The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MEN'S SWIMMING PROFILE set the Big Ten record in the 200-yard butterfly (1:41.01) at the AT&T Winter Nationals. Michigan head coach Mike Bottom knew Bosch was in for a special sea- son Oct. 25, when the Wolverines com- peted against Indiana and Texas. Bosch won the 200-yard butterfly (1:44.17) and took second in the 100-yard but- terfly (47.71) and the 200-yard indi- vidual medley (1:48.06). "He was great last year," Bottom said. "He was just building through- out the year. It is not easy to do what they do, with classes and routines and building systems. We teach a lot about building systems and making sure ev- erything is in place for your success. Dylan really embraced that, but it takes time. "There is always a period of adjust- ment. As a freshman, they come in and there is a different training system, a different understanding of what they need to do. When Dylan figured all of that out, he just took off." Bosch's strongest strokes are the but- terfly and the freestyle, but he does not want to rest his laurels on those two events. In order to become a stronger overall individual medley competitor, Bosch has worked vigorously to improve his times in the breaststroke and the back- stroke. He says training with guys like Tyler Clary, who won gold at the 2012 Olympics in the 200-yard backstroke, is an opportunity he is grateful that Michigan has given him. "He fights to get better in whatever area he can find," Bottom said. "He keeps asking to do different events. In the last meet, we put him in the back- stroke, and that has always been his weakest stroke in the IM. He has taken that on in himself. "By asking to take that on, he is say- ing, 'I want to improve. This is where I think I can improve.' We're all going to watch him get better in the backstroke, because he is so focused." Part of his eagerness to improve those events is the looming 2016 Olympic Games. When he was a club swimmer in South Africa, Bosch had two goals: to swim at the collegiate level and to compete in the Olympic Games. He has accomplished one, as a mem- ber of the Wolverines. In 2012, he tried to make it to London, but was not yet physically ready. Instead, South Africa's Chad le Clos went on to win the gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly, Bosch's strongest event, and silver in the 100-meter butterfly. "He knows he will have to face some pretty steep completion in South Af- rica," Bottom said. "The 200 flyer there won the Olympic gold, so he sees the 400 IM as a great place for him to fit in as a future Olympian." "There is still a lot I want to accom- plish at Michigan, but the Olympics is a goal I really want to achieve," Bosch added. "I am on the right path. Michigan has given me a lot of confidence. Hav- ing this team behind you gives you an extra boost of confidence. I have two years of hard work to do, so we'll see where it ends up." — Andy Reid