The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 67 OLYMPIC SPORTS UPDATE keeping unit have been admirable in the way they've gone about their business — we're really harping for those guys to be physical, intelligent, tenacious and not to concede any goals." While Daley has been happy with several aspects of his team, one spe- cific quality has impressed him more than any other. "Our team spirit," he revealed. "We've been very engaged in how we do things, and we know who we are and what we're good at. It's still early, but the guys have just been taking the season one game at a time. "That's the way they've been liv- ing, and they don't look beyond it." With that being said, Daley noted there are still plenty of areas his team can improve upon. "We've got a lot of guys still work- ing on getting experience playing to- gether," he explained. "When you're new with each other, there's so many things you have to feel out — the communication, who's good at doing what, who can handle certain passes, dead-ball situations and mannerisms of the goalkeeper. "We also want to become a more fluid attacking unit, because guys like [sophomore forward] Jack Hal- lahan, [freshman forwards] Moham- med Zakyi and Umar Farouk Os- man, and [junior forward] Francis Atuahene are all a handful in their own right. "Our next goal is to get all those pieces moving at the same time." Despite the early success, Daley isn't interested in looking too far down the road. "We're taking it one game at a time," he said. "We just want to be a better unit in every line of the field, from our goalkeeping to our team de- fending to hopefully midfield domi- nation and attacking excitement. "If we continue to grow in all those areas with the right personality, we'll see where things shake out at the end of the year." MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY Michigan was among those "Also Receiving Votes" in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) preseason poll, just outside the top 30, and was ranked No. 4 in the Great Lakes Re- gion … The Wolverines kicked off their 2017 campaign at the Michigan Open Sept. 1 in Dexter, Mich. … Se- nior Ben Flanagan — who missed all of last fall and most of this past spring's track season — took first on the five-kilometer course at Hudson Mills Metropark, crossing the finish line in 15:10.6 … Senior Billy Bund came in second for the Wolverines with a time of 15:13.4, while sopho- more Keenan Rebera (15:14.4), senior Micah Beller (15:19.0) and U-M alum Nick Willis (15:20.0) rounded out the top five. WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY Michigan was ranked No. 3 na- tionally in the USTFCCCA pre- season poll, marking their highest ranking since they were tabbed as the 2014 preseason favorites … The Wolverines also were ranked No. 1 in the Great Lakes Region … U-M began its 2017 season at the Michi- gan Open Sept. 1 in Dexter, Mich. … Senior All-American Gina Sereno claimed the individual victory on the five-kilometer course at Hud- son Mills Metropark with a time of 17:00.5 for the Wolverines, who were competing against runners from Eastern Michigan … Senior Jamie Morrissey (17:10.2), sophomore Mad- eline Trevisan (17:28.9), unattached first-year runner Camille Davre (17:30.6) and junior Claire Borchers (17:40.6) rounded out the top five for the Maize and Blue … On Sept. 9, Michigan posted a perfect team score of 15 points to win Indiana State's John McNichols Invitational … The Wolverines claimed the top five places and had 11 of the top 15 finishers overall … Sereno posted another victory (17:18.6), while Mor- rissey placed second, Trevisan third, Borchers fourth and senior Sophie Linn fifth. FIELD HOCKEY 4-2-0 OVERALL, 0-0-0 BIG TEN Fifth-year senior forward Carly Bennett and senior goalkeeper Sam Swenson were named co-captains heading into the 2017 campaign … Bennett led the team in scoring last season with seven goals and 19 points, while Swenson has served as the starting goalie for the past three seasons … The Maize and Blue, who entered the season ranked No. 11 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) preseason poll, kicked off their campaign in im- pressive fashion Aug. 26-27 at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Iowa City … The Wolverines defeated No. 1 North Carolina 3-2, marking the second year in a row they defeated the top-ranked Tar Heels in the sea- son opener … Swenson tallied nine saves in the U-M cage … Michigan followed the UNC victory up by top- pling No. 15 Wake Forest 5-4 the fol- lowing day, earning its first sweep in 16 appearances at the annual event … Michigan's 2-0 start marked its best beginning to a season since 2000 and vaulted it to No. 2 in the na- tional rankings … Swenson racked up a conference-best 14 saves in the back-to-back victories, earning her Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week … Michigan grabbed yet another vic- tory over a ranked opponent in its home opener Sept. 1, blanking No. 25 Liberty 3-0 … The Wolverines, how- ever, fell 2-1 to No. 4 Connecticut Sept. 3 and 1-0 to William & Mary Sept. 8, before rebounding with a Senior All-American Gina Sereno opened the season by winning each of the Wolverines' first two races. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL/ COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS