The Top 25 Michigan athletics moments since 2000: 15-11

We are 25 years into the 2000s, and to celebrate, we’re picking out the Top 25 moments for Michigan athletics. Next up is a series of Cinderella stories where, against all odds, the Wolverines were victors:

We’re two weeks into the Top 25 moments of the 2000s for the Michigan Wolverines , and we have officially approached elite territory with the final 15.

Today, we will cover a series of Cinderella stories where, against all odds, the Wolverines made history. Here’s No. 15-11.

15. Michigan runs over Penn State with zero 2nd-half passes (2023)

As the team was mid-flight heading to Happy Valley to face a top-10 Penn State team, the Big Ten suspended Jim Harbaugh for the last three games of the regular season. Everyone across the country was shocked by the unprecedented decision, but the players rallied behind it, with the entire team tweeting a simple word: “Bet.”

Blake Corum came out onto the field wearing a ski mask that said “Michigan vs. Everybody” and then ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Michigan needed every one of them, as it didn’t even attempt a pass in the second half to beat the Nittany Lions, 24-15, in one of the most emotional wins of the national championship campaign.

14. Women’s Gymnastics wins NCAA Championship (2021)

The 2021 season was a historic moment for the Michigan athletics department on so many levels. It was the women’s gymnastic’s first national championship, and the first ever by a Big Ten program, breaking a long-term dominance by the SEC and Pac-12.

On the run, Michigan beat powerhouses like Oklahoma, Florida and Utah, which all had multiple national titles. Head coach Bev Plocki was crowned the WCGA National Coach of the Year after accomplishing what was considered one of the largest upsets in the history of the sport. The 11-time Big Ten Coach of the Year had won the conference eight times, finishing in the Super Six 10 times. The national title has cemented the Michigan program as a powerhouse and solidified Plocki’s legacy.

13. Samantha Findlay hits 3-run bomb in 10th to win national title (2005)

It’s hard to get more impossible than what the Michigan women’s gymnastics team did in 2021, but the 2005 softball season was a true storybook finish. Legendary coach Carol Hutchins had built a winner in the midwest, something that was deemed impossible due to West Coast dominance.

The Wolverines ranked No. 1 in the country for most of the year, but entered the Women’s College World Series as an underdog to UCLA. The Bruins boasted 10 national titles and were led by two-time National Player of the Year Natasha Watley.

In a winner-take-all Game 3, tied 1-1 in the 10th, freshman Samantha Findlay crushed a ball to left that wound up being the difference-maker.

This was the first national championship for Michigan softball, the Big Ten, and any team east of the Mississippi River. Twenty years later, and the Wolverines are still the only program in the conference to stake claim in a national title.

12. Tommy Henry throws CWS shutout to reach championship series (2019)

The Michigan Cinderella stories continue with what was an unbelievable stretch of baseball for the Wolverines in 2019. They entered the season as a nearly consensus top-25 program, but fell out of the rankings in Week 6 and finished second in the Big Ten to Indiana. Michigan made the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Corvallis Regional.

The Wolverines beat No. 22 Creighton twice to take the Regional, knocked off No. 1 UCLA on its home turf in the Super Regional, and then beat No. 8 Texas Tech twice — along with a dominant complete game shutout from Tommy Henry over Florida State — to make the championship series.

After beating No. 2 Vanderbilt in Game 1, the Wolverines were a game away from winning it all, but dropped consecutive games to the Commodores to just miss glory. Nevertheless, the program reached its first College World Series since 1984, and it was the first Big Ten to reach the finals in over 50 years.

11. Michigan wins Big Ten Tournament after plane crash (2017)

When you think of some of the most unbelievable sports stories in your lifetime, Michigan’s men’s basketball’s 2017 run through the Big Ten Tournament has got to be damn near the top of the list. In desperate need of a strong tournament to make the NCAA Tournament, the team’s plane skidded off the runway at Willow Run Airport, severely damaging the plane. Luckily, no one was injured.

However, the Wolverines didn’t arrive at the Big Ten Tournament in Washington, D.C. until 90 minutes before the scheduled first-round game against Illinois. The team wore practice jerseys because the regular jerseys didn’t make the trip.

All the Wolverines did was jump to a 31-11 lead, crushing the Illini by 20 points in the opening round and never trailing in the game. With the win, John Beilein became the all-time winningest coach in program history.

The next day, the Wolverines took on the top-seeded Purdue Boilermakers . D.J. Wilson’s 26 points were the difference in a game that had 18 lead changes, resulting in a 74-70 overtime win. A day later, it was Derrick Walton’s turn to take over, scoring a career-high 29 points as the Wolverines beat Minnesota, 84-77. For the third time in program history, Michigan made the Big Ten Tournament Championship.

Walton’s dominance continued into a title bout with Wisconsin, a top-25 program and NCAA Tournament shoe-in. Walton had 22 points and seven assists as the Wolverines took it, 71-56, to win their first Big Ten Tournament title since 1998.

Michigan is still the lowest-seeded team (No. 8) to ever win the Big Ten Tournament.

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For more in this series:

• The Top 25 Michigan athletics moments since 2000: 25-21
• The Top 25 Michigan athletics moments since 2000: 20-16