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Sports
Wednesday, February 16, 2022 — 15
SportsMonday: Michigan women’s basketball is
a title contender, so start treating them like one
There’s something we try very
hard not to do here at The Daily, and
that’s write about the fans.
For the three years I’ve cov-
ered the Michigan women’s
basketball team, not talking
about the crowd has been easy.
It’s a sea of gray-haired retir-
ees that show up on a Sunday
afternoon, politely applauding
when a basket is scored and
rarely rising into a raucous.
It’s middle school basketball
teams and church groups who
come for a bonding activity. It’s less
than a quarter of the total who come
to men’s basketball games.
The curtains covering the upper
bowl have only come up twice, both
in the 2019-20 season: once for a dou-
ble-header where the women played
after the men on a Saturday, and the
other to host Michigan State. The
stadium felt hollow in the double-
header, and the game against the
Spartans is the only time I’ve seen
the Crisler Center resemble capac-
ity — 11,068 fans attended that game.
For
reference,
12,445
fans
watched the men’s basketball team
play Southern Utah this past fall.
“(In men’s games) you see the
student section’s all the way up in
the rafters so it would be awesome
to have that, it does make a differ-
ence,” senior wing Leigha Brown
said on Jan. 9. “Obviously the fans
are great but having the student sec-
tion there and bringing the energy
would be huge.”
As you might expect,
the disparity between
men’s and women’s atten-
dance isn’t a phenomenon
exclusive to basketball.
Both soccer and lacrosse
see atten-
dance dif-
ferences
in
the
regular
season, though not
on the same scale.
Of the four main
sports that Michi-
gan has a men’s
and
women’s
team
competing
at different times
(soccer,
basket-
ball, lacrosse and
gymnastics), only
women’s gymnas-
tics
outperforms
the men’s squad,
and that’s because
they mostly com-
pete in difference
arenas with differ-
ent capicities.
The
disparity
between these pro-
grams’ attendance
can’t be explained
by a difference in performance —
the women’s soccer team made it
to the Elite Eight this past season
before falling to eventual champion
Florida State and the women’s bas-
ketball team has been ranked in the
top 10 for weeks.
It’s not because women’s sports
aren’t as interesting, either. Television
audiences for the women’s gymnas-
tics championship (which Michigan
won, by the way), had a 510% increase
in viewership from 2019 to 2021. Last
year’s Women’s College World Series
viewership increased by 10% over
2019, leading to “numbers compa-
rable to those from the men’s College
World Series in 2019.”
No, the difference in attendance
is because the women’s teams don’t
get enough attention, enough hype
and, in reality, enough of anything.
It’s the same reason the NCAA
neglected women’s teams in the
NCAA Tournament and continu-
ally treats women’s sports as less-
than.
The hike in gym-
nastics
viewership
was so stark because
ESPN
and
Disney
gave it the attention it
deserved and put it on
ABC, instead of hid-
ing it on ESPNU. The
women’s
basketball
team is in the middle
of a Big Ten Title race
in part because the
student section finally
started to give it atten-
tion, showing up to
ranked games.
Instead of 20-30
students in groups
of three or five sit-
ting
down,
relax-
ing, there’s constant
noise. Loud applause
that rouses the nor-
mal attendees and
turns the energy into
something greater. It
spurs on senior Dani-
elle Rauch to make
behind-the-back passes and senior
forward Naz Hillmon to put defend-
ers into a spin cycle.
“We see it at the men’s games all
the time,” women’s basketball coach
Kim Barnes Arico said. “So I think
they truly are difference makers
and I also think when our student
athletes see their peers there it’s
really special and means a lot to
have them there.”
In women’s basketball, far more
than men’s, crowds can impact the
play because most teams aren’t used
to playing in such hostile environ-
ments. In three of the Wolverines’
four losses, they played in arenas
with larger-than-average crowds,
including their loss to Michigan
State on Thursday.
But now, as Michigan stares
down a fight to host the first and
second rounds of the NCAA Tourna-
ment, its attendance average (when
fans have been allowed) is the low-
est since 2016-17 at 2,910. While the
Wolverines are second in the Big Ten
standings, that attendance average is
10th in the conference.
There’s no reason for that to be the case
except that people aren’t paying enough
attention to the women’s basketball team.
And they’ve missed out on two top-5
wins, an All-American candidate and a
team that’s avenged losses all season.
So start paying attention and
start going to games.
ANNA FUDER/Daily
Women’s sports at Michigan deserve more attention.
KENT
SCHWARTZ
Michigan’s upperclassmen shine
against Michigan State on Senior Day
If there’s one word that charac-
terizes Michigan’s senior class, it’s
special.
In front of a sellout crowd on
Senior Day, the Wolverines’ upper-
classmen showed just why they fit
that description, securing dominant
victories over the rival Spartans in
five out of six bouts.
No. 1 graduate student Nick Suri-
ano started Sunday’s meet off strong
with a major decision victory over
Tristan Lujan. Competing at 125 lbs,
Suriano was in control of the match
from start to finish, a position he has
become accustomed to throughout
his college wrestling career. A for-
mer NCAA 133 lb champion, Suriano
posted a 70-7 record over his first
three seasons at Rutgers and is 7-0
for the Wolverines; Sunday just con-
tinued that dominance.
“Nick Suriano is a special talent,”
graduate student Kanen Storr said.
“He always sets the pace and sets the
tone for not only himself but for the
Michigan wrestling team. He’s fear-
less, he knows how hard he works
and every time he steps out on the
mat, he wants to show that and prove
it.”
Not only has Suriano been suc-
cessful individually, but he has con-
tributed significantly to the success
of Michigan as a whole, leading by
example.
“Nick has been just a tremendous
addition to the team,” Michigan
coach Sean Bormet said. “He lives a
super regimented, disciplined life-
style. It’s a champion’s lifestyle, day
in day out, and he’s a warrior on the
mat. He brings a lot of intensity and a
lot of fire to his wrestling, and that’s
contagious.”
That intensity showed against
Lujan, as Suriano wrestled at a con-
stant rapid pace and scored take-
down after takedown.
Suriano wasn’t the only senior
Wolverine who impacted Sunday’s
match and has led by example this
season. No. 5 graduate student
Logan Massa, who defeated Nathan
Jimenez in dominant fashion with a
tech fall, has used his own toughness
to challenge his teammates and push
them to greater success all season.
“(Massa is) somebody who’s
gonna wrestle you really tough and
push you to the limits,” graduate
student Myles Amine said. “(It’s)
not always the prettiest way, but he’s
been a great impact, just that energy
and that meanness is something that
if you know wrestling, you know that
that’s good for the sport and it’s good
for our team.”
Massa — along with Amine and
graduate student Stevan Micic, who
secured a victory over Matt Santos
with an emphatic takedown to end
the match — decided to return to
Michigan for a final year of eligibil-
ity. All three have played key roles in
Michigan’s success all season.
“It was more of a team decision
for their passion for Michigan wres-
tling,” Bormet said. “Individually,
obviously they want to have success
and they have their goals, but this is
the reason they came back. I know
today was really special for them.”
But not all of Sunday’s competi-
tors have found consistent collegiate
dominance. Sunday’s match was
especially significant for Storr, who
returned from injury to defeat Pey-
ton Omania by a score of 5-2.
“It was huge,” Storr said. “It was
a lot of emotion, this last time wres-
tling here in Cliff Keen Arena. And
not only that, I had a lot to prove, that
I’m gonna step back in this lineup
and I’m gonna score points for this
team.”
All five seniors who secured vic-
tories on Sunday have been critical
in shaping Michigan’s overall suc-
cess, through both their own indi-
vidual accomplishments and their
contributions as team leaders. And
as the postseason nears, the upper-
classmen hope to add another word
to their description:
Champions.
LYS GOLDMAN
For The Daily
BECCA MAHON/Daily
The Michigan wrestling team’s upperclassmen continued their dominant
seasons against Michigan State.
Michigan tops Michigan State,
24-13, in final home dual
As Michigan gears up for the upcom-
ing NCAA Championships, the Wolver-
ines’ final home dual meet of the year
served as another test for the squad.
They passed with flying colors.
The No. 3-ranked Michigan wres-
tling team (10-1 overall, 5-1 Big Ten)
extended its five match winning streak
against No. 14 Michigan State (9-3, 4-3),
winning seven of the first eight matches.
Sunday’s 24-13 victory sent off a lengthy
class of seniors and graduate students in
their final regular season contest in Cliff
Keen Arena
It’s hard to find a wrestler more con-
sistent than No. 1 graduate student Nick
Suriano. At 125 lbs, Suriano asserted his
dominance against Tristan Lujan from
start to finish, earning a 14-3 major deci-
sion to put the Wolverines up 4-0.
“Nick Suriano, he’s special,” Michi-
gan coach Sean Bormet said. “The
guys have connected with him quickly
because of the intensity, the work ethic
and the way he competes.”
But the Spartans bounced right back
from Suriano’s display.
After No. 7 Dylan Ragusin’s loss to
Spartans’ No. 11 Rayvon Foley, No. 17
graduate student Stevan Micic hoped
to prevent consecutive Michigan State
match wins.
Micic’s season has been filled with
difficult injuries and inconsistent train-
ing, but following a win against Indiana
on Friday, he had an opportunity to
come out of his last home match on a
good note. Micic came out prosperous,
winning a 10-3 decision.
Following Micic’s win, 149-pounder
Kanen Storr – another injury-ridden
senior – displayed resilience in a final
home win of his own.
“I made a decision to believe in myself
and work hard,” Storr said. “I knew once
I stepped back in this lineup that I was
going to prove that I’m here to stay, and
I’m here to do a job for this team.”
A takedown late in the second period
gave Storr a narrow 4-2 lead, and a rela-
tively stagnant third period cemented
the win. The 5-2 decision validated
Storr’s hard work.
In a low scoring match where nei-
ther of the 157 lb wrestlers took control,
No. 9 redshirt junior Will Lewan came
out victorious over No. 17 ranked Chase
Saldate. His takedown with 30 seconds
remaining to secure a 3-1 advantage led
to a 3-2 victory by decision.
Going into intermission, the Wol-
verines held a 13-3 lead. Coming out of
the break, the Michigan upperweights
extended it.
Although a 5-1 decision may not seem
like a dominant win, 165 lb redshirt
sophomore Cameron Amine imposed
his will on his Spartan opponent. From
the very beginning, Amine displayed
his strength, lifting Nathan Jimenez off
the mat multiple times throughout the
match.
“He’s just an incredible gamer,”
graduate student Myles Amine said of
his younger brother. “Come a few weeks
from now he’s gonna surprise a lot of
people, but he’s not going to surprise
me.”
Also dominant was No. 5 Logan
Massa. Massa’s early takedown and
two consecutive nearfalls gave the 174
lb graduate student a 12-0 lead. Two
takedowns and a Michigan State stall
finalized a technical fall, increasing
Michigan’s lead to 21-3.
Myles has proven his importance
throughout the season, and Sunday
showed no different. Despite strug-
gling to find his rhythm in the first two
periods, a ferocious intensity in the final
period secured Myles a 8-4 decision
over Spartans’ No. 19 Layne Malcze-
wski at 184 lbs.
In Sunday’s victory, Michigan’s
seniors rose to the occasion, but it is clear
that these seniors are waiting for some-
thing bigger to celebrate this season.
“We’re hosting NCAAs,” Myles said.
“So technically, my senior day is going to
be on March 19, the NCAA finals.”
And if the Wolverines perform the
way they did against the Spartans,
they’ll have plenty to celebrate.
LINDSAY BUDIN
For The Daily
BECCA MAHON/Daily
The No. 3 Michigan wrestling team dominated Michigan State on Senior
Day, 24-13.
Michigan dominates in singles, finds path to victory over Illinois
On Friday night, the No. 20
Michigan men’s tennis team
showed up looking for a come-
back after a loss against then-No.
19 Harvard the week prior.
It succeeded.
With the Wolverines’ second
and third doubles teams both
losing both 4-6, Michigan strug-
gled to make room against an
unranked Illinois. The Fighting
Illini won the doubles point over
the Wolverines, spelling an early
end for the first doubles match.
For Michigan, losing the dou-
bles point was concerning; they
rely on their strength as a doubles
team, and losing the point was an
early blow.
That outcome only fueled
the Wolverines’ path to victory.
Though they struggled in their
doubles matchups, there was
no such issue with their singles
matches. After giving up the dou-
bles point, Michigan (4-2 overall)
swept Illinois (1-5) in the singles
and claimed a 4-1 overall win.
“We had a big chip on our
shoulder coming out for the sin-
gles,” Michigan senior Patrick
Maloney said. “We weren’t happy
with the doubles result, but it
really helped us.”
That optimism was almost tan-
gible on the court, each side build-
ing off of each other’s victories to
create a momentum that went
unmatched by the Fighting Illini.
When senior Andrew Fenty won
his first set, 6-0, it was the boost
both Maloney and sophomore
Jacob Bickersteth the drive they
needed to claim their respective
first sets 7-5 and 7-6.
On the other side of the court,
junior Ondrej Styler led in a simi-
lar manner, commanding a 6-1
first set followed by a quick sec-
ond set, which he claimed 6-4.
Sophomore Gavin Young won
the final point needed to secure
a Michigan victory, battling out a
tough win to take his second set.
Young ended the night 6-3 and
7-5, giving the Wolverines a much-
needed success to boost morale.
“We view our doubles as one
of our biggest strengths in our
team,” Maloney said. “So, to have
a dominant win over a team like
Illinois… huge confidence boost-
er. We could’ve had six points on
the board right there.”
With the loss of a point they
expected to win, the Wolverines
used the loss to bolster their con-
fidence in the singles matches.
With
the
win,
Michigan
snapped a seven game losing
streak against Illinois. However,
even after coming away with a
victory, it seems that there is a lot
to build on.
“We have to play better,”
Michigan coach Adam Steinberg
said. “If we’re going to be a con-
tender to win championships… to
lose the doubles point is tough.
That’s the biggest focus now –
has to be.”
KELSEY RUFF
For The Daily
JENNA HICKEY/Daily
On the back of its prowess in the
singles matches, Michigan domi-
nated Illinois.