The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1155524
SEPTEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 11 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS ROWING DUO GRABS SILVER MEDAL AT WORLD U23 CHAMPIONSHIPS Rowing rising-senior Tayla-May Bentley and rising-sophomore Jessica Schoonbee con- cluded their time in Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla., at the World U23 Championships July 27 by claiming a silver medal for South Africa (both are graduates of St. Mary's Waverly in Johan- nesburg) in 7:16.24 in the women's pair event. Bentley and Schoonbee actually found themselves in second place for nearly the whole race, finishing only behind a Greek duo that concluded with an impressive time of 7:11.670. The Maize and Blue duo kept in close contact with the Greeks over the first 500 meters, and found themselves just a half-boat length be- hind at the halfway point of the event. Greece, South Africa and Russia (in that or- der) remained the top three racers at 1,500 meters, and wound up concluding in that fashion (Russia finished in 7:18.350). Schoonbee and Bentley had actually trained for the competition in Ann Arbor since the NCAA season had come to an end, learning under the tutelage of U-M assistant coach Liz Tuppen. "Having rowed with Jess through the season, the transition from NCAA to U23 competition was seamless," Bentley explained. "The trust we had for each other allowed us to go out there and put ourselves in the best position possible to succeed, and we did that." TWO ICE HOCKEY WOLVERINES TABBED AS KRAMPADE ALL-AMERICAN SCHOLARS On July 30, rising-senior defenseman Luke Martin and rising-sophomore goalie Strauss Mann were each named 2018-19 Krampade All-American Scholars by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA). To obtain the honor, a collegiate ice hockey student-ath- lete must compile a 3.6 grade-point average or better each semester of the academic year, and have played in a mini- mum of 40 percent of their club's contests. Martin (a psychology major) took part in 28 showdowns as a junior last year (and 103 combined clashes over the last three seasons), accumulating six assists and Academic All- Big Ten honors for the second consecutive year. Mann (undeclared major), meanwhile, played in 21 games as a freshman in 2018-19, concluding with a 6-8-4 record, a 2.91 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage. His aforementioned save percentage and 476 saves each led the squad, while his six wins checked in second only to then-junior Hayden Lavigne's seven. Mann also stopped 26 shots in his Big Ten debut (a 2-1 home win over No. 6 Notre Dame Nov. 9), before eventually registering a career-high 34 saves in a 5-4 overtime loss at Wisconsin March 1. The Maize and Blue will begin their 2019-20 campaign with a visit from Clarkson Oct. 11. MICHIGAN FOOTBALL CHECKS IN AT NO. 7 IN PRESEASON AMWAY COACHES' POLL The Amway Coaches' Poll tabbed Michigan's 2019 football squad at No. 7 nationally in its Aug. 1 release, checking in second in the Big Ten, behind only Ohio State at No. 5. The ranking marks U-M's highest in the annual preseason poll since it was pegged at No. 5 heading into the 2007 cam- paign. Seven Big Ten clubs actually cracked this year's top 25 list, with Penn State slotting in at No. 14, Wisconsin at No. 17, Iowa at No. 19, Michigan State at No. 20 and Northwestern at No. 25 (the Wildcats are the lone squad of the bunch Michigan won't face in 2019). Nebraska, meanwhile, just missed the cut, receiving the most votes of any team not in the top 25. Notre Dame made an appearance at No. 9, meaning six of the Wolverines' 12 2019 opponents were present in the preseason poll. Clemson was placed at No. 1, while Alabama, Georgia, Okla- homa and Ohio State (in that order) rounded out the rest of the top five. On a similar note, the first Associated Press poll will be re- leased in late August, and U-M will be expected to make an appearance there in a similar position. After a 10-3 campaign in 2018, U-M concluded at No. 14 nationally in both the AP and coaches' polls. — Austin Fox The American Hockey Coaches Association tabbed rising-senior defenseman Luke Martin and rising-sophomore goalie Strauss Mann (above) 2018-19 Krampade All- American Scholars. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK