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Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Michigan tops Minnesota, 4-3, wins second straight Big Ten Championship accomplished what it had a year prior — again. And for the first time in program history, the Wolverines captured a second straight Big Ten title. “It feels great. It feels great,” Michigan coach Brandon Naurato repeated. “That’s a really, really good team over there and an unreal atmosphere this year and last year. … You really have to earn it.” In a contest that came down to the wire in front of a rowdy sellout crowd, that was what Michigan just managed to do. Its patient, systematic offense outlasted Minnesota’s fiery rush and pushed it to a 4-3 victory. But for a contest featuring two of

CHARLIE PAPPALARDO Daily Sports Writer

MINNEAPOLIS — As the No. 4 Michigan hockey team hoisted the Big Ten Trophy following its victory over No. 1 Minnesota, there was almost an overwhelming sense of familiarity to the night’s events. It was deja vu all over again. The minor details changed, the stars were different and the Wolverines sported a newer, younger coach. But on Saturday night, against the same Golden Gophers (26-8-1, overall) in the same arena and by the same score, Michigan (24-11-3)

Comeback win sparks Michigan Big Ten regular season title ETHAN WHITE For The Daily

National champions and Olympians lined the bleachers of Cliff Keen arena on Saturday to celebrate 75 years of Michigan men’s gymnastics. But by the end of the meet, they had something else to celebrate as the Wolverines clinched the Big Ten regular season title. Led by seniors Adam Wooten and Casey Cummings and juniors Javier Alfonso and Evgeny Siminiuc, Michigan (11-6 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) completed a comeback win against Illinois (10-4, 2-2), winning the meet 411.250-405.550. With such an esteemed crowd in attendance, Michigan coach Yuan Xiao understood the importance of the moment. “I’m so fortunate for an opportunity like this,” Xiao said. “My job is to make our alumni happy and proud, and to make Michigan proud.” Even though the night ended in celebration, small mistakes added up early for the Wolverines, as

they found themselves down 3.7 points after the first two rotations. Pommel horse is a familiar struggle for Michigan, and the Fighting Illini took full advantage. The small-yet-loud Illinois crowd was right behind them with cheers and chants of their own, along with Illini gymnasts shouting, “I-L-L” and the away fans promptly yelled back “I-N-I.” But the Wolverines gained momentum on still rings, with Wooten and Alfonso both scoring above a 14.000. However, the Illini had no intention of allowing Michigan back in the fight. Down 3.65 points after three rotations was not ideal for the Wolverines, but the small amount of momentum proved valuable. “We have this thing where we say we have to stay in our bubble,” Cummings said when asked how Michigan stays competitive in come-from-behind wins like these. “We know the routines toward the end are (strengths) and so we just try to focus on the fact we know we can come back from anything.”

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the nation’s highest flying offenses, the night started at a subdued pace. The Wolverines and the Gophers toiled in the neutral zone for most of the first period, each side unable to string chances together. Seven minutes in however, Minnesota caught a break. Michigan sophomore defenseman Luke Hughes launched a point shot that was blocked and sent the other way for a 2-on-1 score from forward Brody Lamb. That breakthrough was all either side mustered, and the rest of the period played out as a prolonged feeling out process. “I thought we were just OK, almost

very average in the first period,” Naurato said. In the second period though, the wait-and-see tactics were thrown out the window and replaced with a flurry of goals. The Wolverines pressed early, maintaining zone possession and moving pucks low-to-high. Three minutes in, that all paid off for freshman forward Rutger McGroarty as he ripped a bobbling puck top shelf. And 34 seconds later, back in front of the net with another rebound on his stick, it paid off for McGroarty again as he put his team up 2-1. “I don’t think those guys (on the first line) were happy as a line with

Mason Parris clinches heavyweight title at NCAA Tournament MEGAN SMITH

Daily Sports Writer

After three tough days of competition at the NCAA Wrestling Tournament, one Michigan wrestler remained in the finals — No. 1 heavyweight and fifth-year senior Mason Parris. And after his last seven minutes of wrestling as a Wolverine in which he overpowered No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State throughout the entire bout, Parris stood atop the podium. His lifelong goal of becoming a National Champion was achieved in the last match of his collegiate career. Parris was the runner-up in the 2021 NCAA championships his junior year, losing to the Nittany Lions’ Gable Steveson, who went on to win an Olympic gold medal later that summer. Parris would fall to Steveson in the Big Ten Championship final in 2020 and 2021, taking home AllAmerican honors both years. But this season, Parris refused to come up short. Following a perfect 33-0 regular season, Parris didn’t slow down and dominated his opponents at every

stage of the tournament. In the first four rounds of the tournament, he won two bouts via major decision and beat Iowa’s No. 4 Tony Cassiopi with a 16-1 technical fall in the semifinal. Preparing for the second national championship bout of his career, Parris rode the momentum he had built up in the previous rounds and remained poised. “I wasn’t really nervous at all,” Parris told The Daily. “I was very confident in myself and felt really good and believed in my abilities.” In the final bout, Parris’s confidence was on full display. Going up against a familiar foe in Penn State’s No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet, whom Parris defeated for the Big Ten title just two weeks prior, Parris was in full control the entire seven minutes. Thirty seconds into the match, Parris defended a leg attack from Kerkvliet and scored a takedown on a fireman’s dump before riding Kerkvliet out in the period and garnering 2:30 of riding time. Parris started on the bottom in the second period, earning an escape point – and Kerkvliet only scored on a stalling call near the end

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INDEX

how they played in the first,” Naurato said. “ … For them to come out and just get to the net, as simple as that sounds, good things happen.” With two back-to-back goals, McGroarty almost instantaneously flipped the game script by putting the Wolverines up 2-1. And for the first time, the Gophers were put on edge. In danger, Minnesota returned to what was working — its rush — and the Wolverines had little answer for it. Midway through the second frame, a wayward pass from McGroarty in Michigan’s offensive zone ended up on the stick of forward Jimmy Snuggerud, who found Cooley with

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open ice where he tied the contest. And again, it was the Gophers’ explosive rush that put them back in front early in the third when forward Rhett Pitlick picked his way through three Wolverines defensemen and scored to put Minnesota ahead 3-2. That lead didn’t last long though, as freshman forward Seamus Casey tied the affair four minutes later with a standard point shot, again built off of sustained pressure. The Gophers were playing with speed, Michigan with systematic patience, and as the clock ticked down, there was nothing to separate the approaches.

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Michigan secures eighth Big Ten Championship in 10 years CONNOR O’LEARY HERRERAS For The Daily

By the time Abby Heiskell stuck her round-off one and a half twist landing — becoming just the second athlete to score a perfect 10 on the beam at the championship — any lingering doubts about whether the Wolverines would leave Coralville, Iowa, as back-to-back Big Ten champions were certainly put to rest. Competing in the second session of the day alongside Michigan State (8-1 Big Ten, 14-2 overall), Iowa (6-2, 11-6) and Ohio State (6-3, 16-5), No. 2 Michigan (8-1, 19-2) established an early lead and never looked back, cruising to its second consecutive Big Ten Tournament Championship. “We knew that we had to be on our A-game tonight and I was really proud of our performance,” Michigan coach Bev Plocki said. In Michigan’s first rotation of the day, fifth-year seniors Natalie Wojcik and Heiskell, as well as junior Carly Bauman and senior

Sierra Brooks all scored 9.950 on the uneven bars to put the Wolverines at the front of the pack. With senior Gabby Wilson’s added score of 9.925, Michigan’s gymnasts combined for 49.725 points — tying the program record in the event. Having taken note of the scoring in the previous session, Plocki explained that the Wolverines were aware that bars and beam would be the two easier judged events, and planned accordingly. “That’s a great rotation for us to end on floor and vault,” Plocki said, “But we knew that we were gonna have to build up a sizable lead to make sure they didn’t catch us in the last two events.” And build a sizable lead Michigan did. It set the tone for the night on the uneven bars, and then kept that pace on the beam. Brooks scored her second 9.950 of the day before Heiskell earned her perfect 10. Heiskell, who decided to return for a fifth season with the Wolverines back in June of 2022, is intent on enjoying every second of it.

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OPINION.......................7 SPORTS .....................10 S TAT E M E N T. . . . . . . . . . I N S E R T