The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? BY JOHN BORTON M ichigan's left fielder during its finest softball moment ever laughingly said she feels old now, watching the "kids" battle it out in the Women's College World Series. But this is a far cry from those sto- ries catching up to a childhood movie star now fallen into physical or emo- tional disarray. No, Rebekah (Milian) Clementson is doing just fine, thanks. Not only is she preaching the vir- tues of physical fitness every day to the kids at Tomahawk Creek Middle School in Chesterfield County, Va., she more than walks the talk. In fact, she's probably in better shape than when the Wolverines stormed to the national championship in 2005. The self-avowed "fitness and nu- trition dork" appeared on the cover of Shesique magazine after winning a fitness model contest last August. So post-Michigan life has shaped up spectacularly well for the wife of a former University of Virginia track athlete. Clementson grew up in Oklahoma, but moved to Grand Blanc, Mich., at the end of her sophomore year. Her softball skills were such that U-M as- sistant coaches Bonnie Tholl and Jen- nifer Brundage made certain Grand Blanc was on the recruiting itinerary. Once the prep standout saw Mich- igan's campus and its softball pro- gram, salesmanship wasn't necessary. "I knew the coaches, and they were very professional," Clementson re- called. "You could just tell, they were the top-of-the-top coaching staff. They'd come see me play. "Team was really important. The relationships, you could tell, were really important on the team. It's the kind of environment I wanted to be in." Those relationships continue to this day. Teammates Alessandra (Gi- ampaolo) Braun, Stephanie Winter and Angie Danis were all in Clement- WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Rebekah (Milian) Clementson Is Still Training To Win Clementson, then known by her maiden name Milian, lettered from 2004‑07 for the Wolverines and hit .246 for the national championship squad in 2005. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS