The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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AUGUST 2017 THE WOLVERINE 37 All 10 of Michigan's Big Ten titles in women's cross coun- try have been won under the direction of Mike McGuire, who was named the confer- ence's Coach of the Year for the 10th time in 2016. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS Stanford, scoring 1,343.75 points, followed by Florida (1,252.50), USC (1,251.25) and the Tar Heels. The Wolverines got the season off to a strong start with a runner-up finish nationally in women's cross country. The female squads also helped U-M to a strong close in the spring, boost- ing the overall fortunes. Highlights down the stretch in- cluded a No. 5 national finish by women's water polo, No. 9 by wom- en's tennis and No. 16 by women's golf. The women's rowing squad out- scored all in the spring, finishing No. 3 in the country to put 85 points on the board. Michigan's effort marked the 15th time in the 24 years of the Directors' Cup the Wolverines found their way to the top six. COACHES OF THE YEAR Female Sport Coach Of The Year — Mike McGuire, women's cross country: It's tough to go against a man whose team lingered a tanta- lizing point away from the national championship. That's where Mike McGuire's women's cross country squad found itself, after rising up to nearly wrest the crown away from Oregon. McGuire is no stranger to putting together elite-level Michigan teams. His cross country squads have been Big Ten champions 10 times, and he has guided five squads into the top four in the nation. McGuire is also an assistant track coach and keeps his distance run- ners among the national best. For 13 consecutive seasons, McGuire's distance medley relay squads have earned All-America status. He's seen plenty in a career that dates back to his own days as a Mich- igan runner in the 1970s. This year certainly proved a highlight, with the No. 2 finish in cross country. "It was just a tremendous team col- lective effort," McGuire said. "Effort is the foundation of what you're go- ing to do, to sustain a program at a high level." Male Sport Coach Of The Year — John Beilein, men's basketball: Midway through the Big Ten season, Michigan followers couldn't see a clear path to the NCAA Tournament, much less to the brink of an Elite Eight. That's where the Wolverines wound up, given Beilein's steady direction in the very toughest of cir- cumstances. The men's basketball journey obvi- ously surpassed overcoming incon- sistency issues. Their story became a national focus when the team plane skidded off the runway at Ypsilan- ti's Willow Run Airport prior to the Big Ten Tournament, imperiling all aboard. Beilein noted the incident changed his perspective on the game, and per- haps on life itself. It didn't change his calm confidence that the Wolver- ines were becoming a very tough out, which showed itself fully in the tour- naments. Michigan surged to the Big Ten tourney title by sweeping four games in four days, even with their gear still trapped in the plane for the opener. The Wolverines then went on to knock off Oklahoma State and Louisville in the NCAA Tournament, falling just shy of besting eventual Final Four entrant Oregon. "The kids fought their hearts out this whole season but particularly these last six weeks to be more than a story," Beilein said. "It was a great team. They were becoming a great team before the story, so I'm really proud of them." BREAKOUT PERFORMERS OF THE YEAR Female Breakout Performer Of The Year — Gabby DeLoof, women's swimming & diving: DeLoof raised the bar in 2016-17, from honorable mention All-American to a two-time All-American in the 200-yard freestyle and the 800-yard freestyle. Her efforts helped bolster a Michigan squad that finished No. 11 in the nation. DeLoof finished No. 6 in the na- tion in the 200-yard freestyle (1:43.11) at the NCAA Championships, and swam as part of a history-making 800-yard freestyle relay squad at na- tionals. She and teammates Yirong Bi, Siobhán Haughey and G Ryan wound up third — Michigan's best- ever placement in that event at the NCAA Championships — in a time of 6:53.63. Michigan head coach Mike Bottom said at the time: "What a way to start this meet. Everyone on our team wants to score points for the team. There's an under- standing of that. Tonight, all four of those swim- mers did what they MICHIGAN'S DIRECTORS' CUP FINISHES 1993-94 — 9th 1994-95 — 7th 1995-96 — 5th 1996-97 — 11th (tie) 1997-98 — 5th 1998-99 — 6th 1999-00 — 3rd 2000-01 — 4th 2001-02 — 6th 2002-03 — 4th 2003-04 — 2nd 2004-05 — 4th 2005-06 — 24th 2006-07 — 4th 2007-08 — 3rd 2008-09 — 5th 2009-10 — 25th 2010-11 — 15th 2011-12 — 10th 2012-13 — 4th 2013-14 — 13th 2014-15 — 19th 2015-16 — 3rd 2016-17 — 6th The sixth-place finish marked Michi- gan's third highest since 2008-09.