The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1005764
44 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2018 SENIOR SALUTES Several Wolverines completed re- markable careers while not getting a mention in the individual awards. Here are some notables among the final-year Michigan performers: • Domenic Abounader, wrestling: The 184-pounder was an All-American for the first time in his fifth season, placing fifth at NCAAs. He went 27-7 in 2017-18 and was 96-30 overall in his career, including a 43-11 mark in duals. The Gates Mills, Ohio, native won the 184-pound Big Ten title as a sophomore. • Caroline Anderson, water polo: The Palo Alto, Calif., native set Michi- gan single-season records for points and assists in 2018, notching 131 points and 85 assists. She holds the career re- cords for both stats, with 466 and 280, respectively. She's the first Michigan player with four 100-point seasons — no other player has had more than two — and was first in U-M history to 200 career assists and 400 career points. Over her four years, Anderson scored 186 goals and added 204 steals, which rank sixth and fourth in Michigan history. • Tera Blanco, softball: The first baseman/pitcher was named a Lou- isville Slugger and National Fastpitch Coaches Association first-team All- American in 2016. She was also a three- time All-Great Lakes Region first-team honoree and three-time first-team All- Big Ten selection. She finished third with 203 career RBI at Michigan, while hitting .332 with 37 home runs. On the mound, she went 29-8 with a 2.15 ERA in 254 career innings. • Kendall Brewer, rowing: Brewer was a three-time Pocock Team All- American at Michigan, earning sec- ond-team honors in 2016 and first- team recognition in 2017 and 2018. She was the Big Ten Rowing Co-Ath- lete of the Year as a senior and rowed exclusively in the first varsity eight boat that placed among the nation's top 11 each year during her career. The three-time All-Big Ten first-team selec- tion also won a bronze medal for Team USA at the Under-23 World Champi- onships last summer. • Tony Calderone, ice hockey: The forward tallied 45 points in his final season and led the Big Ten in goals (25). He paced the squad in goals dur- ing both his junior and senior seasons. Calderone was named second-team All-Big Ten and was a nominee for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, annu- ally given to the nation's top player. The Trenton, Mich., native signed a free agent deal with the Dallas Stars. • Maurice Hurst Jr., football: The 2017 consensus All-American received the Bo Schembechler Team MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in his final year, in addition to unani- mous first-team All-Big Ten laurels. In 42 games at Michigan, the de- fensive tackle recorded 134 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two pass breakups and one blocked field goal. Pro Football Focus rated him the No. 1 overall player in the country as a se- nior. He was selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Oakland Raid- ers, falling so far only due to health concerns after a heart condition was discovered at the NFL Combine. • Sam Swenson, field hockey: The first-ever All-America goalie at U-M was a two-time second-team selection (2015, 2017). She was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous All-Big Ten first-team hon- oree in 2017 with the second-best save percentage in the nation (.816). She posted a trio of shutouts in the Big Ten Tournament en route to the championship her final year, and then posted a pair of NCAA shutouts prior to the Wolverines' elimination in the national semifinals. • Paige Zaziski, women's gymnas- tics: After transferring from Arkansas, the Chesterfield, Mich., native was named first-team All-Big Ten in each of her two seasons at U-M. She was the 2018 Big Ten Co-Gymnast of the Year, 2018 National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches (Women) North- east Region Gymnast of the Year and a three-time NCAA Regional champion (all-around, vault and bars in 2017). Best Male Individual Performance — Wrestler ADAM COON vs. Ohio State: A battle of No. 1 versus No. 2 pitted Coon, a fifth-year senior heavyweight, against Ohio State senior Kyle Snyder, who had not suffered a collegiate loss since the 2015 NCAA Champion- ships his freshman year and has won three world gold medals between the World Championships and 2016 Olympics. Using a first-period throw off a body lock for the bout's only takedown, Coon beat the top-ranked Snyder by a score of 3-1 Feb. 11. The win bumped Coon to 22-0 on the year and set off a celebration from a dual meet-record 8,303 in attendance at Crisler Center. The Wolverines fell short as a team during the competition, losing 18-15 de- spite splitting the 10 matches, but Coon's victory was the lasting memory. He went on to earn All-America honors for the third time in his career, reaching the NCAA heavyweight title match for the second time. Snyder, though, prevailed in the season's final bout. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY