The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 15 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Getting To Know Football Redshirt Junior Offensive Lineman Stephen Spanellis After redshirting as a fresh- man in 2016, redshirt junior offensive lineman Stephen Spanellis has appeared in 33 of the Wolverines' 35 games since, including seven of the nine so far this season (as of Nov. 11). The Baltimore native was the recipient of the team's Top GPA award each of the last two years (2017-18), while also taking home the National Football Founda- tion and College Football Hall of Fame High School Scholar-Athlete Award in 2016, which is given to just five players nationally who "excel on the field, in the classroom and in their com- munity." Here a few other interest- ing facts you may not have known about him: Nickname: "Spam, like the canned meat." Favorite restaurant in Ann Arbor: "I like KouZina Greek Street Food on Main Street. They have gyros, and it's like a chipotle-style casual Greek restaurant. It's amazing, and I highly recommend it." Best meal he can cook by himself: "I make a mean om- elet." Hobbies: "I like to read and watch movies." Favorite TV show: "'Shameless.'" Favorite movie: "'Land of the Lost' with Will Ferrell." Dream vacation: "My dad's side of the family is Greek, so I'd like to go to Greece and the island my grandfather is from." Favorite place he's been to: "Cape Town, for sure." Favorite professional athlete: "I'd probably have to say [professional hot dog eating champion] Joey Chestnut. That guy is a legend." Role model: "[Author, restaurateur and TV show host] Guy Fieri. I strive to go to flavor town as much as possible." Sports he plays besides football: "I don't really do any others now, but I'd like to play some basketball if I could. I participated in basketball and threw the shot put in high school." Why he chose Michigan: "It was basically the best option I had on the table." What he hopes to do after football: "I love to write, so I'm hoping to be a writer in some capacity — either journalisti- cally or as an author. I could see myself writing about sports, but I don't specifically want to be a sports guy." His overall experience at Michigan: "It's been a grind, and has included a lot of hard work and roughness." — Austin Fox S p a n e l l i s , w h o h a s s e e n action in 33 of U-M's last 35 games through Nov. 11, was the recipient of the team's Top GPA award each of the last two years. PHOTO COURTESY U-M ATHLETICS/PHOTOGRAPHY MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS Women's tennis freshman Nicole Hammond: She won the singles crown of the backdraw at the Lakewood Ranch Invite Nov. 3 in Sarasota, Fla. The Centreville, Va., native suffered a first- round loss in the singles main draw to Appala- chian State's Sandra Anglesjo, before coming out victorious in three consecutive matches against Nebraska's Ellie Kuckelman, Virginia Tech's Shene Disbergen and Florida's Sydney Berlin on her way to the backdraw final. Hammond then took down Okla- homa State's Catherine Gulihar in straight sets (6-0, 7-5) to grab the consolation championship. Women's basketball sophomore forward Naz Hillmon: She was tabbed to the Katrina McClain Award watch list Oct. 24, which recog- nizes the top power forward in women's colle- giate basketball. Hillmon earned the preseason recognition after leading the Wolverines in scor- ing (13.1 points per game), rebounding (7.0) and field goal percentage (62.8) last season as a freshman. The 6-2 forward was a consensus All-Big Ten first-team member, and was named the league's Freshman of the Year by the media and the conference's Sixth Player of the Year by the coaches. The Cleveland native also collected her second gold medal with USA Basketball in the summer, acting as a captain for the U-19 squad that took home the 2019 FIBA World Cup title. Cross country freshman Ericka VanderLende: The product of Rockford, Mich., was unanimously named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in a vote of the league coaches after she placed sixth at the Big Ten Championships Nov. 3. She was the top- finishing rookie by six places and 11 seconds, and the only first-year runner to be named first- team All-Big Ten. She is the 11th Wolverine to win the honor, giving the squad two straight after teammate Anne Forsyth claimed the laurel last year. Men's golf junior Charlie Pilon: He was tabbed as the Big Ten Golfer of the Week Oct. 23 after registering his second career win at the Royal Oaks Inter- collegiate Oct. 22 in Dallas. Pilon came into the final round of the event tied for the individual lead, and proceeded to register an eagle on the par-five 14th hole, and followed it up by posting five straight pars to grab the crown. The New South Wales, Australia, native tied three others for medalist honors after concluding the event with a career-low 205 (minus-eight). Pilon finished with 39 pars, 10 birdies, an eagle and four bogeys. Women's soccer junior midfielder Sarah Stratigakis: She was pegged as the Big Ten Midfielder of the Year Oct. 31, becoming the first Wolverine in school history to win the annual award. Strati- gakis was also tabbed as an All-Big Ten per- former for the third straight season, landing on the first-team unit after finding herself on the second-team squad each of the last two years. As of Nov. 11, the junior led the Wolverines in points (23) and assists (11), and was tied for second in goals (six). — Austin Fox