The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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before, and we wanted to get there this season. "I thought we set ourselves up in a pretty good position to do that at one point in the season. We had a pretty tough February and lost some close games. It was pretty hard on the three of us because that was our last chance to do it, but we also came together as a group when we realized that we'd be out of the tournament. "Obviously we wanted to make the tournament, but with the way that we finished I'm extremely proud of our team and what we were able to accom‑ plish this year." Goree echoed the sentiments of her captain. "We thought we'd pick up where we left off," she said. "At the same time, though, our league got tougher. Add‑ ing in Maryland [which reached the Fi‑ nal Four] and Rutgers made it strong, and a lot of teams did the same thing we did. They were a year older and got more experienced and played better. It seemed like everyone in the league took that next step and was even more competitive. "We were still excited to make a postseason tournament, and we just wanted to make a run and keep it go‑ ing for the seniors. That's what kept us going." Head coach Kim Barnes Arico said that Goree, Elmblad, and Smith were the driving force behind what the team was able to do down the stretch. The WNIT wasn't the original goal, but once they were in it, they wanted to do as much damage as they could. "This whole last month has been a tribute to the seniors," Barnes Arico said. "We talked about hanging a ban‑ ner, something that hasn't been done with Michigan women's basketball. They have laid the foundation, and they are the winningest class in pro‑ gram history. They have just done so much for this program. They have built such a foundation; they've just been sensational." LOOKING AHEAD Barnes Arico does lose three seniors but has a bevy of young players with a lot of experience coming back next year. Guard Madison Ristovski will return as a senior, and Elmblad said she has a great chance to take over as team captain. "I think Madison is definitely in a great position, being a senior next year, to lead this team and this program," Elmblad said. "She is going to be one of those people that sees the team above herself. I think she really wants to bring the team and the program to the next level." Guards Siera Thompson, Katelynn Flaherty, Danielle Williams and Jillian Dunston have all gained valuable ex‑ perience and will be called upon in a big way next year. "We are definitely going to miss the seniors," Barnes Arico said. "All three of them bring a lot to the table that is tough to replace, but I'm excited about the players coming back. Katelynn, Siera, Madison, Danielle, Jillian and Emoni [Jackson] all did some great things late in the season. We are ex‑ cited about what level they can get to." Coupling all of the young, experi‑ enced talent already on the team with the recruiting class coming in shows