The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/262939
WOMEN'S SWIMMING PROFILE Michigan swimming coach Mike Bottom has been very impressed with the mindset of the women's swim- ming team. While coming together as a team, they have given each other the freedom to attack training on an individual level. "The great thing about this team is they embrace diver- sity," Bottom said. "They embrace dif- ference. In doing so, that allows amazing things to come out of individuals. If every- one is trying to be the same and everyone feels like they have to have the same regi- ment, we as coaches don't get the real per- sonalities. "The team has said, 'We love you for who you are.' And that al- lows us to give them all a lot of individual feedback." For senior Angie Chokran, that means going to the numbers. Chokran, the team captain and a member of the 2013 honorable men- tion All-America 200-yard medley relay team, is an actuarial mathemat- ics major. Actuarial math uses mathematics, statistics and other quantitative sets of data to predict trends and future events. While Chokran will go on to apply her actuarial skills in the business world, for the time being, she uses her numbers-centric mind to her ad- vantage in the pool. "As a very math-oriented thinker, I always go to the numbers," Chokran s a i d . " S w i m m i n g revolves around rac- ing the clock and im- proving time in order to get in the top eight and score points. I am a numbers-driven person outside of the pool, but when I get into the pool, I al- ways have the num- bers. "If I'm not feeling good in the pool, I can always have con- fidence in the num- bers and be reassured that I'm swimming fast." For Bottom, Chokran's methods are an interesting new way to look at swimming. "Angie is a unique individual," Bottom said. "She is studying to be an actuarial. When she talked on her senior speech, she said, 'I'm not go- ing to use a lot of words. I'm going to get into the numbers.' She started talking about statistics and all those things. "The way she gets better is by num- Angie Chokran Wants To End Her Career On A High Note Chokran boasts school records in the 100-yard breaststroke (59.80), the 200-yard medley relay (1:37.84) and the 400-yard medley relay (3:34.71), and she has her sights set on win- ning a Big Ten title this season. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS