The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE ❱ NOVEMBER 2023 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS ❱ Student-Athlete Of The Month Graduate Offensive Lineman Trente Jones Graduate tackle Trente Jones has handled his business on the field, ap- pearing in 28 career games on the of- fensive line with eight starts in his career. This season, he has primarily been a sixth offensive lineman and extra blocker for U-M in goal-line and short-yardage situations. But what has impressed most is his work in the classroom. He is a three- time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2020-22) and graduate of the Col- lege of Literature, Science and the Arts with a major in creative writing and literature. "I've always wanted to set myself apart from the pack in the educational aspect of being a college athlete," Jones told MGoBlue.com. "[Earn- ing Academic All-Big Ten honors] is something that's been very impor- tant to me in my time here. Athletes in general are pretty unfairly seen more as prioritizing our sports over our de- grees and our educations, and so I've always wanted to lead the way when it comes to an educational mindset. "My goal is to be one of the best — the leaders and best, as they say — and I want to be seen as more than 'just an athlete.'" Jones is currently pursuing his master's degree from the School of Social Work and takes pride in his academic accomplishments, hoping to use the skills he has acquired to help other people. "I like helping people in the same ways that people have helped me," Jones said. "Dealing with different people and how best to talk to them. [Former di- rector of athletic counseling] Abigail Eiler has been a huge influence on me; she does such a good job of knowing each person she meets with and knowing what makes them tick, and I want to use those sorts of strengths in my own career." Jones considers himself a creative in the world of gaming and the world- building that comes with a variety of different platforms. He is also a writer who has kept most of his work personal but hopes he can incorporate it with visuals one day with hopes to expand his expression into the metaverse. "I see it as a massive opportunity out of college," Jones said. "What I'd like to do is maybe get with an illustrator — or someone that can turn my work into a visual thing — and use our talents together in unison to bring things to life. Whether that's for branding or to work with a company to create an actual space for that company and make it visually appealing. Something like the metaverse that's not necessarily beginning anymore, it's still early. Companies haven't expanded a lot on all the possibilities, and I think I could bring those to the table." — Anthony Broome Jones, who has appeared in 28 career games on the offensive line with eight starts in his career, is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2020-22). PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS Ice hockey sophomore Rutger McGroarty: The forward led the Wolverines with a 5-point weekend dur- ing Michigan's series split against No. 18 Providence College to open the season, earning Big Ten First Star of the Week honors. He posted 1 assist in a 4-2 loss to the Friars Oct. 7 before record- ing his first career 4-point game with 1 goal and 3 assists in a 5-4 triumph Oct. 8. His point-scoring streak was extended to 10 games, dating back to last season. Women's basketball junior Laila Phelia: The junior guard was named preseason All-Big Ten by both the coaches and me- dia. She was a unanimous pick for the coaches. Phelia earned second-team all- league honors last season, averaging 16.7 points and 4.2 rebounds in 33.1 min- utes per contest. She had 23 double-digit scoring games and topped the 20-point mark on 11 occasions. Women's soccer senior Sammi Woods: The forward put together her seventh multi-goal match of her career in a 4-0 win over Maryland Oct. 1, finding the back of the net twice. As of Oct. 13, she led the team and ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 8 goals, averaging 0.57 per outing. She's also added 1 assist on the year. Woods is the Wolverines' active goals leader with 24 in her career. Her 8 are already more than she had in any previous season, with 7 in 2022 being her previous high. Men's soccer graduate Riley Ferch: The UCLA grad transfer scored 9 goals with his previous school. He got on the board as a Wolverine with his first goal coming as a game-winner in the 71st minute to knock off Rutgers, 3-2, Sept. 22. Prior to the victory, the Wolver- ines hadn't won a game since beating California Baptist Aug. 27 (2-0). The midfielder has added 1 assist in 11 appearances with six starts. — Clayton Sayfie