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