The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Michigan's Top Five Freshman Classes For 2012-13 ing class once again possesses an international flair, with half of the program's incoming freshmen coming from abroad. Defenders Aisling Naughton of Ireland and Lauren Thomas of England both possess extensive experience in international play, and they should help bolster an already strong Michigan back line. Domestically, the Maize and Blue hit the East Coast to fill out the class, adding skilled players from Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and Virginia, including midfielder Caroline Chromik of Yorktown, Va., who was a National Field Hockey Coaches Association third-team All-American as a senior. "I've got 11 kids that are coming in, and they all have their Field Hockey: Head coach Marcia Pankratz's 2012 recruit- 2012 U-M softball class lacks in size, it makes up for in talent. Head coach Carol Hutchins corralled a pair of standouts that share a common bond in shortstops Sierra Romero and Sierra Lawrence. Both highly regarded middle infielders were ranked as top-100 re- cruits in the 2012 class by ESPN.com, with Romero coming in at No. 3 and Lawrence at No. 54. Both players possess a versa- tile skill set and should help the Wolverines regain depth in the infield following the graduation of two-time Big Ten Player of the Year Amanda Chidester and Stephanie Kirkpatrick, who started all 59 games for the Maize and Blue in 2012. "This is a great and very athletic class for us, own role and their own purpose that is going to be important for the suc- cess of our team," Pan- kratz said. "They are all typical Michigan women. They are athletic and smart — good students with great character — and I think all of them are going to step in and help us win a championship. Softball: What the " seniors to graduation. Davis is also joined by top prospects Krystalyn Goode, a 6-4 middle blocker who is ranked as the No. 64 senior ace by PrepVolleyball.com, and Kelly Murphy, a 6-0 outside hitter deemed No. 73 at the same position. "I always think the most important thing when looking at a recruiting class is if it fits the needs of your team," head coach Mark Rosen said. "This group definitely fits our needs exactly and gives us balance across the board. I think we have a few six-rotation kids in this class, which has really become our identity the past few years. We lost some key players to graduation this past year, but I think this class has the ability to step up and help us compete. Soccer: The Wolverines struggled down the stretch in 2011, losing five of their last six games, but head coach Greg Ryan looks for eight talented fresh- men to help turn around Michigan's fortunes in 2012. Led by midfielder Layal Haidar, rated as a four-star prospect and No. 61 overall by Top- DrawerSoccer.com, and striker Corinne Harris, also a four-star recruit and No. 77 overall, the Wolverines' freshman class hopes to make an early impact for a pro- gram looking for its first conference crown in the Ryan era. "This is a very, very " Softball head coach Carol Hutchins' strong 2012 class includes a pair of short- stops that are regarded as top-100 recruits by ESPN.com. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL "Kids are coming here when they could have gone else- where, and that is a great thing for our program. We always bring kids here that can bring championships to Michigan; that is the goal once they get here. Those are the types of kids we are looking at. four of the previous five seasons, the Wolverines added a six-player arsenal in 2012 that aims to help lead the program into true national title contention. The No. 12 recruiting class in the nation according to PrepVolleyball.com, led by outside hitter Ally Davis, the No. 52 recruit nationally, looks to make an impact immediately for a squad that lost five Volleyball: Following trips to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in " 84 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2012 " Hutchins said. Matt Anderson took another step in cementing U-M as the premier water polo program in the Midwest. The eight- member class comprised of competitors from California, Illinois, Florida and Ohio possesses a wealth of national team experience that should help the Wolverines achieve their ultimate goal of NCAA Championships success for years to come. "When we went into this year's class, we were looking for a "It means they like what we're doing and they obviously like what the school is capable of doing for them. Then, we readjusted what we were looking for to try and get the play- ers that we liked as people and as players that we know will fit in well here. " Anderson said. " — Kevin Minor strong freshman class," Ryan said. "Potentially, a number of them could see the starting lineup. Obviously, they have to earn that right, but I think the talent is there. Water Polo: With his 2012 haul, head coach " couple of specific positions, but we had such an overwhelm- ing amount of young ladies that really wanted to come and play at Michigan, which is a positive,