The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE JUNE/JULY 2020 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2015: Haylie Wagner's 1-0 shutout over No. 1 seed Florida June 2 brought Michigan to the brink of a softball national championship at the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. The Wolverines dropped the opener in the best-of-three championship series, and had their backs to the wall. Wag- ner responded by making a first-inning U-M run stand up, scattering six hits and striking out five Gators. The victory pushed Carol Hutchins' crew to 60-7 on the season, giving it a shot at a national title 10 years after it won the championship in 2005. Junior right fielder Kelsey Susalla's first-inning RBI single to center against Florida's Lauren Haeger proved the difference in the game. After that, Michigan's senior left-hander stalked the circle and owned the Gators. Wagner out-dueled Haeger — the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year — who yielded only two hits after the fateful first inning. Wagner worked out of several jams, coming through when the Wolverines needed her most. "What a game," Hutchins said afterward. "We didn't get very many runs. But you only have to get one more than the other team. I have to tell you, when it's a 1-0 game against Florida, we played outstanding defense. "I saw one of my coaching buddies, Sha- ron Drysdale. I said this is old school softball — not a lot of runs scored. But it was a lot of defense. Defense starts on the mound. "Haylie Wagner was just one-pitch fo- cused, and I could not be prouder of her ef- fort. My whole team's effort. We rebounded from last night. They got it together, our leadership got them together, and they came out here, and they just played Michi- gan softball. Had great enthusiasm, and they had great heart." Unfortunately, the Wolverines lost 4-1 in the deciding game the next day. 10 YEARS AGO, 2010: Michigan fea- tured a rare combination at the NCAA Out- door Championships in track and field at Eugene, Ore. The Wolverines placed a pair of sisters among the top dozen in the dis- cus throw, held June 9. Junior Emily Pendleton and freshman Erin Pendleton accomplished the feat, serving as Michigan's only representatives in the overall competition. The elder Pendleton managed to capture 10th place in the event, while the freshman checked in at No. 12 in the nation. They both needed to battle cool, wet conditions in finishing as high as they did. Southern Illinois' Jeneva McCall won the competition, with a toss of 54.98 meters. Emily Pendleton found her way into the top 10 with her effort of 50.41 meters, while Erin missed matching her big sister by eight inches, with a 50.29 throw. 25 YEARS AGO, 1995: New interim head football coach Lloyd Carr threw himself into preparing for the 1995 football season, his first in the big office — and some figured his last. Alumni were making noise about former Colorado coach (and former Michigan assistant) Bill McCartney or others stepping in, but Carr waved off any outside chatter. He told The Chicago Tribune he just looked forward to leading the Wolverines. He described what lay ahead as "a wonderful opportunity," noting: "How many coaches would give their right arm to be the head coach at Michigan for a year? You're looking at a lucky guy." Then-athletic director Joe Roberson told The Tribune, re- garding Michigan's football standards: "Two losses may be acceptable — depending on who we lose to. Three is rarely going to be a good season. Four is bad." Carr's teams lost four games his first two seasons at the helm, before winning the national championship in 1997. Before that 1995 campaign, Michigan nose tackle Jason Horn proved prophetic. "He loves Michigan and will do anything for Michigan," Horn said of Carr. "I think he's going to surprise people with how long he's here." — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY ESPN recently did a countdown of the top 25 coaching hires in the last 25 years of col- lege football, and former U-M mentor Lloyd Carr — who was hired in May 1995, origi- nally as an interim head coach — checked in at No. 15. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN