The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541451
DECEMBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 57 ❱ OLYMPIC SPORTS UPDATE Men's Cross Country U-M is headed to compete in the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The Wolverines grinded their way to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 14, which earned them one of the 14 at-large bids avail- able to teams that were not in the final two of the nine regionals across the country. U-M's bid is its fifth appearance in six years after missing the event last season. The NCAA Championships are set for Nov. 22 at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo. Michigan finished fourth at the Big Ten Championships, with the trio of junior Nathan Lopez, junior Trent McFarland and senior Luke Venhuizen earning All-Big Ten second-team honors and all-region honors. Women's Cross Country The Wolverines earned a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 14, but their season ended after not be- ing selected for an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships. U-M's top individual per- former was senior Penelopea Gordon, who came in 33rd place in the 6-kilometer run with a 20:51.48 time. The team finished in ninth place at the Big Ten Championships, which took place at Michigan State on Oct. 31. Sophomore Anjali Hocker Singh led U-M with a 43rd-place fin- ish (21:01.6). Field Hockey Michigan's season came to a bitter end in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals with a 5-3 loss to No. 2 Northwestern on Nov. 7. U-M twice tied the score but could not find a way to take the lead and fell to 10-8, 4-4 on the year. Sophomore Cami Wiseman and junior Natalie Millman had second-quarter goals, while graduate Claire Taylor converted on a penalty stroke early in the third quarter. Goal- keepers Hala Silverstein (redshirt sophomore) and Caylie McMahon (graduate) combined for 8 saves on the day. Men's Soccer The 16th-ranked and third-seeded Michigan squad fell to No. 4 seed UCLA, 5-0, on Nov. 16 in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, dropping its record to 12-3-4 (6-2-2) on the season. However, U-M was still selected for the NCAA Tournament, earning an at-large bid to the 48-team field for the second year in a row and 10th time in program history. Its first-round matchup was set for Nov. 20 against Notre Dame in Ann Arbor. Women's Soccer The Wolverines' season concluded on Oct. 26 with a 1-1 draw against Illinois in Ann Ar- bor, dropping their record to 6-8-4 (3-4-4 Big Ten) on the year. U-M missed out on a Big Ten Tournament berth. Following the campaign, senior midfielder Jenna Lang was named third-team All-Big Ten, the first postseason honor of her career after matching her career high with 10 points this season, which included 4 assists. Volleyball The Wolverines grabbed a pair of rivalry sweeps over Ohio State and Michigan State the weekend of Nov. 14-16 in Ann Arbor, im- proving their record to 18-8 (8-7 Big Ten). In the win over the Buckeyes, graduate Al- lison Jacobs tallied a match-leading 14 kills and added 2 aces and 7 digs. Jacobs' 10th kill and the set-two winner was the 1,000th of her career. Sophomore Ella Demetrician added 13 kills of her own on a .333 hitting percentage. Michigan's sweep of the Spartans saw it hit .312 for the match while holding MSU to .075. Graduate Maddi Cuchran had 10 digs, with her seventh of the day doubling as a kill and the 1,000th of her career. Six Wolverines recorded 5 or more kills in the contest, with Jacobs and redshirt freshman Cymarah Gordon posting 8 each. Sophomore Jenna Hanes was errorless with 6 kills on 11 swings and added 6 blocks and an ace in the outing. — Anthony Broome Ten first-team honors and took CSCAA All- America marks in the two events in which she won her conference titles. Wrestling First Scoring Event: 45-0 W vs. VMI, Nov. 9 Season Outlook: This year's group has a lineup of experienced veterans and young talent in the eighth year under head coach Sean Bormet, returning five starters from last season's lineup along with three grad transfers to go with a talented six-member freshman class. TOP THREE ATHLETES Graduate Dylan Ragusin: He missed most of last season due to an injury suffered in early December, but was an NCAA All-Amer- ican in 2023-24 at 133 pounds and claimed fifth place at the NCAA Championships that season and second at the Big Ten Champi- onships. Graduate Lachlan McNeil: A Toronto na- tive, he graduated from North Carolina, where he was a three-time NCAA All-Amer- ican at 141 and 149 pounds. He placed fifth at 149 pounds at the 2025 NCAA Champi- onships, and has an 82-25 record over four seasons. Graduate Taye Ghadiali: A Campbell grad- uate with two degrees, he became the sec- ond All-American in program history with an eighth-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Championships. The Warren, Mich., native was the 2024 Southern Conference Wrestler of the Year and has qualified for the NCAAs four times at heavyweight. Water Polo First Event: Jan. 16 at Fresno State Season Outlook: U-M put together a strong season last year under head coach Cassie Churnside, who is entering her fourth season on the job. The Wolverines will look to build on a year that included seven wins over ranked opponents and nearly advanc- ing to the CWPA championship game. TOP THREE ATHLETES Senior Issy Jackson: She finished last year with a career-high 26 goals and 22 assists in 30 appearances, earning CWPA second- team honors on both the all-conference and all-tournament teams. Sophomore Ari Karampetsou: She earned first-team spots on both the CWPA all-con- ference and all-tournament groups after appearing in 30 games last season. She also grabbed CWPA Rookie of the Week honors four times. Sophomore Sophie Bunnell: The goal- keeper appeared in 27 of 30 games last sea- son, earning All-CWPA and all-tournament honorable mention honors. ❑ The 16th-ranked and third-seeded Michigan men's soccer squad fell to No. 4 seed UCLA, 5-0, in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, but U-M was still selected for the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Fall Sports Roundup