The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1504445
AUGUST 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 35 2022-23 YEAR IN REVIEW championship in the 400-meter hurdles was incred- ibly impressive due in large part to the competition. The top five finishers all ran personal-best times, in- cluding Sutherland at 54.45 seconds, a school record. That was more than two-tenths of a second ahead of Masai Russell of Kentucky (54.66), an 11-time All- American. Arkansas' Britton Wilson, a two-time SEC Outdoor Runner of the Year (2022, '23) also was in the field. She placed seventh at 55.92 seconds, after winning the 400-meter hurdles in 2022. Following her victory at NCAAs, Sutherland was named Women's Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year, determined by a poll of the league's head coaches. BIGGEST UPSETS OF THE YEAR MALE SPORT UPSET OF THE YEAR LACROSSE VS. MARYLAND Then-unranked Michigan was 0-11 all time against Maryland heading into an April 1 tilt at the No. 2-ranked Terrapins, the defending national champi- ons who had won 20 of their last 21 home regular- season games. Michigan started hot, getting out to a 6-2 lead in the first quarter, held a 7-6 edge at halftime and maintained the advantage throughout the entire second half of the 16-11 win. Senior attackman Josh Zawada — the program's leader in career goals — found the back of the net three times and added 4 assists for a team-high 7 points, while junior attackman Michael Boehm reg- istered 4 goals and 2 assists. The Wolverines were a perfect 22-of-22 on clears and held Maryland to 41 shots, only 21 of which were on goal. The win marked U-M's highest-ranked victory ever and seventh triumph over a nationally ranked team since becoming a varsity sport in 2012. The Terrapins were 6-2 entering that fateful Sat- urday, while U-M was coming off two consecutive losses and boasted a 4-4 record. The two teams met again in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, when the Maize and Blue won even more convinc- ingly, 14-5, in Baltimore. FEMALE SPORT UPSET OF THE YEAR BASKETBALL VS. NORTH CAROLINA The Wolverines and No. 6-ranked Tar Heels met on a neutral court Dec. 20, but the fans in the stands were far from objective. The Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. — less than a 150-mile drive from UNC's campus — was filled with "Carolina Blue" for the Jumpman Invitational matchup. But it was No. 19 U-M that lit it up right from the jump, pouring in a school-record 35 first-quarter points to go ahead by 15 heading into the second stanza. The Maize and Blue led by 23 points at one point in the second quarter and ran away with the 76-68 upset win, marking the program's third top-six win and seventh top-10 victory. Head coach Kim Barnes Arico's team shot 46.7 percent from the field and held North Carolina to 32.4 percent — the Tar Heels' lowest mark of the season to that point. Fifth-year senior guard Leigha Brown (25 points) and sophomore guard Laila Phelia (20) led the way in scoring, the only two Wolverines in double figures combining for 59.2 percent of the team's points. ROOKIES OF THE YEAR MALE SPORT ROOKIE OF THE YEAR ADAM FANTILLI, ICE HOCKEY Fantilli wasn't just great for a first-year athlete, the Nobleton, Ontario, native became the third-ever freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award, which is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding college hockey player (since 1981). He's one of three Wolverines to capture the honor, joining Kevin Porter (2008) and Brendan Morrison (1997). Fantilli was fabulous in his lone season in Ann Ar- bor, before becoming the No. 3 overall NHL Draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year, first-team All-American and first-team all-conference honoree led the nation in scoring with 65 points (30 goals, 35 assists) in 36 games, averaging 1.81 points per tilt. That average is the third-highest scoring clip for a season in the sport's history. U-M was 24-9-3 when Fantilli was in the lineup and 2-3 without him. He scored multiple goals in three of four Big Ten Tournament games to lead the Wolver- ines to the championship. He also notched a goal in each of the team's three NCAA Tournament games, adding 1 assist. U-M — which made its NCAA-record 27th Frozen Four appearance — lost to Quinnipiac in the semifinals. FEMALE SPORT ROOKIE OF THE YEAR KATIE CROM, SWIMMING The Reno, Nev., native rose to the occasion at the Big Ten Championships in February, taking home gold in the 200-yard butterfly with a personal- and Canham Natatorium-best 1:53.94 time. She also col- lected one silver and two bronze medals, earning first-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. She's one of four Wolverines to win the latter award. Crom was the lone Wolverine to be named to the all-conference first team, while eight of her teammates were tabbed to the second team. Crom placed 19th in the 200-yard butterfly, 22nd in the 500-yard freestyle and 26th in the 200-yard freestyle at the NCAA Championships in March. Prior to the Big Ten Championships, Crom finished first in five different events. ❏ Adam Fantilli became the third-ever fresh- man to win the Hobey Baker Award, given to the nation's most outstanding college hockey player. He led the nation in scoring with 65 points (30 goals, 35 assists) and helped U-M advance to the Frozen Four. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Katie Crom earned first-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors after tak- ing gold in the 200-yard butterfly while also collecting one silver and two bronze medals at her first Big Ten Championships. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Led by senior guard Leigha Brown (left), who scored 25 points, Michigan ran away with a 76-68 upset win over the No. 6 Tar Heels at the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, N.C.. It was the program's third top-six victory and seventh top-10 win. GRAPHIC COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS