10 — Wednesday, January 18, 2023
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Michigan women’s track and field posts a strong showing at the
Michigan Invitational
Although the Michigan Invi-
tational was a non-scoring per-
formance, Michigan displayed
both dominance and need for
improvement. The track athletes
were successful but the Wolver-
ines faltered in their field events.
The track athletes took first in
seven of the nine events, while
the field events earned first in
just one of its six events.
Although the scoring of the
invitational wasn’t cumulative,
Michigan’s performance proved
that it has the potential to be
dangerous in upcoming events.
While the field event results are
not perfect, the early success
indicates a high ceiling, given
that this is only their second
event of the season.
“I think the women’s team
had a great day today,” fifth year
distance runner Samantha Saenz
said. “There was a lot of personal
bests.”
Saenz ran one of those per-
sonal bests, finishing first in
the mile run at 4:46.39. She had
to earn that victory as the sec-
ond place finisher, Toledo’s Lou
Trois, clocked in just 52 mil-
liseconds behind her. Saenz’s
close win accounted for one of
two Michigan victories decided
by milliseconds. Sprinter Ziyah
Holman won the 600 meter run
in 1:31.22, edging out unattached
runner Nikki Stephens by 34 mil-
liseconds.
“The time wasn’t what I was
expecting, to be frank,” Holman
said. “I really appreciate the
win.”
These close finishes bode well
for the Wolverines as they pre-
pare for competitive meets later
in the season. The non-scoring
meet gives Michigan chances to
compete and pulling out neck-
and-neck victories is great expe-
rience early in the season.
Although most of the track
events resulted in dominant
performances, Michigan came
up short in the 60 meter run.
The event was still close, senior
sprinter Hannah Hearn took sec-
ond running a 7.70. However, she
lost to Michigan State sprinter
Amani Nuels who finished at
7.59.
Despite
the
strong
track
performances, the Wolverines
left themselves lots of room
for improvement in the field
events.
Its singular victory in the field
events came from junior Corinne
Jemison in the shot put where
she threw 15.29 meters. Junior
Mia Manson saw some success,
tying for first in the pole vault,
vaulting 3.96 meters. Beyond
these two performances, how-
ever, the field events left a lot to
be desired.
While the near perfection that
the running athletes exhibited
can’t always be expected, plac-
ing higher in the field events is
essential moving forward.
Michigan did not place above
fourth in any of the other four
events. Senior Theresa Mayanja
finished ninth in the long jump,
freshman Gabi Newman placed
sixth in the high jump, freshman
Emma Jungeberg was seventh
in the weight throw, and junior
Morgan Flynn finished fourth in
the pole vault.
The Wolverines’ finishes on
Saturday were not optimal, but
it leaves them hope for perfor-
mances ahead. In the Wolver-
ine Invitational on January 7th,
Michigan had a top three finish
in five out of the six field events.
It had multiple athletes com-
pete at that event that did not
compete in the Michigan Invi-
tational, showing that when the
Wolverines have their strongest
athletes, they find more success.
The questions about Michi-
gan’s true strength in the field
events will soon be answered as
they continue into the season,
but the Michigan Invitational
showed that the field athletes
have to pull their weight along-
side the already strong runner’s
performances.
“We’re getting ready for later
in the season,” Michigan director
of track and field Kevin Sullivan
said. “This is all in preparation
for those late season meets.”
The Michigan Invitational is
a stepping stone for the team as
the season progresses — now, the
question is whether Michigan
can build on its performances.
GRACE BEAL/Daily
Michigan goes undefeated in the ASU
Cross Conference Challenge
With 45 seconds left on the
clock in overtime, sophomore
attacker Ashley O’Neil had a
chance to give the No. 7 Michi-
gan water polo team the lead in
the last game of the ASU Cross
Conference Challenge. Her shot
from 10 meters out found the back
of the net, clinching an 11-10 win
over No. 10 Arizona State.
The seventh-ranked Wolver-
ines (4-0 overall) opened their
season in the challenge with a
new head coach, but that didn’t
hinder Michigan’s performance
as it beat all four teams it faced.
Through
their
first
three
games, the Wolverines did as
expected, beating three unranked
opponents by a wide margin
before facing greater adversity in
their win against the Sun Devils
(3-1 overall).
“I think its resilience… every
single quarter they got better and
better,” Michigan coach Cassie
Churnside said. “Our mindset
was definitely to stick to our game
plan and trust the process.”
That development was evi-
dent in the first two days of the
three-day event as the Wolverines
dominated on both offense and
defense.
In
Michigan’s
first
game
against Biola (0-3), back-to-back
goals by graduate center Erin
Neustrom and junior attacker
Lola Ciruli less than a minute into
the game gave the Wolverines
an early lead. While the offense
continued to generate open shots,
Michigan’s suffocating defense
forced turnovers and steals, lead-
ing to a 14-0 shutout.
On Saturday, the Wolverines
faced California Baptist (2-2) for
their first matchup of the day and
this game was no different. With
three of its players scoring a hat
trick, the offense — led by Ciruli
and junior attacker Kata Utassy
— gave Michigan a commanding
16-5 win over the Lancers.
“Kata Utassy is one of the best
all-around players on our team,”
Churnside said. “She’s going to be
critical to us and our success this
season.”
Later that day, Utassy followed
up her first hat trick of the season
with another complete perfor-
mance, racking up two steals and
leading the team with five goals
in Wolverine’s 18-6 win against
Azusa Pacific (0-3).
Despite its undefeated start,
the hardest challenge still lay
ahead of Michigan and its new
head coach, Churnside — in the
form of the only other ranked
opponent in the event, Arizona
State.
The Wolverines once again
opened the game with a lead, but
the momentum soon shifted. Late
in the second quarter, Michi-
gan struggled to find open shots
against the Sun Devil’s stifling
defense, giving Arizona State a
5-4 lead heading into the second
half.
“The trick for us is just being
open-minded and just talking
through the whole process,”
Utassy said. “It was definitely a
challenge, but I think it brought
out the best of us.”
Facing a deficit for the first
time all season, the Wolverines
maintained their poise. A deep
shot from junior attacker Sammi
Monroe followed by back-to-
back goals from Utassy tied the
game at 7-7 with two minutes
left in the third quarter. By the
sixth minute in the fourth quar-
ter, they took a 9-7 lead.
Just as it seemed Michigan
had settled into a groove that
gave it the lead, the Sun Devils
responded. A penalty shot by
Arizona State attacker Juliette
Dhalluin with a minute and a
half left in the game ultimately
sent the game into overtime.
“I looked at them and I said,
‘We’re gonna win this game’, ”
Churnside said. “We’re playing
to win and ASU was playing not
to lose.”
After each team scored a goal
in overtime, the Wolverines
had the last possession. With
the shot clock winding down,
O’Neil was forced into taking
a deep shot that found the net,
securing Michigan’s undefeated
start to its season.
The offensive and defen-
sive
consistency
throughout
the challenge increased confi-
dence in the new coaching staff
and the Wolverines’ depth, but
whether they are able to main-
tain an all-around performance
against high-ranked opponents
will be their true test.
WATER POLO
WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
SARAH BOEKE/Daily
SAMUEL NOVOTNY
Daily Sports Writer
Jack Medley rides momentum in 125-
pound upset victory
JOSHUA BROWN
Daily Sports Writer
The No. 3 Michigan wrestling
team entered Sunday’s dual at Cliff
Keen Arena against No. 14 Wiscon-
sin expecting to easily handle its
competition in its conference home
opener. But few outside 125-pound
wrestler Jack Medley expected the
Wolverines to start out so strong.
The graduate wrestler entered
Sunday’s match looking for his
fourth straight dual win after his
6-3 decision over Michigan State’s
No. 25 Tristan Lujan Friday night.
But Sunday’s dual as an underdog
against No. 5 Eric Barnett posed a
stiffer challenge.
“Coming into the match, I was
pretty
relaxed,”
Medley
said.
“Another opponent, another guy.
(I) had a good match Friday night.
I feel like I’m getting better every
match. I don’t look at the rankings
or anything like that. I just focus on
myself.”
Medley, now in his sixth sea-
son, was tasked with monumental
shoes to fill: Replacing last sea-
son’s NCAA 125-pound champion
Nick Suriano. As a result, Medley
only appeared in 10 duals last sea-
son and had to wait in the wings
behind his championship-winning
teammate.
As Medley waited his turn,
he continued to be a team player
throughout his long journey at
Michigan.
Now in the spotlight, Medley
began the first period down 2-0
after an early takedown by Barnett,
but he scored a key reversal to knot
the score and turn the tides before
the end of the period.
“After that reversal at the end of
the first period, I felt the momen-
tum swing in my direction,” Med-
ley said.
And that momentum was pal-
pable inside Cliff Keen Arena, with
both the crowd and team buzzing
for Medley’s early effort against
such a talented opponent.
“You could see about halfway
through that match momentum
was shifting,” Michigan coach
Sean Bormet said. “Jack’s really
good in all three positions, so when
he got that reversal I could see the
momentum shifting.”
But the turning of the tides
did not fully manifest itself in the
scoreline until the third period.
He earned a reversal, which led to
a riveting four-point near fall after
putting Barnett on his back as well
as two takedowns in the period,
powering him to a 12-6 decision.
“He stayed in a lot of tough posi-
tions, wrestled through every-
thing, and he made the Wisconsin
kid continue to wrestle the entire
match,” Bormet said. “… He did a
great job staying dominant in that
third period, and he’s just continu-
ing to gain confidence and con-
tinue to build his wrestling attacks
back up.”
Sunday’s win, in multiple ways,
serves as a culmination of the work
ethic and fortitude Medley has
displayed over his six seasons for
Michigan.
Despite his individual accolades
such finishing fourth in the Big
Ten at 125-pounds in the 2019-
20 season and qualifying for the
NCAA Tournament before it was
canceled due to Covid-19, his
team-first attitude stood out the
most.
“Jack Medley’s a guy that’s like
a backbone to a team,” Bormet
said. “Just incredible work ethic,
incredible consistency, incredible
commitment to the team: team
first. And he’s been that way from
the time he got here as a fresh-
man. So he’s so well-respected by
the entire team, doesn’t matter
what grade, so well respected.”
Having the respect and sup-
port of one’s teammates can go
a long way. Taking that enthusi-
asm into meaningful results that
set the tone for a team goes even
further.
This year, relishing his valu-
able role on the team, Medley is
enjoying defining moments like
his upset against Barnett.
“I’m just staying present in the
moment, not really focusing on it
being my last year,” Medley said.
“Just being present and being
grateful for every time I can rep-
resent the University of Michi-
gan and step on that mat.”
The season is still relatively
young, and Medley and the Wol-
verines realize that all of their
goals still in front of them. Head-
ing to State College on Friday to
battle No. 1 Penn State, they’ll
hope to keep their undefeated
record intact.
And for Medley, it will provide
another chance to prove himself
on a big stage.
WRESTLING
KEITH MELONG/Daily
TASMIA JAMIL
For The Daily
In the Michigan Invitational, the Wolverines showed their strength on the track, but struggled in field events.
In his sixth year at Michigan, Jack Medley delivered an upset win to open the team’s dual with Wisconsin.
After breezing through its first three games, the No. 7 Michigan water polo team defeated No. 10 Arizona State in overtime to
complete an undefeated weekend.