With 150 yards to go, Charlie Swanson took control of the race. Swanson coasted through the freestyle portion of the 400-yard individual medley (IM), touching the wall first ahead of his two teammates Ricardo Vargas and Tommy Cope.
The trio’s 1-2-3 finish helped the Michigan men’s swimming and diving team achieve a second overall finish — with Indiana finishing first — at the Big Ten Championships over the weekend.
The Daily looks at three big takeaways from the Wolverines' defeat in East Lansing.
Missed opportunities characterized the Michigan women’s basketball team’s (19-10 overall, 10-6 Big Ten) 74-64 loss to Michigan State (18-9, 8-8) Sunday afternoon — the Wolverines’ first defeat in eight games.
The bad luck and late-game struggles that had plagued the Michigan women’s basketball team (19-9 overall, 10-6 Big Ten) at the beginning of Big Ten play, was nowhere to be seen during their 88-76 victory over Rutgers (18-8 overall, 10-5) on Thursday night.
Entering last Sunday’s game against Illinois, the senior center needed only one point to surpass 2,000 points at Michigan. Four minutes into the first quarter, sophomore Hailey Brown lobbed the ball down to Thome on the right block. Just as she had done countless times before, Thome spun around her defender and converted the routine layup.
With the basket, Thome joined Diane Dietz and Katelynn Flaherty — who graduated last spring — on the Wolverines' list of 2,000-point scorers.
Last May, while her classmates at Gilmour Academy in Cleveland were officially receiving their diplomas in front of their teachers, friends and families, Naz Hillmon was playing basketball.
Within a span of five minutes, Brown single-handedly turned Sunday’s game on its head in the second quarter — from a nine-point deficit to a one-point lead for the Wolverines by the end of the half.
Catalyzed by Brown’s performance, the Michigan women’s basketball team (16-9 overall, 7-6 Big Ten) escaped State College with a 66-62 win over Penn State (10-13, 3-9).
Friday afternoon it was Akienreh Johnson and Kayla Robbins. On Sunday, it was Naz Hillmon. The common thread: two wins, two strong performances from the Wolverines’ bench.
At the beginning of the season, much of the conversation surrounding a revamped Michigan women’s basketball squad centered around its depth, which looked to be one of this team’s greatest strengths. That notion has been supported a number of times this season, but especially of late.
Nicole Munger picked up the loose ball and took off down the floor. The ankle injury Munger had suffered against Michigan State didn’t look to be ailing her now as she directed the fast break for the Wolverines. When a Hawkeye caught up, she dumped it off to Deja Church, who laid it in with ease.
A transition layup finished off by the sophomore guard perfectly characterized the first quarter of Michigan’s (13-9 overall, 4-6 Big Ten) 90-81 victory over Iowa (16-5, 7-3) Friday afternoon.
During the first quarter of Sunday’s game at Crisler Center, Nicole Munger fell to the floor, only getting up with the aid of her teammates and the Michigan training staff.
The senior guard Munger sat out the remainder of the contest against in-state rival, No. 23 Michigan State, with an undisclosed injury. The Wolverines struggled in her absence, eventually digging themselves deeper into a hole they couldn’t climb out of, losing 77-73.