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