The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2022 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Like many of his senior peers, Cameron Martin has his sights set on leaving U-M on a high note after this season. The forward had a much different path to Ann Arbor than most of his teammates do. Martin, an Academic All- Big Ten performer in the fall of 2021, transferred in after two seasons at San Francisco, where he ap- peared in 24 matches (19 starts) with 5 career points. The jump from a West Coast Conference school to a Big Ten institution came with its share of chal- lenges, but also valuable lessons. "I have learned how to t i m e - m a n a g e ," M a r t i n said. "Certainly, transfer- ring from a smaller school where it was more of an intimate setting in the classroom was a chal- lenge. I was able to work with teachers face to face, and then I go to Michigan, where I was kind of on my own and I was just another number. " The talent here is an- other level, just the com- petition each day. It's bet- tered me as a competitor just being here." Martin transferred to U-M intending to play begin- ning with the 2020 season. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the campaign to the spring of 2021, which led to the program playing two seasons in the same calendar year. "I was expecting to play in the fall, so that was disappointing," said Martin. "But then to be able to play back-to-back in a calendar year was great, especially for me transitioning from another school. "I was able to mesh with the guys during that first semester and hit the ground running. I felt like I was able to fit in well with the team, although I wasn't as successful as wanted. And I think for me it was great in terms of development and just enjoyment all around." Martin recorded 9 starts in 11 matches during the spring campaign, scoring a goal in his program debut. During the fall season, he played in 12 games with four starts, recording 433 minutes total. U-M's staff values aca- d e m i c s a b ove a t h l e t i c achievement, so they are lenient when it comes to players missing practices for exams or impor tant school events. Time man- agement is still critical, es- pecially on road trips. "I'm finding little windows to do work," Martin said. "In season, you've have to stay up late, get up early before class to get the work done that you missed and still get to practice. I had to find time schedule meetings with professors. Those are the things that helped me get on track and adapt to a new life here." Martin is only taking three credits this fall, so he has plenty of time to focus on both his on- and off-field work. His goal is to take care of business in all areas and help the Wolverines in a quest for a Big Ten title. "Having been with this group of guys for quite a while now, I see something special, and I think we could all try to win a cham- pionship," he said. "That's something that we can cer- tainly do. I'm excited to get out on the field and start this last season." Martin started as a busi- ness management major at San Francisco, but is now enrolled in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts and is majoring in econom- ics. He enjoys the problem-solving aspect of his line of study but would like to keep playing soccer past U-M. "The number one goal is to continue to play soccer after this year," Martin said. "Hopefully everything goes great this season. If not, over the summer I was an intern at a bank. It's something that interests me, the world of banking and financial services." — Anthony Broome Martin, who has played in 23 career games in Ann Arbor, was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree in 2021 while majoring in economics at Michigan. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Student-Athlete Of The Month Senior Men's Soccer Forward Cameron Martin