The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/122487
inside michigan athletics Michigan's Top Olympic Sports Performers Baseball junior Cole Martin: After struggling in non-conference play, Martin has found his rhythm in Big Ten competition. In Michigan's first nine league games, U-M's starting catcher hit .344. Among his 11 hits, Martin had a team-high three doubles and belted a home run, driving in five total runners in his 32 Big Ten at bats. Opposing base runners, meanwhile, have thus far strayed from stealing on him, attempting just six in conference action. Men's golf freshman Chris O'Neill: Holding a 73.92 scoring average in 11 events through April 14, O'Neill is in position to become the first freshman in program history to lead the Wolverines in shots per round. The rookie from Glen Allen, Va., has been U-M's top finisher four times this season, recording six top-20 individual performances and a trio of top-10 efforts, including a third-place showing at the Detroit Golf Club North Invitational April 12. Women's track and field freshman Shannon Osika: Michigan took a big step forward to reclaiming its status atop the conference when it earned seven wins in a tri-meet with Virginia and California April 6, including Osika's title in the 3,000-meter run. The Waterford, Mich., native clocked a 9:24.68, edging teammate Rebecca Addison in displaying the type of depth in the distance events U-M must have to earn its first Big Ten championship since the 2007 outdoor season. Men's track and field junior Cody Riffle: Michigan doesn't have great tradition in its throwing events, but Riffle is aiming to change that. The junior from Toledo, Ohio, is a Big Ten favorite in the shot put after recording the conference's longest toss with a throw of 61-3½ at a tri-meet with California and Virginia April 6. Riffle also obliterated the school record of 61-11¾, previously set by Steve Adams in 1972.