The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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16 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2020 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS All-Big Ten gymnast Lauren Farley makes an impact in and out of the gym. The sport has played a huge role in Farley's life. She has been competing since she can remember. "I started competing when I was 5 [years old]," she said. "I probably started [practicing] when I was 2 or 3. I realized that I was decently good at it and I think my parents kind of realized that, so I just started pursuing it. … I just loved it from the start." Before arriving at U-M, Farley com- peted at the club level, where she won state and regional championships. She was also the 2015 Junior Olym- pic national bars champion, while also earning silver medals in the all-around and beam events. When it came time to decide where to go to school, she chose U-M for a multitude of reasons. "Gymnastics is not one of those sports that you can take to the profes- sional level," Farley said. "I knew that I was going to have to get an education that was going to get me places in my career. I knew that gymnastics wasn't going to last forever, so I wanted to find a combination of somewhere that I could really push myself athletically, but also academically. "Michigan just seemed like the best combination of having prestige in both of those areas." She's now having success both in the gym and in school. She competes in uneven bars, balance beam and floor, while she even continues to practice on vault. Farley was a first-team All-Big Ten selection last year, after she earned second-team honors as a freshman. She was also an Academic All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore. On top of that, Farley has done re- markable things in the community. In the summer of 2018, she took time off from gymnastics to serve as a coun- selor at a Christian sports camp that she attended as a youth. "I just wanted to be able to give back, and honestly it's so fulfilling for me to take a break from gymnastics and school, and just slow down a little bit and get to invest in these young girls," she said. Farley has also done two mission trips to Haiti. "That was honestly super eye open- ing to see how these people materi- ally have nothing, but spiritually and emotionally have so much," Farley explained. "It was extremely cool to be able to go over there and share the gospel and help provide for these people a little bit." Additionally, Farley is a frequent visi- tor to patients at Mott Children's Hos- pital in Ann Arbor. "It's such a refreshing way to take a break from everything during the middle of the week, and go invest in these young kids and families," Farley said. "I know that they always thank us for coming, but honestly we thank them for letting us come." Making a difference in the commu- nity has made a difference in the gym for Farley. "For me, gymnastics has been my everything, but I'm also always trying to make sure that I have a balance, make sure that my identity is in other things as well," she said. "I think that it has helped me in the gym, to be able to have other experiences and have other things that I'm passionate about. "Doing work in the community and meeting a lot of young girls, you know that they look up to you as a Michigan gymnast. I want to be able to inspire them and be able to do things that they're going to look up to." — Clayton Sayfie Farley was a second-team All-Big Ten pick as a freshman and earned first-team lau- rels last season. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY MICHIGAN LEADS BIG TEN IN NBA ALUMS U-M leads the Big Ten with 10 former players in the NBA as of mid-December, making up nearly a quarter of the conference's 41 products in the league. Every Maize and Blue player in the NBA is a product of the John Beilein era. The former head coach, now leading the Cleveland Cavaliers, produced 12 draft picks, including eight first-round selections, in his 12 seasons in Ann Arbor. The most notable of the Wolverines in the league right now may be former Division III transfer Duncan Robinson, who went undrafted in 2018. Robinson is a regular starter for the Miami Heat and has averaged 11.6 points a contest through the team's 19-7 start, which is good for the second-best win percentage in the Eastern Conference as of Dec. 15 Other former U-M players on NBA rosters are: Ignas Brazdeikis (Knicks), Trey Burke (76ers), Tim Hardaway Jr. (Mavericks), Caris LeVert (Nets), Jordan Poole (Warriors), Glenn Robinson III (Warriors), Moritz Wagner (Wizards), Derrick Walton Jr. (Clippers) and D.J. Wilson (Bucks). Michigan's 10 former players on opening-day rosters ranked eighth nationally. — Clayton Sayfie Student-Athlete Of The Month Women's Gymnastics Junior Lauren Farley School No. of Current NBA Players Michigan 10 Indiana 9 Michigan State 6 Maryland 4 Ohio State 4 Purdue 3 Illinois 2 Iowa 1 Wisconsin 1 Penn State 1 Minnesota 0 Northwestern 0 Nebraska 0 Rutgers 0