The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/917835
JANUARY 2018 THE WOLVERINE 65 OLYMPIC SPORTS FALL WRAPUP Ten Tournament MVP … Dowthwaite joined them on the first team, while fifth- year senior midfielder/forward Esther de Leijer earned second-team recogni- tion … Head coach Marcia Pankratz was tabbed as the league's Coach of the Year … Trombetta was named a first-team All-American by Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association, while Swenson and Dowthwaite were second- team choices … U-M was one of six teams with three or more All-Americans, and that marked the most for a single year at the school since three in 2010. Notable: Michigan's 21 wins this sea- son were the most in school history … U-M's six all-region selections were its most since earning seven in 2000 … The Wolverines swept the Big Ten regular- season and tournament titles for just the fourth time ever … U-M recorded a national-best 16 shutout victories this year, shattering its previous record of 11 and four more than the second-leading team in the country … Swenson ranked second nationally in goals-against aver- age (0.8) and save percentage (.816, just .00056 behind the national leader). MEN'S SOCCER (12-6-2 OVERALL, 6-1-1 BIG TEN) Best Performance — 2-1 double- overtime victory at No. 9 Maryland Oct. 29: The thrilling win lifted Michigan to its first-ever Big Ten regular-season title and capped off an incredible turnaround from last year's 4-11-4 overall record. MVP — Sophomore forward Jack Hallahan: He led the team in several important categories, including goals (nine), assists (seven) and points (25), plus was tied for the team lead in shots on goal (19). Hallahan's outstanding season also landed him on the All-Big Ten first team, making him just the 14th player in school history to garner All-Big Ten first-team recognition. Honors: Head coach Chaka Daley be- came the first U-M mentor to be named Big Ten Coach of the Year Nov. 3 … Ju- nior forward Francis Atuahene, junior midfielder Robbie Mertz and junior de- fender Marcello Borges were all tabbed to the All-Big Ten second team, while for- ward Mohammed Zakyi and midfielder Marc Ybarra were unanimous selections to the conference's All-Freshman team. Notable: Michigan's season came to an end Nov. 19 with a 3-2 loss to Colgate in the second round of the NCAA Tour- nament … The NCAA Tournament ap- pearance was the program's first since 2012, and just the sixth in school history … Earning the 13th seed resulted in a first-round bye … The 12 wins were the fourth most in school history … U-M peaked at No. 10 in the national polls, its highest standing since the 2010 season … The Wolverines tied then-No. 1 Indi- ana on the road Sept. 13; the Hoosiers made the NCAA championship game. WOMEN'S SOCCER (6-6-6 OVERALL, 3-5-3 BIG TEN) Best Performance — 2-1 overtime victory at No. 9 Wisconsin Sept. 24: Junior forward Reilly Martin sealed the win by scoring the golden goal in the 96th minute of action. The triumph marked Michigan's only win over a ranked opponent all season and was the first over a top-10 foe since taking down the No. 9 Badgers in 2014. MVP — Junior forward Reilly Mar- tin: She was the team's leader in several important statistical categories, includ- ing goals (six), points (17) and shots (59), plus was tied for the team lead in assists (five). She also did her best work in league games, tallying 14 of her 17 points during Big Ten play. Honors: Redshirt junior forward Tay- lor Timko and freshman midfielder Sarah Stratigakis both landed on the All-Big Ten second team, while the lat- ter also earned a spot on the All-Fresh- man team … Senior goalkeeper Sarah Jackson and Martin garnered All-Big Ten third-team recognition. Notable: Michigan did not qualify for the Big Ten tournament for the first time since 2011 … Head coach Greg Ryan picked up his 100th victory at the helm in Ann Arbor (since 2008) with a 1-0 victory over Toledo Aug. 27. VOLLEYBALL (21-12 OVERALL, 11-9 BIG TEN) Best Performance — 3-0 victory over No. 8 Michigan State Nov. 15: The win was one of three against ranked oppo- nents on the season for the Wolverines. It also marked the second consecutive home sweep of the Spartans, and the fourth straight home win against them. MVP — Junior outside hitter Carly Skjodt: The co-captain was an All-Big Ten first-team selection and third-team All-American per the American Volley- ball Coaches Association (AVCA) after leading the team in points (477.5) and kills (433). She became the second in program history to earn the Sports Im- ports/AVCA National Player of the Week honor Nov. 21 after totaling 33 kills and 28 digs in consecutive victories against No. 8 Michigan State and No. 15 Purdue Nov. 15 and Nov. 18, respectively. Honors: Senior middle blocker Claire Kieffer-Wright garnered an honorable mention on the All-Big Ten, AVCA All- North Region and AVCA All-America squads. Notable: U-M's NCAA Tournament appearance — where it fell to No. 23 Colorado State in the first round — was its 11th in the past 12 years and 17th in school history … The Wolverines de- feated three straight ranked opponents (No. 8 Michigan State, No. 15 Purdue and No. 16 Purdue) Nov. 15-22 for the first time in school history … The 11 conference victories tied last season for the program's most since 2012. ❏ S o p h o m o r e m i d f i e l d e r / f o r w a r d M e g Dowthwaite was one of three field hockey players to earn All-America laurels, which marked the most for a single year at the school since three in 2010. PHOTO BY SAM JANICKI Junior outside hitter Carly Skjodt was named a third-team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS