This Year In Sports: Spring Gears Up, Women’s Hockey Skates Ahead

Harrison Stidolph Editor-in-Chief

Photo//Matt Stephens

Welcome back, Wolverines!

As students and faculty continue to settle into their winter classes, teams at UM-Dearborn Athletics have kept their foot on the gas – some in their final stretch, while others gear up for the season ahead.

It’s been a transformative year for UM-Dearborn sports. Athletics announced Jan. 6 the hiring of  Cross Country Head Coach Adam Wheeler, marking the 7th head coaching change in the department this past year. 

In what appears to be a large-scale overhaul of Athletics staff, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Baseball and Cross Country have announced new head coaches since (March.) Among the new hirings, Women’s Hockey removed the interim tag from long-time coach Carrie Sirola.

Of the new crop of head coaches, Chris Stevanovic and Tesa McKibben of Men’s and Women’s Soccer respectively were the first to see competition this year. Both tallied off their first time in the win column with their programs, with records of 1-11-3 and 2-13-3 respectively.

Though both inherited rough patches in each of their programs, things are looking up in recruiting. Both soccer coaches came in with sizable freshman classes, which brought big contributors right away – 4 of 5 leading scorers on the Women’s team and multiple starters on the men’s team were all freshmen.

The Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams, both currently in the thick of conference play, have established bright futures for their programs. 

Women’s Basketball’s Becky Sutton has already quadrupled the team’s winning record to 4-15 while only partway through the season, and Head Men’s coach Mo Bazzi has kept his team competitive in their conference games, reaching over rivals Lawrence Tech and Aquinas in big conference victories.

But beside rough patches and rebuilds Coach Sirola skates ahead, vying to lead Women’s Hockey to a 3rd-straight appearance to ACHA Nationals while dominating their conference with a 20-1 record.

Wolverine skaters account for 4 of the top 20 scorers in ACHA D1, led by Senior Captain Cadence Pero and freshman newcomer Pallavi Hari. Pero currently leads the country with 42 points across 22 games.

And as the Wolverines skate and dribble ahead, the bustle of spring sports in Lacrosse, Baseball, and continuations of the Bowling and Golf campaigns grow ready. 

Though coming off a statistically down year, Lacrosse has one bright spot in 2025 Athletic Newcomer of the Year Reece Rath. The attackman led the team in scoring last year, with 37 points in 15 games as a freshman.

This year the Wolverines set out to improve their record amid a shrinking conference, which has seen the loss of 3 different competitors in 3 years. 

Lourdes and national powerhouse Concordia Ann Arbor announced their withdrawal from WHAC Lacrosse in 2023 due to athletic budget cuts, and national competitor Siena Heights recently announced it would be closing its doors after the 2026 academic year.

New Baseball Head Coach Pete Finn will be the last of the new crop of coaches to take the field for the first time, as the baseball team looks to improve after a hard 2025 season. They take their first trip to Spring Arbor University on Feb. 7.

Softball, coming off of a conference tournament appearance last season, will also start their season on a trip, traveling to Florida for their first matchup against Spring Arbor on Feb. 28th. 

Look forward to The Michigan Journal’s future sports coverage with monthly print updates and published home schedules. For details on game times and locations: athletics.umdearborn.edu

Questions? Contact Sports Editor Harrison Stidolph: hstid@umich.edu

February Home Schedule:

Women’s Basketball:

Feb. 4 vs. Aquinas

Feb. 7 vs. Indiana Tech

Feb. 18 vs. Madonna

Feb. 21 vs. Northwestern Ohio

Men’s Basketball:

Feb. 4 vs. Aquinas

Feb. 7 vs. Indiana Tech

Feb. 18 vs. Madonna

Feb. 21 vs. Northwestern Ohio

Women’s Hockey

Feb. 6 vs. Miami (OH)

Feb. 14 vs. Laurence Tech

Feb. 19 CCWHA Playoffs (TBA)

Lacrosse

Feb. 7 vs. Alma

Feb. 17 vs. Columbia (MO)

Men’s Hockey

Feb. 7 vs. Grand Valley St.

Feb. 13 vs. Cleary