The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2022 THE WOLVERINE 59 OLYMPIC SPORTS at NCAAs, which would be the third- longest active streak in the country. U-M's efforts will be aided by famil- iar territory with the program hosting the Big Ten Cross Country Champion- ships for the first time since 2008. It will take place on the U-M Golf Course, which was adapted for cross country use in 1974. Michigan returns five of its seven performers at last year's NCAA Championships. Top 3 Athletes: • Junior Katelynne Hart — The first-team indoor track All-American in 2021 (distance medley relay) paced the Wolverines at both the NCAA Great Lakes Regional (sixth) and the NCAA Championships (69th). She finished 15th overall at the Big Ten Championships. • Fifth-year Kayla Windemuller — She earned second-team All-America honors during the spring season in the steeplechase for the outdoor track and field team. The applied exercise science major from Hamilton, Mich., led the Wolverine runners at the Greater Lou- isville Classic, placing second overall. She finished 79th (second among U-M runners) at the NCAA Championships. • Senior Ericka VanderLende — The applied exercise science major was a cross country All-American in 2019 and a second-team All-American per- former in 2021 in indoor track in the 5,000 meters. She is a three-time Big Ten Cross Country Athlete of the Week, who finished as the No. 1 U-M runner in the Penn State Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational, Penn State National Open and Big Ten Championships last season (second overall). VanderLende placed 108th and third among the Wol- verines at NCAA Championships. Don't Miss — Big Ten Championships (Ann Arbor), Oct. 28. Field Hockey First Event: ACC/Big Ten Challenge vs. North Carolina and Wake Forest (at Winston-Salem, N.C.) Aug. 26-28. Season Outlook: The 50th season in program history has plenty of chal- lenges thrown its way. U-M will play eight teams coming off an NCAA Tour- nament appearance last season, includ- ing a pair of Final Four squads in NCAA champion Northwestern and Maryland. U-M opens the season vs. North Car- olina, which won three NCAA titles in a row from 2018-20 and will also play Wake Forest on opening weekend at the ACC/Big Ten Championship in Win- ston-Salem, N.C. The Wolverines, who finished as Big Ten runners-up last season, lose a bit of star power from last season's team with midfielder Sofia Southam and back Halle O'Neill gone, but a solid core of veteran leadership and youth step- ping into larger roles is something head coach Marcia Pankratz will be able to lean on in pursuit of a Big Ten title this fall. Top 3 Athletes: • Junior Anouk Veen — She was a NFHCA All-American (third team), NFHCA All-West Region (first team) and All-Big Ten (second team) honoree after starting all 21 games at center back last season. Veen, a neuroscience major, scored a career-high 5 goals, including a game-winning score in double overtime against No. 6 Northwestern on Oct. 8. She contributed to a defensive effort that held opponents to 1.29 goals per game in 2021. • Fifth-year Kathryn Peterson — The neuroscience major was an NFHCA All-American (third team), NFHCA All- West Region (first team) and All-Big Ten (second team) selection with 14 starts at midfield in 15 appearances in 2021. Peterson ranked second among U-M performers with 17 points on 5 goals and 7 assists. She also was a member of Team USA's bronze-medal squad at Junior Pan American Championship in Santiago, Chile last August. • Fifth-year forward Katie An- derson — She started all 21 games at midfield in 2021, earning career-high 10 points with 2 goals and 6 assists. Her play earned an NFHCA Division I Se- nior Team and NFHCA All-West Region second-team nod. Anderson is majoring in psychology. Don't Miss — at defending national Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), Oct. 21 at 4 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. Men's Soccer First Event: Home vs. Duquesne Aug. 25. Season Outlook: U-M scratched and clawed throughout the year, but the 2021 season ultimately came to a close in a 2-0 loss to No. 24 Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Nov. 10. The defeat dropped the team's final record to 8-7-3. There is plenty of reason to be opti- mistic about the 2022 campaign. U-M returns eight of its top 10 scorers from last season and a sophomore goalie in Hayden Evans who made the Big Ten's All-Freshman Team in 2021. Five of the team's seven losses came in one-goal contests. Top 3 Athletes: • Fifth-year forward Kevin Buca — The electrical engineering major started all 16 games last season, leading the team in scoring with 12 points (5 goals, 2 as- Junior Anouk Veen (right) was a NFHCA third-team All-American in 2021. Among her 5 goals last year was this game-winner in double overtime versus No. 6 Northwestern. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY