The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1252590
JUNE/JULY 2020 THE WOLVERINE 15 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Swimming and diving incoming fresh- man Juan Ceresa: Head coach Mike Bot- tom announced the Austin, Texas, native's addition to Michigan's incoming recruiting class for the 2020-21 season May 4. Ceresa is a mid-distance freestyler who won the 500-yard freestyle (4:27.21) at the UIL Texas 5A State Championships while also taking second place in the 200-yard freestyle (1:38.25). The future Wolverine's father, Robert, also swam at U-M from 1987-88. Tennis sophomore Andrew Fenty: He was named an In- tercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division I All-American in both singles and doubles April 30. Fenty checked in at No. 16 nationally in the final singles rankings March 8, after posting a 17-9 record on the year and an 11-4 mark at No. 1 singles during dual-match play. He was also named the Big Ten Men's Tennis Player of the Year. The sophomore's doubles honor came alongside junior Mattias Siimar, with the tandem finishing with a 13-2 dual record and a 25-4 overall mark. They wound up No. 2 nationally in the final doubles rankings, becoming the first U-M duo to conclude a campaign in the top 10 since the rankings debuted in 1995. Track and field fifth-year senior thrower Andrew Lis- kowitz: He was voted Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year May 12 after finishing 2020 as the Big Ten indoor champion and national leader in the shot put. Liskowitz concluded this past season as the No. 3 shot putter in Big Ten history and the No. 19 thrower in collegiate history. No col- lege athlete came within five feet of match- ing the fifth-year senior this past year, who took home the league title at the Big Ten Indoor Championships Feb. 29 in Geneva, Ohio, with a national-best and U-M-record heave of 21.02 meters (68 feet, 11.75 inches). Basketball freshman guard Franz Wag- ner: He claimed the men's basketball team's Rookie of the Year award May 12, after an outstanding freshman campaign in 2019-20 that saw him average 11.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 27 games. "After wrapping up his first year with a cumulative GPA of a 4.00, Franz has made a statement in both the classroom and on the [basketball] court," the Michigan men's basketball Twitter account wrote upon announcing he was the recipient of the award. Basketball commit Ari Wiggins: She pledged to U-M and head coach Kim Barnes Arico May 9, marking the second commitment in the Wolverines' 2021 recruiting class. Wiggins is a 5-7 point guard from Indianapolis, and is rated as the No. 30 overall player in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz. She averaged 16.4 points, 4.1 re- bounds, 2.9 assists and 2.6 steals as a junior last season for Heritage Christian High School, while also connecting on 40 percent of her shots from the field. — Austin Fox Hunter Dickinson Will Need To Immediately Lead U-M Down Low By Austin Fox A revamped Michigan roster that lost five scholarship players from last year's club will require several newcomers to make an immediate impact in 2020-21, with Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha four-star center Hunter Dickinson's contributions slated to be the most important of all. Rated as the No. 37 overall prospect in the 2020 class and the highest-rated re- cruit head coach Juwan Howard signed, Dickinson will need to produce from the get-go due to the Wolverines' lack of numbers at the po- sition following sophomore Colin Castleton's transfer to Florida. Rising fifth-year senior Austin Davis is the only other center slated to be on Michigan's roster next season, but is viewed as more of a role player and isn't necessarily expected to be "the guy" after only playing 10.7 minutes per game last year. After averaging 16.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while taking home Maryland's Gatorade Player of the Year Award this past winter, the 7-2 Dickinson has the body type to not only produce immediately in Ann Arbor, but to also take over as the Wolverines' starting center as soon as the season tips off. Transfer Chaundee Brown Will Be Eligible Immediately — And He'll Shine By Chris Balas Michigan has a number of potential early contributors between transfers and true freshmen, and many will play. Dickinson will undoubtedly see time at center, while Columbia guard transfer Mike Smith is a confident scorer who will earn minutes. True freshman guard Zeb Jackson is being overlooked only because he didn't start at Montverde (Fla.) Academy, one of the most loaded high school teams in recent memory, while Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga's Terrance Williams, a 6-7 forward and Rivals.com's No. 103 overall player nationally, is mature beyond his years. None of them, however, have proven themselves against great competition like Wake Forest transfer Chaundee Brown. We're taking a risk with this pick in that Brown would need an NCAA waiver to be eligible without sitting a year, but many close to it believe it will happen. That would provide a huge boost in the form of a versatile wing who has a midrange game, put up 24 points on a loaded Duke team last year and averaged 12.1 while playing in the stacked ACC. He is exactly what the doctor ordered after U-M lost guards David DeJulius and Cole Bajema to the transfer portal. POINT ❙ COUNTERPOINT WHICH NEWCOMER WILL HAVE THE BIGGEST IMPACT FOR U-M BASKETBALL NEXT SEASON? DICKINSON BROWN MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS