The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JUNE / JULY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 57 BY ANTHONY BROOME T he 18th-ranked women's golf team made history with its first-ever Big Ten championship at Fox Chapel Golf Club April 22-24 in Pittsburgh. The Wol- verines used a final-round score of 291 on the deciding day to tally a 5-over-par 857 for the weekend en route to winning the conference title. The effort was led by sophomore Monet Chun, who shot a school record 205 (8 under) to win individual medal- ist honors by four shots and earn an all- tournament selection. "There aren't enough words to capture all my thoughts," Chun told MGoBlue. com. "However, for my first collegiate win to come at the Big Ten Champion- ships, and the fact that I was able to help this program win the first-ever team title is just so special. I feel so lucky." The Wolverines came into the event as the top-seeded team in the Big Ten. Ju- nior Mikaela Schulz was the team's other top-20 finisher, tying for 17th with a 220 on the weekend. Senior Ashley Lau was named the winner of the Mary Fossum Award for the Big Ten's lowest scoring average this season (71.70). U-M head coach Jan Dowling was proud of Chun's performance and over the moon that she saved the best for last. "Monet's game has been so solid all year long, her scoring just wasn't reflect- ing that quite yet," Dowling said. "She stayed so patient all year long, kept be- lieving, and kept plugging away. It was her time, and boy, did she embrace it. What a time to turn it on." Michigan was the top seed in the con- ference for the first time and set a tone early in the tournament. The Wolver- ines shot a 1-over 285 in the first round to put them in second place to kick off the weekend. Chun and senior Sophia Trombetta both shot a 1-under 70. Chun helped Michigan make its push in round two with a 5-under 66 to take the individual lead, while Lau shot a 1-under 70 and junior Hailey Borja had an even- par 71 for a 3-under 281 after 36 holes. The Wolverines used 13 birdies on the front nine in the final round to stay ahead of Michigan State and Northwestern on their way to clinching the Big Ten title. "This is just incredible," Borja said. "I'm not sure how everyone felt in the morning, but it was a different kind of tension during our warm-up. However, all day I thought everyone's spirits were high, and we were playing with good momentum. "This is the win we have wanted for a long time. Now, to finally have it, feels unreal." Dowling watched a cohesive team performance on championship weekend and saw a team grow from things it went through earlier in the season. "This was a total team effort, from Fri- day on through Sunday, and we knew that's what it would take," Dowling said. "It was quite the battle out there today. Tough pin positions, a tricky wind and great golf. "The team was ready, and they em- braced the entire week. We were also able to tap into our experiences from earlier this year, which helped. I am so proud of this team for winning our very first Big Ten championship for Michigan." The following week, Lau was named Big Ten Golfer of the Year, the team's first such honor. Lau and Borja earned first- team All-Big Ten honors, while Chun and Schulz were named to the second team. Dowling was selected as Big Ten Coach of the Year, and graduate student Ashley Kim was the team's sportsman- ship award honoree. ❏ OLYMPIC SPORTS UPDATE Women's Golf Wins First Big Ten Title Monet Chun, a sophomore, shot a program-record 205 (8 under par) to help spark the wom- en's golf team to a first-place finish at the Big Ten Championships April 22-24 in Pittsburgh. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY