The Successes Of These Michigan Teams Deserve More Attention

UPDATE: The Western Michigan Broncos are NCAA Hockey Champions after a 6-2 victory against Boston. Congratulations to Pat Ferschweiler and his crew!

ORIGINAL:

It's the end of the winter athletics season, with March Madness wrapping up yesterday. As with most tournament play, the unexpected is bound to happen, for better or for worse. The Michigan and Michigan State Men's Basketball teams both saw their tournament runs end at the hands of the Auburn Tigers after seasons that surpassed all expectations for the programs.

The Women's basketball teams both lost in the second round. In Hockey, MSU's team was stunned in the first round after losing to #16 Cornell.

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So, to say things haven't gone exactly as planned is an understatement. However, that doesn't mean there aren't other Michigan schools doing well in their tournaments. These teams are also impressing, but aren't getting the same representation as the other sports.

Grand Valley State University Women's Basketball

Grand Valley State University's Women's Basketball team won the Division 2 National Championship for the second time, finishing with a 38-2 record (the most in program history). They won the GLIAC regular season and tournament titles, as well as the Midwest Regional title, with 37 wins coming by double-digits. This team was competitive the entire season and deserves its title.

Western Michigan Broncos

The Men's hockey team at Western Michigan has reached its first-ever Frozen Four, outlasting the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. They are set to take on Denver on Thursday, April 10th at 5 pm. If they win, they'll play in the championship game on the 12th at 7:30.

Outside of this, WMU's head coach, Pat Ferschweiler, was named the National Coach of the Year after he led the Broncos to:

• First-ever Penrose Cup Championship
• First-ever NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship
• Program record and NCAA leading 32 wins

Michigan State Women's Gymnastics

The Spartans scored their best-ever score in a regional final and are now headed to the school's second-ever NCAA Championship, squeaking out a second-place finish with a score of 198.000, just .375 more than No.9 Kentucky. The next meet takes place on April 17 in Fort Worth, Texas, against LSU, Utah, and UCLA. The top two scores will move on to the National Championship on April 19.

Overall, the winter sports season has proven to be the most successful time for Michigan athletics in recent history.

This article will be updated once the teams have played their tournament competitions.