The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1508023
58 THE WOLVERINE ❱ OCTOBER 2023 MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY The U-M men, preseason ranked No. 27 nation- ally, began the 2023 season with a strong debut in the Michigan Open at Hudson Mills Metropark on Sept. 1. The Wolverines went up against the Uni- versity of Detroit Mercy and had seven of the top 10 racers in the event. Graduates Tom Brady and Nick Foster claimed the top two spots. U-M is back in action on Sept. 23 when it heads to Charlottesville, Va., for the Virginia Invitational. WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY Graduates Kayla Windemuller and Samantha Saenz finished second and fourth, respectively, en route to a second-place team finish at the Badger Classic on Sept. 9 in Madison, Wis. Windemuller 's second-place individual finish came with a time of 18:03.8, second to Ohio State's Addie Engel. Saenz was right on pace with Windemuller, clocking in with an 18:07.1. Grad student Tilly Simpson finished third among U-M runners and 12th overall after posting a time of 18:28.8 in the event. The Wolverines, preseason ranked No. 25 nation- ally, will return to competition on Sept. 29, heading to Chicago for the Loyola Lakefront Invite. MEN'S GOLF Play was suspended due to darkness at the Highlands Invitational in Westchester, Ill., on Sept. 18. The Wolverines opened the event with a 296 before a 285 (3 under par) in the second round helped them climb to 11th before play was halted. Senior Will Anderson (-1) and junior Hunter Thomson (E) were the leading U-M performers at the time the event was paused on Sept. 18. The Highlands Invitational event was set to conclude on Sept. 19 and then U-M returns to play in the Virtues Intercollegiate on Sept. 25-26 in Nashport, Ohio. WOMEN'S GOLF Fifth-year standout Hailey Borja collected her 15th career top-10 finish at the Mary Fossum In- vitational at Michigan State's Forest Akers West Course on Sept. 17-18, finishing tied for ninth. Redshirt freshman Mara Janess (40th), senior Monet Chun (T-49th), freshman Sidney Yermish (T-49th) and freshman Grace Wang (T-70th) were the other top performers in the event. Next up is the Glass City Invitational in Toledo on Sept. 25-26. FIELD HOCKEY The No. 25 field hockey squad got off to a rough start to kick off the 2023 season with losses to No. 1 North Carolina (3-2) and No. 12 Wake Forest (1- 0) on Aug. 25-27. From there, Michigan won five of its next six contests heading into late September to move to 5-3 on the season. The Wolverines played four consecutive home contests and took them all, starting with a 5-1 win over UC Davis (Sept. 1), a 1-0 overtime victory over No. 18 Old Dominion (Sept. 3), a 7-0 blowout over Davidson (Sept. 8) and a 2-0 triumph over No. 10 St. Joseph's (Sept. 10). No. 17 Ohio State earned a 5-1 win over U-M on Sept. 15 in Columbus before the Wolverines rebounded with a 3-1 win over Kent State (Sept. 17). Senior Lora Clarke led the team with 10 total points (2 goals, 6 assists) through eight games, while freshman Kelsey Reviello had 4 goals on the season and 9 points. Next up is a road date with Iowa on Sept. 22. WOMEN'S SOCCER The No. 19 U-M women had a few setbacks to start the year, falling to 1-2 early on. Since a score- less tie with No. 5 Virginia on Aug. 24, the Wol- verines rattled off five wins in a row, four coming on 1-0 scores. The stretch included victories over Boston College, Cincinnati, No. 11 Notre Dame, Western Michigan and Minnesota. Senior Sammi Woods paced the team with 9 total points and led in goals with 4. Michigan heads to the state of Illinois the weekend of Sept. 21-24 with games at Northwestern and Illinois. MEN'S SOCCER Michigan is still trying to hit its stride early in the 2023 campaign, stumbling out to a 1-2-3 record. Its lone win of the year as of Sept. 19 was against California Baptist in Ann Arbor on Aug. 27. The highlight to this point may have been a 1-1 tie with No. 9 Akron on Sept. 1. Coming out of the first month of the season, senior Bryce Blevins and junior Michael Leon were tied for the team lead in points with 5, racking up 2 goals and an assist each. U-M took on Oakland on Sept. 19 before returning home for a showdown with Rutgers on Sept. 22, its first home Big Ten game this season. VOLLEYBALL The Erin Virtue era at the helm of the program has gotten off to a bit of a rocky start. U-M entered late September with a 2-7 record on the year on the heels of a three-game losing streak. The good news is that Big Ten play is on the horizon with a chance to get things back on track. Michigan State comes to Ann Arbor on Sept. 22 for a rivalry tilt before the Wolverines head to College Park for a matchup with the Maryland Terrapins on Sept. 24. — Anthony Broome ❱ OLYMPIC SPORTS UPDATE Fall Sports Roundup Fifth-year standout Hailey Borja collected her 15th career top-10 finish, pacing Michigan to a sea- son-opening 10th-place team showing at Michigan State's Mary Fossum Invitational Sept. 17-18. She posted a 218 (+2 over par) to tie for ninth while making her 40th consecutive start. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY