The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543845
14 THE WOLVERINE ❱ APRIL 2026 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS ❱ Student-Athlete Of The Month Graduate Women's Gymnast Reyna Guggino U-M women's gymnastics re- cently celebrated 50 years as a program in a Feb. 21 home meet against Rutgers with plenty of nods and tributes to its storied history. Graduate student Reyna Guggino, who was not sure what her future would hold after an an- kle injury last season, is grateful to be someone who has experienced and contributed to that history. "It's just incredible," Guggino said on a Feb. 19 MGoBlue pod- cast with Brian Boesch. "It feels awesome to be a part of some- thing so much bigger than your- self. Not only celebrating all of the good things that happen, but also just the people we are, what our program is, it is because of the people that came before. Coaches and us, like [former head coach Bev Plocki], who literally laid the foundation for this entire program and did what she did. ... "I feel really honored and blessed that I've been able to be a part of a program like this. And while my time here is coming to an end, the next generation of girls is just getting started." Guggino suffered her ankle in- jury last January during a practice day, and it was originally treated as a sprain. But she knew some- thing was not right, and after a May re-evaluation, it was revealed that she had torn a ligament that did not show up on the MRI. The issue was fixed, and the road to recovery began from there. Her body was on the mend, and she looked to apply lessons she learned to improve her mental edge, too. "Over the summer from May to about September, I was with our athletic trainer and I was with our strength and conditioning coach," Guggino said. "Almost every single day I was doing rehab, I was lifting, I was doing what I could to keep myself in shape in that kind of way. During my senior year, I spent a lot of time with sports psych, and I just took everything that I learned that year and applied it to this year. Journaling, visualizing, do- ing all the things because my body knows what it's supposed to do, but my head maybe wasn't really sure what was going to happen. I didn't know if I was going to be scared to do things again or anything like that. "It's been a really good transition from starting to do gymnastics again and then getting all my skills back." The sixth-year standout, who graduated with a degree in biology, health and society, is a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (2022-25) and a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2025). She also won the vault title in the Rutgers meet on Feb. 21 with a 9.925 score. — Anthony Broome MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS Men's track and field graduate student Miles Brown: The Novi, Mich., native was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week after a record- breaking performance at the Alex Wilson Invita- tional in South Bend, Ind., Feb. 21. He ran a 44.90 split in the 400-meter leg of the distance medley relay (9:14.80) that set the program record and stands third on the NCAA All-Time Conditions list. He also finished second in the 800-meter dash with a time of 1:47.95. Football senior Derrick Moore: The Balti- more product was named the recipient of the Bo Schembechler Most Valu- able Player award for the Wolverines' 2025 season, which ended with a 9-4 record. He led the Maize and Blue with 10.5 tack- les for loss and 10 sacks — both career highs — and became the first Michigan player with multiple sacks in three consecutive games (vs. Washington, at Michi- gan State, vs. Purdue) since LaMarr Wood- ley in 2006. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors. Women's lacrosse junior Emma Bradbury: The Blue Pell, Pa., native was tabbed both Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and USA Lacrosse Magazine Player of the Week following a career- best 6-goal performance in a 16-10 win at South Florida Feb. 15. She added 3 assists to total 9 points, the second-most in a game in Wolverine history. She scored 8 goals over a two-game stretch that week. Baseball sophomore Tate Carey: The right- handed pitcher out of Windsor, Ontario, was one of three Wolverines named a Big Ten Player to Watch, along with junior pitcher Gavin DeVooght and redshirt sophomore catcher Noah Miller. An NCBWA first-team Fresh- man All-American last season, he finished with a perfect 9-0 record, leading the Wolver- ines with a 3.45 ERA. — Clayton Sayfie Guggino, who graduated with a degree in biology, health and society, is a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (2022-25) and a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2025). PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY