The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com 
Wednesday, March 15, 2023 — 15 

Sung sisters find their place in 
Michigan team dynamic

MACKENZIE MIELKE
Daily Sports Writer

Golf is an individual sport, but 
it’s played in pairs with the Sung 
sisters. 
Lauren and Sydney Sung are 
freshman twins, only the sec-
ond set of twins ever to play 
on the Michigan women’s golf 
team. However, playing the sport 
together started long before their 
collegiate careers. It actually runs 
in the family. Their older sister, 
Katherine, currently plays for 
Dartmouth’s golf team. The group 
of sisters all began golfing togeth-
er.
“We all basically started at the 
same time,” Sydney said. “Our 
dad really got into golf, I think in 
his college years probably. I think 
when we were five or six, we got 
taken to the range and just hit a 
bunch with our plastic clubs.”
Golf may not be the first sports 
parents throw their toddlers into. 
In fact, many start with games of 
tee-ball, watching their kids draw 
shapes in the dirt. It’s a similar 
story for the Sung sisters, both of 
them going through a multitude of 
sports before landing on the range. 
“We started playing a bunch of 
sports growing up,” Lauren said. 
“We swam, we did volleyball, bas-
ketball, tennis and we even ski 
raced. We ended up coming down 
to a few sports that we thought 
we would have a future in, and it 

ended up being golf.”
Going with golf indeed was 
the right decision. While attend-
ing Palo Alto High School, both 
sisters ranked among the top-25 
golfers in the state of California. 
They only built on to their impres-
sive record; neither lost a single 
match in their four years of league 
play. Those wins propelled Palo 
Alto to a state championship, team 
runner-up and two top-20 finishes 
for each of them at the state finals 
in 2019 and 2021. The sisters are 
teammates who have the history 
and scores to back up their domi-
nance. 
Despite their success as team-
mates, there is no way to erase that 
pure competitiveness and desire 
to beat your sibling. Even at the 
level of Divison I golf. 
“I think it just motivates us 
really in the end,” Sydney said. “I 
think it’s been really beneficial 
and especially coming to Michi-
gan with being on the same team. 
We’ve kinda had to learn how 
to sort of root for each other in a 
way, but golf is very individualized 
and we still have that competitive 
aspect. At some point, we have 
individual scores, and we’re trying 
to be better than each other.”
The duo didn’t exactly plan on 
experiencing their careers togeth-
er, and even went through their 
recruitment process separately. 
With this process, they looked at 
the same coaches but wanted to 
be recruited independently. This 
then caused a 
recurring con-
fusion 
when 
brought 
up 
to the sisters 
about whether 
or 
not 
they 
were 
even 
related, some-
thing they still 
laugh 
about 
now. For the 
benefit of the 
Wolverines, 
though, 
hav-
ing this duo 
together 
as 

teammates has a proven track 
record for success. 
“We really made it a point 
to come to the decision on our 
own,” Sydney said. “It turned 
out for the better and it’s really 
awesome. Just having her down 
the hall in our dorm, it’s really 
nice.”
Having that type of support 
and comfort for a new chap-
ter offers aid in that transition 
— especially with a team of just 
seven golfers where upperclass-
men lead the way. Having that 
type of presence allows the Sung 
sisters to find space on the team. 
In a sport like golf where an 
individual score is valued heav-
ily, it might be harder to form 
team camaraderie that comes 
with most group sports. Howev-
er, for the pair and the rest of the 
team, there is support for both 
the underclassmen and the team 
goals they want to achieve. 
“We’ve had a lot of bonding 
moments,” Lauren said. “Just 
being able to share experience 
throughout our whole high 
school time and (the team’s) 
experience, learning about the 
things they have done for the last 
few years.”
This team environment is 
cultivating success for the sis-
ters. Lauren shot a career-low 
18-hole card of 67 at the Moon 
Invitational in February. In her 
collegiate debut in September, 
Sydney shot a 233 at the 54-hole 
Mercedes-Benz 
Collegiate. 
Their team as a whole has been 
performing at a high level of 
execution, and the Sung sisters 
have had to transition from the 
California weather to the irregu-
lar and unpredictable Michigan 
season. 
“Having an offseason that 
we didn’t really have in Cali-
fornia,” Lauren said. “It’s been 
pretty easy to specifically work 
on something and see it kind of 
progress and get better at that 
specific thing.”

Sports

WOMEN’S GOLF

Women’s SportsWednesday: What Women’s Month means to me

LILY ISRAEL
Daily Sports Editor

In observance of Women’s His-
tory Month, The Daily’s sports sec-
tion is launching its sixth annual 
series aimed at telling the stories of 
female athletes, coaches and teams 
at the University of Michigan, from 
the perspective of female sports 
writers on staff. Daily Sports Editor 
Lily Israel continues the series with 
this story.
I was always the only girl. 
The only girl playing football 
during elementary school at recess. 
The only girl on my 4th-grade flag 
football team. The only girl leaving 
Hebrew school on Sunday to go to 
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers games. 
The only girl in my 9th-grade fan-
tasy football league. The only girl 
watching the Super Bowl for the 
game and not the halftime show. 
When I came to Michigan, I was 
scared, timid and slightly embar-
rassed that the first thing I wanted 
to do in college was join the sports 
section of the newspaper. 
But immediately all my fears 
went away. Because up until that 
moment, I always felt isolated. 

Alone among my friends in my 
desire to do nothing but watch 
football on the weekends. Alone 
in my passion for my beloved Buc-
caneers. Alone in watching sports 
all day.
In that first moment at the 
newspaper, as I looked around to 
see the smattering of other girls in 
The Daily’s weekly sports meeting, 
I knew I found my place. 
And 
that’s 
what 
Women’s 
Month means to me. Knowing that 
I belong in the sports world as a 
woman; knowing that I can share 
that passion and experience with 
everyone around me; knowing that 
I am wholeheartedly supported by 
all the women here, but also all the 
men, who look up to me and uplift 
me in all I do. 
Women’s Month in The Daily’s 
sports section was the child of 
women writers before me who also 
found their place in the newsroom 
and knew they wanted to share 
those joys. They wanted to high-
light female athletes and coaches 
that otherwise wouldn’t get the 
spotlight. And they wanted to do it 
by uplifting other female writers — 
encouraging them to step outside 
their comfort zones, use their voic-

es and challenge the limits of what 
this industry was before them. 
The beautiful thing about grow-
ing up a sports fan was that it 
always gave me an outlet. I never 
had nothing to do. There was 
always a game on or a new ESPN 
clip to watch. Sports was always 
there for me. I had my family to go 
to every Buccaneers game with, 
something I didn’t realize wasn’t 
a normal thing. I didn’t realize 
not every family prioritized going 
to football games over Hebrew 
school.

But I guess religious experienc-
es are different for everyone. 
Growing up with sports was 
somewhat of a religious experi-
ence for me. It gave me something 
to root for. It was something that 
I couldn’t impact and something 
that didn’t need to impact my life, 
but at the same time, it was my 
world. Whether the Bucs won or 
lost each Sunday dictated my mood 
for the week. On weeks we won, 
which were few and far between 
when I was young, my dad would 
wake me up by asking, “Guess 

what?” To which I would answer, 
“The Bucs won!” Starting off my 
day with the win in mind was all I 
needed to keep me going until the 
next game. 
Playing sports was equally 
as important to me growing up. 
Somehow, I fell in love with golf at 
a young age. For me, the most soli-
tary sport of all made me feel seen. 
Being on a golf course made me 
feel at home. 
As I grew older, though, I craved 
the support of a team. I ran track 
and played golf through middle 
school, but I wanted to be part 
of something larger than myself. 
And, at its core, that’s what sports 
really is — being part of something 
greater than just yourself. So I 
joined the lacrosse team. Along 
with five of my best friends, play-
ing for my school’s lacrosse team 
was the highlight of my high school 
experience. Playing on a team is an 
experience you can get nowhere 
else. You are held accountable 
for your actions, but you have an 
entire group of supportive women 
by your side every step of the way. 
Lacrosse gave me some of my 
fondest memories. Early morn-
ing practices, late night bus rides 
GRACE BEAL/Daily

after beating our rival for the first 
time, pregame jam sessions, help-
ing friends through career altering 
injuries. Sports mimics life in that 
way. You go through the highest 
highs and the lowest lows all with 
the same people you would go to 
war for. 
Sports have defined nearly 
every facet of my life. Because of 
how unique it is to be a woman 
so passionate about sports, it has 
come to represent me. I mark key 
moments in my life through mem-
orable sports moments.
I remember the first Bucs play-
off game, a crushing loss I wit-
nessed in person. I remember 
when Dwight Howard returned 
to the Magic only to crush my 
heart and leave the next year, and 
I thought my whole childhood 
was over. I remember when Tom 
Brady came to the Bucs in 2020. 
Pandemic be damned I was over 
the moon, thinking for sure the 
world would end before he played 
for us. I remember when the Bucs 
won the Super Bowl in the midst of 
a pandemic, a bright light in one of 
the hardest years for everyone.

Execution leads Michigan to 7-3 
victory over Ohio State in 
Big Ten semifinal

JOHN TONDORA
Daily Sports Writer

The blueprint was always there. 
It was never a question of talent, or 
game plan. 
It was always about the execu-
tion.
Disciplined, clean, five-on-five 
hockey. Capitalizing on opponents’ 
mistakes and playing the best 
even-strength game possible. It’s 
dangerously simple, but for the No. 
4 Michigan hockey team (23-11-3 
overall, 13-10-2 Big Ten), it made 
all the difference in its 7-3 Big Ten 
semifinal victory over No. 9 Ohio 
State (20-14-3, 11-11-2).
“I think our five-on-five game 
is one of the best in the country,” 
freshman forward Gavin Brindely 
said. “When we stay disciplined, 
we’re out of the box, (and) I think 
we’re a tough team to beat.”
The Wolverines have preached 
the necessity of their even-strength 
play all season. Yet, as the most 
penalized team in college hockey 
averaging nearly 18 penalty min-
utes per contest, Michigan rarely 
has the opportunity to showcase 
that skillset.
Nevertheless, thanks to zero 
penalty minutes and evidently 
clean play, the Wolverines couldn’t 
script a better first period if they 
drew it up themselves. Gifted a 1-0 
lead by freshman forward Gavin 
Brindley 23 seconds into the game, 
Michigan came out with an energy 
that continuously overwhelmed 
the Buckeyes.
“We got pucks in, got pucks 
behind them, rim to the bottom on 
their (defense) a lot and just pre-
vented us from turning the puck 
over in the neutral zone,” senior 
forward Nick Granowicz said. “… 
They couldn’t get as many opportu-
nities as they did last time.”
Up 3-0 just 10 minutes into the 
frame, the Wolverines’ success-
ful play was contagious. Finished 
checks, pucks dumped in deep and 

five-foot passes all compounded 
toward controlling play well into 
the second period. 
But what was perhaps most 
impressive: Michigan refrained 
from any penalties for more than 
30 minutes — a nearly insurmount-
able task in previous contests. The 
Wolverines had preached the same 
keys to success all season. And they 
had finally begun to click.
That is, until a cross-checking 
penalty committed by sophomore 
defenseman Luke Hughes put 
Michigan wholly on the defensive 
for the first time all night. 
Just 18 seconds later, a cross-
crease tap-in by forward Jake 
Wise gave Ohio State life and cut 
the deficit to 3-1. In classic fash-
ion, the only team that could beat 
the Wolverines was themselves. 
Throughout the entire night, when 
Michigan strayed away from its 
discipline — and thus five-on-five 
play — it opened the door for the 
Buckeyes.
“That was another point of 
emphasis this week — discipline,” 
Granowicz said. “Play between 
the whistles, don’t let them get in 
between our heads. Don’t take any 
extra penalties we don’t need to. 
We like our chances five-on-five.”
And while a 4-1 goal by freshman 
forward Adam Fantilli momentari-
ly assuaged the damage, the Wol-
verines fell back into their old ways 
as an errant trip by sophomore 
forward Mark Estapa once again 
reopened the door for Ohio State, as 
it converted on the powerplay for a 
4-2 score early in 
the third period.
Though 
it 
eventually 
pulled 
away, 
Michigan’s 
deviations from 
five-on-five play 
were the only 
moments 
that 
kept the Buck-
eyes from sink-
ing.

“It kind of got goofy at the end 
of the second, or the beginning of 
the third where they were calling 
more penalties,” Michigan coach 
Brandon Naurato said. “But I 
thought our guys did a great job 
of being disciplined.”
The Wolverines did not play 
nearly as perfect a game in the 
third period. As the desperation 
of the waning minutes of Ohio 
State’s Big Ten Tournament run 
propelled it toward the chaos and 
disruption that earned it success 
thus far, the Buckeyes pressed on 
the gas. Ohio State kept it inter-
esting, converting on a six-on-five 
goal courtesy of its own empty 
net for its final tally.
Yet as the puck slid across the 
goal line for two empty net goals 
that iced the game, Michigan 
won a resounding 7-3 contest to 
clinch a spot in next week’s Big 
Ten Championship game. Now, 
they’ll face Minnesota in the 
Twin Cities for the second season 
in a row, defending last season’s 
Big Ten Championship hanging 
in the balance.
An achievement that, despite 
the ups and downs of a regular 
season managed by a first-year 
interim head coach and an over-
whelmingly youthful roster, was 
the culmination of a year’s worth 
of growth and development. In a 
game that played out in the style 
the Wolverines strove toward all 
year.
They couldn’t have scripted it 
any better.

ICE HOCKEY

SportsMonday: Where are the positives?

After Sunday’s NCAA Tourna-
ment bracket announcement, what 
we all already knew is official:
The Michigan men’s basketball 
team is a failure.
With no bid to the Big Dance, the 
Wolverines’ season is effectively 
over, with only a meaningless NIT 
playoff left on the horizon. Normally, 
now would be the point to look at the 
positive takeaways from the season 
and have optimism for the future.
So I sat, trying to pull positives 
out of the air like a magician search-
ing for a rabbit. But the magic never 
came. I stuck my hand deeper into 
the hat, still, I was unable to conjure 
up any semblance of fur, rabbit or 
otherwise. The only thing I found 
was delusional justifications for 
Michigan’s misfortune, and forced 
narratives that didn’t really fit.

Coach Juwan Howard and the 
2022-23 Wolverines have given 
Michigan fans nothing to celebrate 
and little to look forward to. There’s 
nothing concrete to hold on to, cling-
ing only to hope.
Perhaps I seem cynical. Perhaps 
that’s true. But tell me: Where do I 
find positives in a team that failed to 
make the NCAA Tournament with 
a former Big Ten First-Team center 
and two potential NBA draft picks? 
What do I look at and say, “I think 
the Wolverines are going to bounce 
back next year?”
Hunter Dickinson is a tired 
story. He’s good, but he wasn’t good 
enough this year to punch Michi-
gan a ticket to the Big Dance. He 
promotes his podcast in post-game 
almost as much as he talks about his 
flailing team. Multiple times, he’s 
shown poor attitude on the court, 
sometimes getting yelled at by How-
ard. He’s undoubtedly talented, but 
he’s obviously not enough on his 

own, and I’m not sure he’s the best 
player for the future of this program.
Even if you believe he is, there’s no 
guarantee he stays, with a possibility 
to transfer or test his professional 
basketball waters.
Speaking of professional aspira-
tions, freshman wing Jett Howard 
is a lock to leave for the NBA. He’s a 
top-end scoring talent, and despite 
his obvious ineptitude on defense, is 
slotted as a lottery pick.
Then there’s the case of sopho-
more guard Kobe Bufkin. Bufkin is 
the bright spot in the Wolverines’ 
world of darkness. He improved all 
season, on offense and defense. In 
my opinion, he was the most impor-
tant factor in Michigan’s limited suc-
cess. He is being mocked in the first 
or second round of NBA drafts, and 
sometimes even as a lottery pick. If 
he gets a first-round guarantee from 
a team, I don’t see why he wouldn’t 
go.
If Bufkin comes back, he would 

be where a Michigan fan can 
find promise. Bufkin can elevate 
this team next year, and a return 
announcement from him would 
move the needle for me on my pro-
jection for next season’s squad — 
especially if he continues to develop.
The other two places I can clear 
off the debris and find players to 
affix my hope is with two freshmen, 

center Tarris Reed Jr. and guard 
Dug McDaniel. Both, especially 
the latter, developed throughout 
the season. They have promise and, 
maybe more importantly, show that 
Juwan can develop players.
But, on the other side of the 
coin, redshirt freshman forward 
Will 
Tschetter 
looks 
abysmal, 
junior forward Terrance Williams 
II regressed and there’s not much 
else to have confidence in as far as 
untested players go.
Michigan’s recruiting class isn’t 
much to gawk at either, ranking 
40th in 247sports’ recruiting rank-
ings with just two commits. There 
are no knights in shining armor 
coming to save the Wolverines.
Worst of all, it felt that Juwan lost 
his hold on his team this season. His 
players lacked effort and heart, even 
with their season on the line.
“When you notice in timeouts 
and you see some dejected, unhappy 
young men, and it’s the early part 

where there’s maybe 10 minutes 
left or seven minutes left in the 
ballgame,” Juwan said after the Big 
Ten Tournament loss to Rutgers. “I 
think it’s my job as a leader to uplift 
(the players) and encourage them, 
because I saw the looks on their 
faces.”
That didn’t really happen. They 
looked depressed, and their on-
court effort reflected that. Through-
out the entire season, Michigan 
failed to close out games, lacking the 
mental and physical toughness to 
get the results it wanted.
Last season’s team struggled 
with similar issues — issues that 
only worsened this season. That is 
the biggest glaring issue. Will that 
trend continue? Can Juwan fix that 
next year despite failing to do so this 
year? 
I’d like to believe so, but there’s no 
proof that says he can.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

NICHOLAS STOLL
Daily Sports Writer

MARIA DECKMANN/Daily
/Courtesy of Sydney and Lauren Sung

WOMEN’S MONTH

ANNA FUDER/Daily

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Read more at MichiganDaily.com