RAEDER’S RAIDER’S SPIRIT AWARD

“Raeder’s Raiders” were known for their enthusiasm and making those around them better. Those student-athletes, led by Paul Raeder, usually came off the bench into football games in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s to inspire their teammates, the coaches, and the crowds. At the beginning of her golf career at Michigan, Anika Dy was her team’s biggest supporter all while learning the sometimes-hard lessons of Division I golf. Her freshman year she was not always the in the starting lineup but was always enthusiastic and cheering on her teammates. That season was cut short due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The fall season of her sophomore year was also cancelled. In the spring, Anika, like many students, struggled with the pressures of not just being a student-athlete, but also with the pressures around her and the rest of campus. She was able to make it back onto the course at the end of the season, playing in two events with one start. In true Raeder’s Raiders spirit, Anika shined in the Indiana Invitational shooting a season best 231 over 54 holes.

Anika’s coach, Jan Dowling, describes her as “Eager to learn, eager to improve, and eager to support her team, even when she wasn’t making the lineup.” Anika never missed a beat while being selfless and keeping her teammates at the forefront of her actions. In her junior year, after shaking off the rust, Anika found her stroke and played in seven events, starting five of them. She carded six rounds of par or better, with a career best of 69 (-1) in the VyStar Gators Invitational.

As a senior, Anika started all 11 events she played in, averaged a career-best 74.20, carded seven rounds of par or better, with two sub-par rounds. Anika was instrumental in leading the Wolverines in the Big Ten Championships and their selection to the 2023 NCAA Postseason.  Coach Dowling says Anika shows the traits that sport can teach you – perseverance and resilience. “Anika has been a true student of these two traits, and done so with grace and class,” said Dowling.

Anika came to U-M with high accolades after having been voted three times golfer of the year for the state of Michigan while playing for Traverse City West High School. She is the daughter of Tess and Mon Dy and enrolled in the School of Kinesiology.