The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2024 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS ❱ Student-Athlete Of The Month Football Sophomore Wide Receiver Semaj Morgan Sophomore wide receiver Semaj Morgan is looking to make a bigger impact during his second season in Ann Arbor, marked by the start of a new era in his number change from No. 82 to No. 0. He officially announced the change at an event for the Semaj J. Morgan Foundation in June that honored fathers in the area who have lost children to gun violence. The goal was to make sure these dads knew they were not alone and could be honored ahead of Father's Day. Flanked by his parents, Semaj and Erika, Morgan gifted each father in attendance with a pair of Jordan shoes, a Detroit Lions jersey, a custom Michigan jersey shirt with the No. 1 in addition to each son's name, an embroidered Rose Bowl championship hat with the sons' names, cigars, bourbon and more. Morgan partnered with other organizations to make the gifts happen, but much of it came from the money he earned from NIL. Living a life of service and giving back is natural for the young Michigan star, who wants to keep fostering those community relationships. "I'm the person I want to be," the Michigan wideout said. "It's just in me. It's just what I was brought up around. It's just what I was taught. And it was just in my head already. I really have a passion for helping people and making them feel good. I want to keep doing that. I'd rather be a giver than a receiver." Morgan's father gave a passionate speech to open the dinner about how much each dad in at- tendance means to him and how important it is for all to stick together to improve their community. His role in the foundation is as prominent as any, and the values he preaches are core parts of his son's philosophy. "He's been my role model since I was a kid," Morgan said of his father. "Some people probably do know and most people wouldn't know, but me and my dad are so close. He inspired me because growing up, I had friends who didn't have dads or moms or parents at all. They were adopted. My dad was always into helping people. Growing up, he always had extra kids in the car with us, going to practice with us, picking kids up, dropping them off, feeding them, things like that. "Giving to others was just already in me. It's always been in me. I just want to pick up where all my coaches left off along with my dad." The foundation did a similar event for Mother's Day and seeks to make it a yearly thing that grows each time. If they can even make a small dent in making people feel better, that's progress. "In the Bible, it says to treat others like we want to be treated ourselves," Morgan said. "If my dad lost me, I wouldn't want him alone on Father's Day. So the fathers that we have today, we want to make sure that they're not forgotten. We just want to come out here and make it all feel special on a day that they might struggle with it." — Anthony Broome Morgan, who will wear No. 0 as a sophomore this season, has made an impact on and off the field in his young career at Michigan. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS Women's basketball signee Syla Swords: The incoming freshman guard from Sudbury, Ontario, was selected as one of 12 mem- bers to represent Canada at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The 18-year-old will become the youngest basketball player to ever compete for Canada at the Olympic Games and is just the second Olympian in U-M women's basketball program history. Swords played for Canada the past two years in the U17 and U19 World Cups at the junior level and with the senior national team in mul- tiple tournaments. A McDonald's All-American, Swords was ranked by ESPN as the No. 4 overall recruit in the 2024 class and was named Gato- rade Player of the Year in New York as a senior. Women's track and field sophomore Eliza- beth Tapper: Representing U-M at the USA Track and Field U20 Championships at Oregon's Hayward Field June 12-13, she took home bronze in the shot put. Tapper threw for a mark of 16.07 meters on her first throw, before posting 14.96 meters on her next two attempts. Her best try came on her fifth attempt (16.24 me- ters), giving her third place. She qualified for the World U20 Championships Aug. 27-31 in Lima, Peru. Men's track and field freshman Trent McFar- land: He took home gold in the 1,500-meter run (3:47.39) at the USA Track and Field U20 Champion- ships, qualifying for the World U20 Championships Aug. 27-31 in Lima, Peru. Earlier this year, he won the Big Ten championship in the 1,500-meter run, with a time of 3:43.59. Women's track and field junior Savannah S u t h e r l a n d : S h e w a s named Big Ten Women's Track Athlete of the Year for the second straight year. Sutherland was the runner-up in the 400-me- ter hurdles at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Champion- ships. She won the Big Ten 400-meter hurdles title for the second consecu- tive year. — Clayton Sayfie