8A — Wednesday, January 24,2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Best moments are still ahead for new lacrosse coach, Hannah Nielsen
It started with tennis and a
t-shirt.
Hannah
Nielsen
grew
up
playing all sorts of sports in
Adelaide, Australia. It wasn’t until
she was 11 years old, though, that
she even heard of lacrosse.
“I actually played tennis with a
girl who had a lacrosse t-shirt on,
and I had no idea what the sport
was,” Nielsen said. “She said I
should come out and try it. I picked
up a stick and never looked back.”
Nielsen quickly grew to love the
toughness of the game. She loved
playing in the heat of summer and
in the dead of winter. She loved the
running and the physicality. She
loved playing in the mud.
By seventh grade, Nielsen was
sold. Lacrosse would be her sport.
Today, Nielsen finds herself
weeks way from her first game
as the second-ever Michigan
women’s lacrosse coach.
Joining the Brighton Lacrosse
Club, Nielsen started her journey
where other lacrosse greats began,
including
Loyola
University
Maryland women’s lacrosse coach
Jen Adams.
Adams won the first ever
Tewaaraton
Award
—
the
Heisman of collegiate lacrosse
— in 2001 after her senior season
at Maryland. There, Adams won
four national championships and
finished off her collegiate career
with a perfect 23-0 season.
Nielsen wanted to follow suit.
“I
remember
at
the
time
watching a highlight video of
an Australian girl playing at
Maryland and just thought, ‘That’s
what I want to do,’ ” Nielsen said.
“Pretty much from there through
high school, I set my sights on
getting to college.”
Five years later, Nielsen found
herself at Northwestern. Though
she always dreamed of becoming
a Terrapin like Adams, Nielsen
believed the Wildcats would be
the team to beat.
Not only did Nielsen want to be
a champion, but she wanted to be
a champion in her own right. At
Northwestern, she could pave her
own path.
“Northwestern had just won
its first national championship,”
Nielsen said. “I could tell that
the program was destined for
great things, and had success in
their future. It’s something that
I felt I should be a part of, and at
the end of the day I wanted to do
something new. To do something
that no other Australian had
done.”
And that she did.
Nielsen
graduated
Northwestern
with
a
perfect
senior
season
like Adams. She
bested
Adams
with not one, but
two Tewaaraton
Awards in both
her
junior
and
senior years.
She
is
the
Wildcats’
all-time
leader
in
points (398) and assists (224), and
finished off her collegiate career
with a 21-7 triumph over North
Carolina for a fourth and final
national championship. Nielsen
remembers the win as her favorite
on-field moment at Northwestern.
“It was icing on top of an
incredible season,” she said.
Nielsen’s dominance on the
lacrosse field didn’t stop there,
though. In fact, it didn’t even begin
there.
Before landing in Chicago, and
before playing a single collegiate
match, Nielsen was already a
world champion.
Out
of
the
10
Women’s
Lacrosse
World
Cups held since
its
inaugural
year in 1982, the
United
States
has
won
eight.
In 2005, Nielsen
and the rest of
the
Australian
National
Team
beat out the Americans on their
home turf in the gold-medal
match, 14-7. She was just 17 years
old.
This past summer, at 29, Nielsen
competed in her fourth World
Cup in England, and was selected
to the 12 player All-World Team
alongside four of her teammates,
one being Adams.
“For
me,
there’s
nothing
better
than
playing
for
my
country,” Nielsen said. “Getting to
represent Australia — for anyone,
representing your own country
— I don’t think there’s anything
better.”
Nielsen’s
stellar
career
as a player has
translated
well
into her quickly
progressing
coaching
career.
Before
earning
her first position
as a head coach
at Michigan this
past
summer,
Nielsen
was
an assistant coach at her alma
mater. Previously, she was on
the coaching staff at Penn State
and Towson, and helped start
the women’s lacrosse program at
Colorado in 2014 — the same year
Michigan’s program began.
Ironically
enough,
the
Wolverines open up their 2018
season against the Buffaloes in
Jacksonville, Fla. on February 9th.
“It’s going to be kind of a crazy
experience,” Nielsen said. “I’ve
fortunately coached against them
before, so it won’t be my first time.
They still hold a very special place
in my heart.”
This
meeting
will be Michigan’s
third
encounter
with the Buffalos.
The
Wolverines
dropped their first
battle in a 14-13
double
overtime
thriller back in
2015.
Colorado
widened the gap
the
following
year, dominating
in an 11-4 showing.
Four seasons in, the Buffalos
boast a .640 win percentage while
Michigan sits at .290. Perhaps
it was Nielsen that influenced
Colorado’s
quick
progression.
Either way, the matchup is shaping
up to be a good one.
“The head coach is a very good
friend of mine,” Nielsen said. “Both
of us are very, very competitive, so
we’re both going to want to win.”
And despite losing 14 seniors to
graduation last season — most of
whom were four-year starters —
Nielsen thinks her team can win.
She believe the Wolverines have
athleticism on their side.
Michigan’s current coaching
staff prides itself on being able to
teach the game. If the players are
athletic and have the will to win,
Nielsen believes they will do just
that.
“If I were to pick someone
who’s got that killer instinct and
athleticism over someone who’s
got finesse and skill, I’m definitely
going for that athleticism,” Nielsen
said. “We like toughness. We like
gritty players who aren’t afraid
to do the dirty work that goes
unnoticed.”
Luckily
for
Nielsen,
the
previous women’s lacrosse coach,
Jennifer Ulehla, felt similarly. She
recruited athletes and believed
specific skills and lacrosse IQ
could be taught.
So far, Nielsen says it s all
coming together.
From day one back in September
through the end of fall ball,
Nielsen has seen improvements all
over the field. The Wolverines are
beginning to click.
“The best moment so far was our
last practice of the fall,“ Nielsen
said. “To sit back as a coaching
staff and see where we’ve come
from and where we were at that
point was really satisfying.”
And where will Michigan be in
May when the season wraps up?”
“Hopefully in a better place than
where we started,“ Nielsen said. “I
hope that we’ve progressed as a
team and that we’ve got a strong
belief in all of our values and our
culture. Hopefully we’ve got some
wins on the board, as well.”
Nielsen has had what one would
call a storied career in the lacrosse
world.
Coming
to
Michigan,
however, is not the end of the
story. Coaching is simply her latest
chapter.
“Honestly,” Nielsen said, “the
best moments are still to come.”
MAX KUANG/Daily
The Michigan women’s lacrosse team will have a new coach this year in Hannah Nielsen, perhaps the best collegiate player of all time.
KATIE CONKLIN
Daily Sports Writer
“It was icing
on top of an
incredible
season.”
“For me, there’s
nothing better
than playing for
my country.”
CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily
Senior guard Katelynn Flaherty was on fire in the first half and finished with 26 points in Michigan’s 26-point win.
‘M’ dominates in 74-48 win over MSU
The game tipped off at 7:00. It
was over by 7:10.
It took just over five minutes of
game time for the No. 16 Michigan
women’s basketball team (7-2
Big Ten, 18-4 overall) to build up
an 18-4 first quarter lead over
Michigan State (4-4, 14-7). The
Spartans never came back, or came
close to doing so, as the Wolverines
cruised to a 74-48 win.
Ironically,
things
started
tenuously, as junior guard Nicole
Munger turned the ball over after
Michigan State trapped a pick-and-
roll on the game’s first possession,
leading to a transition layup. The
next time down, when the Spartans
pulled the same trick against
senior guard Katelynn Flaherty,
she nearly lost her dribble as well.
But she found it, along with junior
center Hallie Thome for a layup.
By the time the Spartans scored
again, Flaherty had scored six
points and notched a second assist.
She rained fire early on, hitting two
3-pointers off screens, then finding
freshman forward Hailey Brown
under the basket when the entire
Michigan State defense gravitated
to Flaherty in transition.
In the first half alone, Flaherty
created 22 points — 12 of her own
doing and 10 off assists. By the
end of the game, that number was
up to 41, through 26 points and 10
assists, over half of the Wolverines’
74 points.
“She got away from us a couple
times, but, I mean, she gets an open
look, it’s down,” said Michigan
State coach Suzy Merchant. “I don’t
care if she’s playing Michigan State,
Ohio State — it doesn’t matter. That
kid is a great, great shooter.”
No
matter
the
question,
Flaherty was the answer. When
the Spartans drew within 10 at the
start of the second half — the only
time all game in which a comeback
seemed within reach — she hit a
3-pointer, drew a foul in transition
(hitting both free throws), assisted
a Munger triple, then drained a
running transition hook shot along
with the ensuing free throw.
A 36-26 lead ballooned to 47-31.
Whatever hope Michigan State had
died. The rest of the contest was a
mere formality.
“Going into this game, we knew
that they send all of their players
to the offensive glass,” Flaherty
said. “So we knew we could run in
transition. They’re a bigger team,
a slower team compared to us, so I
think we really took advantage of
that.”
The win marked Michigan’s
fifth in a row, a streak that now
includes wins over both the
Wolverines’ rivals. In a year that
will be defined by whether or
not Michigan continues on its
current path to make the NCAA
Tournament, the Wolverines are
galvanized by the scars of being left
out last season.
“We got robbed last year, not
getting to the NCAA Tournament,”
said Michigan coach Kim Barnes
Arico. “And they have been on a
mission since that announcement
at March Madness. And we went on
to win the WNIT Championship,
but they didn’t even stop working
after that win. They came back
this year hungrier than ever...all
of our returners have something
to prove. They have a chip on their
shoulder.
“...It doesn’t ever end. I think
it’s a constant reminder, because
the people that came before
them never got to experience it.
So (graduate assistant) Danielle
Williams and Siera Thompson,
who were seniors for us last year,
they’ll never get that back. So it
is a pain, like it’s a gut-wrenching
pain that will never go away. And
I think this year’s team is on a
mission for all Michigan players,
that this is for you.”
Tuesday was a rivalry victory,
yes, and one against a program
Michigan had gone 3-8 against
during Barnes Arico’s tenure
coming into tonight.
But it was also one step closer
to avenge last season’s “robbing,”
and that’s how the Wolverines will
remember it.
ETHAN SEARS
Daily Sports Writer
Achilles heel no longer?
F
ebruary 5, 2015.
That
was the last
time
the
Michigan
women’s
basketball
team
defeated
Michigan
State.
In
four straight
matchups,
Kim Barnes Arico came up
empty-handed
against
the
Spartans.
That was the case until
Tuesday, when the Wolverines
routed Michigan State, 74 to 48.
“This win is important to our
university,” Barnes Arico said.
“It’s important to our players
in our program. It’s important
to our state. I mean, it’s just
important.”
Part of the job description
when coaching at Michigan is
how you fair against Michigan
State and Ohio State. Up until
this season, those matchups were
an Achilles heel for Barnes Arico.
And for the first time in her
career, these rivalry matchups
are going the right way for Barnes
Arico. At least they appear to be,
as the Wolverines have now won
their last two matchups against
the two schools.
Prior to Tuesday, the sixth
year coach posted a 3-8 record
against her rivals from East
Lansing. And her record against
the Buckeyes is only slightly
better at 3-6, boasting a combined
.300
winning
percentage.
Despite being the program’s all-
time winningest coach, rivalry
matchups are a glaring weakness
for Barnes Arico, as 21 percent of
her total career losses have come
at the hands of the Spartans and
Ohio State. Given the magnitude
of these matchups, these loses
must sting particularly bad.
“This is a game that is circled
on the schedule. Every year,”
Barnes Arico said. “My first year
here, we had five seniors on that
team. They taught me what it
meant, what this rivalry truly
meant. And how important it
was to beat State. (The seniors)
have been incredible continuing
to teach our program what that
really means.”
But
when
considering
all
factors, Barnes Arico’s previous
lack of success against rival
schools should only be taken into
consideration in part.
Unfortunately
for
her,
Michigan’s two biggest rivals
have consistently been among
the best teams in the country,
notching seven combined NCAA
Tournament
appearances
in
the five seasons of Barnes Arico
tenure. The two teams have also
each been Big Ten champions in
that timespan.
And while Barnes Arico’s
numbers aren’t by any means
good,
compared
to
her
predecessors, they aren’t bad.
She has three of the Wolverines
12 all-time wins against the
Buckeyes. She also now possesses
four of Michigan’s five wins over
the Spartans since the 2003-04
season.
While the past six seasons
shouldn’t be forgotten, this is
the year to start judging Barnes
Arico against her rivals. Her
team is currently ranked 16th in
the country and has appeared
in the rankings every week this
season. This is the year Barnes
Arico
should
challenge
her
rivals.
And she has.
This year, the Wolverines
are 2-1 against the two schools,
with their lone loss coming in
overtime to then-No. 8 Ohio
State on January 7th.
Some may say it’s a fluke and
point to the 2014-15 season,
where Michigan went 2-0 against
the Spartans and 1-1 against the
Buckeyes. They may then note
that the Wolverines proceeded
to go 1-4 against Michigan State
in the following years. And they
might also say that this is the
worst Spartan team in years and
had multiple injured players on
Tuesday.
And they’re right – somewhat.
Yes, for Michigan to qualify
for the NCAA Tournament and
become a staple in the national
rankings, it has to continue to
beat quality teams like Michigan
State and Ohio State. They can’t
be satisfied with these victories.
It has to perform well at the Big
Ten Tournament and make its
first NCAA tournament in five
years.
But Thursday showed Barnes
Arico and the Wolverines are
on the trajectory of figuring out
their Achilles heel.
CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily
Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico has beaten both rivals this year.
HUNTER
SHARF