FEATURES
September 2020
Students' reactions to pandemic football
Two stories I reported about students' reactions to the postponement and return of Big Ten football.
Photos: Alec Cohen, Associated Press
July 2020
College cheer and dance
I talked to college cheer and dance coaches about how they were handling the uncertainties brought on by the pandemic.
Photo: Derick Hingle
June 2020
Black swimmers' group chat
After the death of George Floyd, I talked to several elite Black swimmers about how they've made a difference in the swimming community after coming together via group chat.
Photo: Rob Schumacher
March 2020
Maggie MacNeil's secret weapon
For Women's History Month, I profiled swimmer Maggie MacNeil, a world champion for Canada. Despite that, she's relatively unknown in Ann Arbor. I explored how that dynamic has helped take some of the pressure off as she chases her dreams.
Photo: Dominick Sokotoff
February 2020
Wrestling's Olympic redshirts
With three wrestlers out on Olympic redshirts during the 2019-20 season, the normally top-notch Michigan wrestling team took a step back. I spoke to wrestlers and coaches to find out how the team has adapted to the heavy losses, and why it might be a good sign for the future. In April, I wrote a follow-up feature on the wrestlers' decisions to return to Michigan following the postponement of the Olympics.
Photos: Madeline Hinkley and Alec Cohen
January 2020
Elise Ray-Statz's coaching journey
Elise Ray-Statz went from Olympic team captain to Michigan star to Washington head coach. I wrote about Elise's journey to a coaching career and how it was informed by mentorship from Michigan coach Bev Plocki, who helped her heal after a difficult Olympic experience.
Photo: Washington Athletics
October 2019
A friendship in football
Before they were on staff at Michigan, safeties and special teams coach Chris Partridge and linebackers coach Anthony Campanile were both members of Paramus Catholic High School's 1997 state-championship team. I wrote about how that season sparked a friendship that still pays dividends inside the Michigan program today.
Photo: Alec Cohen
October 2019
College football culture
In October, Michigan played two big games against Penn State and Notre Dame, and I took the opportunity to dig into the culture of these matchups. For Penn State, I interviewed Michigan fans about the experience of attending a whiteout game. For Notre Dame, I did a retrospective of the "Under the Lights" game and the legacy it still leaves in the locker room.
Photos: Michigan Daily file photos
September 2019
Michigan marching band
The morning of Michigan's 2018 game against Ohio State, do-everything marching band administrator Maggie St. Clair died as the band was loading the buses. Ten months later, they created a special show to honor her. For our "Football Saturday" special edition before the Rutgers game, I put the halftime show in the spotlight and highlighted how much it meant to the members of the marching band.
Photo: Alec Cohen
July 2019
Women of the Cape League
Baseball has long been a boys' club, but several women in the Cape League are changing that. I spoke with women in leadership roles in the league about how they got there and what's in the future. This story ran on the front page of the Cape Cod Times on July 30 and was picked up by several wire services.
Photo: Ron Schloerb
April 2019
Michigan women's lacrosse
In 2019, the Michigan women's lacrosse team went from never having a winning season to hosting an NCAA regional. As the regular season was nearing its end and the Wolverines clinched a Big Ten Tournament berth for the first time in three years, I took an in-depth look at how it happened.
Photo: Kartik Sundaram
February 2019
February 2019
1989 oral history
In February, the 1989 Michigan men's basketball team, the first and still only to win the national championship, held a 30-year reunion. With the other three members of the basketball beat, I conducted interviews with members of the team and put together this oral history, part of a special edition commemorating the last 30 years in Michigan basketball.
Photo: Michigan Daily file photo
December 2018
Air Force coaches
In December, the Michigan men's basketball team played a non-conference game against Air Force. Three of the Falcons' coaches, including their head coach, were once with the Wolverines a decade ago. I talked to them about their time at Michigan, returning to a place they once coached and how then-Wolverines coach John Beilein helped them get to a new point in their careers.
Photo: Katelyn Mulcahy