8A — Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Student-athletes create group to help survivors of sexual assault

In observance of Women’s History 
Month, The Daily’s sports section is 
launching its second annual series 
aimed at telling the stories of female 
athletes, coaches and teams at the 
University from the perspective of 
the female sports writers on staff. We 
continue the series with this story 
from Daily Sports Writer Molly 
Shea. 
Sydney Wetterstrom and Sam 
Roy have a lot in common.
They both love yoga. Spending 
time with friends. Writing.
They’re both juniors, involved 
with 
athletics 
at 
Michigan 
and 
dedicated 
to 
school. 
If 
Wetterstrom’s not on the volleyball 
court, killing and blocking, she’s in 
the classroom working toward a 
double major in Spanish and Health 
and Fitness. In Roy’s case, she 
balances her new role as a student 
assistant coach for the women’s 
gymnastics team — after spending 
two years on the team as a gymnast 
— with studying Neuroscience on 
the pre-med track.
Beyond 
these 
surface 
level 
connections, Roy and Wetterstrom 
have a deeper common thread. Both 
are survivors of sexual assault.
In late February, the two women 
co-founded 
Student 
Athlete 
Sexual Health. It’s a support group 
specifically for student-athletes 
that identify as sexual assault 
survivors or know someone who 
has been affected by it. Meetings 
are held on a bimonthly basis and 
provide a safe, confidential place 
for athletes to share their struggles, 
triumphs and support.
“This group was started because 
we want people to know how real 
this issue is,” Roy said. “So many 
people go through it and sometimes 
people aren’t willing to talk about it. 
We’re hoping to bring that stigma 
out of the word ‘sexual abuse.’ ”
The stigma surrounding sexual 
abuse is undeniable, but it’s a topic 
that has to be discussed, especially 
given the statistics.
According to the National Sexual 

Violence Resource Center, 20 to 25 
percent of women and 15 percent 
of men are survivors of forced sex 
during their college years. And 
even more unsettling: More than 
90 percent of victims do not report 
their assault.
“Pursuing legal action is hard,” 
Wetterstrom said. “You’re just 
some kid in some file cabinet, 
where your story may never be 
opened again. They may never find 
the perpetrator, that person may be 
out there affecting so many more 
young individuals.”
The two connected the same 
way everyone does — via social 
media. In November, Roy was 
scrolling through her Instagram 
feed when she found Wetterstrom’s 
post that detailed her sexual 
assault. She immediately reached 
out and offered support, plus an 
invitation for coffee.
“I knew I had had her number,” 
Roy said. “We weren’t the closest 
of friends but we knew each other. 
I just reached out and said, ‘Hey I 
know what you’re going through.’ 
I know for me I’d always wanted 
to start a group. Syd had a similar 
idea, and we both jumped on board 
with it.”
And just like that, the framework 
for 
what 
would 
eventually become 
SASH was born.
The two spent 
the 
following 
months 
working 
out 
the 
details 
and 
logistics 
of 
the group before 
bringing it to the 
Athletic Counseling 
Team for approval. 
Abigail 
Eiler, 
assistant director of ACT, was 
instrumental in getting the group 
on its feet. Eiler is present at all 
group meetings to provide support 
and assist Roy and Wetterstrom 
with facilitation of the difficult 
conversations that trauma entails.
But before these women could 
become allies for other survivors, 
they had to heal and cope with their 
own traumas. They believe the path 

to healing isn’t linear. There’s light 
and dark. Good days and bad days. 
Wetterstrom was forced to deal 
with the aftermath of her assault 
in the middle of volleyball season 
this fall.
“It was extremely challenging 
to return to play because the same 
physiological experiences occurred 
in both events,” Wetterstrom said. 
“The fight-or-flight response in one 
situation benefits you and allows 
you to perform to the best of your 
ability and be strong and compete, 
and at the other end it allows you 
to survive. Any time I was in an 
intense 
fight-or-flight 
response 
situation, it was as if I was reliving 
the assault. It took time for me to 
separate the two and realize that I 
am safe.”
Roy 
suffered 
abuse 
while 
receiving 
treatment 
for 
a 
gymnastics injury. She spent the 
beginning of her healing process 
keeping her assault private and 
dealing with it internally. But 
watching other women, like her 
teammates and role models within 
the sport, come forward and 
confront their abuser, inspired her 
to open up about her abuse. With 
the help of her psychologist, Roy is 
working on moving past the trauma 
and sharing her 
story with others.
“For 
the 
longest time I 
was 
silenced,” 
Roy said. “I feel 
like I’m finally 
standing on my 
own two feet. 
I’m 
standing 
up 
and 
using 
my 
resources. 
Women 
empower women. I truly feel that 
me getting to use my voice has 
given me back a part of that I felt 
like I had lost.”
For Roy and Wetterstrom, that’s 
their favorite part of SASH — 
empowering and helping others to 
find their voices and heal. It’s about 
providing a space where anyone is 
welcome and everyone is ready and 
willing to listen.

The group emphasizes that 
there’s no universal path to dealing 
with the trauma of being sexually 
assaulted. But they want to help 
survivors find their way. Whether 
it’s mediation, keeping a gratitude 
journal or finding three things 
every day to be grateful for, they 
have a plethora of mechanisms to 
equip survivors with.
“We 
always 
talk about what 
coping strategies 
work for you may 
not work for the 
person sitting next 
to you,” Roy said. 
“We might have 
something for you 
and it might work 
a couple times and 
then we have to 
switch something 
up, or it might work for the rest of 
your life.”
Roy and Wetterstrom want 
survivors to know that there’s light 
in the darkness. That they can, 
and will, get through it. They’ve 
experienced 
a 
surprising 
and 
welcome result since going public 
with their stories — other survivors 
are reaching out to them.
“By coming public with it and 

telling your story, people then 
reach out to you,” Wetterstrom 
said. “You find you have similar 
pasts. And as brutal as those pasts 
may be, it’s comforting to know 
you’re not alone.”
While the group is currently 
only open to student-athletes, the 
university has support groups 
through SAPAC that are peer-led 
and open to all 
students.
“To 
make 
it 
an 
individual 
group for student-
athletes 
because 
they exhibit the 
same 
stressors 
and opportunities 
and expectations 
is 
something 
that 
makes 
it 
specialized,” 
Wetterstrom said. “It’s just a safe 
place for everyone, and that’s the 
most important thing.”
But if you go looking for 
information on this group on any 
of the athletic department’s web 
pages, your search will come up 
empty. They want to change that.
“The University of Michigan 
has never done anything with 
malintent,” Wetterstrom said. “But 

two women can only do so much 
to spread the word. We’re creating 
a group for individuals in athletics 
and I know it’s not a glamorous 
topic. It’s not Big Ten basketball, 
or Big Ten football. But it’s an 
issue that we have on campus, 
on campuses down the road, 
campuses in other states, and yet I 
feel like it’s being swept under the 
rug and I would love more support 
from (the athletic department).”
While SASH is still in the 
beginning stages, its leaders have 
big plans for the future. Right now, 
they’re focusing on baby steps. 
A logo. Creating a GroupMe for 
members. Acknowledgement from 
the athletic department. The bigger 
plans involve getting other Big Ten 
schools to create similar support 
groups and eventually every school 
in the NCAA.
“Whether there’s three people in 
our meeting, or 300,” Wetterstrom 
said, “we’re happy to help anyone.”
If you or someone you know has 
been affected by sexual assault, it’s 
not your fault. You are not alone. 
Help is available 24/7. Contact the 
National Sexual Assault Hotline at 
1-800-656-HOPE. The University 
of Michigan has a 24/7 crisis hotline 
734-936-3333.

ANNIE KLUSENDORF/Daily
Junior outside hitter Sydney Wetterstrom helped co-found SASH, a group for student-athlete survivors of sexual assault.

MOLLY SHEA
Daily Sports Writer

Roundtable: The Daily basketball beat on Michigan’s chances in March

 Michigan is back in the NCAA 
Tournament. Now what?
The 
Wolverines’ 
selection 
to the tournament, which they 
will open by playing No. 15 seed 
Montana on Thursday night in 
Des Moines, Iowa, seemed to 
be met with a collective ennui. 
After all, this was a team that, 
just an hour earlier, suffered a 
heartbreaking loss to Michigan 
State, this time in the Big Ten 
Tournament 
championship 
game, and went just 6-4 over 
its final 10 games — three of the 
losses coming to the Spartans. In 
opposition to previous seasons in 
which Michigan hit its stride in 
March, this team almost limped 
to the finish.
Still, the Wolverines didn’t 
start a program-record 17-0, 
win 28 games and earn a No. 
2 seed for nothing. Despite an 
inconsistent offense, they have 
the second-best defense in the 
country, per KenPom — a stingy 
unit that should allow them to 
compete with anyone in the 

bracket. In what appears to be 
a manageable West Regional, 
Michigan, should it put its recent 
struggles behind it, will fancy 
its chances of dancing deep into 
March and possibly April.
But will it actually do so? 
The Daily men’s basketball beat 
writers offer their predictions of 
Michigan’s postseason fate:
Aria Gerson: John Beilein has 
a reputation as a coach capable 
of March magic. With a team 
that won more games and earned 
a higher seed — No. 2 — than 
last year’s squad that made the 
national title game, expectations 
are once again high for the 
Wolverines.
Like last year, they should 
handle No. 15 seed Montana fairly 
easily. The Grizzlies have a lot of 
experience and can shoot, but 
lack size. That won’t serve them 
well against junior center Jon 
Teske. 
Ultimately, 
Michigan’s 
defense will overwhelm Montana 
in a low-scoring affair that may 
stay close in the first half.
In the second round, the 
Wolverines would meet either 
No. 7 seed Nevada or No. 10 

seed 
Florida. 
The 
Wolfpack 
are not quite as good as their 
reputation, and while the Gators 
have a few impressive wins, 
they also lost to SEC bottom-
feeder Georgia. Considering how 
Michigan looked against lower-
tier tournament teams in the Big 
Ten Tournament — beating Iowa 
and Minnesota by a combined 48 
points — it should handle either 
of these opponents as well.
But once the Wolverines start 
playing better teams, they will 
run into trouble with a lack of 
offensive options. Michigan will 
find its way to the Sweet 16 for 
the third straight year, but that’s 
where their season will come to 
an end — most likely in a low-
scoring slugfest against No. 3 
seed Texas Tech.
Jacob Shames: Looking at 
the bracket as a whole, Michigan 
has to be pleased with its draw. 
There’s no nightmare matchup 
in its way like a second-round 
run-in with Syracuse’s 2-3 zone, 
and Gonzaga is perceived as the 
weakest of the four No. 1 seeds in 
the bracket.
It’s hard for me to see the 

Wolverines failing to make it 
out of Des Moines. They should 
handle Montana in the first round, 
Nevada’s talented, but isolation-
heavy offense plays right into 
their hands, and a cursory 
glance at Florida’s statistical 
profile seems to show a worse 
version of Michigan, essentially. 
In the Sweet 16, Texas Tech’s 
defense, per KenPom, is the lone 
unit in the nation better than 
Michigan’s. But while shooting 
guard Jarrett Culver is legit, 
the Red Raiders’ offense mostly 
starts and ends with him. With 
Charles Matthews neutralizing 
Culver, the Wolverines will win 
a rock fight and move on to play 
Gonzaga.
But that’s where Michigan’s 
road will end.
Jon Teske is just one man, 
Ignas Brazdeikis doesn’t quite 
have a power forward’s size, and 
the Wolverines have had trouble 
guarding versatile forwards like 
Lamar Stevens, Luka Garza and 
Xavier Tillman. The Bulldogs 
have two.
Rui Hachimura and Brandon 
Clarke are absolute monsters 

that can score, defend and crash 
the glass with anyone, and Josh 
Perkins, Zach Norvell and Corey 
Kispert can light it up from 
3-point range. Don’t be fooled 
by the “Ain’t Played Nobody!” 
crowd: Gonzaga is for real. It 
might not have the reputation 
of a Duke or a North Carolina, 
but Michigan has yet to prove it 
can beat teams of the Bulldogs’ 
caliber.
In a game eerily reminiscent of 
the three games against Michigan 
State, Gonzaga pulls away down 
the stretch, the Wolverines can’t 
find a bucket-getter to elevate 
them over a superior team, and 
their season ends in Anaheim.
Ethan 
Sears: 
Across 
the 
board, Michigan’s draw wasn’t 
just considered favorable, but 
as good as it could have possibly 
been. Gonzaga is, universally, 
seen as the weakest 1-seed — and 
that seems to dictate how people 
are viewing this. I’m not entirely 
sure that’s correct.
You can chalk the first-round 
game against Montana up as 
a win. Barring some kind of 
disaster, the Wolverines win that 
on talent alone. But every matchup 
after that is deceptively tough. 
Nevada has underperformed all 
season. Assuming they get past 
Florida, though, the Wolfpack 
also have multiple NBA-caliber 
players such as Caleb Martin 
and Jordan Caroline. It’s a game 
Michigan should win. It’s also a 
tough 7-seed to play in the second 
round.
Play out the rest of the bracket 
from there and the matchups 
all feel similar. The Wolverines 
should beat Texas Tech in the 
Sweet 16. Nobody would be 
surprised if they didn’t.
This draw isn’t easy, but it does 
put Michigan’s fate into its own 
hands. It won’t lose any of these 
games because it can’t match 
up with any of these teams, 
including 
Gonzaga. 
Whether 
the Wolverines play up to that 
potential is a different question 
entirely, and one their collective 
performances against Michigan 
State make hard to answer.
Right now, it’s hard to see 
this team putting it together 
offensively for enough games in a 
row to make it back to the Final 

Four. The consistency just hasn’t 
been there, especially against 
higher-level competition.
Michigan’s 
season 
ends 
against Florida State in the Elite 
Eight.
Theo Mackie: On Sunday 
afternoon in Chicago, Michigan 
lost the Big Ten championship 
game to Michigan State — its 
third loss to the Spartans in three 
weeks. But despite the season 
sweep, it took mere minutes 
for the moods of the respective 
fanbases to turn.
While Michigan State was 
selected as the No. 2 seed in the 
NCAA Tournament’s East region, 
the Wolverines were sent out west 
— the prescribed punishment for 
being selected as the last 2-seed. 
Except the West boasts the 
last No. 1 seed, Gonzaga, while 
the East is headlined by Zion 
Williamson and Duke.
Armed 
with 
a 
year 
of 
experience against Montana, its 
first-round opponent last year, 
Michigan should avoid the slow 
start that it had a year ago and 
cruise to the Round of 32. Neither 
of its two potential opponents 
there should inspire much fear. 
Florida ranks 61st in adjusted 
offensive efficiency — a death 
knell if you’re hoping to beat the 
Wolverines — while Nevada’s 
individualistic 
offensive 
style 
should be no problem for Zavier 
Simpson and Michigan. The 
bigger reason that the Wolverines 
should 
stroll 
to 
the 
Sweet 
16, though, is that this team 
rarely runs into trouble against 
mediocre teams.
The problem is that it also 
rarely finds success against elite 
ones, at least since late December. 
And after a potential matchup 
with Texas Tech in the Sweet 16 
that stacks up as a first-to-50-
wins defensive battle, an elite 
team is exactly what Michigan 
will face. That may come in the 
form of Gonzaga, one of the 
country’s most talented teams, 
or Florida State, one of its biggest 
and deepest.
And unless the Wolverines 
solve the offensive issues that 
have plagued them for months, 
that’s going to be a problem. 
Ultimately, they’ll fall one game 
short of the Final Four.

We want 
people to know 
how real this 
issue is.

I feel like I’m 
finally standing 
on my own two 
feet.

THE BASKETBALL BEAT
Daily Sports Writers

ALEC COHEN/Daily
The Michigan men’s basketball team will play Montana in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, as it tries to return to the Final Four.

