The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE JUNE/JULY 2019 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Michigan's water polo squad won the CWPA for the fourth straight year in 2019 before mak- ing it all the way to the quarterfi- nals of the NCAA Championship, where it fell to No. 3 UCLA May 10. Sophomore utility player Maddy Johnston was one of the key cogs in the team's success. Her 30 assists were the third most on the squad, while her 34 goals and 64 points each ranked fourth, marking significant over- all improvement from a solid freshman campaign that saw her rack up 35 goals, 14 assists and 49 points. While Johnston has clearly found a home on Michigan's ros- ter during her first two years on campus, she actually revealed that U-M was a complete un- known to her while growing up in her hometown of Menlo Park, Calif. "I didn't know anything about Michi- gan when I was a kid, until [head coach Dr.] Marcelo [Leonardi] wound up serv- ing as my coach when I competed on the [USA Youth] National Team [in 2015 and 2016]," she recalled. "He sent me a junior day invite to U-M and my parents explained to me that I at least owed him a visit, so I took the trip. I learned about all the different areas that could benefit me both academically and athletically while I was there, and my college deci- sion was pretty easy from that point on. "It actually doesn't seem like I'm even that far away from home ever since I've been here, other than the fact that I now get to experience all four seasons. I've come to realize the Midwest hospitality and school spirit at Michigan are both unparalleled." Though Johnston still has the entirety of her junior and senior campaigns to play with the Maize and Blue, her water polo days obviously won't last forever. Majoring in movement science in Michigan's School of Kinesiol- ogy, the sophomore explained not only what led her to that field, but also the various career oppor- tunities a U-M degree will open up for her in the professional workplace upon graduation. "My mom is actually a nurse, and I've always been interested in both biomechanics and caring for people," the Californian noted. "When I saw that Michigan was one of the schools that offered my program, I was immediately drawn to them. "There are so many connec- tions that will come once I finish up my education, and I'm actu- ally starting to now realize just how extensive those opportuni- ties will be. They'll also widen if I'm accepted into the program I'm ap- plying for, because there are only two undergraduate programs like it in the country — Michigan's and Duke's. "The field is already heavily influenced by U-M, because so many alums and professionals in the industry know sev- eral of the teachers I've had, the classes I've taken and what's all required to be successful inside the program." — Austin Fox Johnston compiled 64 points (34 goals and 30 assists) while helping the Wolverines win the CWPA and advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Student-Athlete Of The Month Water Polo Sophomore Utility Player Maddy Johnston Head coach John Beilein's decision to leave Michigan for the NBA's Cleveland Cava- liers ended his very successful 12-season run in the Big Ten, dur- ing which he won 278 games and captured four league titles (two regular season and two tournament). Beilein compiled an overall winning per- centage of .650, which ranks 16th among all Big Ten coaches. He also notched 126 conference wins, which currently ranks 17th in league history. While he didn't have the longevity of some of the most successful Big Ten coaches of all time, he had similar levels of achievement. Here is where Beilein stands among some of the most notable names since 1967 (Johnny Orr and Fred Taylor are both in- cluded despite starting their tenures before that year since they were at their schools until the mid-1970s or later), in order of best overall winning percentage: — Andrew Hussey Years Overall Big Ten Overall Big Ten Coach, School At School Wins Wins Win Pct. Titles* Bo Ryan, Wisconsin 15 364 172 .737 7 Bob Knight, Indiana 29 662 353 .734 11 Thad Matta, Ohio State 13 337 150 .733 9 Tom Izzo, Michigan State 24 606 288 .723 15 Matt Painter, Purdue 14 321 158 .669 4 Tom Davis, Iowa 13 269 125 .658 0 Gene Keady, Purdue 25 512 265 .655 6 Lou Henson, Illinois 21 423 214 .654 1 Fred Taylor, Ohio State 18 297 158 .653 7 Johnny Orr, Michigan 12 209 120 .653 2 John Beilein, Michigan 12 278 126 .650 4 Jud Heathcote, Michigan State 19 340 182 .607 3 * Includes both regular-season and tournament titles John Beilein's Place Among Historic Big Ten Coaches