The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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three years as a member of the Irish national team. The defender played a key role for her country's Under-18 squad during the 2011 European Championships and helped lead her nation to its first-ever Home Nations Tournament crown in the U-18 age group in 2010. On the club level, she led Mount Anville Secondary School in scoring in each of the past four seasons, and was nominated for the Irish Hockey Association U-18 Player of the Year award in 2011. "I think players that come from career with a tournament-winning three-over-par performance at the New York state championships, in- cluding an even-par final round. She has also captured nine Junior PGA tournament victories. "The main thing was her attitude on the golf course," Michigan golf head coach Cheryl Stacy said. "She'll bring a good work ethic and good at- titude, and is really into to the team aspect. "She's also the type of player Europe tend to be a little bit more polished because they start to play field hockey from an earlier age, and I think Aisling fits that category," U-M field hockey head coach Marcia Pankratz said. "She is a very skilled player that has an awful lot of experi- ence, and has played in a lot of differ- ent kinds of tournaments and situa- tions. I think she will be able to step in and hold her own right away." tennis head coach Ronni Bernstein said. "She is a big-time player that really competes and can hit the ball very well. We definitely see her cracking the lineup, where we don't know, but we expect her to make an impact this year." Taylor Manett, Cross Country/Track side hitter's dynamic combination of length and athleticism helped her carry her club team, Performance Sports, to the finals of the nationally contested 2011 AAU Open Tourna- ment. Deemed the No. 52 recruit in the nation by PrepVolleyBall.com, the Hinsdale, Ill., product earned first-team all-area honors by the Chi- cago Sun Times as a senior and all- area recognition three times by the Daily Herald in her career. She also led her high school squad to three regional titles. "I think Ally brings great experi- that is going to get better because she hasn't quite peaked yet. As she grows into the game, she will get that much better." Ally Davis, Volleyball: The 6-1 out- and Field: The 2011 Michigan Ms. Cross Country Award winner fin- ished second overall at the 2011 MH- SAA Division I Cross Country Cham- pionships following a 17:24:00 5K time. A Foot Locker National finalist as a senior, the Rockford, Mich., star won a Division 1 regional title and was undefeated in conference dual meets, including an OK Red Confer- ence Championship, in her final prep campaign. She posted a season-best 17:23.70 at the Cougar/Falcon Invi- tational and also possesses a career- best 4:57:00 in the 1,600-meter race. "Taylor has improved by leaps ence to our team after playing for a very high-level club," Wolverine volleyball head coach Mark Rosen said. "Ally has a great combination of athleticism and skill. She is well skilled, but is also extremely athletic. She has a lot of top-end and is very dynamic and explosive. "Most importantly, Ally is used to winning, which I like." Ronit Yurovsky, Tennis: The top pros- Field hockey defender Aisling Naughton has been a member of the Irish national team for three years and played a key role for her coun- try during the 2011 European Championships. PHOTO COURTESY U-M MEDIA RELATIONS "Cat," the Clarence, N.Y., native made a name for herself early on in her prep career as a member of her high school's boys' varsity squad. After the school created a girls' team in 2011, Peters naturally assumed a leadership role and was named team captain. A workhorse both in and out of the classroom, the four-time varsity scholar-athlete capped her Catherine Peters, Golf: Nicknamed pect in the Middle Atlantic region, and No. 8 nationally according to TennisRecruiting.net, the Kensing- ton, Pa., prospect earned the Na- tional High School Senior Athlete award for girls' tennis awarded by the National High School Coaches Association. Currently ranked No. 16 on the USTA Under-18 list, she won the singles crown at the 2010 USTA Interscholastic Champion East tour- nament, and she is only the second girl to capture three Western Penn- sylvania Interscholastic Athletic League Crowns. She was also a final- ist in the USTA Under-18 Open this past winter. "She was one of the more highly recruiting players in her class," U-M ing from Costa Mesa, Calif., Pender posted 46 goals and 36 steals as a senior, helping lead her high school team to a Division I Southern Sec- tion Title, and she also earned a spot on the All-Sunset League first team and Daily Pilot Water Polo Dream Team. The four-time USA Water Polo Academic All-American finished her two-year varsity career with 91 goals and 52 assists, and she brings a bevy of experience against the top talent in the nation after competing in the Ju- nior Olympics from 2001-10, includ- ing a 2009 summer championship. "Presley Pender is going to fit in and bounds over the past couple of years," Michigan track and field as- sociate head coach Mike McGuire said. "She's done some good work from a training standpoint that will facilitate her transition here. She has a good combination of endurance ability, and she has a little bit of leg speed. Those two abilities usually bode well when you are transitioning into this level of running." Presley Pender, Water Polo: Hail- perfectly," Wolverine water polo head coach Matt Anderson said. "She's coming from Newport Beach, and we've had very good success with Newport Harbor players. "She's captain of her high school team, so that gives you an idea of the type of leadership that she'll bring. She comes from a wonderful family, and Presley is going to have a very nice college career." ❑ AUGUST 2012 THE WOLVERINE 83