The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1468055
14 THE WOLVERINE JUNE / JULY 2022 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Senior point guard D a n i e l l e R a u c h capped off her four years at U-M with her third straight Academic All-Big Ten selection on March 23. The team's Big Ten sportsmanship honoree graduated from the School of Kinesiology in May and reflected on her Michigan experience shortly after. " T h e e d u c a t i o n that I was able to get, being an exer- cise science major, I loved ever ything about it," Rauch said. "I loved what I was learning, and I en- joyed it. It was that much easier to pour my time into both my academics and my athletics, just be- cause I liked what I was studying." Rauch led a team this season that won all of its games at Crisler Center and made the first Elite Eight in program history. There was a determination to the group on the court, but it also ex- tended to the classroom. "Our team was focused," she said. "That started with our academic coun- selors that we had. So, getting those hours in and having a space to be able to do work [was key]. Coach [Kim Barnes] Arico always made sure we had time to get our schoolwork done. That took priority. They helped keep our focus where it needed to be and helped us understand the ball stops bouncing at some point. Coach Arico understood that and understood that the academic rigor at the University of Michigan, so we had enough time to be able to get our work done, and she emphasized that." Rauch was named a co-captain this season with star forward Naz Hillmon. They found out together that they would be tasked with leading the pro- gram during their senior seasons. "It was an honor that the coaching staff felt like I was a good fit to lead the team," she said. "Being a point guard my entire life, I've always been in a little bit of a leadership role. But having the title of a captain is a huge honor, especially at Michigan. I try not to think about it too much because that's kind of always who I've wanted to be. The title just put a name on what I had been trying to do in my four years here." Being thrown into a leadership role lit a fire under Rauch, who played in all 32 games. She averaged 5.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 32.6 minutes per game. "It was added motivation," Rauch said. "I was always going to do ev- erything we needed for us to be able to win. Being in the position I was, I was not going down without leav- ing everything I had on the court. In some games, I tried to will us to win. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn't. I did everything in my power to not only represent the team, but also represent the univer- sity to the best of my abilities." R a u c h's t i m e i n basketball is not yet complete, though. Following her gradu- ation, she will attend Clemson University to get her master's degree in athletic leadership. R auch will also spend time working as a gradu- ate assistant for the Tigers' women's bas- ketball program. Her heart will al- ways be in Ann Ar- bor, and she hopes that the next group at Michigan will con- tinue the legacy her team set during her four years. "We set a new bar and a new standard for what Michigan basketball is sup - posed to be," she said. "I want to be remembered for- ever, and we are going to be remem- bered forever. We went to the first- ever Elite Eight [in program history] and went undefeated at home. "I want success for Michigan wom- en's basketball for many years to come. We paved the way for that and left it better than we found it." How do the next generation of Wol- verines take the baton from Rauch from a basketball and academic stand- point? She thinks it comes down to poise and perseverance. "Keep pushing," she said. "Run your own race. Those were the two things I always told myself. Good things are going to happen. Maybe they do not happen right when you want them to, but it will come if you continue to put your head down and keep working. "Be resilient and bounce back. Spend as much time studying as you do in the gym. If you want to change, the power to change is in your hands." — Anthony Broome Rauch, an applied exercise science major, was a co-captain and started all 32 games this year at point guard for the women's basketball team. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Student-Athlete Of The Month Women's Basketball Senior Danielle Rauch