The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546004
AUGUST 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 29 2025-26 YEAR IN REVIEW May, though, preached "team before me," telling his players they'd all benefit if they bought in, and that's exactly what happened. Not only did they win at the highest level, but every player who saw significant minutes improved through- out the year, none more than point guard Elliot Cadeau. Once an afterthought and North Caro- lina castoff, Cadeau became one of the nation's best point guards. He was the Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four after notching 13 points and 10 as- sists versus Arizona and 19 points in the finale with UConn. "Man, it means the world to me," an emotional Cadeau said after the win. "I'm just so proud of myself, where I came from. Last year, I was really down on myself. A lot of people doubted me, and I'm just so proud of myself for me to be able to say I was the most outstanding player and win a national championship at the same time." Mara (12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year), John- son (13.1, 7.3, All-Big Ten second team) and frosh Trey McKenney (9.9 points, 2.8 assists, Big Ten All-Freshman team selection) got most of the press during the run, and rightfully so. At the same time, veteran Roddy Gayle Jr. (9.0 points, 3.5 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament) was instrumental to U-M's success, grad Nimari Burnett had his moments, and forward Will Tschetter also played a role. Injured sophomore guard L.J. Cason, meanwhile, was like another coach on the bench. Combined, they formed an elite group. It felt like they'd been to- gether forever. "Once we transferred in, I know es- pecially for me, the whole University of Michigan welcomed me with open arms," Lendeborg said. "I saw many, many Twitter arguments of these guys going back and forth with everybody saying we deserved a spot here … they're going to cherish every moment of us be- ing here. "And shoutout to Will, Roddy, Nimari, L.J., especially those guys. Once we all got together, they were super genuine with us the whole way. They tucked us in under their wing and showed us the Michigan way. They could have easily gotten hurt or something because the new guys were coming in, stealing their minutes, stealing their points, but they didn't care. All they cared about was winning … and look where it led us." To the school's second national title, something they all set their sights on from the first week they were together. "I just saw so much talent around me since Day 1 — just a unique set of talent, like three bigs at the same time, switch- ing 1 through 4," Cadeau added. "I just saw a unique type of basketball we were playing, and I knew it would be a mis- match nightmare for every single team that we played. And it was this year." To say the least. Michigan fans around the world got to experience it, and we can only imagine how many times they've watched replays and documentaries. With several more weeks until football season begins, those numbers will prob- ably go up. "I think that's the coolest part of the 'Made For March' crew following us around," May said. "It's our own scrap- book. It's our time capsule that we'll al- ways be able to look back on, because I'm not very good at looking in the past." Someday, though — maybe when he has grandkids and time to look back at his career — he'll want to, probably pull up video of old games and one of the most special teams Michigan has ever seen in any sport. At that point, he'll un- derstand exactly what he and his team accomplished in a 37-3 season that no U-M basketball fan will ever forget. ❏ RUNNERS UP Basketball was the clear No. 1 with no close second in this year's voting for Male Team of the Year, but others are worthy of mention, as well. Here are the other men's teams that impressed this year. 2. Gymnastics — The Wolverines finished 22-4 and won a sixth consecutive Big Ten title to tie the longest streak in program history (1961-66). Only Illinois has a longer championship streak, winning 11 from 1950-60. The No. 2-ranked squad then finished third at the NCAA Champion- ships on April 18, with senior Fred Richard capturing his second straight and third career NCAA all-around title (83.598). Richard notched silver medals on floor (14.400) and parallel bars (14.533), while Landen Blixt captured bronze on vault (14.366). Aaronson Mansberger finished second on pommel horse (14.566), while Carson Eshleman earned silver on high bar (14.200) for the second year in a row. Overall, six Wolverines combined for five medals and 11 All-America citations. 3. Ice Hockey — The Wolverines captured the Big Ten Tournament with a 7-3 win over Ohio State and finished the season with a 31-8-1 record, including 17-6-1 in conference play. Once again, they made it to the Frozen Four before being bounced. They outplayed Denver for much of the semifinal contest, leading 3-2 late before giving up the equalizer and losing 4-3 in double overtime. Senior T.J. Hughes was the catalyst for the 2025-26 Wolverines, earning first-team AHCA/CCM All-America honors in leading Michigan with 57 points in 40 games, finishing second nationally in averaging 1.43 points per contest. 4. Wrestling — Michigan shrugged off a 9-6 regular season to finish seventh overall at the NCAAs, graduate students Lachlan McNeil and Taye Ghadiali leading the way. The veterans both lost in the semis but earned third-place honors at 149 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. It was the best NCAA finish for both multi-time All-Americans in their final appearances. Redshirt freshman Brock Mantanona, seeded fifth at 184 pounds, finished fifth in his NCAA Championships debut; redshirt freshman Cameron Catrabone took a forfeit in his medal match to claim seventh at 157; and redshirt sophomore Beau Mantanona also finished in seventh place at 174 pounds. With five All-Americans, Michigan tied for the fifth most at the 2026 NCAA Championships, the program's best showing since boasting six in 2022. 5. Swimming and Diving — Matt Bowe's team finished 8-4 before heading to the NCAA Championships on March 28. There, the 10th-ranked Wolverines finished eighth at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, the highest result for the Wolverines since the 2017-18 campaign (also eighth) and the best under Bowe. Senior Tyler Ray set a school and Big Ten record in the 200-yard butterfly with a mark of 1:38.55 to place second and reach the championship final. He followed up with an even better swim in the final, lowering his record time to 1:38.47 to take bronze and earn another All-America honor. Three Wolverines, meanwhile, scored points in the 200-yard IM, Colin Geer, Lorne Wigginton, and Luka Mladenovic taking 10th, 13th and 15th, respectively. — Chris Balas