The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 67 OLYMPIC SPORTS FALL PREVIEW Canada. The duo will be crucial members of this year 's team, but McGuire said it will be a group effort this year at the top of the lineup. "I think with us we really don't get caught up with who our No. 1 runner is," McGuire observed. "I think we could be fluid with any one of three or four people. They're all pretty darn good. It's just kind of who is a little better that day." Athlete To Watch: Incoming fresh- man Ericka Vanderlende won the 2019 Brooks PR Invitational, which is widely known as the de facto na- tional championship for high school runners. She finished with the fourth- fastest two-mile time recorded at the high school level. "We look for her to come in and make an immediate impact," Mc- Guire said. "She is capable of doing what Anne did in the fall when she was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year." Don't Miss: The Pre-National In- vitational at Indiana State University Oct. 19. This 6K race has been a race that Michigan performs well at, hav- ing finished in the top five of an elite group of teams in each of the past five seasons. FIELD HOCKEY First Event: Aug. 30, vs. North Carolina Big Ten Predicted Finish: First NCAA Best-Case Scenario: Na- tional semifinals Coach's Expectations: "Ultimately, our goal is to defend our Big Ten championship and go on to be in a position to compete for and win an NCAA championship," head coach Marcia Pankratz said. Top Player: Senior forward Meg Dowthwaite has recorded double- digit goals in each of the last two sea- sons. After losing the Big Ten Offen- sive Player of the Year Emma Way, the Wolverines will need Dowth- waite to lead the team offensively. "This year, she is a captain and leader, and she brings a maturity that will really benefit and help men- tor our younger players," Pankratz noted. "She's a big offensive threat who has a knack for finishing in the circle. We're looking forward to see her thrive in her senior year." Athlete To Watch: Rising sopho- more Kathryn Peterson was one of just six Wolverines to play in every contest last season. The midfielder recorded the third-most shots on the team (30) and the fourth-most goals (four), while she also delivered the game-winning goal against No. 17 Rutgers. Don't Miss: Oct. 18 against Mary- land. Michigan closes its season with five games against programs that made the NCAA Tournament in 2018, and the matchup with last year 's NCAA runner-up kicks off that daunting part of the schedule. "[Peterson] is a very smart player, and we look forward to seeing her develop into a mature upperclass- man," Pankratz said. "She is gaining more and more experience with the U.S. national team, and she'll bring that back and really help make us better." MEN'S SOCCER First Event: Aug. 30 vs. Florida Gulf Coast Big Ten Predicted Finish: Third NCAA Best-Case Scenario: Third round Coach's Expectations: "We want to continue to build the foundational culture that we have started to put in place here," eighth-year head coach Chaka Daley said. "We want to make getting to the NCAA [Tournament] not a lofty goal but an expectation." Top Player: Senior Jack Hallahan was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, a semifinalist for the Her- mann Trophy (nation's top player) and a second-team All-American in 2018. The forward enters the 2019 sea- son with a realistic chance to become the all-time Michigan leader in points, goals, assists and games played. "He is not flustered by the big mo- ments, and he doesn't change be- cause he never looks at the record book," Daley remarked. "He is all about the team first, and I think that's what makes Jack fantastic. "He just wants to do his best for the program, carry his lion share, which he is accustomed to doing, and see this program go to heights that it has never been before." Athlete To Watch: Junior forward Umar Farouk Osman had a quiet but productive first season in Ann Ar- bor before bursting onto the scene in 2018 with nine goals and four assists. He started every game a season ago and was named to the All-Big Ten second team. Look for the Ghana na- tive to pair well with Hallahan on the attack. Last fall, Anne Forsyth was tabbed as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earned All-Region honors with a third-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS