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Sports Recap: Spirit Champs, NCAA Gymnastics Finals

Oh, fine, more championships, I suppose.

By Nick Bodanyi
Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Softball

It's tough not to add superlatives to how well Michigan played this week. Since last Sunday, Michigan has beaten Minnesota 9-1 in six innings, breezed past Eastern Michigan 11-1 in five innings, and then proceeded to gently crush Rutgers into a smooth powder with 18-0 (5 innings), 16-3 (5 innings), and 5-0 wins. That's a 59-5 week.

Michigan has allowed thirteen hits over the last five games and crushed a Rutgers squad that is one of the better in the conference; even after dropping three straight, the Knights' 20-12 record is fourth-best in the Big Ten. But they couldn't touch Michigan.

Miscellanious

The baseball team lost an ugly game Friday to Penn State, 11-1, then bounced back the next day to even the series.

This has been an uneven Michigan team so far, despite its perfectly average Big Ten standing and 20-14 record. Three times this year, including this week's game against Eastern Michigan, the Wolverines have won by double digits. And, it has now lost twice by double digits - in conference, no less - and rejecting a chance to build momentum.

Some hockey news is still trickling in. Zach Hyman won All-American honors, and he wasn't the only Wolverine to do it.

Larkin, the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year, has already been selected by the Detroit Red Wings for whenever he decides to go pro.

"Dylan Larkin has been outstanding," Michigan coach Red Berenson had to say recently. "He's right there (with the best freshmen I've coached). You look back at Brendan Morrison and all the rookie of the years we've had over the years and Dylan's right there with any of them. He really is. Whether it's his skating, his scoring, his puck touches, his work ethic - he's a special player."

Michigan's spirit squad got their third straight championship this week in the NCA Championships:

Congrats and thanks to the ladies and gents for repping the Maize and Blue.

Heading to Michigan men's gymnastics, Michigan fared respectably in the NCAA Team Finals, but Oklahoma took home the title.

One-half of the roster was seniors, so it will be a bit of a re-build next year. The women's basketball team has to figure out how to replace some productive seniors, as well (Shannon Smith averaged 13.7 points, 4.5 boards, and 4.4 assists as a guard, and Cyesha Goree had 13.8 points and 10.5 boards), but there's a good base of offense to build on for next year.

The seniors who are leaving have won more games, also, than any other women who have played at Michigan. It will be up to the next group of seniors and leaders to keep building a good tradition here.

Michigan's rowing team took on #15 Indiana and Iowa yesterday, beating Iowa but falling short of Indiana. Volleyball also netted a couple wins (no pun intented).

A few Michigan athletes will get a chance to represent the United States in both soccer (the under-20 women's national team) and swim and dive:

Women's tennis kept bludgeoning people this weekend (vs. Michigan State and Memphis: combined 13-1), and the men took two out of three from conference foes.

And finally, even if Michigan's lacrosse teams are new, they faced two very old foes in Ohio State and Notre Dame today. The men lost to Ohio State (come on, guys), 13-8, while the women dropped to Notre Dame (come on, guys), 21-12.

That's it for this week. Go Blue, and make it to Comerica Park this Tuesday to watch Michigan baseball take on Michigan State. Michigan has played at Major League parks as recently as two years ago - at Wrigley Field, Citi Field in New York and Target Field in Minnesota - but this is the first time they have ever played at Comerica.