As the 2025 calendar year comes to a close, there have been some magical moments for the Michigan Wolverines’ athletic department in the past 365 days.
With the holiday season in mind, here are the best gifts left under the trees of each Michigan fan in 2025.
Men’s gymnastics win their seventh NCAA National Championship
One of the most dominant rosters in all of college athletics in 2025 came from Ann Arbor, but not from the sport most would think.
The Wolverines team took home their seventh men’s gymnastics title on April 19 at Crisler Center in a meet that came
down to the final vault. Michigan had two U.S. Olympians competing — vaulter Paul Juda and all-around machine, Fred Richard. They both competed for the United States in the 2024 Olympic Games that won the Americans bronze.
Trailing by 0.537 points (276.162-275.625) heading into the final rotation, Juda delivered 13.966 as the anchor to secure the victory over Stanford by just 0.163 points.
With most of the team back in the fold for 2026, head coach Yuan Xiao and the Wolverines should be a top contender once again.
Head coach Dusty May builds a super roster in the transfer portal
One of the hardest things for any basketball coach is retaining talent, and acquiring talent via the transfer portal proved to be even harder. With no guarantees past one season for any high school commit, coaches need to be aggressive to ensure they can field a competitive team.
After his first season in Ann Arbor, head coach Dusty May not only retained the talent that brought his team to the Sweet Sixteen, but he secured the top transfer portal class, and it is paying off big time.
From future NBA lottery pick Yaxel Lendeborg to newly-emerged first-round talents in Aday Mara, Elliot Cadeau and Morez Johnson Jr., the undefeated Wolverines are currently the favorite to win the NCAA Tournament.
Michigan Hockey heads into the holidays as the top team in the country
If you haven’t been paying attention to what is going on at Yost Ice Arena in 2025, Michigan is the top team in the nation. Starting the season at No. 12, the Wolverines quickly ascended to the top of the sport, going 16-4 in their first 20 matchups, with half being against Top-10 opponents.
With so much talent on the roster this season, Michigan has been benefitting greatly from Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Will Horcoff, who has 18 goals and 26 points in his first 18 games. He was named the Hockey Commissioners Association National Player of the Month for November, and he is the top contender for the Hobey Baker Award (the top NCAA player).
If Michigan keeps up this pace, we could easily see two national titles hoisted in Ann Arbor in just a few months.
Michigan Basketball wins the 2025 Big Ten Tournament, makes the Sweet Sixteen
Before May arrived in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines went 8-24 under former coach Juwan Howard, and it felt as if the program was only moving in the wrong direction.
However, May’s arrival turned out to be the winning lottery ticket. May cleaned house in his first offseason, bringing in new recruits and grabbing some of the hottest names in the transfer portal. He also convinced one of his best players at Florida Atlantic, Vlad Goldin, to come along for the ride.
As a result, May’s spunky, revived roster was something Michigan fans hadn’t seen in a while — fast, free and selfless basketball. The Wolverines were in the Top-25 for most of the season, won the Big Ten Tournament as a No. 3 seed and went on to the Sweet Sixteen. More than anything, May gave fans something to cheer for once again, and he has parlayed that into an even better start to the 2025 season.
