The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/144506
named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I AllAmerica second team and was a unanimous selection for first-team All-Big Ten honors. 8. Lexi Erwin, volleyball: The Wolverines made a remarkable run to their first-ever Final Four appearance, and Erwin was the offensive catalyst. She notched 116 kills in the NCAA Tournament, never posting fewer than 17 in a match and helping Michigan push Texas to a fifth set with 26 kills in the Final Four semifinal. She earned a spot on the all-tournament team. Erwin, a junior captain, racked up 614 kills on the year, 235 more than Jennifer Cross, who finished second on the team in that category. Erwin recorded at least 10 kills in 34 of Michigan's 39 matches, and set program records in single-season kills and attack attempts (1,701). She was an American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American honorable mention pick and a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection. 9. Taylor Lewan, football: Throughout the 2012 season, Lewan, a redshirt junior, proved that he belonged in the discussion of best offensive linemen in the country, cutting down on the penalties that had plagued him as a younger player and performing with a level of dominance that fits the Wolverines' rich lineman tradition. Lewan shined in the Outback Bowl, going toe-to-toe with the best defensive end in the country, South Carolina's Jadeveon Clowney, and neutralizing him for much of the game. He also became the first Wolverine offensive lineman to score a touchdown since 1948, when he fell on a fumble in the end zone during Michigan's 63-13 win over Massachusetts. Lewan, a Walter Camp and Associated Press first-team All-American and the Big Ten Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman Of The Year, surprised the college football world when he passed on the 2013 NFL Draft to return to Ann Arbor for his fifth-year senior season. 10. Kiki Golden, water polo: In her final season with the Wolverines, Golden was hugely important, both offensively and defensively. She led Michigan in goals (59), points (92) and steals (63), while adding 33 assists, which ranked second on the team. She notched a 10-game goal streak and a three-game hat trick streak against Mercyhurst, Notre Dame and Siena early in the season. Golden came up big when the Wolverines needed it most, notching three of her assists in an 8-7 overtime win at bitter rival Indiana March 30. And she was consistently productive, recording a goal in 28 of the team's 34 games on the year. Golden finished as a first-team College Water Polo Association All-Western Division honoree and earned first-team Eastern All-Tournament distinction for her efforts in the postseason. She closed her career second in program history in steals (281), third in assists (130) and shots (607), and fourth in goals (207) and points (337). ❑