The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsTuesday
Tuesday, January 16, 2018 — 3B

Coon, No. 8 Michigan unable to overcome No. 1 Penn State

As they filed out of the Crisler 

Center on Friday night, countless 
spectators looked back at the 
wrestling mat wondering what 
could have been had the night gone 
differently for the No. 8 Michigan 
wrestling team in the wake of its 
25–12 defeat by top-ranked Penn 
State.

The Wolverines began the 

highly anticipated matchup on a 
strong note, winning their first 
two duals. But that was short lived.

The Nittany Lions subsequently 

rattled off seven straight victories, 
five coming from Penn State’s 
reigning national champions: Zain 
Retherford, Jason Nolf, Vincenzo 
Joseph, Mark Hall and Bo Nickal.

The Michigan wrestlers fought 

hard, ending three matchups 
against former national champions 
with losses of three points or 
fewer. However, they won just 
three of the 10 total matchups.

The Wolverines’ top wrestler, 

redshirt 
senior 
Adam 
Coon, 

understood that Michigan was 
bound to struggle against such 
elite competition. He was not 
as concerned with the loss as 
he was with the potential for a 
future matchup in the NCAA 
Tournament.

“We were close in a lot of these 

matches, (but) we were on the 
losing side,” Coon said. “There’s 
one or two points that we need to 
find somewhere in the practice 
room and in the next two months 
… before we can make it to the 
NCAA (Tournament).”

Coon — the undefeated No. 

2 heavyweight wrestler in the 
nation and a former All-American 
— was one of the bright spots in the 
loss. He continued his continual 
dominance over his competition 
as he eased his way to an 8-0 rout 
over his Nittany Lion opponent.

Michigan coach Joe McFarland 

echoed Coon’s sentiments, but, 
he also pinpointed a specific 
area in which he would like 
to see improvement from the 
Wolverines.

“In every match, the guy who 

scored the first takedown won 
the match,” McFarland said. “It 
shows you how important that 
first takedown is and getting 
momentum on your side.

“When you’re able to score right 

away, it means you’re walking on 
the floor with the right mindset 
and I think in some cases that was 
the difference in some of our wins 
and some of our losses.”

In 
Michigan’s 
postgame 

meeting, McFarland put a great 
deal of emphasis on the fact that 
losing to the best squad in the 
nation is no reason to be ashamed. 
He used the dual as a way to find 
specific areas he would like to see 
each of his wrestlers improve.

McFarland pointed to one 

wrestler in particular — redshirt 
junior 
Alec 
Pantaleo 
— 
the 

fifth-ranked wrestler in the 157-
pound division and a former All-
American, who could specifically 
work on getting out from bottom.

Going into the third round of his 

matchup, Pantaleo saw only a one-
point deficit to the No. 1 wrestler 
in the division, Penn State’s Jason 
Nolf. Pantaleo had the choice to 
pick either top or bottom to begin 
the round and chose bottom 

assuming he would get a point 
for an escape to tie the match. His 
strategy proved ineffective and 
Nolf did not let him go throughout 
the entire two minutes.

“(Pantaleo’s) made some strides 

down there but he realizes he 
needs more work,” McFarland 
said. “You gotta be able to get away 
… we need to continue to work 
from the bottom position.” 

Pantaleo’s 
loss 
came 
at 

an inopportune time for the 
Wolverines, as the overall score 
was still close at 9-8 in favor of 
the Nittany Lions. A victory in 
his matchup would have greatly 
helped Michigan as the only way 
it could have possibly won the dual 
was to beat at least one of the Penn 
State elites.

“People can say it was a bad 

decision all they want but from 
last year I have made big strides 
getting up from bottom,” Pantaleo 
said. “I have yet to have anybody 
ride me out until now. I was really 
confident, I chose bottom, figured 
I was gonna get a point. Obviously, 
I still need to work on it, which 
is good to know now rather than 
later.”

Even 
though 
Pantaleo’s 

loss dealt a huge blow to the 
Wolverines, they were still down 
just four points. Not until the 184-
pound division match between 
Michigan’s fifth-ranked Domenic 
Abounader and Penn State’s top-
ranked Bo Nickal did the Nittany 
Lions seal the Wolverine’s fate.

Down 3-2 heading into the 

third round, Abounader needed 
a takedown to reclaim the lead. 
With less than a minute remaining 
in the round, Abounader attacked, 
positioned well and put Nickal on 
the ground for what the fans and 
Michigan wrestlers thought was a 
takedown. The referee disagreed. 
The 
same 
thing 
happened 

moments later and the fans went 
ballistic. Boos filled the arena.

Nickal would eventually break 

free of Abounader’s control and 
hit him with a takedown of his 
own, finishing off any hope the 
Wolverines had of pulling off the 
upset.

“If we’re going to be national 

champs we need to beat national 
champs,” Coon said. “We can’t 
just lose by one or two points 
and expect to win. We still have 
areas to work on, but overall, we 
definitely competed.” 

CAT MYKOLAJTCHUK/Daily

Domenic Abounader suffered a close loss to Penn State’s top-ranked 184-pound wrestler, Bo Nickal.

BENNETT BRAMSON

Daily Sports Writer

‘M’ earns nation-best score

Just before the fourth and final 

rotation Saturday night, the No. 5 
Michigan women’s gymnastics 
team met in a mid-mat huddle 
at 
the 
Crisler 
Center. 
The 

Wolverines were already a point 
ahead of No. 29 Ohio State, and 
to clinch their first Big Ten meet, 
all they had to do was perform on 
the floor.

Luckily for Michigan, floor is 

traditionally its best event.

“We 
haven’t 
demonstrated 

that yet,” said Michigan coach 
Bev Plocki. “I told them, ‘I want 
you to dig down and I want you to 
work. You need to fight for every 
ten out there today.’ And they 
did.”

Aided by a handful of the 

Buckeyes’ 
stumbles 
on 
the 

balance beam, the Wolverines 
pulled ahead even further and 
earned the highest score in the 
country thus far, with a 197.550 to 
194.925 victory.

In the first rotation, freshman 

Syd Townsend found redemption. 
After missing her vault last week 
against then No. 4 Alabama, 
Townsend hit a Yurchenko one-
and-a-half vault for a team-high 
9.925.

Assistant coach Scott Vetere 

ran to Townsend to congratulate 
her with a hug, tripping and 
falling over a mat in excitement.

“I think having the first meet 

under my belt was an eye-opener, 
knowing how to train and what to 
do,” Townsend said. “Last week, I 
messed up on vault. Knowing that 
we still pulled out a win against 
Alabama, and knowing that my 
team had my back and that they 
can pull up the score, that was 
awesome.”

On uneven bars, Michigan 

was confident. Despite a fall 
from junior Olivia Karas, the 
Wolverines boasted five high-
scoring performances. Freshman 
Lauren Farley scored a 9.85 on 
her collegiate uneven-bar debut. 
Both 
Townsend 
and 
senior 

Brianna Brown scored a 9.90.

Townsend showed off her elite 

skills with precise handstands 
and a massive full to a double 
tuck — not to mention, she stuck 
the landing.

Brown’s height on the bars is 

what set her apart, allowing for a 
clean, double layout dismount.

Michigan 
continued 
to 

perform on its third rotation — 
the balance beam. Senior Paige 
Zaziski brought precision and 
power to her “Dancing in the 
Moonlight” routine, sticking a 
Gainer layout off the side of the 
beam for a 9.875. She continued 
her dominance throughout the 
night, winning all-around with a 
total score of 39.450.

Zaziski was only bested by 

Brown on the beam, who earned 
a 9.90 for her graceful split-
switch leap and side-somi finish.

The highlight of the evening 

came 
from 
junior 
Emma 

McLean, who boasted a career 
high 9.975 on her floor routine. 
Her showmanship was evident 
from the moment the song began, 
and the crowd clapped along.

“I love the noise. I’m having a 

party when I do my floor routine,” 
McLean said. “That takes my 
head away from what I’m actually 
doing. It’s a good distraction.”

McLean’s score tied for the top 

floor score in the nation, as did 
her 9.950 on vault.

After 
earning 
Big 
Ten 

Gymnast of the Week last week, 
Karas wrapped up the meet with 
a cheer-inducing double Arabian 
pass, earning a 9.950, though the 
crowd was flashing “tens.”

“Emma and Olivia both love 

floor,” Plocki said. “They love to 
entertain. Their confidence and 
energy just exudes.”

And with a hot start to the 

season, the Wolverines look to 
maintain such energy throughout 
the rest of their schedule.

“It’s all about really playing up 

to the crowd and enjoying what 
you’re doing out there,” Plocki 
said. “I’m really very proud of 
them all.”

WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

KATIE CONKLIN
Daily Sports Writer

DeLoof sisters enjoy time 
swimming for Michigan 

Players and athletes often call 

their teams families. But for the 
DeLoof sisters, families -– and 
teams – are even closer than 
you’d think.

Four DeLoof sisters have come 

to swim at Michigan over the 
years. Ali, the oldest, swam with 
the Wolverines from 2013-2016, 
while junior Catie DeLoof and 
sophomore Jackie DeLoof still 
have some time left as Michigan 
swimmers. Senior Gabby DeLoof 
has just two home meets left in 
her Michigan tenure.

Gabby, a Grosse Pointe native, 

didn’t always plan on swimming 
at Michigan, but after “going 
through the process… it was the 
best decision for us.”

Since she’s been in Ann Arbor, 

Gabby has picked up various 
accolades. As a two-time CSCAA 
All-American, four-time CSCAA 
All-America honorable mention 
and now team captain, she’s 
definitely found her way as a 
standout on the team and among 
her sisters.

The senior started the second 

half of her final season strong. In 
Saturday’s meet against Indiana, 
the senior placed first in three 
events – the 200-yard freestyle, 
the 100-yard freestyle and the 
400-yard freestyle relay – and 
helped her team to a win.

The 
only 
event 
Gabby 

competed in that she didn’t win 
was the 50-yard freestyle, where 
her sister Catie beat her out.

Gabby mentions she and Catie 

have tied on many occasions in 
competitive play and says “it’s 
nice to go back and forth.”

 “I think it would be more 

tough if one of us were constantly 
first and the other one was 
constantly second,” Gabby said.

When thinking about her 

experience as a sister and a 
swimmer during her time as a 
Wolverine, Gabby focuses on 
memories and the atmosphere as 
a whole.

Her favorite moment as a 

DeLoof sister?

“Probably us just goofing off 

little sister moments on deck,” 
Gabby said.

Her remarks were earnest 

and tender, but with a hint of 
competition, just as you’d expect 
from athletes and siblings.

As the Wolverines finish their 

season, Gabby has a lot to look 
forward to – like the Big Ten 
Tournament – and a lot to look 
back on. 

“I’m definitely gonna miss 

training with my sisters and 
training 
with 
my 
Michigan 

family,” Gabby said as her final 
few meets approach. “Everyone 
on the team is so dedicated and 
supportive not just to me as a 
captain, but just like a teammate 
and a family like we’re all kind of 
sisters on the team.”

Wolverines escape Nebraska with 69-64 win

HALEY MCLAUGHLIN/Daily

Senior Gabby DeLoof is the second of four sisters to swim at Michigan.

MAYA SALINAS
Daily Sports Writer

Deja Church has ice in her 

veins.

The Wolverines trailed the 

Cornhuskers, 59-62, with a little 
over seven seconds remaining in 
regulation. They had one final 
chance at a comeback after calling 
a timeout. Nebraska played tight 
defense, and the clock ticked away 
as Michigan couldn’t find a good 
scoring chance. Church received a 
pass in the corner, but got fouled 
while shooting a 3-pointer with 
0.7 seconds left. With the game on 
the line, she headed to the line.

She was ready.
Church drained all three free-

throws to tie the game up, and 
shortly after, the contest was 
headed to overtime.

“Impressive. I think that says 

something about that kid,” said 
Michigan coach Kim Barnes 
Arico to WTKA. “Holy cow. I 
don’t know if anybody could have 
done that. That is some serious 
pressure.”

In the extra period, the game 

was tied at 64 when junior center 
Hallie Thome made two free-
throws to give the Wolverines 
the lead. The No. 23 Michigan 
women’s basketball team (4-2 Big 
Ten, 15-4 overall) then pulled 
away, defeating the Cornhuskers 
(3-2, 12-6) on the road Saturday 
night, 69-64.

The first half of the contest 

was an offensive battle. The 
Wolverines came out strong, led 
by senior guard Katelynn Flaherty 
who finished the night with 26 
points. She found the basket with 
ease early on, but Nebraska did the 
same, and it was a close matchup.

Midway through the opening 

stanza 
Michigan’s 
defense 

picked up the slack by going 
to the press. This proved to be 
effective, causing problems for 
the Cornhuskers and helping the 
Wolverines to a 9-0 run. Michigan 
led 30-23 heading into the second 
quarter.

Nebraska 
cut 
into 
the 

deficit right away, though. The 
Cornhuskers caused troubles for 
the Wolverines and went on a 6-0 
run to bring the game within one, 

two minutes into the frame.

Just moments after, Flaherty 

created 
separation 
from 
her 

defender with a crossover and 
calmly drained a deep 3-pointer 
from the right side, acting like it 
was no big deal. But it was a big 
deal. That triple made Flaherty 
Michigan’s all-time leading scorer, 
man or woman, as she passed Glen 
Rice’s record of 2,442 points.

The rest of the half was a 

shootout with both sides shooting 
close to 60 percent from the field. 
The offenses excelled while the 
defenses stayed quiet, and the 
Wolverines led 48-44 at the break.

“We came out scoring on fire 

in the beginning of the game,” 
Barnes Arico said, “but we didn’t 
get the stops we needed to get.”

All 
of 
the 
offensive 
skill 

must have been used up by the 
intermission, 
though, 
because 

both 
teams 
looked 
sloppy 

throughout the second half. There 
was a lack of coordination within 
the offenses, as the two sides 
struggled to take care of the ball. 
Michigan had 16 turnovers in 
the second half while Nebraska 

had 10. The two teams combined 
for just nine points in the third 
quarter, and the Wolverines had a 
53-48 lead at the end of the stanza.

Following 
back-to-back 

3-pointers 
from 
Cornhusker 

guard Taylor Kissinger, the game 
was tied at 56 mid-way through 
the fourth frame. Soon after, 
Nebraska took its first lead of the 
game, but failed to seal the deal.

“In the second half, we slowed 

down and played at a really, really 
slow pace and weren’t able to score 
the basketball,” Barnes Arico said. 
“It was a game of two halves, but 
Nebraska gave us a great game.”

Though Flaherty made history 

and the Wolverines managed to 
win in overtime, it was not a pretty 
performance. Michigan’s offense 
finished the night with a season-
high 26 turnovers, which could 
have been deadly. The Wolverines 
will need to improve in this 
area moving forward, because 
other Big Ten teams won’t be as 
forgiving.

“We didn’t play our best,” 

Barnes Arico said. “But we dodged 
a bullet, that’s for sure.”

RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily

Freshman guard Deja Church sank three last-second free throws to send her team to overtime against Nebraska, where it eventually won, 69-64.

ROHAN KUMAR
Daily Sports Writer

