The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 57 BY ANTHONY BROOME M ichigan football may have head- lined the fall athletics output last season, but plenty of other programs on campus are gunning for Big Ten titles and the pursuit of glory heading into the 2024-25 academic year. Here is a primer on each of the fall sport programs heading into the season and their respective campaigns: Men's Cross Country First Event: Aug. 30 at the Michigan Open in Dexter, Mich. Season Outlook: Last season, U-M had a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships and earned an NCAA appearance. The Wolverines finished 19th out of 31 teams, which was an im- provement of 10 spots from the pre- vious year's event. NCAA All-Region performers Owen MacKenzie and Luke Venhuizen are expected to lead the way as head coach Kevin Sullivan looks to keep pushing the program forward in his 11th year on the job. TOP THREE ATHLETES Graduate Owen MacKenzie: 2023 NCAA All-Region honoree finished eighth at the Big Ten Championships, running a 24:36.9 over 8 kilometers. He followed it up with a 116th-place finish in the 10-kilometer race in the NCAA Championships, running 30:42.2. Ju n i o r L u ke Ve n h u i ze n : 2 02 3 NCAA All-Region honoree finished 20th in the Big Ten Championship be- fore a 180th-place finish in the 10-ki- lometer at the NCAA Championships. He also finished 24th in the Great Lakes Regional. Junior Caleb Jarema: The native of Pinckney, Mich., had a strong postsea- son during his sophomore campaign, headlined by an 11th-place finish at the Big Ten Championships where he ran 24:30.0 over 8 kilometers. He finished 32nd in the Great Lakes Regional and 158th at in the NCAA Championships with both finishes coming in the 10-ki- lometer runs. Don't Miss: Nuttycombe Invita- tional Sept. 27 at Madison, Wis. Women's Cross Country First Event: Aug. 30 at the Michigan Open in Dexter, Mich. Season Outlook: Steady improve- ment was the name of the game last season for U-M, highlighted by a pair of top-four team results in the final two meets of the 2023 season. The Wolver- ines finished third in the Big Ten Cham- pionships and fourth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional in the 32nd season un- der head coach Mike McGuire. Familiar faces return this year as Michigan looks to aim even higher in 2024. TOP THREE ATHLETES Graduate Kayla Windemuller: This first-team All-Big Ten performer returns for another season after finishing as the top Wolverine in every race she com- peted in last season. She finished 92nd in the NCAA Championships last year, posting a 20:37.7 in the 6-kilometer run. Senior Samatha Hastie: Last year's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award was the fifth Wolverine to cross the finish line at the Big Ten Champi- onships and finished 52nd in the 6-ki- lometer run at the Great Lakes Regional last season. Sophomore Lani Bloom: Made quite the first impression last season, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and second-team all-conference honors in her first go-round with the program. She was the 13th FOTY in program his- tory and the first for the Wolverines since Sam Tran won in 2020-21. Don't Miss: Nuttycombe Invita- tional Sept. 27 at Madison, Wis. Field Hockey First Event: Aug. 30 vs. North Caro- lina in Ann Arbor Season Outlook: Head coach Marcia Pankratz's team finished seventh place in the Big Ten last season with a 9-8 over- all record and 3-5 mark in conference, bowing out in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Captains Lora Clarke and ❱ OLYMPIC SPORTS UPDATE U-M Fall Teams Are Off And Running Graduate student Kayla Windemuller finished as the top Wolverine in every cross country race she competed in last season and was a first-team All-Big Ten performer. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS