The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546004
36 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2026 2025-26 YEAR IN REVIEW BY CLAYTON SAYFIE M ichigan athletics ended up ninth in the Learfield Di- rectors' Cup standings in 2025-26, marking its 24th-ever top-10 finish and first since 2023-24 (No. 8). The Wolverines won seven Big Ten championships across five sports — men's basketball (regular season), hockey (tournament), men's gym- nastics (regular season and cham- pionships), women's tennis (reg- ular season and tournament) and women's swimming and diving (championship meet). Michigan also cap- t u r e d t h r e e N C A A championships, high- lighted by the men's basket- ball team beating UConn 69-63 in the final. Bella Sims was the champion in the 400 individual medley in women's swimming, while Fred Richard took gold in the all-around in men's gymnastics. We highlight the best of the best with our annual list, breaking down team and individual accomplishments: THE THE BEST BEST OF THE BEST OF THE BEST Superlatives For Michigan Athletics' 2025-26 Year COACHES OF THE YEAR MALE SPORT COACH OF THE YEAR DUSTY MAY, BASKETBALL The 49-year-old Dusty May led Michigan to its second-ever national championship, joining the legendary 1989 club, and won the Big Ten regular season for the first time since 2021. The Wolverines set the program record with 37 victories, ripping through the NCAA Tournament with six wins by an average of 21.6 points. The Maize and Blue were dominant from start to finish, exemplified by their 11-0 road record. They became the first Big Ten team to go undefeated on the road since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. May completely turned around the Wolverines' fortunes after taking over a program that went 8-24 in 2023-24. His 64 wins in two years are the most by any head coach at a college basketball program in his first two seasons, joining John Cali- pari at Kentucky from 2009-11. May was named Big Ten Coach of the Year by the media and National Coach of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers As- sociation of America. FEMALE SPORT COACH OF THE YEAR KIM BARNES ARICO, BASKETBALL Kim Barnes Arico has won 312 games at Michigan — 189 more than any other coach in program history. Her 2025-26 squad set a Wolverine record with 28 wins and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the highest U-M has ever held. In Barnes Arico's ninth NCAA Tournament appearance, the Maize and Blue reached the Elite Eight, tied for their deepest run ever (2022), losing to Texas 77-71 in Fort Worth, Texas. Michigan had two first-team All-Big Ten players in sophomore guards Olivia Olson, also a second- team All-American by three different publications, and Syla Swords, and achieved its highest finish in the conference standings (tied for second) since 1999-2000. The Wolverines won a program- record 20 conference games. The results had flattened out for a few years, with Michigan failing to make the NCAA Tournament's second weekend in three consecutive seasons, but the Wolver- ines made another big jump this year. Dusty May was named Big Ten Coach of the Year by the media and National Coach of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association of America. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Kim Barnes Arico is the winningest coach in Michigan women's basketball program history with 312 wins, the only coach to ever eclipse 300 victories. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY