The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, January 17, 2018 — 7A

Michigan Invitational 
defined by comebacks

Kate Fahey was down, but not 

out.

Despite dropping the first 

set, 4-6, to fifth-ranked Gabriela 
Talaba of Texas Tech on Monday, 
the junior — ranked No. 33 — came 
back to take the second set, 6-3, 
tie the third, 6-6, and eventually 
prevail in the tiebreaker, 7-2.

Fahey wasn’t the only member 

of the Michigan women’s tennis 
team who staged a comeback 
at the Michigan Invitational — 
which ran from Saturday through 
Monday — though. Sophomore 
Chiara Lommer also dropped 
her first set to a higher-ranked 
opponent Monday before taking 
the next two sets to win the match, 
1-6, 6-2, 6-2.

“Today, we lost a lot of first 

sets and they came back,” said 
Michigan coach Ronni Bernstein. 
“That’s gonna be the key to our 
year.”

Fahey’s victory capped off 

a 
weekend 
sweep, 
defeating 

two ranked opponents in three 
matches. After a fall season that 
didn’t live up to her expectations, 
she took the invitational as an 
opportunity to prove herself. 
There, she found success.

“I kinda surprised myself,” 

Fahey said. “I stepped up more 
and I think it paid off in the end.”

Two freshmen, Alyvia Jones 

and Bella Lorenzini, also went 
three-for-three in their singles 
matches. Lorenzini didn’t drop a 
single set during the tournament.

“It’s good to see the young kids 

being the ones stepping up early,” 
Bernstein said. “It definitely gives 
us some depth in the lineup.”

Where the Wolverines didn’t 

fare so well was in the doubles 
competition.

Jones and senior Alex Najarian 

were the most successful pairing, 
taking their set against an Arizona 
State team, 6-0. But against Texas 

Tech, Georgia Tech, Ohio State 
and Arizona State, Michigan won 
just three of 11 doubles matches.

Perhaps that’s the result of 

junior Brienne Minor — the 
reigning NCAA singles champion 
— being unable to play after 
undergoing 
knee 
surgery 
in 

the offseason. With that, the 
Wolverines were forced to try 
out several different pairings. But 
Michigan took it as an opportunity 
to discover whose styles meshed 
well together.

And while doubles will likely 

never be a strength for the 
Wolverines, its collection of talent 
is such that vast improvement 
could come from simply finding 
which pairings work best.

“It’s just a matter of finding who 

we work well with,” Fahey said. 
“There are just some things we 
need to work on a little bit more.”

The tournament served as 

a good litmus test for where 
Michigan stands going into the 
dual meets, which feature a team 
component not present at the 
invitationals.

“(This event) kinda looks like a 

dual match even though it isn’t,” 
Bernstein said. “It’s just gonna get 
us ready for Kansas coming next 
weekend.”

And more than just the wins, 

the comebacks are a positive sign 
for the Wolverines going forward.

“Putting ourselves in those 

situations,” 
Fahey 
said, 
“(I 

force) myself to go for the shots I 
wouldn’t usually go for.”

Facing 
higher-ranked 

opponents after dropping the first 
set, Michigan easily could have 
crumbled. But it didn’t, and that’s 
why Bernstein sees bigger things 
coming for a relatively young 
team.

“We gotta keep working and I 

think we can get better,” Bernstein 
said. “I think the girls leave this 
weekend confident that we can 
compete with anybody in the 
country.”

Without Haughey, ‘M’ 
still finds a way to win

Many things can change in 

the span of three months. Winter 
turns into spring. A school’s Greek 
life can come, go, and return 
again. A team that seems destined 
for success at the beginning of a 
season can spiral into failure.

The No. 4 Michigan women’s 

swim team has spent three 
months on the road, finding 
success during its 
travels. Saturday, 
the 
Wolverines 

brought 
home 

that 
winning 

spirit to Canham 
Natatorium, 
beating 
No. 
10 

Indiana.

Right 
from 

the start of the 
first race, it was 
easy to see why 
many 
players 

on the team felt energized to 
be swimming in Ann Arbor for 
the first time since September. 
Canham Natatorium was packed 
almost to capacity, and every 
Michigan win was accompanied 
by a chorus of Hail to the Victors.

“It’s great energy, and we feed 

off of it,” said Michigan coach 
Mike Bottom. “We had some 
great swimming today… Having 
our band and our supporters here 
made a huge difference.”

Although the Wolverines were 

missing junior Siobhán Haughey, 
a former Olympian, Michigan was 
able to win relatively easily, 180-
120.

“I was so impressed with the 

whole team,” Bottom said. “We 
had one of our best swimmers, 
Siobhán, injured and not able to 
swim. That came up at the last 
minute. We had to make some 
changes due to Siobhán not 
swimming today, but our captains 
led us and the whole team really 
responded to that. They filled in 
where we needed to. Our fight was 
outstanding.”

Without Haughey, Michigan 

faced the tough task of facing 
Indiana’s Lilly King, a two-

time Olympic gold medalist in 
her own right. While King won 
multiple events, performances 
from swimmers like senior Clara 
Smiddy helped offset that. Smiddy 
won two events, including a 
three-second win over King in the 
200-yard IM.

The Wolverines specifically 

dominated the freestyle events, 
taking the top three spots in 
the 50, 100, 500 and the 1000-

yard freestyle. 
Junior 
Rose 

Bi, 
who 
won 

the 
500-yard 

freestyle, 
was 

confident in the 
team’s chances 
to win.

“We’re 

definitely 
a 

really 
strong 

team, 
but 
I 

know that we’re 
one of the best 

teams in the nation,” Bi said. “So 
I was pretty confident that we 
could beat them, even though 
they gave us a lot of challenges. I 
also saw a lot of opportunities to 
improve myself. They have some 
people who are better than us, so 
in the future, I can do better in 
these rounds.”

Just like Bi, Bottom saw the 

match as a golden opportunity 
for improvement, looking ahead 
to the Big Ten Championships 
and NCAAs. Against good teams, 
better ones rise to the occasion.

“They swam very fast against 

us,” Bottom said. “That was their 
fastest dual meet by far, and that 
was on both sides. We rose, and 
that was one of our fastest dual 
meets by far… When you face good 
competition you rise to it, and we 
learned.”

Many lessons can be learned 

from spending so much time on 
the road. The Wolverines found 
that out for themselves over the 
last three months, and Saturday’s 
domination of the Hoosiers was a 
glimpse of that.

Now, only time will tell if those 

lessons will pay off for Michigan 
in the postseason.

No. 8 Michigan taken down by No. 4 Indiana

As soon as he dove in, the 

race was over.

For 
40 
laps, 
senior 
PJ 

Ransford glided up and down 
the pool, toying with the rest 
of the field before touching 
the wall first in the 1,000-yard 
freestyle.

“I 
felt 
really 
strong,” 

Ransford said. “I was hitting 
my stroke count really well and 
it worked out 
really nicely.”

However, 

success did not 
come as easily 
for 
the 
rest 

of 
Ransford’s 

team. 
The 

eighth-ranked 
Wolverines 
(3-1 Big Ten, 
5-1 
overall) 

would win just 
three more events on Saturday 
en route to a disappointing loss 
to No. 4 Indiana (1-0 Big Ten, 
7-0 overall) — the defending 
conference champions — 170.5 
to 129.5.

The 
loss 
marked 
the 

Michigan 
men’s 
swimming 

and diving team’s first defeat 
at 
home 
at 
the 
Canham 

Natatorium since 2008, as they 
won just four events on the day 
to Indiana’s twelve.

In 
the 
sprint 
freestyle 

events, the Wolverines had 
no answer for the Hoosiers’ 
Blake Pieroni, who helped the 
U.S. win gold in the 400-meter 
freestyle relay in Rio. Pieroni 
touched first in the 50, 100 
and 200, downing fellow Rio 
Olympian and sophomore Felix 
Aubock along the way.

Michigan was no match for 

Indiana on the boards as well, 
as the Hoosiers took the top 
four spots in the three-meter 
diving 
event. 
Sophomores 

Jacob Herremans and Stevie 
Anderson finished fifth and 
sixth respectively. In the one-
meter event, Indiana took the 
top two spots.

Still, there were several 

silver-linings 
for 
the 

Wolverines. 
Michigan 

dominated the long-distance 
events. 
After 
Ransford 

cruised to victory in the 
1,000, he added another first 
place finish in the 500-yard 
freestyle. 
Freshman 
Luiz 

Gustavo Borges and Aubock 
followed suit, sealing the 1-2-3 
sweep for the Wolverines, 
respectively.

“As a distance group, we 

knew we had to do really well 

and score a lot of 
points in those 
events,” Ransford 
said. “We scored 
a lot of points in 
both races which 
is all you can ask 
for.”

Additionally, 

senior 
Evan 

White 
was 

involved 
in 
a 

pair of extremely 

close races. In the opening 200-
meter medley relay, White’s 
strong butterfly leg catapulted 
the Wolverines to an apparent 
split-second victory. However 
the Michigan relay team was 
later disqualified.

In the 100-yard butterfly, 

White touched the wall first 

by a fingernail, igniting a roar 
in the crowd at Canham. He 
capped off the day with a pair 
of second-place finishes in the 
200-yard butterfly and 200-
yard individual medley.

“I was trying to race as fast 

as I could and score points for 
Michigan really,” White said.

Added Michigan coach Mike 

Bottom: “Evan’s a senior and 
every senior wants to fight for 
Michigan.”

The 
Wolverines’ 
seniors 

proved Bottom 
right. Several of 
them recorded 
their 
best 

times 
on 
the 

day, 
including 

James 
Peek, 

who split a 43.8 
in the 400-yard 
freestyle relay.

“We’re 

getting towards 
the end of our 
collegiate career,” Ransford 
said. “And you just want to 
fire it up and swim fast for the 
team.”

Though 
the 
outcome 

was 
disappointing, 
Bottom 

continued 
to 
emphasize 

the value of these regular 
season dual meets as learning 

experiences and opportunities 
for growth, especially against 
an elite team like the Hoosiers.

“When 
you 
face 
great 

competition you rise to it,” 
Bottom said. “We rose, they 
rose.”

With just over a month until 

the Big Ten Championships, 
the Wolverines have their work 
cut out for them.

“We just have to do what we 

do,” Bottom said. “We have to 
get better.”

And 
just 

like 
last 
year, 

this 
year’s 

championship 
meet will likely 
come down to 
Michigan 
and 

Indiana 
once 

again. But this 
time, according 
to 
White, 
the 

Wolverines will 
be 
looking 
to 

avenge losses from both last 
year’s 
championships 
and 

Saturday’s dual meet.

“It’s always tough to take 

a loss at home,” said White. 
“But our guys showed strong 
mentalities, and this is just 
going to be fuel for the fire for 
the championship season.”

MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily

Senior PJ Ransford was one of few Michigan swimers who performed well in its meet against No. 4 Indiana. 

The Wolverines found out where improvement is needed in loss to the Hoosiers

“As a distance 
group, we knew 

we had to do 
really well.”

“When you 
face great 

competition, 
you rise to it.”

WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING

“I was so 
impressed 

with the whole 

team.”

RIAN RATNAVALE

Daily Sports Writer

ZACH GAN

Daily Sports Writer

WOMEN’S TENNIS

ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer

Forwards nominated for Hobey Baker Award

In its entire history, the 

Michigan hockey team has seen 
just two players claim a Hobey 
Baker Award: Kevin Porter in 
2007-08 and Brendan Morrison 
in 1996-97.

And given the Wolverines’ 

(5-7-2 Big Ten, 10-10-2 overall) 
performance 
this 
past 

weekend against 
then-No. 
9 

Minnesota (4-9-
1, 13-12-1), it’s 
no 
surprise 

that 
senior 

forward 
Tony 

Calderone 
and 

junior 
forward 

Cooper Marody 
were nominated 
Monday for the same award that 
solidified Porter and Morrison as 
Michigan hockey legends.

“It’s a tremendous honor,” 

Marody said. “I remember when 
I came in right at my freshman 
year and I walked into this room 
that was a lounge at one time, and 
the Hobey Baker trophies were 
there and above was a picture 
with the two Hobey Baker 

winners – Brendan Morrison 
and Porter – and coach (Red) 
Berenson told me, he said, ‘You 
see those right there? Go get 
one.’ ”

That memory certainly seems 

like more of a reality now.

Marody and Calderone lead 

the team in points with 31 and 
27, respectively, and steered the 
Wolverines to an unexpected 

sweep 
of 
the 

Golden Gophers.

“Obviously, 

you know they’ve 
had good years,” 
said 
Michigan 

coach 
Mel 

Pearson. “ … I’m 
glad they were 
recognized 
for 

it. 
Obviously, 

they can’t do it 
without a lot of 

help from other people, but good 
for them, they both deserve to be 
nominated and recognized for 
the starts they’ve had so far.”

The pair – in conjunction with 

senior forward Dexter Dancs – 
are no strangers to the spotlight 
as almost 40% of Michigan’s 
total points run through them.

But are either of them worthy 

of the highest honor in collegiate 

hockey?

Let’s put it in context of the 

Wolverines’ biggest and most 
successful series of the season 
thus far.

Mariucci Arena – Minnesota’s 

home rink – is one of the most 
hostile environments in all of 
college 
hockey, 
but 
Marody 

managed to give Michigan a 3-1 
lead both Friday and Saturday. 
They 
were 

much-needed 
insurance goals 
to solidify its two 
victories.

Calderone, 

despite 
his 

uncommon goal-
less 
weekend, 

racked up three 
assists, 
one 
of 

which 
was 
to 

Dancs to get the 
Wolverines on the board first 
Friday.

To say that Marody and 

Calderone generated all of the 
Michigan offense this weekend 
would be a farce, as the sweep 
can be attributed to a complete 
revival – a rev of the Wolverines’ 
offensive engine.

“You see one guy working, 

shoveling, and then maybe three 

or four guys just leaning on their 
shovels watching, and I think 
we’ve been a little bit like that,” 
Pearson said. “Lately, all the guys 
are getting their hands dirty.”

Junior 
forward 
Brendan 

Warren 
certainly 
can 
be 

considered one of those guys, 
netting two goals Friday that 
ultimately helped award him the 
Big Ten First Star of the Week.

However, their 

combined 
plus-

minus of three 
is worth noting 
to consider the 
impact of their 
prowess.

At face value, 

Calderone’s 
team-leading 15 
goals 
– 
which 

ties for seventh 
in 
the 
nation 

– and Marody’s 31 points are 
considerable accolades. But, the 
recent success of the pair wasn’t 
always a given in the up-and-
down season the Wolverines are 
having.

They were scoreless against 

Ohio 
State 
in 
Columbus, 

Michigan State in East Lansing 
and Notre Dame in South Bend. 
While the Michigan offense – if 
one were to look at the season 
in its entirety – has been reliant 
on Marody and Calderone, their 
performance has ultimately been 
inconsistent.

“I 
think 
this 
weekend 

might’ve shown that we can do it 
against good teams,” Calderone 
said of the Selection Committee’s 
process. “But they’ve probably 
looked at our whole season and 
I think we’ve done pretty well 
… but last weekend definitely 
helped.”

If the weekend against the 

Golden Gophers tells fans one 
thing, it’s that the Wolverines’ 
play is much better when the pair 
is on its game.

And the question remains, can 

they keep it up?

The 
Hobey 
Baker 
Award 

Selection Committee will be 
watching.

ROBERT HEFTER

Daily Sports Editor

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Senior forward Tony Calderone was nominated for the Hobey Baker award, along with junior forward Cooper Marody.

“Obviously, you 
know they’ve 

had good 

years.”

“Lately, all the 
guys are getting 

their hands 

dirty.”

