The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Thursday, January 23, 2020 — 7
‘It extends further than lacrosse’
Playing
against
the
best
atheletes of your sport at the
Division I level is daunting.
Playing in a starting role as a
freshman — even more daunting.
But when attackman Bryce
Clay and defenseman Andrew
Darby both found themselves
in the starting lineup for the
Michigan men’s lacrosse team
against Drexel last Februrary
— the second game of their
freshman season — they had
little to fear.
They knew their teammates
and coaches had their backs.
“I wasn’t nervous ... I leaned a
lot on my seniors, because those
guys have been there before,”
Darby said. “They (knew) what
to do.”
All Clay and Darby needed was
to relax and do what they came to
Michigan to do — play lacrosse.
They did just that.
In the final minutes of the
third quarter, Clay netted his
first goal as a Wolverine and
picked up four ground balls.
Darby scooped up three ground
balls of his own and caused one
turnover.
Despite
a
deflating
17-16
double-overtime
loss
to
the
Dragons, there was a positive
silver lining — Clay and Darby
had emerged as starters.
***
Despite their age, Clay and
Darby weren’t nervous.
For one thing, they had earned
the right to play at a high-caliber
level.
Clay,
ranked
as
the
No.
11
attackman
amongst
2018
recruits, was a two-time USILA
high school All-American during
his time at Forest Hills Central
High School in Grand Rapids,
MI. Darby hails from Darien,
Conn. — a hotbed for east-coast
lacrosse — and was named First-
Team All-Connecticut during his
senior season.
“We had to go ahead and
throw them in positions that
they needed to be thrust into,”
Michigan coach Kevin Conry
said.
Added Darby: “I’d make sure
I hit the wall at least three times
a week in-season just to get my
reps in and make sure I wouldn’t
drop
that
extra
pass.
Just
working hard, trying to learn the
defense, trusting my coaches and
the older guys.”
But the deeper reason behind
Clay and Darby’s early success
lies in a positive team culture
that permeates throughout the
Wolverines’ entire roster.
Some college sports teams
are toxic and self-destructive,
overemphasizing
individual
success and accolades.
But some are imbued with
camaraderie, support and an
overwhelming sense of pride.
These teams value synergy and
build one another up.
Michigan men’s lacrosse is
among the latter.
“Something
coach
Conry
harps on is setting an example
on and off the field,” Darby said.
“You can’t just turn on a switch
for big games. You have to be
dialed in at practice and off the
field everyday — go to class
everyday.”
***
Last season, Clay and Darby
had some pretty good role models
to follow.
On a roster anchored by several
current
professional
lacrosse
players, including the program’s
all-time
leading
goal-scorer,
midfielder Brent Noseworthy,
and defenseman Nick DeCaprio,
who led the Big Ten in caused
turnovers per game last season,
the Wolverines were able to
use their veteran leadership to
cultivate the development of the
program’s future leaders.
Joining
an
offensive
core
led by Noseworthy, midfielder
Decker
Curran
and
fellow
attackmen Kevin Mack and Alex
Buckanavage, Clay found himself
in exceptional company to help
elevate his game. He quickly
became an offensive weapon for
Michigan, finishing the season
third on the team in goals (22)
and fifth in total points (28).
During a four-game stretch in the
middle season when Noseworthy
was out with a knee injury, Clay
stepped up, scoring 10 goals and
recording three assists.
“A lot of my success last
year was from my teammates,
whether it was them giving me
the ball or me giving them the
ball,” Clay said. “They helped me
get to the right places. I was just
a kid. Whenever I was stressed
out or not having a good day,
they made sure I was alright and
putting in the extra work.”
An experienced defensive unit,
led by then seniors DeCaprio
and Michael Borda, provided an
opportunity for Darby to grow
as well. By the end of the season,
he had picked up the third-most
ground balls on the team (29)
and caused 13 turnovers.
“Defense is a big team sport,”
Darby said. “You have to rely a
lot on your team ... Just having
an open mind and being able to
learn was the big key for me.”
And off the field, whether
it was working on homework,
team-bonding or finding time
to get meals together, seniors
made sure to help younger
players adjust to the lifestyle of a
Division I athlete.
“Last year (Noseworthy) was
a great influence on me,” Clay
said. “He’s a great guy, great
teammate. (He’s) somebody I
could go to outside of lacrosse ...
It’s nice having that.”
Added Darby: “If you’re having
a bad day, not everyone is having
a bad day, so you have to rely on
your teammates to help you get
better and keep you positive.”
Although
their
roads
to
Ann Arbor have been vastly
different,
both
Clay
and
Darby have found a home on the
Wolverines’ roster thanks to the
demonstrated care of their older
teammates.
***
As a lacrosse player from
western
Michigan
in
Grand
Rapids, Clay had to spend his
childhood summers at lacrosse
tournaments on the east coast
just to get attention from college
recruiters.
When
Michigan
called to offer Clay a scholarship
to
play
lacrosse,
it
was
a
no-brainer for him to commit.
However, Clay had to put in
a significant amount of work
to adjust to the pace of college
lacrosse.
“The Big Ten is super fast ...
With
lacrosse
predominantly
being an east coast sport, I really
had to speed up quick and (the
team) helped me transition,” Clay
said. “(But) I realized that it’s
bigger than myself to represent
the Block ‘M.’ I know that when I
leave here, I’ll be a better person.
I’ll be a Michigan man. That was
big for me.”
Darby, on the other hand,
played for a high school crowded
with talent where competition
for playing time was fierce. After
not playing on varsity until his
senior year at Darien, Michigan
posed as a unique opportunity
for Darby to showcase his true
abilities at the college level.
“That made me get better and
I learned from a lot of guys ahead
of me at (Darien),” Darby said.
“It just made me better in the
long-run ... my (motto) of getting
here was, ‘trust the process.’
Everything (happened) for a
reason.”
***
But now older teammates like
Noseworthy and DeCaprio are
gone. Entering their sophomore
seasons, Clay and Darby bear
a greater burden to fill their
shoes as impact players and role
models.
Following
a
disappointing
4-9 season plagued by injuries
and faceoff struggles, it wasn’t
a perfect season for the young
pair. Like everyone on the team,
they made mistakes. But Conry
hopes his decision to place
them in a starting role early in
their collegiate careers will pay
dividends.
“They were baptized in fire.
(We said) ‘Let’s get (them) in and
have them make some mistakes
now, so (they) can be better,’ ”
Conry said. “It’s creating a map
for their future.”
Clay and Darby have their
eyes set on the upcoming 2020
campaign, with hopes to build
off the Wolverines’ victory over
Ohio State in last year’s season
finale — their first win against
the Buckeyes in program history.
“One thing we learned was
that we hate to lose,” Darby said.
“It was not fun. So we built up
that hatred for losing.”
Added Clay: “I’m expecting
some bigger things ... we are
grown-ups now. We have some
experience out there. Just to
compete at a high level is huge to
set an example for the younger
guys coming in and represent the
Block ‘M.’ ”
When Michigan opens its
season against Cleveland State
in February, Clay and Darby will
once again be in the starting
lineup.
Conry and the rest of the team
will expect them to build off of
last year’s production.
But off the field, the program
will expect arguably more of
them to serve as leaders for the
young Wolverines roster.
“They are guys who we know
are going to be in the shooting
room, doing extra footwork,
going to be monsters in the weight
room,” Conry said. “We want
guys who meet our standards
and carry their teammates along
with their standards,” Conry
said.“Now that they have gotten
to a point where they have
consistently met our standards
for our program ... they are doing
a good job dragging people along
with them.”
“It
extends
further
than
lacrosse,” Clay said. “Lacrosse is
a big part of our lives, but we are
trying to be better men.”
ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Sophomore attackman Bryce Clay scored a goal in 10 out of 12 games as a freshman in 2019, aiding Michigan’s talented attack line in his first season.
ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Sophomore defenseman Andrew Darby provided a steady presence beside senior Nick DeCaprio as a freshman in 2019, anchoring Michigan’s defense.
Thrust into starting roles as freshmen, Bryce Clay and Andrew Darby benefitted from Michigan’s positive culture
With Kayla Robbins out, Danielle Rauch gives Wolverines valuable minutes
Just one minute into Sunday’s
game against Nebraska, senior
forward Kayla Robbins went
down with an ugly-looking injury,
later determined to be a torn ACL
which would end her season.
For the Michigan women’s
basketball team, everything else in
that moment paled in comparison
to the health of its second leading
scorer and captain. But after an
emotional break in the game’s
action,
Michigan
coach
Kim
Barnes Arico was faced with the
difficult decision of how to replace
Robbins’ minutes.
The Wolverines’ two starting
wings — Robbins and senior
Akienreh Johnson — both averaged
over 27 minutes per game entering
Sunday, and neither had missed a
game all season. As a result, none
of Michigan’s bench wings had
played extended minutes against a
power conference opponent.
Barnes Arico’s choice to fill
Robbins’ role was sophomore
guard Danielle Rauch. Rauch —
typically the backup point guard
to sophomore Amy Dilk — hadn’t
played more than nine minutes in
a Big Ten game. Sunday, she was
called upon for 32.
And she made the
most of them.
While Rauch’s
offensive
contributions
were
a
step
down
from
what
Robbins
usually
gives
the
Wolverines
— five points to
Robbins’
per-
game average of
11.6 — she played smart and did
what the team needed her to do.
She took care of the ball, with zero
turnovers, and looked to distribute
when she didn’t have a shot, giving
opportunities to Michigan’s more
dynamic scorers.
“I didn’t realize how much she
had played in the game until I
looked at the stat sheet,” Johnson
said. “She looked like she was a
person that averaged 30 minutes.
She never got tired. She was
talking consistently, doing a great
job on offense and
defense.”
With
three
minutes left in
the game, Dilk
fouled
out
and
the Cornhuskers
made both free
throws to extend
their
lead
to
seven, in a game
that was tied just
three
minutes
earlier. It seemed
that the loss of Dilk was the nail
in the coffin to the Wolverines’
chances of pulling out a win.
But
Rauch
wouldn’t
let
Michigan go down so easily.
On the ensuing possession, she
drained a 3-pointer and yelled to
the bench, giving the Wolverines
life. Two possessions later, she
found sophomore forward Naz
Hillmon in the paint for a layup.
On the next one, she dished it out
to junior forward Hailey Brown,
who knocked down a 3-pointer
that cut the Nebraska lead to
three.
Michigan would end up losing
by three, but Rauch kept them in
the game until the final possession,
even after it seemed out of reach
just minutes earlier.
To onlookers, Rauch’s high-
quality 32 minutes may have
been
a
surprise
given
her
previous playing time, but to
those inside the program, it was
the expectation. Her teammates
consistently describe her as one
of the hardest-working players
on the team — the type of player
who is constantly in the gym on
off days, putting up tons of shots
to put herself in a position to
contribute when needed.
“I just think that I train
the same way all the time
to be prepared for whatever
opportunity that I’m given,”
Rauch said. “On any given night
I don’t know if it’s gonna be
three minutes, 10 minutes or 30
minutes. Always prepare yourself
for whatever opportunity you’re
gonna get.”
Both Johnson and Rauch made
it clear: Nobody can replace
Robbins, but Michigan’s season
doesn’t end without her. Players
who haven’t been asked to do
much more than play smart for
short spurts with a starter on
the bench will have to put points
on the board and contribute for
extended periods of time.
Rauch’s play on Sunday gave
the Wolverines confidence that
they found one of those players.
ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
Sophomore guard Danielle Rauch played 32 minutes off the bench Sunday.
DREW COX
Daily Sports Writer
JACK KINGSLEY
Daily Sports Writer
She was ...
doing a great
job on offense
and defense.