The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520409
58 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JUNE/JULY 2024 Baseball The Wolverines held a 25-23 record (11-7 Big Ten) with two weeks remaining in the regular sea- son before the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha, Neb., May 21-26. Fifth-year pitcher Jacob Denner earned his third- career Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honor – and second this season – on April 22 after nine total innings with 10 strikeouts across three appear- ances with 2 runs allowed and 6 baserunners in appearances against Toledo and Ohio State. On April 23, sophomore Mitch Voit and junior Will Rogers were named to the John Olerud Two- Way Player of the Year Award Watch List by the College Baseball Foundation. The award recog- nizes the best pitcher/position player combo in the country and was founded in 2010. U-M is the only school with multiple candidates on the list. Softball Michigan finished the regular season with a 38- 16 (17-5 Big Ten) record after dropping a 2-1 deci- sion to Ohio State in the finale. The Wolverines earned the No. 2 seed for the Big Ten Tournament at Pearl Field in Iowa City, Iowa. They had a first- round bye and opened play against the winner of Penn State and Maryland in the quarterfinals on May 9. Men's Golf Junior Hunter Thomson became the first Wol- verine to earn a spot in the NCAA postseason after being picked as an individual participant for the West Lafayette (Ind.) Regional from May 13-15. He is the fourth U-M golfer to earn an invite and the first since Kyle Mueller in 2018, who advanced to the NCAA Finals. Thomson's play this season earned him All-Big Ten first-team recognition and a No. 76 ranking in the country, leading Michigan with a 70.39 average score and leading the team in nine of his 12 events. He tied for eighth at the Big Ten Championships from April 26-28, and the team tied for 10th. Women's Golf Senior Monet Chun was named the Big Ten Golfer of the Year and an All-Big Ten first-team member, the conference announced on April 30. Fifth-year senior Hailey Borja grabbed All-Big Ten second-team honors and became the first woman in conference history to earn a total of five all- conference accolades. Borja and Chun are the only Wolverines to earn All-Big Ten honors in each season of their careers. Michigan next headed to NCAA Regionals, which ran from May 6-8 in Auburn, Ala. Men's Lacrosse Michigan (10-6 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) repeated as Big Ten Tournament champion with a dominating 16-4 win over No. 9 Penn State in Columbus, Ohio, on May 4, which helped hammer home the Wol- verines' NCAA Tournament résumé. Senior attack- man Michael Boehm was named the tournament's most outstanding player for the second consecutive year. The 17th-ranked Wolverines play Denver on May 11, with the winner facing either Syracuse or Towson in the quarterfinal round in Towson, Md., on May 19. Four Wolverines grabbed All-Big Ten honors, with senior faceoff man Justin Wietfeldt earning first- team recognition. Graduate defensive midfielder Beau Pederson, graduate attackman Justin Tiernan and Boehm all were named to the second team. Wietfeldt earned first-team honors last season and became the first repeat first-team honoree in Michi- gan history. Women's Lacrosse Senior Maddie Burns and junior Erin O'Grady took home the first Big Ten yearly awards in program his- tory, being named the conference's Defender of the Year and Goaltender of the Year on May 6. Burns held down the fort on a unit that led the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 6.88 goals per game. O'Grady leads the nation in save percentage at .580 entering the postseason. The No. 5-ranked Wolverines (14-3 overall, 4-2 Big Ten) head to their fourth NCAA Tournament for the first and second rounds in South Bend, Ind., taking on Mercer on May 10, with the winner taking on host Notre Dame or Coastal Carolina on May 12. Men's Tennis U-M's team season ended on May 4 in a 4-2 loss to No. 8 Columbia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The appearance was the 33rd in pro- gram history and included a victory over Bingham- ton on May 3 before the second-round defeat. The NCAA Tournament trip came after a runner- up finish in the Big Ten Tournament in Evanston, Ill., where the Wolverines fell to top-seeded Ohio State. U-M ended the season with a 17-13 mark and an 8-1 record in conference play. The season goes on for seniors Gavin Young and Jacob Bickersteth, though, with the two earning in- dividual berths to NCAA Singles and Doubles Cham- pionship meets. Young's berth is his second year in a row in singles, while he and Bickersteth will compete in doubles. The event is set for May 20-25 in Stillwater, Okla. Women's Tennis Michigan (28-3 overall, 11-0 Big Ten) claimed its third straight Big Ten Tournament title with a 4-2 win over No. 12 Ohio State on April 28 at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor. Earning a bid in the NCAA Tournament, No. 3-ranked Michigan took down Chicago State 4-0 in the first round before a 4-2 win over Notre Dame in the second round. With the pair of tournament wins, U-M hosts Miami in the round of 16 on May 11 at 1 p.m. in Ann Arbor. Track And Field U-M's regular season finished at the Billy Hayes Invitational in Bloomington, Ind., on May 3, head- lined by a third-place finish from Peter Baracco in the 1,500-meter run with a personal best 3:52.10. It also featured fourth-place finishes from Lawrence Gilliam in the 400-meter dash and Kepler Huntress in the 800-meter run. The women had a strong showing at the Billy Hayes Invitational, with Sophie Isom placing first in the 400-meter dash with a season-best 55.19. Emma Yungeberg placed first in the javelin throw, while Elizabeth Tapper won the shot put. Postseason competition runs from May 10-12, with Michigan hosting the Big Ten Outdoor Champi- onships at the U-M Track and Field Stadium. Water Polo Five Wolverines were named to the CWPA All- Conference teams on April 24, with senior Libby Alsemgeest and senior Kata Utassy grabbing spots on the first team and graduate Alex Brown, senior Lola Ciruli and senior Elise Walker getting second- team nods. U-M led all conference schools with five selections. The season was completed on April 28 with a 10-9 loss in the CWPA Championship final to Princeton after holding a 7-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Michigan finished with a 21-11 record and a 7-2 mark in conference play. — Anthony Broome ❱ OLYMPIC SPORTS UPDATE Spring Sports Roundup The Michigan men's lacrosse team captured its second consecutive Big Ten Tournament championship with a resounding 16-4 win over No. 9 Penn State on May 4. The tournament, and celebration, took place in Columbus, Ohio. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY