The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1155524
SEPTEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 63 TOP TEN OLYMPIC SPORTS FRESHMEN who have the talent he has." McHenry will wrestle at 125 pounds at Michigan. 4. CAM YORK Anaheim, Calif. • Ice Hockey He was actually chosen in the first round (14th overall) by the Philadel- phia Flyers in the June 2019 NHL Entry Draft, after being ranked as the No. 12 prospect by NHL Central Scouting. Prior to that selection, the 5-11 de- fenseman spent the last two years with the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) of the United States Hockey League (USHL). In 2018-19, York played in 28 tilts with the USNTDP, tallying seven goals, 26 assists and 33 points with a plus-40 rating. He also took part in the 2018-19 World Junior Classic with the U.S. National U18 Team, registering 11 points, seven assists and four goals in seven showdowns, en route to a bronze medal for the crew. "Cam is an excellent distributor of the puck," U-M assistant coach Bill Muckalt said. "He is going to be a cog on our power-play unit and is a real elite defenseman. "His transition to the college game will be quick, and he should be a dominant player for us this season." 5. ANDREA CERDAN Bloomfield, N.J. • Tennis As of Aug. 9, Tennis Recruiting Network had her tabbed as the No. 1 prospect in New Jersey, the No. 4 athlete from the Middle Atlantic region and the No. 7 overall player nationally. Cerdan went a perfect 23-0 dur- ing her senior season and took home her second New Jersey State Inter- scholastic Athletic Association state singles tournament championship in October. She is one of just five players to win it twice, returning to the top of the podium after skipping her junior year of tennis to focus on academics, training and choosing a college. She also claimed her third Bergen County large schools tournament first-singles title in September, gar- nering the NJ.com Girls Tennis Player of the Year accolade as a result. The future Wolverine racked up a 78-1 record throughout her high school career and dropped just six sets, with the lone setback coming as a freshman in the quarterfinals of the state singles tournament to the would-be victor. "It meant a lot to me from the start to represent Paramus Catholic and to make everyone proud of me for ac- complishing everything I did in my three years playing in high school," Cerdan said in November. "It takes a lot of hard work to be the best player in New Jersey and in Bergen County, and it all paid off." 6. JULIA JIMENEZ Fontana, Calif. • Softball She primarily played shortstop and third base throughout her high school tenure, and was listed sim- ply as an infielder by MGoBlue upon her signing. Softball America tabbed Jimenez as the No. 13 recruit in the country in its July 3 rankings, after she racked up a .520 batting aver- age, 31 RBI and 43 runs scored in 28 games during her senior season. She was slotted at No. 20 by FloSoftball and No. 21 by Extra Innings Softball. She also only struck out just six times during her entire prep career. According to MaxPreps, Jimenez ended high school with a .479 batting average, 33 home runs and 145 RBI in 116 career contests. She hit above .500 in each of her final two seasons. As a result, the Californian earned a spot on the 2019 Premier Girls Fast- pitch (PGF) High School All-Ameri- can Team. "Juju comes from one of the best travel ball organizations [Firecrack- ers-Rico] in the country," U-M head softball coach Carol Hutchins said. "She's done nothing but climb the ladder in that program. She's an in- fielder that's a true infielder. "She has a great mind for the game and, again, a great addition to the class with both her softball savvy and her athleticism." 7. AUDREY LECLAIR Phoenix • Softball She finished her high school career with a .737 batting average, a .796 on-base percentage, 151 RBI, 26 home runs and 182 total hits. In fact, LeClair led the state of Ari- zona as a senior in batting average (.804), slugging percentage (1.765) and on-base percentage (.848), earn- ing Metro East Region Player of the Year honors for the second time in her career. The versatile athlete can play both the infield and outfield, and helped lead her Athletics-Mercado travel squad to a PGF National Champi- onship in 2016. She was named an All-American by both PGF and Max- Preps in 2019. Softball America ranked Cameron Amine was ranked No. 17 overall in the class of 2019 by FloWrestling, a large rea- son the class — despite being smaller in size — was ranked 12th nationally by the outlet. PHOTO COURTESY AMINE VIA TWITTER