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.