The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 83 OLYMPIC SPORTS UPDATE MEN'S SWIMMING LOOKS TO REBOUND FROM LAST YEAR Michigan had a disappointing 2016‑17 season, tying with Ohio State for second place at the Big Ten Cham‑ pionships before posting a 17th‑place finish at the NCAA Championships. The roster was incredibly young, though — 20 of the 33 student‑ath‑ letes were either freshmen or sopho‑ mores. With everyone now a year older, head coach Mike Bottom said he's excited to finally have some vet‑ erans leading the way. "We have seniors on our squad," he noted when asked what he's most looking forward to heading into the 2017‑18 campaign. "We're excited about what we have in [freestyler] Paul Powers, [distance competitor] PJ Ransford and [backstroker] Tristan Sanders." All three aforementioned swim‑ mers are former Big Ten champions, and enter the season with at least one top‑five appearance on the pro‑ gram's all‑time best times list. However, some younger swim‑ mers on the roster have already ac‑ cumulated impressive accomplish‑ ments during their time in Ann Arbor as well. Sophomore distance swimmer Fe‑ lix Aubock was named the confer‑ ence's Freshman and Swimmer of the Year last season after becoming a Big Ten champion in both the 500‑ yard and 1,650‑yard freestyle. He also earned All‑America honors in the two races, while being named an honor‑ able mention All‑American in the 200 freestyle and 800 freestyle relay. This summer, Aubock wound up making the finals in two events and finishing among the top 30 in three swims at the FINA World Champion‑ ships in Budapest. "Felix is just an exciting individual who had a great summer," Bottom said. "We also have another great sophomore in [breaststroker] Charlie Swanson, who just happens to be on the U.S. National Team." Bottom's praise for the sophomore class didn't end there, though. "We have some guys from the state of Michigan who we're looking for‑ ward to seeing," he explained. "It'll be interesting to see guys like [breast‑ stroker] Jacob Montague and [back‑ stroker] Rob Zofchak step up and show some Michigan pride." With a nice blend of veterans and youngsters to work with, Bottom said he has clear expectations head‑ ing into the upcoming season. "We'd like to fight for a win in the Big Ten championships," he said. "We want to be in a battle with the likes of Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio State. "On top of that, our goal is to be in the top 10 in the NCAA, and that's something we'll aspire to do." WRESTLING FOCUSED ON BRINGING HOME TROPHIES IN 2017-18 Michigan hasn't won a Big Ten wrestling championship since 2006, and head coach Joe McFarland is well aware of that fact. That's why claim‑ ing one in 2017‑18 is a major goal for his team — but not the only one. "We want a Big Ten champion‑ ship," McFarland said. "We want both the regular‑season title and the tournament title. If this team has the season it's capable of having, we can win the whole thing. "A national championship and a Big Ten title are two things we're looking at and will keep in our eye‑ sight — there's no reason why our sights should be any lower than that." The main reason the 19th‑year head coach is so high on this year's group is because of the veteran expe‑ rience he has returning. "We've got numerous All‑Amer‑ icans in our lineup, and those guys have been through the grind before," he explained. "Trust me, the Big Ten season is an absolute grind, so hav‑ ing them around is definitely one of our strengths." McFarland mentioned two veteran wrestlers in particular that he thinks will be outstanding leaders on this year's team, and both are coming off redshirts last season. "[Fifth‑year senior All‑America heavyweight] Adam Coon and [fifth‑ year senior 184‑pounder] Domenic Abounader," he revealed. "Those are two guys who will do a really good job of leading us with their experi‑ ence, and they're hungry to get the season underway." Despite the fact that both Coon and Abounader are proven veterans, Mc‑ Farland explained that every wres‑ tler on the roster still needs to earn their respective spot. "We haven't had wrestle‑offs yet, so it's difficult to pinpoint our lineup," he said. "We've got 30 guys who have been training and are trying to make the team. Regardless of whether or not someone is a returning All‑American or a newcomer, they still need to be vying for a spot as a starter — that's what our wrestle‑offs are all about. "With the quality of guys we have, though, there's no reason we shouldn't have a lineup that has an outstanding season." McFarland's squad opens the sea‑ son No. 3 in FloWrestling's preseason rankings — behind Big Ten foes Penn State and Ohio State — on the strength of eight ranked grapplers, including six in the top six of their weight class. Coon and redshirt sophomore 133‑pounder Stevan Micic are both ranked No. 2 nationally, while 165‑pound redshirt sophomore Logan Massa checks in at No. 3, 174‑pound redshirt sophomore Myles Amine is ranked No. 4, Abou‑ nader is No. 5 at 184 and Old Do‑ minion transfer Kevin Beazley starts his final year of eligibility at No. 6. Redshirt junior 157‑pounder Alec Pantaleo is also coming off a redshirt and begins ranked No. 8 in the land. "Our performance at the national tournament will be vital," McFarland Fifth-year senior heavyweight Adam Coon placed second nationally in 2015 and third in 2016 before redshirting last year due to injury. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS