The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 57 OLYMPIC SPORTS Olympic Athlete Spotlight: Women's Soccer's Sarah Stratigakis Class: Junior Position: Midfielder Hometown: Woodbridge, Ontario Having patrolled the midfield for the Wolverines for nearly three complete seasons, Sarah Stratigakis has used her pure skill, determination and international experience to be a difference-maker on both the of- fensive and defensive sides of the ball. She has played a leading role in the women's soccer resurgence this season under second-year head coach Jennifer Klein. Stratigakis has performed at her peak in crunch time for the Wolverines, contributing a team-leading 22 points, including a pair of game-winning goals, entering the NCAA Tournament. For her stellar play this season, Stratigakis earned first-team All-Big Team hon- ors and was named the league's Midfielder of the Year. ACCOMPLISHMENTS • Big Ten Midfielder of the Year (2019) • First-team All-Big Ten (2019) • Two-time All-Big Ten second team (2017-18) • Academic All-Big Ten (2018) • Big Ten All-Freshman Team (2017) • Represented Canada in international play at the U-15, U-17, U-20 and Senior • National Team levels, including appearances at the 2015 Pan American Games and at the U-17 and U-20 FIFA World Cups COACH'S VIEW: MICHIGAN WOMEN'S SOCCER COACH JENNIFER KLEIN On her impact and growth on the field: "Sarah has been an amazing player for us. Me being here for two years, she was impactful last year and has contin- ued to grow her game and be impactful this year — not only as a player who has been able to score goals and assist goals, but also in her ability to have a defen- sive presence. I'm really excited for her that she's been able to mature so nicely." On her growth as a leader: "She's a quiet individual, but I think she's finding ways to lead with her style of play. She's good on the ball, able to take on mul- tiple defenders. I think the biggest step forward for her has been her defensive presence within the game. She's always been a player that has great offensive ability and instincts, but she's learning to defend, learning that if she can good on both sides of the ball, she can be an even more impactful player." STRATIGAKIS IN HER OWN WORDS On her style of play: "I'm a really offensive player. With the team that we have and with the team chemistry, I'm able to maneuver the ball really well to play a really good brand of soccer. It really helps my game. Our team has been doing very well defensively and that really helps with the attacking side of the ball. I've really improved my defensive presence. Because of that, there have been a lot of close games where we've been able to come out as a team with a win." On her role as a team leader: "We all have our different leadership roles on the team. I think that it's definitely a different style than my first two years. The team really plays well together and there's different ways that different players lead that and make it come alive." On her academic life: "I'm in sports management. Honestly, I'm not sure how I'm going to use that exactly, but I love sports and I'm sure I'll stay with that somehow." On her Michigan athletic career: "The quality of the school education-wise has made such a difference. The people that I've met here have been so impor- tant to me, especially my teammates. I'd say that with a lot of the girls on the team, I've made lifelong friendships. Being from Canada, it's nice that my parents have been able to see me play often." — Bob Miller Volleyball (17-7, 10-4 Big Ten) National Ranking: No. 23 in the Nov. 11 coaches' poll A pair of signature wins against Illinois highlighted Michigan's charge through the middle of their conference schedule. The Illini were ranked 19th when Michi- gan traveled to Champaign Nov. 1 to take a four-set victory. The Wolverines completed the season sweep over Illi- nois back home at Cliff Keen Arena Nov. 9 with a matching four-set win over the Illini, who had subsequently dropped to No. 21 heading into that match. Michigan needed those two wins against a ranked team for its NCAA Tournament résumé after a couple of early season losses to Missouri and Day- ton. Head coach Mark Rosen and his staff have helped make major improve- ments in the team's backline passing and defense since those two early non- conference losses. The improvements have helped the Wolverines climb into the national rankings, where they were listed No. 23 Nov. 11, with six regular- season matches remaining. Wrestling (0-1, 0-0 Big Ten) A disappointing 19-17 loss to No. 17 North Carolina Nov. 8 opened the dual campaign and demonstrated to Michigan wrestling head coach Sean Bormet the size of the task his team faces in replacing four starters who are taking Olympic red- shirts this season. The matches were split 50-50 in the contest, but bonus points gave the edge to the Tar Heels. Redshirt sophomores Jack Medley (125 pounds) and Jelani Embree (184) earned major decisions for the Wolverines, with Medley's 10-2 victory coming over the nation's No. 19-ranked grappler. Red- shirt freshman Nick Freeman (149), red- shirt senior Jackson Striggow (197) and sophomore Mason Parris (heavyweight) added decisions to the Michigan cause. Prior to that, the Michigan wrestlers opened the season at the Michigan State Open Nov. 2. Parris was the lone Michigan champion in East Lansing, taking heavyweight top honors, knock- ing off two top-10 opponents in his march through the heavyweight draw. Eight other Wolverines were place winners in the event, led by redshirt junior Kanen Storr, competing unat- tached due to his taking an Olympic redshirt this season, and Embree, who reached the finals in the 149 and 184 weight classes, respectively. — Bob Miller