The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MAY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 61 BY ANTHONY BROOME M i c h i ga n so f tba l l a l u m Ja c ly n Crummey was not always sure she would wind up a Wolverine. There was not much of a focus on recruit- ment during the early stages of her high school softball career, but business picked up in time. C r u m m ey — a M a co m b, M i c h . , native and Dakota High School student — was playing for the Finesse travel team her senior year when her recruit- ment started to get rolling. The door swung open to a fit with U-M. "Finesse had a bigger focus on re- cruitment and elevating players to the next level," she said. 'Before this team, playing for a big-time program wasn't really on my radar, but one day, my travel ball coach asked, 'What do you think about playing for [head coach] Carol Hutchins at Michigan?' "At this point, I was in my senior year deciding between some MAC schools, Michigan State was a little bit in the mix at that point, which is funny to say now. But ultimately, my decision was be- tween joining a program where I'd be a guaranteed starter or earning my keep at Michigan, and I took on the challenge." Crummey played in 164 career games for the Maize and Blue with 21 starts during her senior season, when she was a captain. It was a bit of an unorthodox rise to a leadership role given that she spent much of her time with the pro- gram as a pinch-runner. Reflecting on her career, she is still honored to have been named to a lead- ership position. "It meant a lot to be recognized by my teammates and coaches in that way, especially not always being someone in the lineup," she said. "I was a role player for a majority of my career, yet still found other ways to lead. A fraction of our time as student-athletes is spent on the field, and I used those opportu- nities to make an impact. "Whether that be in practice, in the weight room, I tried to support my teammates in whichever way was needed. It was an incredible honor and opportunity I never expected." Crummey was able to play for the leg- endary Hutchins, who currently stands alone as the winningest head coach in college softball history. There were plenty of lessons learned as a player, and they still impact Crummey, who is now working full-time in the athletics department. "Lessons still come my way from Hutch, because now she's my co- worker, so to speak," Crummey said. "The biggest thing she does is she elevates your original standard of excel- lence. Instead of settling, you're now striving to make something the best it can be. "After finishing a project, you start to ask yourself, 'Could I have done that better? Did I give it everything I could have? Can we take this one step fur- ther?' "Eventually, that voice stops being hers and it becomes your own, and that is the impact of playing for Hutch. You leave the program with a mentality that affects everything you do." Upon graduation, Crummey was not 100 percent sure what the next step would be. She got her professional start as a strength and conditioning intern working with the Olympic sports at U-M and eventually moved on to a per- formance science internship with USA Field Hockey. Other stops included working as the co-director of baseball and softball at WHERE ARE THEY NOW? How Jaclyn Crummey Helps Shape The Game-Day Atmospheres At U-M Crummey played in 164 career games with Michigan softball and was a team captain in 2013. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY