The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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16 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Getting To Know Wrestling Redshirt Sophomore 141-Pounder Kanen Storr Wrestling redshirt sopho- more 141-pounder Kanen Storr grew up in Leslie, Mich., but headed off to Iowa State for his collegiate days fol- lowing his 2016 high school graduation. After posting a 40-12 record during his first two seasons in Ames, Storr decided to trans- fer and head back home to Michigan in March 2018. Here a few other interest- ing facts you may not have known about him: Nickname: "My team- mates might call me some things behind my back, but none that I'm aware of." Favorite restaurant in Ann Arbor: "It's actually a food truck that might even- tually move into a restaurant, called Ricewood. It's a barbecue place that hooks up the wrestling team and the staff quite a bit, so I'd like to give a shout out to them." Best meal he can cook by himself: "My favorite is a bowl of cereal, but I can also cook up some pretty good tacos. I'm a very experienced taco maker." Hobbies: "Hiking, being outdoors, going to church and play- ing Fortnite." Favorite TV show: "I love 'The Office.' That is one of the all- time great shows." Favorite movie: "'Now You See Me.' Another one I really like is 'Couples Retreat.'" Dream vacation: "I don't know why, but I've always wanted to go to Spain and the Caribbean. Both of those places just sound so fun." Favorite place he's been to: "I haven't been out of the coun- try many times, but I've been to Havana, Cuba, twice and really liked it." Favorite professional athlete: "He's not that great, but I'll go with [Detroit Lions quarterback] Matthew Stafford. I'm a big Lions fan." Role model: "I really look up to my dad. He's a single parent and raised my brothers and me with the help of my grandpar- ents, so Lance Storr would be my answer." Why he chose Michigan: "Because of the coaching staff and how positive they are. I knew the team pretty well too, and had built some great relationships with them while I was growing up. I also wanted to beat Penn State, and I felt like Michigan was the place where I would have the best chance to do so." What he hopes to do after wrestling: "My end goal is to be a Division I coach. I hope my wrestling days never end." His overall experience at Michigan: "It's been exciting, ad- venturous and overall just a lot of fun." — Austin Fox As of Feb. 23, Storr boasted a 20-4 record and was ranked No. 6 nationally in his weight class by the NCAA coaches panel. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS Softball sophomore pitcher Meghan Beaubien: She was one of 50 players named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year watch list Jan. 30, after finishing as a top- 10 finalist for the award last season as a freshman. Beaubien's incredible rookie campaign saw her lead the nation in wins (33-6 record), while posting a 1.16 ERA, 266 strikeouts and a .135 batting average against. As a result of her heroics, she earned NFCA first-team All- America honors, along with the Big Ten Pitcher and Freshman of the Year accolades. Men's gymnastics senior Emyre Cole: He was tabbed as the Big Ten Gymnast of the Week Feb. 5 after earning three event titles in Michigan's 413.900-402.700 victory over No. 8 Ohio State Feb. 2. Cole scored an 84.10 en route to claiming the all-around title, which was the third-highest mark in the nation this season. The senior also grabbed the floor exercise and vault titles with scores of 14.60 and 14.75, respectively. In addition to his three triumphs, Cole placed second on the parallel bars with a score of 14.35. The accolade marked his second career Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honor. Women's basketball freshman for- ward Naz Hillmon: She scored a team- high 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting and pulled down eight rebounds in Michi- gan's 76-70 victory at Wisconsin Feb. 3, earning Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week honors as a result. Hillmon also played a crucial role in the Wolverines' 90-81 upset win over No. 13 Iowa Feb. 1, tallying eight points and four rebounds. She averaged 14 points during the two con- tests with a 57.9 shooting percentage. Wrestling freshman heavyweight Mason Parris: He used a pair of takedowns to notch a 6-3 decision over 19th-ranked Chase Single- tary of Ohio State in the dual's final match, helping Michigan clinch a 19-17 triumph at the then-No. 2 Buckeyes Jan. 25. After being unable to finish several shots in the first period, Parris scored on a second- period single and sealed the deal with a counter attack in the third, before riding out the match to rack up 1:13 in ride time advantage. Men's swimming and diving junior butterfly special- ist Miles Smachlo: He was pegged as the Big Ten Co-Swimmer of the Week Jan. 23 after putting on impressive performances against No. 3 Indiana and No. 4 Ohio State Jan. 17 and Jan. 19, respectively. Smachlo took home the 100-yard butterfly and the 200-yard butterfly crowns against both the Hoosiers and Buckeyes, going 47.08/1:46.01 versus the former and 47.24/1:45.91 against the latter. The Wol- verines fell 173.5-126.5 to IU, but took down OSU 202-98. — Austin Fox