The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/970722
MAY 2018 THE WOLVERINE 17 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Michigan's softball teams have been known for their success on the diamond under head coach Carol Hutchins (a national championship, 19 Big Ten regular- season titles and nine conference tournament championships since she took over in 1985), but her players' accomplishments stretch well beyond the playing field. Junior catcher Katie Alexander is the perfect example of that. She has been a key cog — posting a .340 batting average and .416 on-base percentage with four homers and 16 RBI — in helping the Wolverines to a 35-7 record this season, but has maintained her academic success in the classroom as well. "I made the All-Big Ten academic team last year and that was a big accomplishment for me, because my freshman year here was pretty tough," she admitted. "I figured some things out, though, and be- ing named to that team showed my hard work had finally paid off." Alexander is a health and fitness major in Michigan's School of Kine- siology. While some student-ath- letes don't settle on a major until a year or two into college, the junior knew all along what she wanted to specialize in. "I had an anatomy class in high school that really intrigued me," she recalled. "I knew I wanted to study movement and the body, and since I went to high school [Saline] right here in Michigan, I automati- cally enrolled in U-M's kinesiology classes and have loved it ever since." Growing up just more than nine miles from Ann Arbor in Saline, the U-M catcher revealed that a degree from Michigan is something she's always dreamed of. "I've known my whole life how great of a school U-M is and have wanted go here ever since I was young," she explained. "I was actually thinking just the other day how I'm going to be a senior next year and will soon have that degree in hand — I'm still shocked I've been given this opportunity." Before all that happens, though, Alexander said her softball team has unfin- ished business it wants to accomplish on the diamond. She made it clear what the team's goals are — as well as her own — and is a bit more motivated due to the way last season ended for the Wolverines. "We want a Big Ten championship," she said matter of factly. "We didn't get it done last year [U-M finished second to Minnesota in the league], so it's a big goal for us this time around. "Being more consistent for my team is another big one — doing so will help us score more runs, which will obviously lead to more wins." The Michigan native said she was first introduced to softball by her mother when she was in first grade and has been playing ever since. However, she became a bit somber when discussing the fact that her playing days may soon be coming to an end. "I'm not planning on playing anymore after graduation," she said. "I'd actually like to then attend grad school. In a way, it's kind of sad, because I've been in- volved with the game my whole life, but may only have a few years left to play." Regardless, Alexander will likely have a plethora of career choices at her dis- posal once her softball days come to an end. — Austin Fox Student-Athlete Of The Month Softball Junior Catcher Katie Alexander Through 42 games this season, Alexander sported a .340 batting average with four home runs and 16 runs batted in. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY THE WOLVERINE PO BOX 2331 • DURHAM, NC 27702 1-800- 421-7751 Visit our online store: TheWolverineOnDemand.com GRIDIRON III STAND BAG Item #1218 $ 179 00 BUCKET II COOLER CART BAG Item #1217 $ 199 00 ON ALL GOLF BAGS FREE SHIPPING More golf bags available online!