The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MARCH 2026 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS ❱ Student-Athlete Of The Month Redshirt Freshman Cameron Catrabone Cameron Catrabone followed in his father Jeff's Michigan wrestling footsteps by joining the program himself last season, but even growing up in and around the sport, the deci- sion to forge his path the way he has was entirely his. Jeff Catrabone attended U-M from 1994-98 and was a three-time All-American at 158 and 167 pounds. "Wrestling at Michigan has been a dream of mine since I was a kid," Cameron told Jon Jansen on the "Conqu'ring Heroes" podcast. "There are pictures of me in nappies as a baby wearing Michigan wrestling stuff. Sometimes I've got to take a deep breath, look back, and be like, man, this has been my dream since I was a baby. "Kindergarten was probably my first time ever putting on wrestling shoes, and I really didn't like it at all. I technically started around 6 years old, but it was very shaky until about seventh grade, when I started to take it seriously." His father coached in Buffalo, but even though he was surrounded by wrestling, the choice to continue was always his, and his alone. "I was always around wrestling, around wrestlers, and around the guys on that team," Catrabone shared. "I knew them personally because I was just a kid. I naturally looked up to them and wanted to be like them. I wanted to be a high-level wrestler. "It was always a goal of mine, but he never pushed it on me too hard. I think a lot of peo- ple don't understand that he never forced me to wrestle. I chose to wrestle. There were times when I wanted to quit, and he would've let me quit. It was never forced on me." The reason the sport appeals so much to Catrabone is in the simplicity of the one-on-one matchup and participating in something much older than modern sports that is borderline elemental. "It's one-on-one," Catrabone said. "It's your will against another man's will, and there's nothing like it anymore. It's the closest thing to legalized fighting that you can get, espe- cially at the college level. "It's primal. It's the first sport ever. Probably before even foot racing. That's something that's special about it. Trying to be the best at wrestling, such an ancient and historic sport, just makes it a little more exciting for me personally." Catrabone, who had a 13-5 record and held a No. 13 ranking through early February, is enrolled in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts with an undecided major. — Anthony Broome MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS Men's lacrosse freshman Luke Shan- nehan: The attackman scored 5 times in his first game as a college player, a 24-2 win over Mercyhurst, earning him Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. The Fairfield, Conn., na- tive recorded 7 points (5 goals, 2 assists), with 6 of them coming in the first half. The Wolverines set the pro- gram record for goals in a game with 24. Women's track and field freshman Emmry Ross: The Onsted, Mich., native was tabbed as Big Ten Freshman of the Week following a stel- lar performance at the Simmons-Har vey In- vitational Jan. 17. She ran a 2:04.52 to win the 800-meter run. Two weeks later, she ran a personal-best time of 2:03.10 to finish sixth at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. Baseball sophomore Tate Carey: The Windsor, Ontario, native was recognized as the Big Ten Preseason Pitcher of the Year by two different outlets, Perfect Game and Just Base- ball. Carey, a right- hander who pitched for the Team Canada U-18 squad in 2024, was an NCBWA Freshman All- American last season, with a team-best 3.63 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 57 innings. He combined for two shutouts, including a no-hitter — the first by a Wol- verine since 1994. Softball junior Jenissa Conway: The Olivehurst, Calif., native was one of three Wolverines named Big Ten Players to Watch ahead of the 2026 season, joined by senior infielder Indiana Langford and sopho- more utility player Lau- ren Putz. Conway was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2025, batting .379 with 59 runs, 75 hits and 52 RBI, leading the team with a .737 slugging percentage. — Clayton Sayfie Catrabone, whose father, Jeff, was an All-America wrestler at Michigan in the 1990s, is off to a 13-5 start and No. 13 ranking this season at 157 pounds. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY