The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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74 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2018 BY ANDREW HUSSEY T he winter season of Olympic sports is underway with the men's and women's swimming and diving teams already into their cam- paigns. The wrestling team kicks off its season Nov. 3 at the Michigan State Open. Here is a preview of the three sports, with a look at each one's top athletes, where their teams are ex- pected to finish in the Big Ten and much more. WRESTLING First Event: Nov. 3, Michigan State Open Big Ten Predicted Finish: Top four NCAA Best Case Scenario: Top four with 2-3 individual championships Coach's Expectations: "We have sev- eral individuals working towards and capable of winning Big Ten champi- onships, and that's always the goal," first-year head coach Sean Bormet said. "We're also young and less expe- rienced in some other ways. "We want to continue to build an exciting style of wrestling with an emphasis on scoring bonus points for the team. That's probably our greatest expectation. We had a lot of positive comments from fans and alums last season. "It can be a great team and a great season. We have a very good blend of highly accomplished veterans, and we also have some veteran guys that have a lot to prove this year." Top Wrestler: Redshirt junior Ste- van Micic had a strong 2017-18 season, falling in the 133-pound finals of the NCAA Championships and capturing his weight class at the Big Ten Cham- pionships. Bormet said he's impressed by Micic's consistent, selfless and team-driven approach. Wrestler To Watch: Redshirt junior Myles Amine was an All-American in 2018 at 174 pounds, claiming third place at the NCAA Championships. Last season, Amine went 26-7 — tied for third-most victories on the team. Don't Miss: Feb. 1 at Penn State. The Nittany Lions won their seventh NCAA title in eight years last season and are favored to win another in 2019. Notes: The Big Ten is considered the best wrestling conference in the country, with five programs listed in the top seven of FloWrestling's pre- season rankings: No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Iowa, No. 5 Michigan and No. 7 Nebraska … Seven Wolverines appeared in FloW- restling's preseason individual rank- ings: No. 12 125-pounder Drew Mat- tin, a sophomore; No. 2 133-pounder Stevan Micic, a redshirt junior; No. 18 141-pounder Kanen Storr, a red- shirt sophomore; No. 4 157-pounder Alec Pantaleo, a fifth-year senior; No. 5 165-pounder Logan Massa, a red- shirt junior; No. 3 174-pounder Myles Amine, a redshirt junior; and No. 15 197-pounder Jackson Striggow, a red- shirt junior. MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING First Event: Sept. 28, defeated Mi- ami (Ohio) 245-55 Big Ten Predicted Finish: Top five NCAA Best Case Scenario: Top 15 Coach's Expectations: "We're in a rebuilding year with our men," head coach Mike Bottom said. "But we have some freshmen this year that we think can step up and make things exciting." "We have 15 new people on the team — 12 freshmen and three trans- fers — and a lot of potential," associ- ate head coach Dr. Josh White added. Top Athlete: Junior Felix Auböck was the Big Ten Swimmer of the Year in 2017 and is a four-time Big Ten champion. He won the 500-yard and 1,650-yard freestyle in both 2017 and 2018, before placing second in both races at NCAAs last year. Athlete To Watch: Junior diver Jake Herremans improved on his fresh- man season by finishing 19th on plat- form at the Big Ten Championships in 2017-18. He also finished 21st in the three-meter and 25th in the one-meter. "He's a diver that's about to break through," Michigan diving coach Mike Hilde said. Don't Miss: Jan. 17 at Indiana. Michigan faces the defending Big Ten champions. Notes: CollegeSwimming.com ranks three Big Ten schools in its top 12 — No. 5 Ohio State, No. 7 Indiana and No. 11 Michigan. OLYMPIC SPORTS UPDATE Winter Sports Are Ready For Action Competing at 133 pounds last season, redshirt junior Stevan Micic won a Big Ten title and finished second in the nation at the NCAA Championships. PHOTO BY TONY ROTUNDO