The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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8 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2020 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FOUR WOLVERINE WRESTLERS NAMED ALL- AMERICANS The National Wrestling Coaching Association recognized four U-M wrestlers as All-Americans for their 2019-20 sea- sons. Traditionally, the honor is earned by the top eight placers at each weight from the NCAA Championships, but the event was canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic. Sophomore heavyweight Mason Parris was named a first- team All-American, redshirt junior Kanen Storr (149 pounds) and redshirt freshman Will Lewan (157) were named to the second team, while redshirt sophomore Jack Medley (125) earned honorable mention. It is the first All-America honor for all four Wolverines. Parris was slated to be the No. 2 seed at heavyweight for the NCAA Championships, after being the runner-up at the Big Ten Championships. He had a 28-1 record on the season and posted a team-best 11 pins. Storr, a two-time NCAA qualifier, had a record of 18-5 on the season and claimed fifth place at the Big Ten Champion- ships. He earned the No. 10 seed at the NCAA Champion- ships. Lewan also placed fifth at the conference tournament and earned a No. 10 seed at the NCAA Championships, after posting a 21-7 record. Medley had a 19-12 record on the season. He placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships and earned a No. 14 seed for the NCAA Championships. MICHIGAN OLYMPIANS DEAL WITH CHANGE OF PLANS Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, in unprecedented fashion, have been postponed and rescheduled for the summer of 2021. Three of U-M's qualified athletes — Amanda Chidester, Siob- hán Haughey and Stevan Micic — spoke with MGoBlue.com about how they're adjusting to the schedule change, now having to wait an extra year for the opportunity of a lifetime. Micic, a wrestler who will represent Serbia, was using U-M's facilities to train for Tokyo. Now that the facilities are closed for the time being, he is getting creative, working out back home in Indiana with a high school friend. "I'm trying to stay in shape and work on a lot of technical areas," Micic said. "There's a pole barn that we have [access to], and we're able to work out in it without finding a public facility, which are all closed. We have mats in there and clean them every time we go in, and we're good to go." Former U-M softball slugger and two-time Big Ten Player of the Year (2011 and 2012) Chidester is doing what she can to prepare in California. "I've been working out," she said. "I went out and got some ankle weights and a yoga mat, doing some body-weight stuff. I'm jogging, doing some sprints. I'm trying to keep my fitness at some sort of level. "I've been trying to keep a schedule. Being an athlete, we like routines and having everything set." Haughey, a swimmer, will compete in the 100- and 200-meter freestyle, representing Hong Kong. "For now, I try to be active for at least two hours a day," she said. "I go on walks, do yoga, do high-in- tensity exercise circuits at home to get my heart rate up. I can't run right now because I have a foot injury, but I'm just trying to maintain my fitness level and that is a challenge. But it's also a break to reset and recover from all the hard work I had been doing." MICHIGAN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ADDS TRANSFER TO ITS TALENTED ROSTER U-M women's basketball announced the addition of Nebraska transfer Leigha Brown to its already talented roster for the 2020-21 season. Brown was named the Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year last season for her excellent play off the bench. Brown, an Indiana native, led the Huskers in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game, while also notch- ing 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest. She scored in double figures 23 times on the season and poured in more than 20 points in eight games. "Leigha has proven that she is an exceptional player at the college level," head coach Kim Barnes Arico said in a statement. "She has the ability to score the basketball in multiple ways and make others around her better. She has a high IQ for the game and gives us another threat on the wing. "Leigha wanted the opportunity to be closer to home in a place where her parents could be part of her experience on a regular basis, so I think this is a great fit." — Clayton Sayfie Sophomore heavyweight Mason Parris earned the No. 2 seed for the NCAA Championships before the event was canceled due to the coronavirus. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK