The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/629217
OLYMPIC SPORTS UPDATE "We want to be in the hunt to win the Big Ten championship [March 5-6]," McFarland asserted. "Obviously, the ultimate goal is to win a national championship, and that's the goal of this team. "So we're going to make sure we're prepared for every practice, keeping those goals in mind." WORK ETHIC DRIVES MEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING SQUAD The men's swimming and diving team had yet to face defeat in the 2015-16 season, going 7-0 (including 4-0 in the Big Ten) through Jan. 16 to run its dual-meet unbeaten streak to 48 (which dates back to November 2010). Ranked No. 5 in the nation, Michigan finished in first place at the Orange Bowl Swim Classic Jan. 3 in Key Largo, Fla., before beating No. 11 Indiana, No. 22 Duke and Georgia Tech in a quad meet Jan. 16 at Atlanta. In short, this team is good. Though the Wolverines perhaps lack the star power in the pool they've had in the past, they make up for it with mental toughness. "From the very beginning, this is one of the hardest working teams on the men's side that we've come across," said Michigan head coach Mike Bottom, who led U-M to the 2013 national title. "They come in and they're no nonsense — they get in the water, they do what they need to do. "It's not the most talented team we've had, but it's one of the hardest working." However, this is not just a byprod- uct of the swimmers themselves. Bottom said the coaches make a sig- nificant effort to instill in athletes the very values they see in front of them. "Part of what we're trying to do as coaches and teachers is help them understand that what you do has a direct effect on the outcome of your life — and our place of teaching is in the pool," Bottom said. "When they're working really hard in the water and then they see the results already, they start to believe that hard work does really pay off. "Contrary to some Hollywood themes, it's not about luck. It's about hard work and dedication." To help Bottom maintain such a mindset, he is greatly aided by senior captains Dylan Bosch and Anders Lie Nielsen. Bosch has the most individual ac- claim, winning an individual NCAA championship in the 200-yard but- terfly (1:39.33) in 2014 and being named the 2015 Big Ten Swimmer of the Year. The South African na- tive has lived up to expectations in the early part of his senior season, notching an especially strong per- formance Jan. 16 in Atlanta. He won both the 100- (48.04 seconds) and 200-yard butterfly (1:44.91) events, while he also finished second in the 200-yard individual medley (1:48.22). Beside Bosch, Nielsen has also started off the year strong. He is a two-time winner this season in the 500-yard freestyle, posting times of 4:22.20 Oct. 31 in Virginia and 4:25.24