The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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60 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2021 OLYMPIC SPORTS of the Year in 2021 and an honorable mention All-American in the 800-yard freestyle relay. He was part of a pair of Big Ten championships last season in the 500-yard freestyle and 800-yard freestyle relay. Mitchell set a personal-best 3:45.86 time in the 400-meter freestyle during the U.S. Olympic Tri- als for Team USA over the summer. Don't Miss: vs. Indiana, Jan. 8 — Anthony Broome WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING First Event: Oct. 9 at SMU Clas- sic, first place of six teams (356) Season Outlook: The women finished as Big Ten runners-up last season, which will no doubt light a fire under them this season while they look to take the top spot in the conference. They were able to rebound from that and finish sixth at the NCAA Championships, and this is still a program that has high expectations coming into the year. Top Three Athletes Senior Maggie MacNeil: Mac- Neil won a pair of individual NCAA titles last season in the 100-yard freestyle (46.02) and 100-yard but- terfly (48.89). She would follow that up in the 2020 Tokyo Olym- pics, winning a gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly, silver in the 4x100-meter medley freestyle re- lay and bronze in the 4x100-meter medley relay for Team Canada. Her international success continued in the 2021 FINA World Cup in Berlin, Germany, earning gold in the 100-meter butterfly, and set- ting Canadian records in the 100- (55.30) and 50-meter butter fly (25.13), and 50 backstroke (25.84). Senior Olivia Carter: Carter is a two-time first-team All-Big Ten performer and five-time con- ference champion (2020, '21: 200-yard butterfly, 400-yard freestyle relay; 2020: 400-yard medley relay) and was a four- time All-American last season (100-yard butterfly, 200-yard butterfly, 400-yard freestyle relay, 400-yard medley relay). Carter capped off the 2021 campaign with an individual NCAA title in the 200-yard butterfly (1:51.33). Junior Megan Glass: Glass was a two-time All-American in 2021 in the 400-yard freestyle relay and 400-yard medley relay, and two-time Big Ten champion in the 400-yard free- style relay and 800-yard freestyle relay. Glass also made the All-Big Ten squad as a first-teamer and was an all-conference academic honoree. She set career bests in the 100-yard freestyle (51.18), 200-yard freestyle (1:45.95), 100-yard but- terfly (52.74) and 200-yard butterfly (1:58.82) during the 2021 season. Don't Miss: at Ohio State, Jan. 28 — Anthony Broome WRESTLING First Event: At Michigan State Open Nov. 6 Season Outlook: Everything is coming together perfectly for Michigan wrestling under fifth-year head coach Sean Bormet, who has led the Wolverines to top-five placements every year the NCAA Championships have been held during his tenure. This winter is the 100th anniversary of the program, the NCAA Championships are in Detroit and two Olympians — bronze medalist Myles Amine (who was representing San Marino) and three- time All-American Stevan Micic (Serbia) — took advantage of last year's frozen year of eligibility to return for one final year in Ann Arbor, though neither will take the mat until the second semester. "Obviously, the overarching expecta- tion is to put our guys in position so that they can win national championships and be on the podium as All-Americans," Bormet said. "I think we're capable of having guys on the podium at every weight class. I think we have a lot of guys who are in contention and have the goal of winning an individual NCAA championship, and that's the goal of the team — to compete and do everything possible to win an NCAA championship as a team in Detroit." Top Three Athletes • Graduate senior 184-pounder Myles Amine — The seventh four- time All-American in program history has placed third at the last three NCAA Championships in which he has com- peted, including last year at 197 pounds. Amine did that to stay as big as possible for the Olympics, where he won a bronze medal, but 184 is a more natural fit for him. It also opens a spot for 197-pound All-American transfer Pat Brucki (Princ- eton) to slide in to a loaded lineup. • Graduate senior 133/141-pounder Stevan Micic — He's had one of the more interesting recent college wrestling ca- reers — he actually began at Northwestern in 2014-15. After transferring to U-M, he then placed among the top four at three straight NCAA Championships, including a runner-up showing in 2018 at 133 pounds. He hasn't wrestled colle- giately since 2018-19 while preparing for the Olympics, but will provide a big boost at either 133 or 141 pounds. • Senior heavyweight Mason Parris — The junior world champion became one of college wrestling's most dominant competitors a year ago. He beat every opponent he wrestled by bonus points (eight points or more) last year except for one, national champion Gable Steveson, who beat Parris twice, including by an 8-4 score in the NCAA finals. Steveson won Olympic gold this summer and still stands in Parris' way, but Parris should continue to dominate everybody else. Don't Miss: Vs. Penn State, Jan. 21 — Ryan Tice Senior Maggie MacNeil won a pair of individual NCAA titles last season, then followed that up in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by taking gold in the 100-meter butterfly, silver in the 4x100-meter medley freestyle relay and bronze in the 4x100-meter medley relay for Team Canada. PHOTO BY MIKE COMER