The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 11 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS MASON PARRIS WINS JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Michigan heavyweight wrestler Mason Parris had a successful debut in Ann Arbor, leading the Wolverine with 32 wins and 13 pins as a rookie. However, he fell one win short of the ultimate goal of climbing the po- dium as one of the nation's top eight grapplers at the NCAA Championships last March. And he's been on a tear ever since. After reaching the best-of-three finals at the U.S. Junior World Team Trials and dropping the first match, he rallied to claim the starting spot at 125 kilograms (275 pounds) with a 10-0 technical fall and 39-second pin. At the World Junior Championships Aug. 12-18 in Tal- linn, Estonia, Parris was even better despite making his international freestyle wrestling debut. In four matches, he outscored his foes by a combined tally of 36-3 and spent just 6:15 (of a possible 24 minutes if each match went to decision) on the mat. In the gold medal match, he needed just 1:19 to pin his foe from Iran, Amir Hos- sein Abbas Zare, a 2018 cadet world champion. The Lawrenceburg, Ind., native was named the USA Wrestling/TheMat.com Athlete of the Week Aug. 20 as a result of his standout performance. Parris is the third Wolverine on the current roster with a world gold medal — redshirt freshman Will Lewan (2017) and freshman Kurt McHenry (2016 and 2017) both won cadet world championships — while fifth-year senior Stevan Micic won a world bronze on the junior level in 2015. ALUM SAM MIKULAK WINS SIXTH U.S. GYMNASTICS TITLE On Aug. 10, U-M alum Sam Mikulak easily won his sixth national title at the U.S. Men's Gymnastics Champion- ships by posting a two-day all-around total of 174.150, more than five points ahead of the runner-up. It represented the two- time Olympian's widest margin of victory yet at the event, and it also gave him the modern-era record for U.S. titles. He won gold in high bar, parallel bars, pommel horse and floor exercise, and completed 12 routines without a fall during the event. "The lack of any Olympic hardware is the lone hole in Miku- lak's otherwise stuffed résumé," the Associated Press reported after the win. "He remains adamant that his best years are ahead of him. "… The only question surrounding Mikulak is whether he can keep the momentum going. Healthy for an extended period for the first time in his career, Mikulak appears to be gaining the mental toughness he has lacked at times, when mental mistakes would cost him valuable points on the big stage. "Those mistakes vanished during two sublime performances that cemented his status as the most decorated men's gymnast of his generation." FOUR SWIMMERS WITH U-M TIES NAMED TO U.S. NATIONAL TEAM A quartet of former and current members of the Michigan swimming and diving squad were named to the 2019-20 U.S. National Team Sept. 4. Seniors Miles Smachlo (200-meter butterfly) and Charlie Swanson (400-meter individual medley), junior Sierra Schmidt (800- and 1,500-meter freestyle) and alum Gabby DeLoof (200-meter freestyle) were all included on the roster that fea- tures the country's top six athletes with the highest world rank- ings in individual Olympic events. Each has previously represented the U.S. in international competition, including DeLoof winning five gold medals at the World University Games and competing on the 4x200-meter freestyle relay squad (she swam in the preliminaries) that won a silver medal at the 2019 FINA World Championships. Schmidt was also in action at the World University Games, where she was a part of Team USA's gold medal-winning 4x200- meter freestyle relay unit (preliminaries) and won bronze in the 400-meter freestyle individually. ALUM FELICE MILLER HELPS U.S. TO BRONZE AT SENIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Former Wolverine Felice Miller and Team USA won a bronze medal in the women's eight at the 2019 World Rowing Cham- pionships Sept. 1 in Linz Ottensheim, Austria. The crew posted a time of 6:01.930 and qualified for the 2020 Olympics with its finish. The former first-team All-American and 2012 Big Ten Rowing Athlete of the Year currently serves as a volunteer assistant coach and has been on the U-M staff since 2016. — Ryan Tice Sophomore heavyweight wrestler Mason Parris won the junior world cham- pionship in August and outscored his four foes by a combined tally of 36-3. PHOTO BY KADIR CALISKAN MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK