A few hours remained in the competition and Michal Alge had only 100 votes to her name, but through a university wide push Michal Alge was named the second best Division Three rebounder in the country. Michal was one of ten women nominated by Division Three Sports News for an online poll entitled “Who Owns The Boards”, a poll that asks the public decide which of these ten women is the greatest rebounder in DIII this year. In the few short hours before the poll closed Michal collected over 3,000 votes–finishing the poll in second place.
“It was a nice feeling seeing the votes go up. At first I thought it was just friends [voting for me],” said Alge in response to the outpour of support through reports in Whatsapp groups and facebook groups encouraging students to vote for the YU athlete. “It was really cool seeing the Jewish world behind me, spreading the Yeshiva name”
Michal ranks 6th in rebounds per game and 9th in total rebounds country wide. Alge is also approaching YU history with her rebounds this year–she currently sits second place all time for YU NCAA rebounds. She is about 100 rebounds away from all time YU NCAA rebounder Rebecca Yosher. As Michal plans to play next year as a super senior, she is likely to pass Yosher and become first place all time. Michal has also won countless Skyline academic awards and athletic awards.
Rebounding has been apart of Michal’s game from early on. Michal was a member of the Maimonides High School basketball team in 8th grade.“[Rebounding] was actually what got me noticed by the varsity coaches,” she explained.
“Rebounding is really about how much hustle, how much fight you have against your opponent, how much work you put in.”
Michal may not be the tallest player; at 5’6” she is six inches shorter than the average height of the top ten rebounders according to NCAA.com.. But size doesn’t matter as much as one may think. In rebounding you have to “out hustle” your opponent. Women’s Head Coach Michael Alon says that Michal has an “intensity” about her that allows her to rise above her opponents under the boards.
The outpouring of responses to this poll is also a testament to Michal’s character. Feedback from coaches, administrators, and teammates atest to Michal’s leadership on and off the court and to the great person and player she is.
“Throughout her time thus far at Yeshiva [Michal] has demonstrated the highest levels of athleticism and sportsmanship while balancing an academically challenging course load,” boasted Athletic Director Carly Moss. “The YU athletic department is proud to have an athlete such as Alge represent our university.”
“I’ve played with Michal from the start and since then she has always been leading by example, even as a freshman!” lauded fellow team member Shira Feen, SCW ‘18.
“It’s no surprise the community is recognizing Michal [with this poll], she’s really deserving,” said Michal’s teammate and underclassman Adina Rosenberg, SCW ‘20. “I’m so thankful to have Michal as someone to look to, I admire and value her personality and advice both on and off the court. She has had a great impact on both me and the team as a whole.”
*Note: All YU stats come courtesy of YUmacs.com stats guru AJ O’Hagan