Josh Zawada is no stranger to breaking records.
Against Bellarmine on Feb. 5, the junior attackman poured in five goals and five assists, setting the new program record in single-game points and assists. Seven days later, he scored five goals and tallied six assists against Detroit Mercy to break his own records.
Coming into Tuesday’s matchup against Canisius, Zawada needed just two points to become the sixth — and quickest — Wolverine ever to reach 100 points.
He wasted no time doing so. He reached that record with two assists in the first quarter, but he didn’t stop there. Zawada went on to notch a third assist and score seven goals, breaking yet another program single-game record — this time for goals.
“I don’t even know (how to articulate Zawada’s success),” sophomore attackman Michael Boehm said. “He is so good at lacrosse. He does things in practice and in games that are almost mind blowing.”
Zawada has found success at Michigan since his first year on campus. He led the nation in points for a freshman and was named to the 2020 College Crosse All-Freshmen First Team. As a sophomore, he led the Wolverines in goals, assists and points. So far this season, he has been the sole recipient of the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honor, earning the recognition for two consecutive weeks.
“As soon as Josh stepped on campus we knew how dynamic he was,” Michigan coach Kevin Conry said. “He shows up every day and he’s got great support around him, so that frees him up to allow him to be creative.”
Zawada’s creativity and dynamic nature showed in his play on Tuesday. He frequently created separation and space in his attack, leading to scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates throughout the game and facilitating his success on the stats sheet. His ten points propelled him over the 100-point milestone — a feat that only five other Wolverines have reached.
“Being a part of that group is pretty special,” Zawada said. “There’s a long way ahead but it’s definitely refreshing that I’m with that group of guys.”
Zawada’s individual success is mirrored in Michigan’s overall success. The team has tied its best start in program history with four wins to kick off the season, and Zawada has been a key player. His combination of athleticism and unselfishness produce a unique skill set that has pushed the Wolverines offense to greater heights and allowed him to reach individual milestones.
“He’s obviously very athletic, he’s very skilled, he sees the field and understands the game so well,” Boehm said. “And when you pair that with an unselfishness that he has, … that combination is something that you don’t see very often. And that’s why his 100 points is (at the) beginning of his junior year, which is very impressive.”
Although impressive, Zawada’s 100 points didn’t come as a shock to his coach.
“It’s no surprise that he’s hit 100 points,” Conry said. “It’s no surprise he’s having the season that he has been having. You know, I don’t think that the country realizes how good Josh really is.”
As the season continues and Big Ten play nears, Zawada will have many opportunities to show the nation how good he really is.
And he just might break some more records in the process.