The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1005764
AUGUST 2018 THE WOLVERINE 31 BY JOHN BORTON T here weren't any sharks, al- ligators or jellyfish looming in the waters of Ohio State's McCorkle Aquatic Pavil- ion. That doesn't mean they were friendly. The folks down there don't like the Wolverines and don't limit their deri- sion to the confines of Ohio Stadium. "It's always antagonistic when we're in Columbus," Big Ten Coach of the Year Mike Bottom noted. "That's just because of the commu- nity there. There are rivalries, and I've been in a lot of different rivalries in my life. "With good rivalries, there's also respect. Somehow, we don't get re- spect at Ohio State. It's not about putting it in anybody's face. It's just about putting our shoulders back and doing what we do." So the Wolverines put their shoul- ders back and did what they do bet- ter than they've done it in more than two decades. They did it twice at Mc- Corkle, blowing away the field at the Big Ten Championships and then finishing fourth at the NCAA Cham- pionships at the same venue. No Michigan women's swimming squad had climbed that high at na- tionals since 1996, and this one over- came injuries and fan antipathy at the big meets to cut through the wa- ters like a speedboat. Bottom's Wol- verines also became The Wolverine's choice for Female Team of the Year in 2017-18. Michigan featured an aggregation of determined swimmers and divers who not only owned the water, but dove into high-level academics and FEMALE TEAM OF THE YEAR WOMEN'S SWIMMING ROAD WARRIORS Michigan Swimmers Overcome In Enemy Waters To Reach New Heights While competing at Ohio State's McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, Michigan dominated en route to its third straight Big Ten title and then notched a fourth-place finish in the NCAA Championships — their best showing since 1996. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY