The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1202829
FEBRUARY 2020 THE WOLVERINE 17 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Since becoming a varsity sport in 2014, U-M women's lacrosse hadn't posted a winning record until the Wolverines went 16-4 in 2019, made its first NCAA Tournament — where it advanced to the second round — and boasted a top-10 ranking to end the year. At the core of head coach Hannah Nielson's transformation of the pro- gram are players like junior midfielder Maggie Kane, a native of Grand Rap- ids, Mich. Kane committed to U-M fol- lowing a standout career at Catholic Central High School. After looking at schools such as Army West Point and Colorado, the opportunity to join the Wolverines came about, and Kane knew it was right for her. "As soon as I came to campus for my visit, I knew this was the school I wanted to go to," she said. Kane's play on the field backed up the notion that she and Michigan were a perfect fit. She led her varsity high school team in scoring each of her four years, indicating that Kane would accept nothing less than mak- ing an impact as a freshman at U-M. In her first year as a Wolverine, she made 16 starts, and recorded 16 goals, 21 ground balls, 47 draw controls and 14 caused turnovers. "It was pretty crazy, because not ev- erybody gets that opportunity," Kane said of her early impact. "[The coaches] were rebuilding our program, so being able to be a part of that and contribute to that immediately was an honor, and I was so fortunate for it." U-M finished 7-10 on the season in 2018. However, that year laid the groundwork for Kane and her team- mates to lead the 2019 squad to new heights. She started in all 20 games last year, and scored 34 goals, which was third on the team and is fifth all time for a single season in program history. She also notched four assists, 37 draw controls, 23 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers en route to All-Big Ten honors. "Last year was a huge year, making history for our program," Kane said. "I think that going into last year, nobody really expected it, even from our team. Nobody knew what we were capable of. I think that's part of the reason that we did so well. We truly were like, 'We have nothing to lose.' "Being able to bring the program [to history] with the teammates you've been around for the past few years and the coaching staff that's done nothing but support you, it's so amazing." This upcoming season, Kane herself has a similar challenge to the team as a whole, to sustain and build off of the success they enjoyed last year. "This year, I'm looking to increase my shooting percentage to get it around 50 percent, to continue to be a consis- tent defender, and to be a solid voice and a solid one-on-one defender on the defensive side of the field." She's not just looking for improve- ment on the field, but she's looking for it in the classroom too. Academic improvement wouldn't be new for her, either. Kane has posted a higher GPA each semester since arriving at U-M. "Off the field, I'm always looking to raise the bar on academics, and always looking to do better," she said. "I'm just looking to improve and always put forth the effort in school that I do in lacrosse." In her recruitment, she didn't want to pick a school based solely on the lacrosse program. Lacrosse is just one of many reasons why Kane still feels she made the right choice, and she will continue to reap the benefits of that choice every day while she's at U-M, and for the years to come. "I think Michigan, as a whole, is sec- ond to none — you get the school, you get the athletics and you get the social life," she said. "Everything about Michigan helps you develop into the person that the real world is going to cherish and is going to need. I think no other school can really compete with that. "The people and the relationships that I've built over the years, I'm just going to cherish them forever." — Clayton Sayfie Kane was one of three Wolverines named to the All-Big Ten women's lacrosse team last year. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Student-Athlete Of The Month Women's Lacrosse Junior Maggie Kane