The Wolverine

May 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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66 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2018 BY AUSTIN FOX M ichigan climbed up to No. 2 (from No. 3) nationally in the April 12 update of the Learfield Di- rectors' Cup standings, leapfrogging conference foe Penn State in the pro- cess. The Maize and Blue remained 181 points behind first-place Stan- ford, though, in the annual challenge that measures the most successful collegiate athletic program. The Wolverines' ascension was due to the inclusion of ice hockey in the April 12 update, in which Michi- gan's run to the Frozen Four earned it 83 additional points. In fact, the 83 points were tied for the second most any U-M team mustered (along with field hockey), trailing only the 90 that men's basketball accumulated by making it to the national title game. Men's basketball and ice hockey weren't the only two Michigan win- ter sports that had incredible sea- sons, though. The women's swimming and div- ing club finished fourth in the coun- try at the NCAA Championships, and earned the Maize and Blue 80 points in the Directors' Cup chal- lenge. U-M's wrestling squad fin- ished in similar fashion, recording a tie for fourth nationally (its highest since 2005) at the NCAA Champion- ships, tallying 77.5 points. U-M's men's swimming and div- ing squad, meanwhile, also compiled a top-10 finish, when it placed eighth at the NCAA Championships to earn 70.5 points. The Wolverines' women's basket- ball team had one of the best sea- sons in school history, earning their seventh-ever NCAA Tournament bid, before bowing out in the second round to Baylor. Still, the bid to the Big Dance earned Michigan 50 points in the standings. Last but not least, the men's indoor track and field squad accumulated 26 points by tying for 45th nationally at the NCAA Championships. Although it hasn't been included yet in the rankings, U-M's women's gymnastics unit won its fifth straight Big Ten title and placed fourth at its NCAA Regional. On the men's gym- nastics side, the Wolverines placed second in the Big Ten and began ac- tion at the NCAA Championships April 20. Those results will be added in the April 26 edition (the final up- date for winter sports) and should give the Wolverines a boost. The final Directors' Cup update will be June 29, followed by the tro- phy presentation June 30 in Wash- ington, D.C. For the first time since 2012-13, there was a scoring modi- fication this year — each school will count baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball, plus the next 15 highest scoring sports, regardless of gender. U-M scored points in the three of those that have been completed, while the baseball team is 21-11 through April 15. Whether or not the Maize and Blue have enough to pass Stanford — win- ners of 23 straight Directors' Cups — in the final standings remains to be seen. BASEBALL 21-11 OVERALL, 8-0 BIG TEN Junior outfielder Jonathan Engel- mann cranked two home runs and fell a single shy of the cycle in a 12-3 blowout of Michigan State March 23 … Freshman infielder Jack Blomgren launched his first career home run March 25 in an 11-0 thrashing of MSU, which also completed a three- game sweep of the Spartans … Engel- mann was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week March 26 after he hit .429 in the team's previous six games, while also tallying two home runs and 13 RBI … Consecutive shutouts of Northwestern April 7 (6-0 and 3-0, respectively) marked the first time the Wolverines had held a Big Ten opponent scoreless in two straight games since 2006 … Sophomore outfielder Dominic Clementi jacked   OLYMPIC SPORTS UPDATE Michigan Ascends To No. 2 In Latest Directors' Cup Standings Under the watch of director of athletics Warde Manuel, U-M has already had five teams post top-four national finishes during the current school year: field hockey, men's basketball, ice hockey, women's swimming and diving, and wrestling. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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