The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Tuesday, March 28, 2017 — 7

Michigan’s Pro Day exemplifies main 
commitment to grooming NFL talent

Two and a half years ago, Taco 

Charlton and Chris Wormley 
were just rotation players on 
the Michigan football team’s 
defensive line, with only a 
handful of starts between them.

The 
only 
NFL 
Draft 

speculation surrounding either 
of them came from an Instagram 
post from Charlton in November 
2012, a few months before he 
enrolled at the University. The 
photo depicted an empty Draft 
stage and bore the caption, “One 
day in a couple years I’m going to 
walk across this stage and be able 
to tell my momma (I) made it!!”

Now, after two more full 

seasons of football and a coaching 
staff overhaul, both Charlton and 
Wormley — along with as many as 
a dozen of their teammates — are 
poised to hear their names called 
on a similar stage in Philadelphia 
at the end of April, making their 
dream a reality.

Friday afternoon, Charlton, 

Wormley and the rest of the 
draft-eligible Wolverines spoke 
to the media following the team’s 
annual Pro Day at Oosterbaan 
Field House — where they had 
just worked out in front of a large 
contingency of NFL personnel, 
including at least eight head 
coaches — and couldn’t help but 
reflect on how they made it to this 
moment.

Many of them were highly-

touted recruits brought to Ann 
Arbor by former coach Brady 
Hoke, but either played below 
their potential in their early years 
or had a hard time getting on the 
field whatsoever. But thanks 
to more years of seasoning and 
the arrival of new coach Jim 
Harbaugh — and his experienced, 
NFL-savvy coaching staff — 
many of those same recruits now 
find themselves on the cusp of 
playing at the next level.

“I 
think 
maybe 
we 
did 

something right,” Wormley said. 
“We all could have went our 
separate ways when Coach Hoke 
left, but we all stuck together, 
we all pushed through it and 
made the best of it with Coach 
Harbaugh. And obviously, he’s 
done a lot of great things for us. 
I think it’s a combination of us 
putting in the work and sticking 
through it, and having Coach 
Harbaugh on our side as well.”

Harbaugh’s 
focus 
on 

developing players for the next 
level hasn’t been just limited to 
the highest-caliber high school 
talents, either. Defensive tackle 
Ryan Glasgow was a walk-on who 
worked his way into the starting 
lineup and is now a potential 
mid-round 
draft 
pick. 
And 

defensive tackle Matt Godin was 
a three-star recruit who didn’t 
become a permanent fixture on 
the starting line until this season, 
but he had a positive experience 

at the Pro Day and is pursuing an 
NFL career as well.

The sheer depth and quantity 

of talent earning NFL looks 
Friday — especially given the 
state of the program two seasons 
ago — certainly wasn’t lost on 
Glasgow.

“I think it says we’re taking 

a step in the right direction, 
especially with developing guys 
to the pros,” Glasgow said. “We 
were an eight-, nine-, seven- win 
team but only having two, three 
guys at the Pro Day who were 
getting serious looks for a few 
years there. I think it means 
we’re taking a step in the right 
direction 
in 
developing 
pro 

players and not just working out 
college players.”

And Charlton, one of the 

leaders of the defensive line who 
came on late under Harbaugh 
and figures to be one of the 
Wolverines’ highest draft picks, 

thinks that trend will become 
the new norm. With a number 
of assistant coaches with NFL 
backgrounds — including passing 
game coordinator Pep Hamilton, 
offensive 
coordinator 
Tim 

Drevno and defensive line coach 
Greg Mattison — the groundwork 
for a pipeline from Ann Arbor to 
the NFL is clearly visible.

“What 
Coach 
Harbaugh’s 

been able to do and what all the 
coaching staff has been able to 
do is only gonna continue in the 
future,” Charlton said. “We’ve 
got a lot of young guys that are 
gonna be very successful; they’re 
very talented, they’re just very 
young.

“This is the right coaching 

staff to elevate their game and 
basically teach them the right 
way, so I definitely have faith in 
what Michigan has in the future 
going forward. They’re in good 
hands.”

‘M’ eager to advance

The 
Michigan 
women’s 

basketball team has smashed 
its single-season win record. 
Formerly 
stuck 
at 
22, 
the 

Wolverines have won 26 games 
already, and their season is not 
over. Yet after racking up four 
wins in the Women’s National 
Invitation 
Tournament, 

Michigan is in the same place it 
has ended its last two seasons. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

In 2015, the Wolverines faced 

UCLA in the semifinal round of 
the WNIT, and lost by just four 
points to the eventual champions. 
The Wolverines were the only Big 
Ten team invited to the WNIT, 
as Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, 
Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio 
State and Rutgers all earned bids 
to the NCAA Tournament.

Despite 
its 
eighth 
place 

finish in the Big Ten, Michigan 
redeemed its 2014-15 season 
in the WNIT. The Wolverines 
outlasted all of their fellow 
conference teams in postseason 
play except for the Terrapins, 
who made it to the Final Four of 
the NCAA Tournament. After 
a mediocre season, Michigan’s 
third place WNIT finish was an 
impressive accomplishment.

In 2016, the Wolverines’ season 

came to an end after losing 71-62 
in the WNIT semifinal to Florida 
Gulf Coast. Leading up to the 
matchup, Michigan faced tough 
non-conference teams in Wright 
State, Bucknell, San Diego and 
Temple. The Wolverines scored 
over 75 points in each game 
to move on to the penultimate 
round.

Out of seven Big Ten teams 

competing in 2016, Michigan 
made it the furthest of in the 
WNIT, despite finishing seventh 
in the conference. 

This 
season 
is 
different, 

though. Michigan fully expected 
to be selected to the NCAA 
Tournament 
after 
its 
third 

place finish in the Big Ten. The 
Wolverines spent three weeks 

ranked in the top-25 in the nation 
— the first time they earned a 
spot in the coveted rankings 
since 2013 (coincidentally the 
last time they made the NCAA 
Tournament). While winning the 
NCAA Tournament would still 
have been a long shot, it was a 
shock for them not to be chosen 
to compete, especially since two 
teams behind the Wolverines in 
the Big Ten standings made the 
Big Dance.

That’s 
why, 
if 
Michigan 

finishes its season by losing 
to Villanova in the semifinal 
round of the WNIT, it will be a 
disappointment. Led by senior 
guard Siera Thompson, junior 
guard Katelynn Flaherty and 
sophomore center Hallie Thome, 
Michigan is better than it was in 
those seasons.

Thompson now holds the 

all-time assists record, Thome 
has the record for best field goal 
percentage in program history 
and Flaherty occupies the top 
spot for points in a single season, 
points per game and field goals 
made. Even without their third-
best scorer, freshman guard 
Kysre Gondrezick — who began 
an “indefinite leave of absence” 
on Mar. 23 — the Wolverines have 
plenty of prolific players.

Winning the WNIT should not 

be out of reach. Yet Michigan has 
been unpredictable this season.

Though the Wolverines have 

momentum after beating four 
consecutive WNIT opponents, 
they 
also 
seemed 
to 
have 

confidence going into the last 
four games of the regular 
season. Michigan lost three of 
those four games, and the losing 
streak carried over into the Big 
Ten Tournament, where it fell 
to Michigan State in the first 
round.

This season is still supposed 

to be different, but only if the 
Wolverines win the WNIT and 
hang a championship banner 
in 
Crisler 
Center. 
Anything 

less would be considered a 
disappointment.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

‘M’ loses its 21-game home win 
streak against No. 3 Ohio State

During the doubles matchup 

between the No. 16 Michigan 
men’s tennis team and No. 3 Ohio 
State, the Varsity Tennis Center 
was anything but quiet. 

The rows on the north side of 

the building were packed as the 
two rival teams battled it out 
for the doubles point. But the 
Wolverines would lose at both 
the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, and 
the Buckeyes (4-0 Big Ten, 19-3 
overall) would gain the initial 
advantage.

The point was one of four Ohio 

State would record en route to 
winning the matchup, 4-1. The 
loss snapped Michigan’s 21-game 
win streak at home, which dates 
back to the 2014-15 season. It 
also snapped the Wolverines’ 
five-game win streak overall.

The No. 1 doubles pair for 

Michigan (1-1, 11-4) consisted 
of senior Jathan Malik and 
freshman 
Connor 
Johnston, 

which rank 30th nationally. This 
was a shift from the norm, as 
Malik usually pairs with senior 
Kevin Wong, and the duo sits at 
No. 5 in the ITA.

“We’ve played 

that lineup a few 
times 
already 

but 
we 
went 

back to it,” said 
Michigan coach 
Adam Steinberg. 
“I thought it was 
a good change, 
we 
needed 
it, 

we’ve 
been 

struggling on the 
doubles court and we just needed 
something, a spark, anything, so 
that’s why we made the change.”

Malik and Johnston jumped 

out to an early 3-0 lead, while the 
No. 2 pair of juniors Runhao Hua 

and Alex Knight fell behind their 
Buckeye counterparts. The No. 
3 duo, consisting of Wong and 
sophomore Myles Schalet, also 
advanced to a lead.

But while the No. 3 pair was 

able to secure a 6-4 win, Knight 

and Hua dropped 
their match, 4-6. 
The winner of 
the doubles point 
boiled down to 
the No. 1 spot.

With 
the 

game tied at 40 
and Ohio State 
leading in sets, 
5-4, 
the 
next 

point 
would 

either 
keep 

Michigan in the running or give 
the Buckeyes possession of the 
doubles point. Ultimately, the 
Wolverine pair sent the ball out 
of bounds, giving Ohio State the 
advantage headed into singles.

At No. 1 singles, Malik faced 

the challenge of playing Buckeye 
Mikael Torpegaard, a junior 
from Denmark who is the top-
ranked singles player in the 
nation.

Malik gained an early edge 

with a 6-3 win in the first set of 
the match. The second set went 
to a tiebreak, which Torpegaard 
claimed 7-6 (5). The two went 
into a third set, only to abandon 
the match after Ohio State 
recorded its fourth team point on 
another court.

“I thought he did great,” 

Steinberg said. “I thought it 
was a big lift for our team, a big 
confidence boost for him and for 
us against the best player in the 
country. I thought he played a 
really smooth match and I told 
him that he should be proud of 
that effort for sure.”

The Wolverines’ lone point 

came from junior Alex Knight at 
the No. 3 spot in straight sets over 
JJ Wolf, 6-3, 7-5. But individual 
victories from Ohio State’s Hugo 
Di Feo, Kyle Seelig and Herkko 
Pollanen at No. 2, No. 4 and No. 5, 
respectively, gave the Buckeyes 
to enough points to claim the 
win.

Wolverines’ energy not enough 
to clinch doubles point Sunday 

Just 10 minutes into the No. 

16 Michigan men’s tennis team’s 
doubles matches, each Wolverine 
doubles pair had the upper hand 
and it appeared that they were 
going to win at least two of the 
three matches and clinch the 
doubles point easily. 

But No. 3 Ohio State would not 

go down without a fight.

Michigan made a point to 

come out with more intensity 
than it had all season, and the 
energy from a packed crowd 
in the Varsity Tennis Center 
seemed to be propelling the 
Wolverines to a victory.

“Every second of every day 

is about playing for Michigan, 
playing for each other, playing 
for 
something 
bigger 
than 

themselves, with better energy, 
better 
enthusiasm,” 
said 

Michigan coach Adam Steinberg.

But that kind of fervor couldn’t 

last forever.

The No. 1 doubles pair of senior 

Jathan Malik and freshman 
Connor Johnston jumped out 
to an early 3-0 lead, but the 
Buckeyes rallied and after a 
double fault from Johnston, they 
held a narrow 4-3 lead. 

With a strong performance 

at No. 3 doubles, senior Kevin 
Wong and sophomore Myles 
Schalet claimed a 6-4 victory. In 
the match point, the duo served 
to its opponent’s backhand and 
he mishit the ball off the frame, 
ending the match.

The No. 2 duo finished almost 

simultaneously, though with a 
different result. The pair lost 
its early lead and fell to the 
Buckeyes, 6-4.

With each team having won 

one match, Malik and Johnston 
were left to give their team 
the doubles point – and the 
advantage – going into singles 
play.

With the score tied at four 

games apiece, Ohio State was up 

40-0 and only one point away 
from breaking the Wolverines’ 
serve. Malik and Johnston battled 
back to deuce but ultimately 
fell short after 
the 
Buckeyes 

watched Malik’s 
shot 
sail 
just 

long 
of 
the 

baseline.

Ohio 
State 

was up 5-4 and 
serving for the 
match.

It 
was 

a 
tightly-

contested game, 
reaching deuce once again. The 
Buckeyes served to Malik, giving 
him the opportunity to redeem 
himself. He set his feet in an 
attempt to hit a deep shot down 
the line, but once again the ball 

landed outside of the court.

“We got up on them a little 

bit and they really fought hard 
and stayed in there,” Steinberg 

said. “I thought 
we 
could 
have 

put them away, 
especially at one 
doubles. 
It 
got 

away from us a 
little bit, but I 
was happy with 
the energy and 
the 
way 
they 

competed.”

Michigan’s 

momentum 

from the start of the match had 
transferred to Ohio State. The 
Buckeyes ran away with the 
doubles point, which then set the 
tone for the rest of the match, 
which Ohio State won, 4-1. 

COURTESY OF JACOB GASE

Senior defensive end Taco Charlton figures to be one of the Wolverines’ highest picks in the NFL Draft in April.

JACOB GASE

Daily Sports Writer

ARNOLD ZHOU/Daily

Senior Jathan Malik faced a tough challenge against No. 1 Mikael Torpegaard.

LANEY BYLER
Daily Sports Editor

“I told him that 

he should be 
proud of that 
effort for sure”

PAIGE VOEFFRAY

Daily Sports Writer

ARNOLD ZHOU/Daily

Freshman Connor Johnston jumped out to an early lead but fell in doubles play.

“We got up on 
them a little bit 
and they really 
fought hard”

Freshman Connor Johnston filled in for senior Kevin 
Wong at the No. 1 spot, but Michigan still fell short

MAGGIE KOLCON

Daily Sports Writer