The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1474004
34 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2022 A BANNER YEAR Looking Back At A Hugely Successful Year For Michigan Athletics BY CHRIS BALAS W ith a Big Ten-best 13 conference championships, Michigan athletics rolled this year on the way to a third-place national finish in the Learfield Direc- tors' Cup standings (overall athletic department success) behind Texas and Stanford. Football finally beat Ohio State and won the Big Ten for the first time since 2004 after plastering Iowa 42-3 in the championship game. The Wolver- ine wrestlers stunned Penn State to capture the program's first conference champion- ship since 1973 on the way to a second-place national finish, and women's basketball made its deepest run ever in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Elite Eight. Those are only a few of the many team highlights, fueled by several incredible indi- vidual performances. From sophomore basketball center Hunter Dickinson's 33-point performance against Michigan State to Paul Juda winning a pair of national champion- ships in men's gymnastics, the Wolverines shined again on the national stage in a wide array of sports. We highlight the best of the best with our annual list honoring both team and individ- ual accomplishments in what was an incredible year for University of Michigan sports. Coaches Jim Harbaugh (football) and Sean Bormet (wrestling) led their teams to Big Ten championships in their respective sports during the 2021-22 athletic year. Thanks in large part to their success, Michigan finished third in the Directors' Cup, trailing only Texas and Stanford. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL PHOTO BY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY