Friday, November 9, 2018 // TIP OFF 2018
7B 

Roster Breakdown: ‘M’ replacing Flaherty with 
strong recruiting class and experienced forwards

After 
advancing 
to 
the 
second round of the 2018 NCAA 
Tournament 
last 
year, 
the 
Michigan women’s basketball 
team returns a seasoned and 
experienced 
bunch.
Of 
course, 
the Wolverines 
will be without 
Katelynn 
Flaherty 
for 
the 
upcoming 
campaign. 
Flaherty scored 
2,776 points in 
her career, the 
most 
ever 
in 
school history — including the 
men’s program — and 27th all-
time in NCAA history. She was 
also one of just two women in 
NCAA history to hit over 400 
3-pointers in her career (410) 
and she led the team in scoring 

last season with 22.9 points per 
game on 42.3-percent shooting 
from beyond the arc. 
Simply put, Michigan has a 
lot of production to make up. 
However, coach Kim Barnes 
Arico recruited the 12th-best 
class in the nation (the highest-
ranked 
class 
in 
program history), 
infusing 
exciting 
young 
players 
into a lineup that 
also 
features 
experienced 
veterans. 
While 
last year was the 
Katelynn Flaherty 
show, 
this 
team 
has more of a feel 
of an ensemble. 
So, you may ask, who are 
the women that make up this 
year’s squad? The Daily breaks 
down Michigan’s roster for the 
upcoming season:
Guards:
Looking to replace Flaherty’s 

presence, 5-star freshman Amy 
Dilk appears to be more than up 
to the task. Out of Carmel, Ind., 
Dilk has shown tremendous 
poise on the defensive side of 
the ball and possesses fantastic 
vision and a deadly stroke 
from deep. In high school, 
Dilk 
averaged 
17.8 points and 
6.7 assists per 
game and was 
named Indiana’s 
Gatorade Player 
of the Year and 
Miss Basketball.
Joining 
Dilk 
in the backcourt 
is 
sophomore 
shooting 
guard 
Deja 
Church, 
who has returned to her natural 
position after spending time 
as 
Michigan’s 
backup 
point 
guard last season. Church does 
a great job at getting to the 
basket and seems like a surefire 
bet to improve on a freshman 

campaign that saw her average 
7.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 
assists per game.
Fellow sophomore Priscilla 
Smeenge should also be in line 
to see extended minutes, and 
she should continue to make an 
impact with her 3-point stroke 
after 
knocking 
down 40 percent 
of her attempts 
last 
season 
in 
limited 
action. 
Junior Akienrah 
Johnson 
also 
figures to make an 
impact, especially 
after she scored 
in double figures 
in 
three 
of 
Michigan’s 
final 
six games of the season to help 
clinch a tournament berth.
Rounding out the guards are 
freshmen Danielle Rauch and 
Ariel Young. Young is a 6-foot-
1 guard from Tallahassee, Fla., 
See ROSTER, Page 8B

TEDDY GUTKIN
Daily Sports Writer

ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily
The Michigan women’s basketball team has a talent-laden roster, with a top-15 recruiting class and an experienced frontcourt returning this season.

Who are the 
women that 
make up this 
year’s squad?

junior guard Kaila Charles, 
who averaged 17.9 points per 
game to go with 8.1 rebounds 
per game in 2017-2018. In 
addition to Charles, Freese 
brings in the fifth-ranked 
recruiting class, per ESPN. 
Highlighted by fourth-ranked 
recruit 
forward 
Shakira 
Austin, and another five-
star recruit in guard Taylor 
Mikesell, the Terrapins will 
look for early contributions 
from their freshmen. 
This year’s Maryland team 
is set to be an improvement 
on last year’s team as the 
Terrapins come into the season 
as the early season favorites 
to capture yet another Big 
Ten championship. 
In 
last 
season’s 
bout, 
Maryland beat the Wolverines 
83-70 and will host Michigan 
on Jan. 12. 
No. 13 Iowa 
Last season: Fourth-place 
finish in the Big Ten (11-5, 
24-7)
After 
a 
disappointing 
first-round exit in last year’s 
NCAA 
Tournament, 
the 
Hawkeyes head into the 2018 
season full of motivation and 
experience. 
Iowa 
returns 
four of last season’s starters, 
including the preseason Big 
Ten player of the year, senior 
guard 
Megan 
Gustafson, 
and junior guard Kathleen 
Doyle, 
another 
preseason 
all-Big Ten selection. The 
Hawkeyes, 
however, 
will 
play the first month of the 
season without Doyle, who 
suffered a fractured left hand 
in practice a week ago. In her 
place, Iowa will rely on senior 
guard Tania Davis, who is 
coming off of an ACL injury 
which sidelined her for the 
majority of last season.
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder is in 
her nineteenth season at the 
helm of the Hawkeye women’s 
program and has a record of 
367-210. Seeking her third 
Big Ten championship, Bluder 
has Iowa in the preseason 
rankings for the first time 
since 2014, when it debuted as 
the No. 19 team in the country. 
The 
Hawkeyes 
defeated 
Michigan in their one matchup 
last year, 82-72, and will host 
the Wolverines on Jan. 17 and 
visit Ann Arbor on Jan. 31. 

BIG TEN BREAKDOWN
From Page 6B

Five-star guard Amy Dilk will lead the way in the frontcourt for the Wolverines, 
but seniors Nicole Munger and Hallie Thome bring back experience to the team

The Daily 
breaks down 
Michigan’s 
roster.

