The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1514918
FEBRUARY 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 59 Hockey Fifteenth-ranked Michigan went to East Lansing for its first rivalry tilt with No. 7 Michigan State on Jan. 19 and used a flurry of goals to grab a 7-1 victory. Fourteen Wolverines recorded at least one point in the win, while five players had multi-point games in the opening of a two-game home-and- home series. The return trip to Ann Arbor the next night was not as fruitful for the Wolverines, who went up 4-1 in the second period before allowing four straight goals en route to a 7-5 loss to Michigan State. U-M continues its campaign with a pair of games at home against Wisconsin on Jan. 26-27 before a trip to Columbus for a two-game slate against Ohio State on Feb. 2-3. U-M will do battle with Michigan State again in Ann Arbor Feb. 9 and in Detroit Feb. 10 for the "Duel in the D." Women's Basketball Entering the late stages of January, the U-M women were 13-6 overall (4-3 in the Big Ten) on the season and looking to continue establishing their place in the conference pecking order. Entering the contest with Maryland on Jan. 24 at home, junior guard Laila Phelia was 11 points away from becoming the 31st player in program history to reach 1,000 points in a Michigan uniform. She was averaging 15.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game this season. The Wolverines and Terrapins entered the week as two of the four teams with a 4-3 record in con- ference play, joined by Minnesota and Penn State. Nebraska is also a three-loss team sitting at 5-3. All 14 teams in the Big Ten have at least one confer- ence loss so there is plenty to sort out over the next month. Men's Gymnastics Graduate student Paul Juda (Gymnast of the Week) and sophomore Fred Richard (Specialist of the Week) each earned Big Ten honors after helping the No. 3 Wolverines grab a win over No. 12 Army (412.500-382.950) on Jan. 20 in Ann Arbor. Juda won the vault competition with a nation-best 15.00, while placing second on the still rings and pommel horse in his first meet after missing all of last year with an injury. Richard had a 15.00 during his pommel horse victory and also won high bar with a score of 14.40. Michigan has been represented in each week of the Big Ten awards, with senior Javier Alfonso and junior David Wolma previously taking home Specialist of the Week honors on Jan. 15 and Jan. 8, respectively. Women's Gymnastics No. 14 Michigan (2-3, 1-0 B1G) opened its Big Ten season with a 197.400-197.025 win at Ohio State on Jan. 21 at the Covelli Center in Columbus, sweeping the individual event titles in the rivalry meet. Graduates Sierra Brooks and Gabby Wilson led the way, each scoring 39.575 to share the win in the all-around event. Brooks grabbed first in the balance beam and floor exercise, while Wilson shared first in the vault with teammate Naomi Morrison. Men's Swimming/Diving The 17th-ranked U-M men (1-3, 0-3 B1G) fell 163- 137 to Ohio State on Jan. 20 in Columbus. Michigan kicked off the meet with a victory in the 200-yard medley, with Jack Wilkening, Brendan Fitzpatrick, Tyler Ray and Bence Szabados posting a winning time of 1:26.08. Eitan Ben-Shitrit and Gal Groumi finished second and third, respectively in the 200- yard freestyle, while Wilkening and Jacque Wenger had top-three finishes in the 100-yard backstroke. Ansel Froass also won the 100- and 200-yard races, while Cameron Gammage won the three-meter dive event. Next for the men's swimming and diving squad is a First Chance Meet at Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor set for Feb. 17-18. Women's Swimming/ Diving The trip to Columbus did not go any better for the 16th-ranked women, who fell 184-116 to Ohio State on Jan. 21. Three Wolverines — Casey Chung, Stephanie Balduccini and Hannah Bellard — won events on the day. Chung captured both the 100- and 200-yard races in the backstroke, while Balduccini grabbed a 200- yard freestyle win and a second-place finish in the 100 freestyle, additionally. Bellard's day was head- lined by a 200-yard butterfly win. U-M hosts the First Chance Meet on Feb. 17-18 with start times to be announced. Wrestling No. 4 Michigan (5-2 overall, 3-1 B1G) grabbed a 23-10 win over No. 13 Rutgers on Jan. 21 at Crisler Center, claiming seven total bouts that included a pair of bonus wins and five victories over ranked opponents. The highlight of Michigan's 27-9 loss to No. 1 Penn State on Jan. 19 came when redshirt junior Dylan Ragusin, then ranked No. 6 nationally at 133 pounds, pinned No. 4 Aaron Nagao in overtime. The lineup for the Nittany Lions included seven wrestlers ranked in the top five nationally. The Wolverines boasted nine wrestlers in Flo Wrestling's Jan. 22 national rankings — grad Mi- chael DeAugustino (No. 17 at 125 pounds), Ragusin (No. 4 at 133), freshman Sergio Lemley (No. 19 at 141) , grad Austin Gomez (No. 6 at 149), grad Will Lewan (No. 13 at 157), redshirt senior Cam Amine (No. 8 at 165), grad Shane Griffith (No. 3 at 174), redshirt junior Jaden Bullock (No. 14 at 184) and grad Lucas Davison (No. 4 at heavyweight). Michigan returns to action on Jan. 26 against No. 7 Ohio State in Columbus at 7 p.m. ET, faces No. 3 Iowa in Ann Arbor on Feb. 2 at 8:30 ET and takes on No. 9 Nebraska in Lincoln on Feb. 9 at 7 ET. All three meets will televised on the Big Ten Network. Water Polo No. 13 Michigan opened its 2024 season at Fresno State's Polo-Palooze on Jan. 20-21 with three losses. Saturday included a 14-11 overtime loss to No. 5 Hawai'i and an 11-10 defeat at the hands of No. 9 Fresno State. Sunday's loss was to No. 4 California by a 16-7 margin. It was a productive weekend for senior Kata Utassy, who tallied 13 goals in three games and converted on 13-of-23 shot attempts. — Anthony Broome ❱ OLYMPIC SPORTS UPDATE Winter Sports Roundup Michigan split a home-and-home series with Michigan State on Jan. 19-20, winning 7-1 in East Lansing the first night and falling 7-5 at home the next. The Wolverines will see MSU again, host- ing the Spartans in Ann Arbor Feb. 9 and facing off in the "Duel in the D" in Detroit Feb. 10. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY