The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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2023-24 YEAR IN REVIEW FEMALE SPORT BEST WIN OF THE YEAR TENNIS OVER OHIO STATE It doesn't get much sweeter than winning the Big Ten Tour- nament with a win over archrival Ohio State. No. 2 Michigan completed a 4-2 victory over the 12th-ranked Buckeyes at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor April 28, mark- ing its program-record 26th victory of the season and extending its win streak to 18 straight matches. Michi- gan's title was its third straight and sixth overall. The Wolverines' momentum carried into the NCAA Tournament, where they made the quarterfinals for just the third time in program history. Junior Julia Fliegner, who won tournament MVP honors, delivered the point that put Michigan over the top, with a straight-set win at No. 3 singles after the Wolverines had a 3-2 lead. Senior Kari Miller, the Big Ten Athlete of the Year, was on the adjacent court to Fliegner and held match point just as her teammate notched her victory; that No. 1 singles match was abandoned since U-M had clinched the win. Lily Jones and Piper Charney won for U-M at Nos. 5 and 6 singles, respectively, while the Maize and Blue also picked up the doubles point with a pair of victories at Nos. 2 and 3. BEST WINS OF THE YEAR MALE SPORT BEST WIN OF THE YEAR FOOTBALL TOPS ALABAMA Michigan was ranked No. 1 and Alabama No. 4 heading into the national semifinals Jan. 1, but the Crimson Tide had history — and a historically good head coach — on their side. Under Nick Saban, Alabama had won six na- tional championships since 2009, and the Tide was 6-1 in semifinal games with three national titles during the College Football Playoff era (since 2014). But early evening New Year's Day, it was Michigan that was showered with rose petals and confetti at the iconic Rose Bowl after a legendary fourth-and-goal stop from the 3-yard line to cap off the 27-20 overtime victory. That sent the Wolverines to their first-ever national championship game, where they ran away from Washington, 34-13. The Wolverines, who lost in the semis each of the pre- vious two seasons, were down 20-13 with 4:41 left before tying the score with a touchdown, getting a defensive stop and sending the game to overtime. Running back Blake Corum scored from 17 yards out, before the defense made its stand. It wasn't just the Rose Bowl, it wasn't just a semifinal game, it wasn't just Alabama, it wasn't just Saban. It was all four things at once that made this the biggest of many huge victories during the 15-0 2023 season. The Michigan women's tennis team captured the Big Ten Tournament with a 4-2 win over archrival Ohio State at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor April 28. It was U-M's third straight conference title and sixth overall. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS The Michigan defense — including Derrick Moore (8), Michael Barrett (23) and Kris Jenkins (94) — stood tall in the Wolverines' overtime victory against Alabama in the Rose Bowl. PHOTO BY DOMINICK SOKOTOFF 30 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2024