The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 15 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS Men's soccer sophomore forward Derick Broche: Af- ter missing his freshman year due to injury, the Novi, Mich., native scored two goals and added the game-winning assist in his first career start, a 3-1 triumph over South- ern Illinois University Edwardsville Sept. 2. His first marker came in the fourth minute, before he found fifth-year senior forward Nebojsa Popovic for an assist on the game-winning tally to put Michigan up 2-1. The sophomore then added his second goal just a minute and a half later. U-M swimming commit Wyatt Davis: The prep se- nior from Carmel (Ind.) High took home the gold medal with an upset victory in the 200-meter backstroke at the World Ju- nior Championships Aug. 25 in Budapest, Hungary, after grabbing bronze in the 100 backstroke Aug. 21 and silver in the 50 backstroke Aug. 23. The 18-year-old also helped the 400 mixed relay and 800-meter relays both place first, plus contributed to a second-place showing for the 400 medley relay, capping off his World Junior Championships journey with six medals. Men's cross country redshirt junior Isaac Harding: He won his first-ever Big Ten Athlete of the Week honor Sept. 5 after recording a runner-up finish at the Michigan Open Aug. 30 (he was first among collegiate ath- letes; only professional Craig Huffer bested him). Harding registered a 15:05.3 over the 3.11-mile Hudson Hills Metropark track in Dexter, Mich, the fastest time by a collegiate athlete at the Michigan Open since the first year of the event at the park in 2010. Baseball assistant coach Nick Schnabel: The Wol- verines' infield and hitting coach this past season, who also spearheaded the club's recruiting efforts, was tabbed the National Assistant Coach of the Year by the Ameri- can Baseball Coaches Association Aug. 14. The 2019 campaign was his seventh on the staff in Ann Arbor, and he helped lead Michigan to a 50-22 overall record and the program's third-ever appearance in the College World Series Finals, where it fell to Vanderbilt. The 15-man 2018 recruiting class Schnabel helped reel in was a top-10 group nation- ally and provided five of the team's starters in 2019. Women's cross country freshman Ericka Vander- Lende: She was named Big Ten Co-Athlete of the Week Sept. 5 after winning the Mich- igan Open in Dexter, Mich., Aug. 30 in her collegiate debut. VanderLende ran Hudson Mills Metropark's 3.11-mile track in 16:57.3, which marked the second-fastest time at the annual meet since the aforementioned park opened in 2010. The Rockford native also became the first U-M female freshman to ever haul in the Big Ten Athlete of the Week accolade in the sport. — Austin Fox Redshirt freshman offen- sive lineman Ryan Hayes arrived at U-M a 245-pound tight end, but quickly started to add weight to play tackle. The 6-7 standout got his first start and earned offensive player of the game honors for his play against Middle Tennessee State in a season- opening win. Hayes talked about that and more in this Q&A: The Wolverine: Did you surprise yourself at all in your first action, and how did you think you did against blitzes? Ryan Hayes: "I did [sur- prise myself ]. I was nervous before, but once that first play sunk in, I just felt comfortable out there. I didn't expect to be player of the game, though. We had tons of time to get ready for [the game]. The coaches put us in great positions. We hammered all their blitzes. We knew what they were going to do. It just worked out." The Wolverine: You came in as a tight end and had to add weight. Where are you now, and how tough has it been to pack on the pounds? Hayes: "I came in about 245, 250. I'm pretty close to 300 now, about 295. They haven't really told me anything specific, but I'd like to play at about 310 or 315. "I thought it would be tough, but with [strength coach] Ben Herbert and [nutritionist] Abigail O'Connor, it's a lot better than I thought it was going to be. They put me in great posi- tion with what to eat, what to do, what to work on. It's been good." The Wolverine: What was the most difficult part of the tran- sition from tight end to tackle? Hayes: "The tough part was physically, because once we got to the season [last year], I probably was about 260. So playing tackle here against some of the best d-linemen was hard … and just getting the new footwork down, because playing tight end has nothing to do with pass setting. I just had to get bigger, stronger, get the footwork down." The Wolverine: You stepped in for fifth-year senior Jon Runyan Jr., how did he help you prepare? Hayes: "Jon's been great. He's been in my corner helping me get through everything, telling me what to do when I screwed up. I knew I played a solid game, knew I messed up a couple things. But I felt good after." The Wolverine: How much do you credit line coach Ed Warinner with your development? Hayes: "I wasn't going to use the excuse that I haven't played O-line before, and Coach has been great. He pushed me hard last year, which I needed. He's gotten me here and has been in my corner since I started working; he just has a lot of confidence in me." — Chris Balas Hayes started the first two games of the season at left tackle. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN Sitting Down With Redshirt Freshman Offensive Tackle Ryan Hayes