The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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AUGUST 2019 THE WOLVERINE 15 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Getting To Know Men's Tennis Rising Sophomore Patrick Maloney Men's tennis rising sopho- more Patrick Maloney came to Michigan as a five-star blue-chip recruit in the 2018 class according to TennisRe- cruiting.net, and went on to enjoy an impressive fresh- man campaign at U-M. The Oyster Bay, N.Y., na- tive posted a 16-10 record (.615 winning percentage) in singles play, which was the third-best mark on the club among players that had at least eight appearances. Here are a few more in- teresting facts you may not have known about Maloney: Nickname: " We all call each other by our last names, so I usually go by Maloney. We don't have any other nicknames." Favorite restaurant in Ann Arbor: "Slurping Turtle. I eat there three times a week." Best meal he can cook by himself: "I'm not very good in the kitchen, so I'd have to go with scrambled eggs. It's the only thing I ever cook — I like to keep it simple." Hobbies: "When I'm not practicing tennis, I love golfing, playing basketball and fishing." Favorite TV show: "I think 'Prison Break' is my favorite show of all time, but I also watch 'The Office' a lot." Favorite movie: "'Wedding Crashers.'" Dream vacation: "We went to the Bahamas this year, and that was kind of like a dream vacation. I'd also like to travel Europe." Favorite place he's been to: "Austin, Texas. It's a really cool city, though the Bahamas is up there, too." Favorite professional athlete: "[Former NBA All-Star for- ward] Carmelo Anthony." Role model: "I don't really have a specific one, but I've al- ways kind of looked up to [professional tennis player] Roger Federer." Sports he plays besides tennis: "I played basketball, base- ball and lacrosse as a kid, but started focusing on tennis when I was 14." Why he chose Michigan: "Because of the relationship I had with Coach [Adam] Steinberg and how well we blended together. I also felt like Michigan was the best place for me to take my tennis to the next level, while studying the best academics at the same time." What he hopes to do after tennis: "I'm not sure yet. I want to play professionally, but I'll probably get into business or finance once my playing days are done." His overall experience at Michigan: "It's been awesome so far. My first year was really fun, and the fact that all of us team- mates are so close with one another has allowed us to have a really good team." — Austin Fox Maloney was a mainstay in the lineup and helped U-M reach the second round of the NCAA Championships this past year. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS Baseball head coach Erik Bakich: He was named the D1Baseball.com National Coach of the Year after leading U-M to a 50-22 record and an appearance in the College World Series Fi- nals. The highlight of the run to the cham- pionship series was a 2-1 series victory over No.1-seeded UCLA in the Super Regional. The 2019 campaign also marked just the program's eighth ever appearance in the College World Series, and its most wins since it went 52-12 in 1987. The award is actually the second for Bakich this year, with the National College Baseball Writers Association also tabbing him as their Coach of the Year June 15. Baseball junior pitcher Tommy Henry: He pitched 8 1 ⁄3 innings and gave up three earned runs in Michigan's 7-4 victory over Vanderbilt June 24 in game one of the College World Series Finals. The triumph was his 12th of the year, which tied junior teammate Karl Kauffmann and Rich Stoll (1980-83) for the most in a single season in U-M history. In six postseason appearances (one in relief ), he went 4-0, pitched at least six innings in all five starts, and struck out 40 batters in 38 2 ⁄3 innings pitched with a 2.36 ERA. Men's track and field senior thrower Andrew Liskow- itz: He broke his own school record in the shot put during a throws-only meet in Ann Arbor June 29, recording a 21.15-meter (69 feet, 4.75 inches) toss on his sixth and final attempt. The tally shattered his old program record of 20.26 meters (66-6.5) set in 2018. Liskowitz's June 29 heave was also the fur- thest recorded tally during the 2019 outdoor season in the state of Michigan. Former men's basketball guard Charles Matthews: He was named the male recipient (graduated senior rower Emily Krebs was the female winner) of the 2019 Ernest T. Sigler Award July 9, which is given annually to U-M's best athletes from the Chicago area. After at- tending St. Rita High School in Chicago, Matthews signed with Kentucky in the 2015 class before transferring to Michigan following his fresh- man campaign with the Wildcats. His 12.2 points per game were the third most on the club this past year, while his 5.0 rebounds tied for third. Men's soccer fifth-year senior forward Nebojsa Popo- vic: On July 1, men's soccer head coach Chaka Daley announced Popovic's addition to the Wolverines for 2019. The graduate transfer arrived from Oakland (Mich.) Uni- versity after spending the last three years with the Golden Grizzlies, and he will be immediately eligible in 2019. The Rochester Hills, Mich., native started 48 of the 50 matches he appeared in at Oakland, racking up 14 goals, 16 assists and 44 points. The forward shined last year as a junior, earning second-team All-Horizon League honors af- ter starting 16 matches and leading the club in points (19). — Austin Fox