1. Justin Meram, Forward (Men’s Soccer)
If it wasn’t obvious from Michigan’s Big Ten title run and its first-round game against Central Florida, Meram made it clear to No. 18 South Carolina that he steps his game up when the stakes are highest. Six of the senior’s 15 goals this season have come in the postseason, and two came on Sunday against the Gamecocks. Neither of the goals in Sunday's contest were highlight reel-caliber. But Meram has had plenty of highlight reel goals — and regardless, his goals are carrying the team deeper and deeper into the NCAA Tournament.

2. Soony Saad, Forward (Men’s Soccer)
Not that anyone should be at all surprised, but Saad — the nation’s leading goal scorer — was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year on Monday, a day after contributing to the 3-1 win over South Carolina. His unassisted goal in the 71st minute was a crucial insurance marker and basically sealed an Elite Eight spot for Michigan. Despite the incredible run through the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament, the Wolverines will have their hands full with No. 3 Maryland on Saturday in the quarterfinals. The last time Michigan played a team ranked that high was Oct. 19 when it was shellacked by No. 1 Akron, 7-1.

3. Darius Morris, Point Guard (Men’s Basketball)
Morris’s playmaking ability was on display at the Legends Classic over Thanksgiving Weekend, as he totaled 10 assists in the losses to No. 10 Syracuse and the University of Texas El Paso. The sophomore was also the only player to shoot better than 40 percent from the field against the Miners, which virtually kept the Wolverines in the game on the offensive end. He finished with 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting and added seven rebounds. It was the third time in the season’s first five games that he scored at least 17 points.

4. Denard Robinson, Quarterback (Football)
The game against the Buckeyes marked the first time this season that the sophomore Robinson didn’t reach the endzone. But even with his subpar performance against Ohio State, Shoelace earns a spot for being named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. He’ll have one more chance to showcase his talents this season when Michigan plays its first bowl game since the Capital One Bowl victory over Florida after the 2007 season.

5. Lexi Zimmerman, Setter (Volleyball)
No. 23 Michigan is stumbling into Thursday’s NCAA first-round contest against Washington after a four-set loss to Northwestern ended its regular season Saturday. As usual, the senior Zimmerman posted great numbers, recording 43 assists, 10 digs and seven kills. The Wolverines have the potential to take down the 11th-ranked Huskies, but it would take more than just a solid performance by Zimmerman. She’ll definitely need help from other areas on the court, help she hasn’t had for many matches in the past several weeks — the Wolverines are only 5-7 since Oct. 22 after starting 18-2.

6. Chris Blais, Goalkeeper (Men’s Soccer)
Aside from the aforementioned 7-1 defeat to Akron, Michigan still hasn’t surrendered more than two goals in a game this season. Blais played almost flawlessly on Sunday against the Gamecocks, given up just a garbage time goal in the 84th minute when Michigan was up 3-0. He’s allowed just five goals in as many postseason games thus far.

7. Jeffrey Quijano, Defender (Men’s Soccer)
This may be a week overdue, considering the senior defender Quijano earned a spot on the National Team of the Week after Michigan’s win over Central Florida two Sundays ago. But clearly, Quijano and the rest of the Wolverine defenders were doing something right in front of Blais on Sunday against the Gamecocks. Not to take anything away from the Michigan goalkeeper (after all, he’s No. 5 in the rankings), but only seven of South Carolina’s 18 shots were on net. And only one of them found the back of the net. So it’s pretty clear Quijano has been doing his part to limit opponents’ quality scoring chances.

8. Carl Hagelin, Forward (Ice Hockey)
Hagelin’s point streak was finally snapped in the 3-1 loss to No. 15 Minnesota on Sunday, but the senior forward did help Michigan to a 4-4 tie on Friday against Wisconsin with his team-leading seventh goal of the season. Hagelin also jumpstarted the Michigan power play against Wisconsin, tallying the team’s third power play goal in its last 11 games.