2023 Men's Top 30: How Michigan Fared vs. Projections

Before USA Lacrosse Magazine looks ahead to what’s to come in 2024, our team of staff and contributors decided it was worth taking one last look at 2023.

After all, you have to look at the most recent results before making projections for what’s to come. To do that, we’re taking a journey through the top 30 teams in men’s and women’s lacrosse — what went right, what went wrong and what we should all think of that team’s season.

Was it a success? A failure? A mixture of both? You’ll find out our thoughts over the next month or so.

MICHIGAN MEN’S LACROSSE

Nike/USA Lacrosse Preseason/Final Top 20 Ranking: Unranked/7
2023 record: 10-7 (2-3 Big Ten)

WHAT WENT RIGHT

For four weekends, the Wolverines played like a top-five team — overwhelming a fading Ohio State team twice, sweeping Penn State and Maryland in the Big Ten tournament and then bouncing Cornell by a goal in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Michael Boehm (45 G, 28 A) and Josh Zawada (36 G, 29 A) created headaches for plenty of defenses, and Justin Wietfeldt (.645) and Nick Rowlett (.559) were the best faceoff tandem in Division I.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Michigan went 5-6 prior to April 21, a fact cheerily glossed over by the Wolverines’ late charge. Their offense, which caused so many problems during their five-game winning streak, was locked down by Duke in even-strength situations in a 15-8 NCAA quarterfinal loss.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT

Hammering Maryland 14-5 in the Big Ten final. The victories before it were great, too, and the triumph at Cornell was riveting. But the lopsided defeat of the Terrapins is the one that locked up the program’s first NCAA berth.

VERDICT

No one did more to change the perception of their season — and their program, for that matter — in April and May than the Wolverines. In its 12th season in Division I, Michigan made it clear its days as a virtual automatic win at the bottom of the Big Ten are done. What Kevin Conry’s team does for an encore will be interesting, but the 2023 Wolverines are assured of being one of the most important in program history.