With the Michigan 20-21 sports season now completely over, let's take a look back at how one of the oddest years in college sports history went for the Wolverines.
It overall was a very successful year for Michigan. Michigan entered the Spring sports session just .5 points behind Stanford for 1st place in the Director's Cup standings. Is this the year that Michigan will overcome the Stanford machine and finish first? No...no it isn't. Michigan would need to have a lead of at least a couple hundred points heading into Spring to topple Stanford. The real question is if Michigan can hang onto 2nd place. The answer is probably not. I would guess that UNC and one or two SEC teams will pass them. Still a very good chance that Michigan will end up in the top 5 and tops overall in the Big Ten though. Considering we were the ONLY TEAM IN THE COUNTRY to go through a 2 week hiatus of all athletic activity, that ain't half bad. It was a banner year for the women's teams and the Winter sports. Not so much for the men's teams and the Fall sports.
Who were the teams and athletes that really shined this year?
WOMEN'S TEAM OF THE YEAR - Women's Gymnastics
Win a national championship and you're the team of the year. Pretty simple. This team didn't just win it all though. They won in the most dramatic fashion. When you have to put up the highest score in program history to win the championship, and you go out and do just that...that's as clutch as it gets right there.
MEN'S TEAM OF THE YEAR - Men's Gymnastics
Finished with the highest ranking of any men's team, coming in 3rd in the championship. A strong case could be made for men's basketball since there are a ton more basketball teams than gymnastic teams, but Kurt Golder's squad deserves credit for a great season, and for being the program most often in contention for a national championship year in and year out.
WOMEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR - Marcia Pankratz (Field Hockey)
Another tough one, as the easy vote would be for Plocki winning her first ever championship. But the gymnastics team can't win every award, and Pankratz taking the field hockey team all the way to the championship was probably more unexpected than the gymnasts winning it all. Plus, if Michigan doesn't get completely hosed in the championship game, (UNC - 5 power plays, U of M 1 power play), then Pankratz probably takes home a national championship as well.
MEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR - Juwan Howard (Basketball)
From being picked to finish around 7th in the Big Ten to being a #1 seed that made the Elite 8, the men's basketball team exceeded expectations like no other in Ann Arbor. It wasn't just the winning that gets Howard the nod though. It was they way this team just looked like a well-oiled machine night in and night out, despite having a slew of new faces. Anyone watching that team could tell how well coached they were.
WOMEN'S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Naz Hillmon (Basketball)
This is the award with the most legitimate candidates. There were superstars all over the place for the women's teams this year. McNeil in swimming. Wojick or Brooks in gymnastics. Storako in softball. All would be completely justifiable choices here, but Hillmon put up the most consistently dominant season in the women's basketball team's history. A first team all-American who dominated the advanced stats, Hillmon's combination of incredible skill, great leadership skills and a relentless work ethic makes her the right choice here.
MEN'S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Mason Parris (Wrestling)
Not as much competition here honestly, but Parris is still plenty deserving. He finished 2nd nationally in the Heavyweight class, and flat out dominated most of his opponents. His ability to routinely get pins at that weight class was insane, and he brought the same consistent effort every night.
WOMEN'S FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR - Ziyah Holman (Track & Field) & Kari Miller (Tennis)
Holman had the viral video of the season when she ran down an OSU runner from way behind on the final leg of a relay to finish first. Aside from the video Holman was dominant all season as a sprinter for the track team. Miller took the #1 singles spot from day 1 and turned it into a strength of the team. Highlighted by a huge 3 set win against OSU that clinched the victory, Miller's frosh season saw her more than live up to the lofty expectations of her top 5 recruiting ranking. Both of these ladies should be incredible anchors for their teams for the next 3 years.
MEN'S FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR - Hunter Dickinson (Basketball)
Who else could it be really? Hockey had some great frosh, but none that put up numbers like Dickinson. He was the talk of the basketball world for a couple of weeks during the season, and one of the top 2-3 players on a top 5 team. His dominance was the biggest reason Michigan was able to surpass expectations by as much as they did and ultimately win the Big Ten.
WOMEN'S MOST IMPROVED - Abby Heiskell (Gymnastics)
A solid role player for her first 2 1/2 years, Heiskell turned in perhaps the most dramatic mid-season improvement I have ever seen from a Michigan athlete when she had to take on an increased role after Brenner got hurt. Through the match where Brenner was injured, Heiskell performed 12 routines and got a 9.9 or higher in only 3 of them. After the Brenner injury, Heiskell performed in 25 routines and got a 9.9 or higher in 19 OF THEM! This all culminated with her performance in the national championship when she scored a 9.9 or higher in all 4 routines for the first time in her career, including a 9.925 on beam to clinch the championship. Yeah, no one is showing more improvement than that.
MEN'S MOST IMPROVED - Nick Beaty (Tennis)
After basically just sitting on the bench for his first 3 years, Beaty broke through and became a regular in the lineup this year. He put up a 9-4 record in doubles and a 13-3 season in singles, and was a key part of a strong overall season for the tennis team.
Hard to make predictions about next year without knowing who all is coming back for their free Covid year, but Michigan should do much better in the Fall sports and have at least a few top 5 teams that could contend for a championship.
It overall was a very successful year for Michigan. Michigan entered the Spring sports session just .5 points behind Stanford for 1st place in the Director's Cup standings. Is this the year that Michigan will overcome the Stanford machine and finish first? No...no it isn't. Michigan would need to have a lead of at least a couple hundred points heading into Spring to topple Stanford. The real question is if Michigan can hang onto 2nd place. The answer is probably not. I would guess that UNC and one or two SEC teams will pass them. Still a very good chance that Michigan will end up in the top 5 and tops overall in the Big Ten though. Considering we were the ONLY TEAM IN THE COUNTRY to go through a 2 week hiatus of all athletic activity, that ain't half bad. It was a banner year for the women's teams and the Winter sports. Not so much for the men's teams and the Fall sports.
Who were the teams and athletes that really shined this year?
WOMEN'S TEAM OF THE YEAR - Women's Gymnastics
Win a national championship and you're the team of the year. Pretty simple. This team didn't just win it all though. They won in the most dramatic fashion. When you have to put up the highest score in program history to win the championship, and you go out and do just that...that's as clutch as it gets right there.
MEN'S TEAM OF THE YEAR - Men's Gymnastics
Finished with the highest ranking of any men's team, coming in 3rd in the championship. A strong case could be made for men's basketball since there are a ton more basketball teams than gymnastic teams, but Kurt Golder's squad deserves credit for a great season, and for being the program most often in contention for a national championship year in and year out.
WOMEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR - Marcia Pankratz (Field Hockey)
Another tough one, as the easy vote would be for Plocki winning her first ever championship. But the gymnastics team can't win every award, and Pankratz taking the field hockey team all the way to the championship was probably more unexpected than the gymnasts winning it all. Plus, if Michigan doesn't get completely hosed in the championship game, (UNC - 5 power plays, U of M 1 power play), then Pankratz probably takes home a national championship as well.
MEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR - Juwan Howard (Basketball)
From being picked to finish around 7th in the Big Ten to being a #1 seed that made the Elite 8, the men's basketball team exceeded expectations like no other in Ann Arbor. It wasn't just the winning that gets Howard the nod though. It was they way this team just looked like a well-oiled machine night in and night out, despite having a slew of new faces. Anyone watching that team could tell how well coached they were.
WOMEN'S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Naz Hillmon (Basketball)
This is the award with the most legitimate candidates. There were superstars all over the place for the women's teams this year. McNeil in swimming. Wojick or Brooks in gymnastics. Storako in softball. All would be completely justifiable choices here, but Hillmon put up the most consistently dominant season in the women's basketball team's history. A first team all-American who dominated the advanced stats, Hillmon's combination of incredible skill, great leadership skills and a relentless work ethic makes her the right choice here.
MEN'S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Mason Parris (Wrestling)
Not as much competition here honestly, but Parris is still plenty deserving. He finished 2nd nationally in the Heavyweight class, and flat out dominated most of his opponents. His ability to routinely get pins at that weight class was insane, and he brought the same consistent effort every night.
WOMEN'S FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR - Ziyah Holman (Track & Field) & Kari Miller (Tennis)
Holman had the viral video of the season when she ran down an OSU runner from way behind on the final leg of a relay to finish first. Aside from the video Holman was dominant all season as a sprinter for the track team. Miller took the #1 singles spot from day 1 and turned it into a strength of the team. Highlighted by a huge 3 set win against OSU that clinched the victory, Miller's frosh season saw her more than live up to the lofty expectations of her top 5 recruiting ranking. Both of these ladies should be incredible anchors for their teams for the next 3 years.
MEN'S FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR - Hunter Dickinson (Basketball)
Who else could it be really? Hockey had some great frosh, but none that put up numbers like Dickinson. He was the talk of the basketball world for a couple of weeks during the season, and one of the top 2-3 players on a top 5 team. His dominance was the biggest reason Michigan was able to surpass expectations by as much as they did and ultimately win the Big Ten.
WOMEN'S MOST IMPROVED - Abby Heiskell (Gymnastics)
A solid role player for her first 2 1/2 years, Heiskell turned in perhaps the most dramatic mid-season improvement I have ever seen from a Michigan athlete when she had to take on an increased role after Brenner got hurt. Through the match where Brenner was injured, Heiskell performed 12 routines and got a 9.9 or higher in only 3 of them. After the Brenner injury, Heiskell performed in 25 routines and got a 9.9 or higher in 19 OF THEM! This all culminated with her performance in the national championship when she scored a 9.9 or higher in all 4 routines for the first time in her career, including a 9.925 on beam to clinch the championship. Yeah, no one is showing more improvement than that.
MEN'S MOST IMPROVED - Nick Beaty (Tennis)
After basically just sitting on the bench for his first 3 years, Beaty broke through and became a regular in the lineup this year. He put up a 9-4 record in doubles and a 13-3 season in singles, and was a key part of a strong overall season for the tennis team.
Hard to make predictions about next year without knowing who all is coming back for their free Covid year, but Michigan should do much better in the Fall sports and have at least a few top 5 teams that could contend for a championship.
