The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK SCHEDULES RELEASED • The Michigan baseball team will make its debut under first-year coach Erik Bakich Feb. 15-17 when it meets Cali- fornia in a three-game series in Berkeley, Calif. The Wolver- ines will play 19 games away from home in February and March before hosting Western Illinois for a three-game series at the Wilpon Complex March 22-24. U-M will play eight Big Ten series during the year, finish- Student-Athlete Of The Month Senior Guard Kate Thompson When senior guard Kate Thompson was growing up, she drew inspiration from her mother, Margaret. Margaret is a psychiatrist, who has built a career helping those who are in need of mental health care, and Thompson always knew she wanted to follow in her footsteps, into the medical field. After diving into her science classes ing the regular season at Nebraska May 16-18. Among the other highlights: Michigan will play Yale at Citi Field (home of the New York Mets) March 26 and will host Notre Dame April 16. The Maize and Blue will enjoy a season- long seven-game home stand when they welcome Iowa, Toledo and Purdue to Ann Arbor May 3-12. • Michigan's men's and women's track and field teams have announced they will meet Michigan State in an exclusive dual meet Jan. 26, 2013, at Grand Valley State's Kelly Family Sports Center in Allendale, Mich. The women's program has never met MSU in dual competition while the men last did so during the indoor season in 1976. NCAA HOSTS • The men's gymnastics team will host the NCAA Cham- pionships at the newly renovated Crisler Center in April 2014. The three-day event will mark the third time the Wolverines have played host, and the first time since 1971. "Playing host to the NCAA Championships is something we've talked about as a program, and for it to become a re- ality is special, " will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our student- athletes to compete for a national title on our campus, in front of our fans. STAYING PUT • Softball head coach Carol Hutchins agreed to a five-year " Michigan head coach Kurt Golder said. "This at Wyzata High School in Plymouth, Mich., Thompson originally came to Michigan with the intention of study- ing chemistry. But after taking Introduction To Bi- ology 172, which teaches molecular and cellular biology and how organ- isms function, she quickly changed course. "I fell in love with biology classes here at Michigan. After Biology 172, I just kept taking biology. It was the little details of things, the study of things on the cellular level. Every- thing was really interesting to me. cell biology, and she will earn her degree in that field this spring. As Thompson dove deeper into the biology field, her work Thompson chose to continue her studies in molecular and " intensified. Last summer, she was invited to conduct research with professor Kenneth Cadigan, who works specifically with cell development. "He has been a huge help for me, contract extension Nov. 7 that will keep her at Michigan through the 2017 season. Hutchins recently completed her 28th year at U-M, with a 1,251-424-4 mark. Her résumé also includes 15 Big Ten titles, nine Women's College World Series appearances and the 2005 national championship. LETTERS OF INTENT • A total of 12 U-M sports teams announced recruit- ing classes during the November early signing period, highlighted by a five-man wrestling class that includes four signees ranked among the top 20 national recruits by InterMat: Domenic Abounader (No. 20, 195 pounds), Adam Coon (No. 2, heavyweight), Brian Murphy (No. 11, 152 pounds) and Ben Whitford (No. 4, 140 pounds). Head coach Joe McFarland also signed George Fisher (132 pounds). In addition to wrestling, men's basketball (three signees) and women's basketball (four), and ice hockey (seven), U-M has announced the classes for men's golf (three), women's golf (one), women's gymnastics (one), women's lacrosse (28), softball (three), women's tennis (one), vol- leyball (three) and water polo (five). The Wolverine will have more details on these recruiting classes in future issues. 16 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2012 work hard to strike a balance between her studies, future and playing basketball. And she certainly has. Thompson was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team. "Yeah, it is definitely a challenge, but it is worth it, " Thompson will graduate this spring with a degree in molecular and cell biology. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN taken several of his classes, but getting to work with him in the lab this summer was a great experience. I learned so much. It is, of course, an intensive major — and Thompson has to " Thompson said. "I have " "I find that as long as I'm interested in a class, it makes it easier and more enjoyable to balance everything. It's not a chore to make sure I'm getting all my homework done and studying. This year, Thompson has thrived in both areas. She is finish- " she said. ing up her major and studying for the MCAT, which she plans to take in either the spring or the summer, in order to get ready for grad school. She is currently deciding whether to go into pediatrics or physical therapy for her master's degree. On the court, Thompson is having her best statistical season yet. The Wolverines came into the season needing to find scorers, and Thompson has stepped up. Through six games, she has hit 22 of 42 shots from behind the three-point arc (52.4 percent). Although this is her last season with the Wolverines, she is not quite ready to be done with the sport — or the city — she enjoys so much. "I want to go and play overseas for a year or two, take a break from school," she said. "But I would love to come back and continue my education here at Michigan. I love Ann Arbor. " — Andy Reid