The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, April 6, 2022 — 11
SportsWednesday: Michigan’s dominant season is
one more step in a culmination of excellence
In the 46 years before 2021, Mich-
igan women’s gymnastics never
passed the 198-point mark, though
it had come close a couple
times in the years leading
up to it. 197.950 in the 2020
Elevate the Stage meet, then
six days later it put up a 197.9
against New Hampshire.
But, since eclipsing the
198 mark — a mark which
means, on average, every-
one on the team needs to get
a 9.9 or better in every event
— it hasn’t looked back. The Wolver-
ines surpassed it four times in 2021
and thrice in 2022, including setting
a new record of 198.525. Over the last
two years, the program has elevated
itself to another level.
“We want to walk in there being
confident, being aggressive and feel-
ing like, I always quote a saying I got
from Lloyd Carr years ago, ‘Know
the outcome before you begin,’ ”
Michigan coach Bev Plocki said
Saturday. “That’s my definition of
confidence and we have used that
a lot and that’s how we want to feel
about how we’re going to go into Fort
Worth.”
Michigan won the National
Championship last season and it’s
not slowing down, prov-
ing itself to be even better
at both the individual and
team level.
Let’s run through some
numbers.
Junior
Sierra
Brooks
is averaging a 39.562 all-
around score. The program
record is 39.526, set by
Natalie Wojcik in her fresh-
man year — Wojcik is still on the
team, with a 39.328 all-around score.
Junior Gabby Wilson has an all-
around score of 39.465, good enough
for third in program history. Sopho-
more Naomi Morrison’s 39.436 will
also be a top-10 score.
Settling further into the details.
Wilson’s vault average of 9.910 is fifth
in program history. Her bars average
is sixth in program history. Her floor
routine average of 9.955 is best in
program history. Brooks’ floor aver-
age of 9.943 will settle into second
place behind that and Morrison’s
will plummet all the way down to
fourth in the record books once the
season ends.
Wojcik, who won the individual
national championship in beam in
2019, is averaging a 9.915 — a stan-
dard of excellence that falls only
behind her own scoring average
from when she won the title. By the
time Wojcik’s career is over, she will
hold three of the top four spots in
Michigan’s record book for average
beam score.
Each of these individual levels of
excellence compound themselves
into a team that can compete at the
highest level.
The Wolverines are the best floor
team in program history, outpac-
ing the second highest by nearly
two 10ths and their beam score is
the best in program history with a
49.321. Their vault score, despite an
uncharacteristically poor perfor-
mance against Nebraska, will be sec-
ond highest in program history and
their bars performance is also sec-
ond in the country. Both of those are
second-best only to last year’s team.
Michigan’s season-average score
of 197.841 is tied for first in the coun-
try with No. 2 Florida and, if the
season ended today, would make
this the best team in program his-
tory. Second-best is 2021 and third
is 2020.
It’s hard to follow up a national
championship season with one
that can match that level of success.
Throughout the season, the Wolver-
ines have proven they can be even
better than last year.
This weekend, they showed an
ability to battle through adversity
to match these numerical advance-
ments. Coming in second during the
second round, they didn’t coast into
the regional finals — it was just their
second time all season not winning a
meet. They struggled on bars, along
with a logistical default costing them
a 10th of a point. The best vault rota-
tion in the country struggled as well
with a 49.375.
On
Saturday,
Michigan
fell
behind UCLA for first place in the
meet after two events and headed
toward a knockout battle with Mis-
souri for the final spot in the NCAA
semifinals.
By the end of it, though, the
Wolverines forced a nearly half-
point swing to comfortably win the
regional. Their vault and bar scores
— the two weak points of the second
round — were the class of the region,
exuding a confidence and surety that
only those with experience in excel-
lence can display.
“For our team… when there’s
some type of adversity or something
that they know they need to step up
for, I think that’s when they’re at
their best,” Plocki said.
There’s still plenty of opportuni-
ties for Michigan to falter as it tries
to go for a repeat national champion-
ship. There’s still plenty of chances
for a fall or a step out of bounds. But
the Wolverines have one of the best
teams in the country, the mental
toughness to overcome a mistake
and the experience to take them back
to the finals.
And maybe, just maybe, give
Michigan its second title in as many
years.
ANNA FUDER/Daily
This season, Michigan women’s gymnastics has eclipsed many statistical milestones of
last season’s national championship squad.
Five banners hang amongst
the rafters in the north end of the
Crisler
Center,
forever
immortalizing Bill Buntin,
Cazzie Russell, Phil Hub-
bard, Glen Rice and Rudy
Tomjanovich — players I
never had the privilege to
watch, but as a student at
Michigan, am required to
know.
The Michigan wom-
en’s basketball team has
been playing in Crisler for
almost 50 years, though,
and not a single jersey hangs to
honor the women that molded the
program.
Five men. No women.
With Naz Hillmon’s career as a
Wolverine recently coming to an
end, Michigan can continue to fol-
low the precedent of slighting the
women’s program, or make sure
her jersey ends up where it belongs.
Hillmon is inarguably the best
player to lace up for the Michigan
women’s basketball team, and if
her jersey never sees the rafters in
Crisler, the University of Michigan
athletic department has failed.
“I mean, if there’s anyone — and
I think there are a few that came
before her that we were trying
to work on — I think she belongs
in the rafters of Crisler for sure,”
Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico
Mikaela Schulz carves her own path
amidst dominant family legacy
KATELYN TURNER
Daily Sports Writer
Many athletes who come from
families with accomplished relatives
feel stuck in the shadows, unsure of
how to forge their own identity.
But Mikaela Schulz, a junior on
the Michigan women’s golf team,
never had that problem.
Her cousin, LPGA golfer Morgan
Pressel, has been a role model for as
long as Schulz can remember. Pressel
definitely set a high bar: she went pro-
fessional straight out of high school,
appealing to join the LPGA tour in
2005 as a 17-year-old. Then in 2007,
an 18-year-old Pressel won the ANA
Inspiration to become the youngest
winner of a modern major champi-
onship at the time.
“I had a lot of interactions with
touring professionals,” Schulz said.
“It inspired me to live that lifestyle as
well and be really good at golf.”
Growing up, Schulz was constant-
ly surrounded by golf, female players
especially. She was taken behind the
scenes to see locker room set-ups, sat
on her cousin’s lap during interviews
and even got an up close perspective
into professional training.
“If you golf with them, you get to
see the different levels of playing and
how you don’t have to be perfect to
be at that level,” Schulz said. “Being
exposed to that world has led me to
work hard and have a dream to play
on the tour as well.”
Pressel is not the only successful
female golfer in Schulz’s family.
Her mother, Rachel, is an experi-
enced golfer as well who also compet-
ed as a Wolverine from 1982 to 1983.
Naturally, Schulz went through her
childhood with the desire to play golf
at Michigan, declaring her dream at
the mere age of nine and a half.
In a typical mother-daughter
dynamic, it took until high school
for Schulz to accept that her mom’s
advice could go beyond inspiration.
“She would give me something to
do and it would work,” Schulz said. “I
would be surprised, realizing that she
knows what she’s talking about.”
Mikaela spent countless hours
throughout high school and leading
up to college in order to earn her spot
on the Michigan golf team. She battled
burnout and low motivation and even
considered quitting altogether. But her
determination and grit carried her to
the elite level she is playing at today.
In her first few years at Michigan,
Schulz has been named an Academic
All-Big Ten (2021), contributed to
the 14th NCAA regionals and fourth
NCAA finals (2021) in program history
and came in first place at the Wolverine
Invitational this past September.
“Y
ou get people who are like, ‘No
wonder you’re good at golf; you’ve got
the genes,’” Schulz said. “It’s challenging
because it’s the hard work, not the genes.”
To balance her rigorous golf sched-
ule, Schulz has adopted and prioritized
other passions. She plays the ukulele
and practices tae kwon do and yoga.
These hobbies and passions help
Schulz distinguish her own identity.
“Golf is a huge part
of my life, and finding
time to also have other
passions while main-
taining my golf prac-
tices is really essential
to creating my own
path,” Schulz said.
The
Michigan
winters also help give
Schulz
and
other
northern golfers the
break they need but
would not take in
other climates. In the
offseason, with playing
outside not an option,
she is forced to work on her swing
and look at the more technical side
of her game, which pays off once the
weather turns warm and the spring
season starts.
“Having the winter time to rest and
not really play gives me that exciting
spark when we’re able to start up again,”
Schulz said. “That’s a big advantage.”
Despite the grueling training regi-
men of playing at an elite level, Schulz
does not anticipate an end in sight to
her golfing career. With an extra year
of eligibility due to Covid-19, she plans
to take a fifth year at Michigan to fur-
ther develop her game and mindset.
It is because of her coaches in the area
and at Michigan, her teammates’ encour-
agement and her mother and cousin’s
inspiration that Schulz has reached such
heights; it’s because of them that she
hopes to one day turn professional.
In one way, the overwhelming
female presence has impacted Schulz’s
perception of the male dominated
sport, but at the same time, it has caused
her to barely acknowledge that aspect.
“It influenced it to the point where
I didn’t think about it that way,” Schulz
said. “Growing up, we always had female
golf on the TV more than men’s golf.”
While male golf is more popular,
Schulz points out that the games
are merely different. Men, for the
most part, hit the ball further, which
attracts the attention of many spec-
tators. They are also more prone to
spray the ball, while female golfers
typically hit the ball straighter.
Neither the male nor female way
of playing is better or worse — they
are merely different.
“If you are just a spectator, you
may not be able to appreciate the deli-
cacy and precision of female players,”
Schulz said. “I’ve learned to appreci-
ate the beauty of the game and how it’s
played by females and males as well.”
Her stellar family lineage may have
conditioned her to dream big and set
ambitious goals, but it is Schulz’s own
passion and perseverance that has led
her to accomplish what she has thus
far. And as long as she continues down
her tenacious path, she will continue
to flourish for years to come.
said after the Wolverines beat Vil-
lanova in the Round of 32. “We
always talk about the
house that Cazzie built,
but we sometimes talk
about the house that Naz-
zie built on the women’s
side.”
There’s
a
million
excuses as to why the few
exceptional players that
came before Naz haven’t
seen their jerseys retired.
Throughout the pre-Naz
era, the women’s program
at Michigan never experienced a
great deal of success. It never pro-
duced a Big Ten player of the year,
never posted an All-American and
never reached the Sweet Sixteen.
That’s a lot of nevers.
Hillmon came to a program
devoid of historical success and
completely renovated it. She co-
captained the Wolverines to their
first Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight.
She helped Michigan to its highest
ranking in program history at No.
4 in the AP Poll and she launched
the Wolverines to their best season
ever in terms of winning percent-
age.
In addition to her contributions
to the team, Hillmon has accumu-
lated an absurd list of accolades
and records. She is the only Wol-
verine, man or woman, to finish
with over 2000 points and 1000
rebounds. Hillmon became one
of four women to score 2000
points, became the first and only
All-American in program history,
became the only Big Ten Player
of the Year in program history,
set the program record for most
rebounds and double-doubles and
was named to the All-Big Ten first
team in each of her four years.
If that doesn’t warrant a jersey
retirement, what does?
As Barnes Arico mentioned,
there are players that came before
Hillmon who helped to pave the
way for her success. Katelynn Fla-
herty, Hallie Thome, Diane Dietz
and Stacey Thomas all have a case
to see their numbers retired. All
of these women were immensely
talented players and helped propel
the program to where it is today.
But this isn’t about them. It’s about
Naz Hillmon, who over the past
four years has proved herself to be
the best player in program history.
As corny as Barnes Arico’s
comment might be, she’s right. To
the women’s team, Crisler is the
house that “Nazzie” built, and the
University of Michigan athletic
department needs to acknowledge
that. Hillmon is the first player to
wear 00 in program history, and
she should be the last.
Retire 00.
JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily
Naz Hillmon’s number deserves to be retired.
Jack Glanville: Retire 00
JACK
GLANVILLE
EVANSTON — In the final game
of the No. 23 Michigan softball
team’s series against No. 9 North-
western, the Wolverines desper-
ately needed a win.
After dropping two straight to
the Wildcats in similarly heart-
breaking fashion — and on the
heels of a shocking 0-4 start to the
Big Ten season — there was little
room left for error. An 0-5 record in
Big Ten play would be a deep hole
to climb out of, and a 4-8 record
against ranked teams could spell
disaster for their RPI. Michigan
needed to respond. Quickly.
And it did. Propelled by a five-
run seventh inning, the Wolverines
(20-11 overall, 1-4 Big Ten) secured
a crucial 8-3 victory over North-
western (24-5, 5-1).
Like in the first games of the
series, the Wolverines struck first,
notching two runs in the first inning
on contributions entirely from their
veteran players.
Graduate
outfielder
Kristina
Burkhardt opened with a double
and was brought home on a single to
left center by graduate utility player
Melina Livingston. The inning’s
scoring closed with a deep blast
from fifth-year third baseman Tay-
lor Bump that made it three-quar-
ters of the way up the wall.
Following
Michigan’s
out-
burst, the game cooled down and
settled into a rhythmic pitchers’
duel between graduate left-hander
Meghan Beaubien and Northwest-
ern’s ace lefty Danielle Williams.
Both teams made contact with
the ball consistently and frequently
put themselves in scoring positions.
But a combination of unfortunately
placed drives, athletic infield plays
and timely strikeouts prevented any
runners from reaching home.
In the bottom of the fourth
inning, Beaubien looked shaky for
the first time, hitting consecutive
batters to put a runner in scoring
position. But two grounders and
a pop-up got Michigan out of the
inning scot-free.
Still, Beaubien’s luck didn’t last.
After she allowed runners to take
first and second on a single and
a walk, Wildcats’ catcher Jordyn
Rudd finally broke through with
a drive up the middle to take a 2-1
lead.
But unlike the previous two
games, the Wolverines responded
— led again by their veterans in a
strikingly similar fashion. With Liv-
ingston on first, Bump again hit a
blast most of the way up the outfield
wall for an RBI double.
For most of the weekend, the
upperclassmen were average. But
with their backs against the wall,
they finally showed up in the last
game. Of Michigan’s ten total hits,
Burkhardt, Livingston and Bump
accounted for six of them.
“I told the upperclassmen to start
taking ownership of this team,”
Hutchins said. “And I thought they
did.”
Northwestern
wasn’t
done,
though, as infielder Nikki Cuchran
crushed a ball over the scoreboard
for a solo home run in the sixth
inning. Another double late in the
inning ended Beaubien’s night in
favor of freshman right-hander
Lauren Derkowski. She made it out
of the inning unscathed, and the
Wolverines moved into the seventh
inning clinging to a one-run lead.
But in the seventh, Michigan
definitively took control. After two
quick outs, the Wolverines were
jump started by a double from
freshman outfielder Ellie Sieler and
an RBI single from Livingston.
And that was only the start. Two
batters later, with the bases loaded,
junior first baseman Lauren Esman
drilled a ball to deep right that rico-
cheted off of the top of the outfield
wall, bringing three runners home.
Another single from junior outfield-
er Audrey LeClair brought Esman
home, making the score 8-2.
The Wildcats tacked on one
more run in the seventh inning but
couldn’t rally, and with that, Michi-
gan finally survived a full game
against Northwestern. And while
they prevented a sweep and averted
disaster, the Wolverines are still
nowhere near the team they’d like
to be.
A 1-4 Big Ten record absolutely
won’t cut it for Michigan. If it wants
to win another Big Ten title and
make it to the Women’s College
World Series, there still isn’t much
room for error.
The performance in the final
game was Michigan at its best:
athletic, dynamic and led by veter-
ans who fight and put the team on
their backs. When the Wolverines
perform like they did in Game Two
, they can beat elite teams. Now the
question becomes whether or not
they can do that consistently, and so
far, they haven’t been able to.
“We’re 1-4 in the Big Ten,”
Hutchins said. “If we don’t fight, it’s
not acceptable.”
MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily
Mikaela Schulz’s family, teammates and coaches have helped
her grow as a golfer.
Late scoring explosion guides Michigan past Northwestern, 8-3
CHARLIE PAPPALARDO
Daily Sports Writer
ANNA FUDER/Daily
The No. 23 Michigan softball team ended
its weekend in Evanston with a much-
needed win over No. 9 Northwestern.
KENT SCHWARTZ