Danny Zimmerman stepped up 

to the plate with the bases loaded 
during the Michigan baseball 
team’s game against Minnesota 
on Friday. The redshirt junior 
outfielder launched his second 
home run of the game, this one over 
the fence in deep left field to make 
the score 14-2, as the Wolverines 
broke open the game and went on 
to win 21-5.

Thanks in large part to a 

plethora of home runs, Michigan 
(18-7 Big Ten) swept Minnesota 
(4-20) this weekend, winning 4-0 
on Saturday and 9-5 on Sunday 
after its rout to open the series 
on Friday. Following its weekend 
performance, the Wolverines sit 
just a half-game behind Nebraska 
in the race for the Big Ten title and 
lead the Big Ten in home runs with 
33.

Michigan used the long ball 

several times this weekend, racking 
up eight home runs in three games. 
Especially on Friday, the home run 
ball was a theme throughout the 
game. 

“We just did a good job of 

swinging at good pitches and the 
wind was blowing out, so we hit 
five home runs,” Michigan coach 
Erik Bakich said. “Everything was 
going well for us offensively.”

Several of these home runs 

played key roles in the wins this 
weekend. Sophomore infielder 
Ted Burton launched a huge 
two-run blast in the ninth inning 
of Saturday’s game to put the 
Wolverines up 2-0, and they added 
two more runs to ultimately take 
the game, 4-0. Fifth-year transfer 
Benjamin 
Sems 
launched 
an 

important two-run shot to push the 
score to 5-2 en route to Michigan’s 
Sunday win. 

Sems 
was 
one 
of 
several 

Michigan players who had a strong 
series offensively, leading the way 
for the Wolverines with five hits 
and a walk. Burton collected four 
hits and eight RBI in the series, 
including his big two-run homer 
Saturday. 
Redshirt 
sophomore 

outfielder Jordon Rogers also 
collected four hits and three walks, 
while sophomore outfielder Clark 
Elliott chipped in with four hits 
and four walks.

“(What made us effective was) 

eliminating their pitches, just 
sitting off, laying off the off-speed 
and hitting the fastball,” Rogers 
said. “We’re a good hitting team 
when we are all locked in and I 
think this weekend we were. It was 
a good example of that.”

On the mound, Michigan got 

several strong starts out of its 
rotation. 
Redshirt 
sophomore 

left-hander Steven Hajjar allowed 
two runs over five innings in the 
opener and left the Wolverines 
well 
in 
control. 
Sophomore 

right-hander Cameron Weston 
had a very strong outing in 
Michigan’s second game, tossing 
seven scoreless innings to give 
his offense a chance to get going 
after a slow start. In the finale on 
Sunday, sophomore left-hander 
Jacob Denner went a solid five 
innings and gave up two runs.

“Our 
starting 
pitchers 
are 

pitching amazing this year,” junior 
right handerWillie Weiss said. 
“They’ve all been going deep into 
games, doing everything that we 
can ask for. I’m super proud of 
all the pitchers, all the starting 
pitchers and I am looking forward 
to watching them keep showing 
out.”

Out of the bullpen, junior 

right-hander Willie Weiss was 
lights-out for the Wolverines. 
The Michigan closer came into 
the 
game 
on 
Saturday 
with 

Minnesota threatening. With the 
score knotted at zero, the Golden 
Gophers had the bases loaded and 
just one out. But Weiss came in and 
shut the door, striking out all five 
batters he faced to end the threat in 
the eighth and close out the ninth. 
In Sunday’s finale, Weiss was again 
excellent, tossing the last four outs 
out of the bullpen.

“It’s 
a 
very 
good 
feeling, 

knowing that we have a consistent 
guy who can come in and close the 
door, even in close games,” Rogers 
said of Weiss. “It’s just an amazing 
feeling on defense, just knowing 
that he’s going to get outs.”

The Wolverines were expected 

to do well against a Minnesota 
team that sits in last place in the 
Big Ten. But winning on the road is 
always difficult, and Michigan was 
without the services of sophomore 
infielder Jimmy Obertop, who hits 
out of the cleanup spot. Despite 
missing a key piece, the Wolverines 
took care of business and swept the 
Golden Gophers.

“It was a huge sweep coming 

off taking two of three, getting 
the series win against Ohio State,” 
Weiss said. “It was nice to see us 
stay hot, keep the bats going and 
keep the momentum going into 
this weekend.”

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 — 19

Thirteen months ago, Michigan 

ended its season with a loss to No. 
1 Oklahoma. At the time, the fifth-
ranked Wolverines expected to 
face the Sooners again in the NCAA 
Championships. A week later, those 
expectations disappeared, along with 
the rest of their season.

“Our whole theme or motto for 

this season is ‘unfinished business,’ ” 
Michigan coach Bev Plocki told The 
Daily on Jan. 16. “We had a really 
good team and season last year that 
was pulled out right from under us.”

Saturday, No. 4 Michigan ended 

its season with a win over No. 1 
Oklahoma. And No. 6 Utah and 
No. 1 Florida. And the rest of the 
country. The team became national 
champions, the first in the program’s 
history and first for Michigan 
athletics since men’s gymnastics won 
in 2014.

This championship came in a year 

mired in conflict and obstacles. A 
sport that already requires impeccable 
discipline asked for more — off the 
mats and on them. That was part of 
the bargain made for this season, and 
this team followed it to a tee.

“It is incredibly difficult to take 

away an 18 to 21-year-old’s social 
life, and that’s essentially what has 
happened,” Plocki said Jan. 16. “They 
have handled it, they have dealt with 
it because this team and this season is 
a priority to us. Every single person 
is all in terms of doing what we need 
to do to reduce the possibility of this 
season ending prematurely again.”

A 
two-week 
pause, 
though, 

wasn’t a part of that bargain. Two 
meets into the season and it already 
appeared it could end before ever 
really beginning. The hard work 
and discipline, the win over No. 4 
Minnesota so early in the season, 
would amount to nothing.

But the season returned, and with 

it an ascendant Wolverine squad. 
After its first loss at the Big Five 
Meet, Michigan scored 198.025 in a 
dominant performance that broke its 
record score. The next week, a new 
record took its place at 198.100.

The 
Wolverines’ 
vault 

performance reached a new level 
with every score over 9.9 in a victory 
against Maryland. Its season high 
reached a shocking 49.800, and it 
became the best team in the country 
on the vault.

“At the beginning of the year 

we were doing big vaults, but we 
couldn’t get the landings, and it was 
just a process,” Plocki said after 
winning the championship. “We 
absolutely peaked at the right time 
this year. We started right before the 
championship part of the season, we 
started being able to nail those 1.5s 
and that’s when people started taking 
notice of us too.”

The week after setting the new 

program high against the Terrapins, 
another low point appeared. For the 
first time since 2013, Michigan didn’t 
win the Big Ten Championship. A 
score of 197.425 fell three tenths 
short of No. 8 Minnesota’s mark, a 
poor floor score that doomed the 
Wolverines. It wasn’t the first time 
floor brought the score down — in 
their only other loss in the season, 
Michigan scored a 47.500 on floor.

But the disappointment of losing 

its iron-clad grip on the conference 
didn’t last long.

“When we did not win the Big 

Tens, I said to my team right then and 
there, ‘We’re gonna trade in a Big Ten 
Championship ring for a National 
Championship ring this year,’ ” Plocki 
said. “And I think that that’s when it 
really got serious.”

Michigan didn’t lose a meet 

through the rest of the NCAA 
Tournament, matching its program 
high once again in the Regional Final. 
Its vault led the way, naturally. And 

throughout the run, the floor held its 
own. 

In the National Championship, 

Michigan 
— 
ranked 
twelfth 

nationally on floor — beat out the No. 
1, No. 4 and No. 6 floor teams in the 
country with a score of 49.625.

Going into the final rotation, the 

Wolverines held a lead of 0.1375 over 
Oklahoma. 

One last obstacle lay in between 

them and euphoria: the beam, an 
event they struggled on in the NCAA 
Second Round. The high-stakes 
event often sees low scores because 
every misstep and wobble may end 
up with a fall. 

First, sophomore Gabby Wilson, 

who averages a 9.809 on beam, 
wobbled — her final score a 9.75. Next 
in the lineup, senior Lauren Farley, 
who grew up an hour from the arena, 
also wobbled. Her final score of 
9.7625 was kept.

Just like that, Michigan lost 

their edge. From here on out, every 
routine would mean victory or loss.

And then, excellence.
“I think I knew those routines 

were semi off, but I also trusted 
myself and the rest of the lineup, 
so I was (thinking), ‘Get out there, 
do my thing,’ ” sophomore Sierra 
Brooks said. “I got on the beam and 
I just honestly approached it with 
as much confidence as I could ever 
have.”

A 9.9625 from Brooks and a 9.9875 

from junior Natalie Wojcik put the 
title back in reach.

All eyes in the arena then fell 

on junior Abby Heiskell. A season 
riddled with conflict, detours and 
sacrifice was now one routine away 
from glory, one routine away from 
despair.

And 
as 
Oklahoma 
watched 

on, hoping for one last wobble, 
Heiskell 
executed. 
Determined 

and disciplined, as this team has 
been all season, the 2021 National 
Championship was secured.

KENT SCHWARTZ

Managing Sports Editor

LUKE HALES/Daily 

Michigan fifth-year outfielder Christan Bullock played a part in the 
monstrous offensive display against Minnesota.

ORLANDO 
— 
As 
Michigan 

sophomore Caiden Baxter battled 
it out against Alabama’s Lauren 
Haneke-Hopps, 
suspense 
filled 

the air. The crowd reacted to each 
point emphatically, with the two 
sets of fans taking turns bellowing 
out chants of school pride. Baxter’s 
normally cheerful on-court persona 
became gradually replaced with a 
fixated, stoic expression.

This was by far the biggest match 

of Baxter’s young career so far — the 
finals of the team competition at 
Wheelchair Tennis Nationals. He 
had been thrown into this position, 
selected to fill the shoes of the 
spectating graduate student Spencer 
Heslop, who set the tournament 
alight with an undefeated record but 
sat out the team final for religious 
reasons. Competing against a player 
with a far superior rank, winning 
this match would forever solidify the 
Baxter name in Michigan Adaptive 
Sports and Fitness lore.

Quickly, however, the match 

became meaningless. 

Baxter and partner Chris Kelley 

had already lost the doubles match 
against Alabama’s Thomas Venos 
and Jeremy Boyd, despite getting out 
to a hot start. While this result wasn’t 
unexpected, it meant the pair would 
have to win both of their singles 
matches against Alabama to secure 
the title. Kelley’s chances were high, 
but Baxter would have to play to the 
very best of his abilities for the entire 
match in order to have a chance. 

For much of the match, Baxter 

did just that. He served expertly, 
flustering Haneke-Hopps early on 
with a number of aces. Crucially, 
Baxter reeled in his inconsistency, 
leaving it to Haneke-Hopps to make 
the first mistake. 

Defying expectations, Baxter took 

the first set 6-4.

But at that point, the title was 

already 
Alabama’s. 
Putting 
his 

strength on full display, Venos had 
quickly overpowered Kelley. From 
start to finish, Venos dictated the pace 
of the match, smashing return after 
return past the exhausted Kelley. In 
dominant fashion, Venos won, 6-1, 6-2, 

securing Alabama’s fourth consecutive 
wheelchair tennis trophy. 

Despite the most significant set 

win of his career, Baxter quickly 
learned that the outcome of his match 
would mean nothing for Michigan’s 
title aspirations. But for the team, 
regardless of the outcome, this match 
mattered for far more. 

“We started this program within 

the past year,” Dr. Feranmi Okanlami, 
the director of Michigan’s Adaptive 
Sports and Fitness program, said. 
“Being here at all was step one. And 
look at everything we came away 
with: Three academic all-Americans, 
a sportsmanship award, two second-
place finishes — you can’t really ask 
for more than that.”

At the tournament, Michigan 

was very much the new kid on the 
block. The team had only recently 
gained enough facility access to 
begin practicing with each other 
regularly. A number of the team’s 
athletes had never participated in a 
competitive event before, and many 
had chalked Michigan off before the 
play even began. Countless hours 
of meetings, planning, training and 
negotiating had gone into making the 
establishment of this program and 
this team a reality. 

“For these athletes, to be (at 

Nationals) after being asked to be 
student-athletes, 
development 

officers, strategic planners, business 
moguls — they’ve had to do everything 
to run this program,” Okanlami said. 
“I have no words to truly say how 
proud I am of this group and of all the 
supporting staff that have allowed us 
to become what we are right now and 
what we hope to be in the future.”

Even before Michigan advanced 

to the finals, people were beginning 

to take notice of the waves the 
program 
made 
in 
Orlando. 

Throughout the tournament, a 
number of spectators, coaches and 
players stopped by the Michigan 
section to compliment the team and 
express how impressed they were 
with the speed at which Michigan’s 
program had grown. 

The 
program’s 
social 
media 

engagements ballooned, receiving 
engagements 
from 
numerous 

Michigan 
alumni, 
members 
of 

Michigan’s Varsity Tennis team 
and, crucially, Michigan Athletics. 
Michigan’s Adaptive Sports and 
Fitness 
program 
was 
building 

something special, and people were 
beginning to catch on. 

“I think that this (weekend) will 

provide some context and some 
inspiration for the institution to see 
what this group has been able to 
accomplish,” Okanlami said. “We 
don’t want recognition just because 
we want to be able to pat ourselves 
on the back, but because we want 
to be able to get access for the next 
group of students who want to 
compete alongside us at a University 
of Michigan that is supportive for 
students with disabilities.” 

Despite a truly valiant effort, 

Baxter would go on to lose his 
match in a tiebreaker. Okanlami, 
too, fell just short in his Tier 3 final, 
narrowly bested by Arizona’s Owen 
Anketell in a thrilling third set 
tiebreaker. 

For now, Michigan would have 

to settle for runner-up. But along 
the way, the team had accomplished 
far more than a trophy — or a “shiny 
tennis dinner plate,” as Spencer 
Heslop dubbed it — could ever give 
them.

GRAYSON BUNING
Daily Sports Writer

Michigan’s offense powers its way past 

Minnesota in weekend sweep

Wolverines come second in 
national tournament debut

PHOTO COURTESY JAI NARAIN 

Michigan Adaptive Sports and Fitness came second in its national competition over the weekend.

Championship for ‘M’ comes after 
season of sacrifices and setbacks

MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily 

Michigan women’s gymnastics won the first national championship in program history Saturday.

STEEL HURLEY

Daily Sports Writer

Penn State’s 4th quarter surge too much for Michigan

For the Michigan men’s lacrosse 

team, it came down to the last three 
seconds. 

After a 14-12 victory against Penn 

State on March 20, the Wolverines 
(2-7 Big Ten) looked to repeat its 
performance against the Nittany 
Lions (3-6) on Friday in Happy 
Valley, Pa. Penn State, however, 
managed to pull off a fourth-quarter 
comeback and send the game to 
overtime, where it eventually scored 
with just three seconds left to win, 
14-13. 

The first quarter was evenly 

matched, as each team notched three 
goals. Thanks to strong defensive 
efforts and excellent goaltending, it 
was very difficult for either to create 
separation on the scoreboard.

In the second quarter, Michigan 

forced 11 turnovers compared to 
Penn State’s two, which provided 
offensive 
opportunities. 
Junior 

defenseman Andrew Darby forced 
a turnover late in the second quarter, 

allowing the Wolverines to clear the 
ball and to set up a scoring play. 

The Wolverines led 7-6 at 

halftime. 

Penn State switched goalkeepers 

during the second half which initially 
gave Michigan another opening. The 
Wolverines proceeded to go on a 5-1 
scoring run in the third quarter to 
make it a 12-8 Wolverine lead.

“Penn State went with a different 

direction for their goaltender, and 
when you put a guy in who has not 
played yet and it is cold, it is hard for 
him to get into rhythm,” Michigan 
coach Kevin Conry said. “We 
exploited him with good shots in 
good spots.”

The Wolverines, however, were 

unable to keep up the momentum 
heading into the fourth quarter, as 
Penn State scored five unanswered 
goals to take the lead with under 
five minutes left in the game. The 
Nittany Lions picked up the pace 
defensively by playing in a tight zone, 
which allowed for minimal shooting 
opportunities.

“They dropped into a zone and 

really packed it in which had our 

guys take some outside shots, and 
we were fortunate (sophomore 
midfielder) Jacob (Jackson) scored 
one at the end,” Conry said. “But 
for a lot of them, Penn State was 
able to get bodies on us, and we 
were not putting them to the pipes 
which allowed them to take a better 
position which really cut down a lot 
of our opportunities.” 

Michigan scored with just under 

three minutes left in regulation to 
force overtime. While in overtime, 
the Wolverines were in the offensive 
zone twice and created many scoring 
chances, but Penn State goalkeeper 
Aleric Fyock made arguably two of 
the best saves of the game, allowing 
the team to clear the ball and set up 
offensive plays.

Key 
contributors 
to 
the 

Wolverines’ 
offensive 
included 

sophomore attackman Josh Zawada, 
who tallied a goal and three assists, 
and freshman attackman Michael 
Boehm who knotted a hat trick. 

With just three seconds left in 

overtime, Nittany Lions’ senior 
attackman Mac O’Keefe scored the 
game-winning goal, finishing with 
six tallies on the day. O’Keefe was 
able to create separation against the 
Michigan defenders allowing him to 
take an easy shot with no traffic in 
front of the net. Penn State squeaked 
out a one-point win, but even more 
impressive was O’Keefe breaking the 
NCAA’s all-time goal-scoring record 
in this game against Michigan. 

“Making good decisions down 

the stretch is a part of our maturation 
process,” Conry said. “So, every 
time that we are out there, we are 
learning and growing. It is certainly 
disappointing to lose a lead, but at the 
end of it, we had our opportunities to 
win the game.”

MARK PATRICK

Daily Sports Writer

BECCA MAHON/ Daily 

Despite holding a three-goal lead heading into the fourth quarter, Michigan fell to 
Penn State in overtime.

