyle
(48.39),
200-yard

freestyle (1:46:76) and 200-yard
IM (1:59:32).

Clara Smiddy won her two

events — 100-yard (54.47) and
200-yard backstroke (1:56:08)
— in a similar fashion to her
performance at Indiana.

Smiddy and Hayden weren’t

the only ones who improved,
as Bi broke a pool record in the
1,000-yard freestyle with a time
of 9:35:49, shattering an eight
year record held by Minnesota’s
Ashley
Steenvoorden.
In

addition, she secured a victory in
the 500-yard freestyle (4:44:92)
and contributed in the final
event, helping her team win the
400-yard freestyle relay.

Michigan
not
only

overwhelmed Ohio State in terms
of performances but also with its
atmosphere for Senior Night.

Kopas believes Senior Night

against a rival team helped
keep the spirits high, as each
individual strived to send the
seniors off on a high note.

“I think we all went out there

and did that for the seniors and
we always strive to beat (Ohio
State),” Kopas said, “I definitely
think we have an advantage
just because we’ve practiced
(in Canham Natatorium) every
day and it’s kind of just the
atmosphere that gets us going.”

Kopas also had an outstanding

night, winning the 100-yard
breaststroke (1:02:43) and later
the
200-yard
breaststroke

(2:12:36), where Bi finished just
behind her.

Senior Maddy Frost, a Saline,

Mich. native, had been coming
to the Canham Natatorium since
2005 and swam in it for 12 years,
spanning her time in club and
college. For her, not being able to
swim in Canham again seemed
strange, but she’s excited to see
where the team is headed in the
future.

“I swam a season best tonight,

which was awesome and I think
that was definitely because of
the energy of the team and the
coaches,” Frost said. “Just having
it be the last time I can compete in
this pool, so it was just awesome
to do that and kick their butts.”

HALEY MCLAUGHLIN/Daily

Senior Chris Klein won the 200-yard breaststroke and 200-yard IM in his last meet at Canham Natatorium on Friday.

ZACH GAN
For the Daily

“We’re going
to battle at
the Big Ten

Championships”

WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING

TIEN LE

For the Daily

“They give me

courage and I try to

exude it by playing

hard to start”

JEREMY MITNICK/Daily

Freshman guard Kysre Gondrezick earned a Big Ten Player of the Week award.

MAGGIE KOLCON

Daily Sports Writer
After earning a technical foul against the Fighting Illini,

Walton has averaged 18.6 points and 6.2 rebounds

BRANDON CARNEY

Daily Sports Writer