The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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54 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2021 M ichigan came into the season ranked No. 3 nationally, with Big Ten and national title hopes, and has climbed up to a tie for second in the National Wrestling Coaches As- sociation (NWCA) poll. "What we focus on more [than rankings], in terms of our mentality, is just becoming the best you can be and having your best performance every time you step on the mat," third-year head coach Sean Bormet said, stress- ing the importance of focusing on the day-to-day. "… Consistently doing the work it takes to really develop and continue to build the mentality and skills that it takes to be the ab- solute best in the sport of wrestling." Headlining key returners include sixth-year senior star Myles Amine, who is ranked No. 1 nationally in the 184-pound weight class by InterMat (but may wrestle at 197 when he re- turns from injury) and a trio of grap- plers ranked No. 2 nationally in junior heavyweight Mason Parris, sixth-year senior 174-pounder Logan Massa and sixth-year senior 133-pounder Stevan Micic (also injured at the moment). Bormet is excited about the group so far, which also includes a stud newcomer in freshman 125-pounder Dylan Ragusin, who earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors after the opening weekend. "I feel like we have a great blend of that this year with some of our vet- erans and our young guys," Bormet said. "This is a very exciting team to watch wrestle. It's just one of those teams that has great team chemistry, and is resilient and focused." The Wolverines won their first three duals by a dominant aggregate score of 96-19, including a 26-10 vic- tory at No. 15 Rutgers. U-M won 24 of the 30 individual bouts in those duals despite having backups step- ping in for Amine and Micic. — Clayton Sayfie MEN'S GYMNASTICS AIMING FOR BIG TEN, NCAA TITLES Michigan entered this season viewed as one of the best teams in the country, with the College Gymnastics Associa- tion placing the Wolverines at No. 3 in their preseason poll. "Our expectation is to go undefeated, and win both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships," head coach Kur t Golder said when asked about his club's goals. The Maize and Blue will have a chance to meet Golder's high expectations, thanks in large part to the return of senior Cameron Bock and sophomore Paul Juda from last year's squad. "Both Paul and Cameron are potential Olympians," Golder noted. "Cameron is the defending all-around Big Ten cham- pion, so those two guys give us a great one-two punch. The overall growth they have shown is where we've im- proved the most since last year, though we'll need to further develop our third, fourth and fifth scorers." Golder also singled out freshman Evg- eny Siminiuc as an athlete he's expect- ing to have a big year, with the Milton, Ontario, native coming to U-M as the No. 2 recruit in the country according to CollegeGymNews.com. — Austin Fox WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS LOOKING TO CONTINUE BIG TEN DOMINANCE Michigan entered the 2021 campaign with plenty of acclaim, having been ranked No. 5 nationally and chosen as the favorite to win the league in a poll of the Big Ten coaches. The Wolverines have recently dominated the confer- ence under head coach Bev Plocki, claiming the past six Big Ten Champion- ships and the league's past four regular- season titles. Two of the Maize and Blue's athletes were named to the conference's pre- season "Gymnasts To Watch" list, with sophomore Sierra Brooks and junior Natalie Wojcik each making the cut. Plocki's club kicked off their season with a 197.225-196.000 victory over No. 19 Ohio State Jan. 16. The Maize and Blue swept all four event titles against the Buckeyes, and U-M's 197.225 score was its highest in a season opener in school history. — Austin Fox BOTH SWIMMING AND DIVING TEAMS ENTER YEAR IN TOP 10 NATIONALLY Michigan was tabbed at No. 9 (men) and No. 5 (women) in the Nov. 21 re- lease of the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CS- CAA) rankings. But Mike Bottom, head coach of both squads, doesn't have high expectations for his group — in fact, he doesn't have expectations at all, especially after a unique and elon- gated offseason that included plenty of uncertainty. OLYMPIC SPORTS UPDATE No. 2 Michigan Wrestling Opens 3-0 In Dominant Fashion Sixth-year senior Logan Massa was ranked No. 2 nationally at 174 pounds by InterMat as of Jan. 26. PHOTO BY TONY ROTUNDO/COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY