The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 51 ❱ OLYMPIC SPORTS UPDATE Men's Golf First Event: Aug. 29-30 at Virtues In- tercollegiate (in Nashport, Ohio) Season Outlook: U-M, which fin- ished 11th at the Big Ten Championships to conclude the 2025-26 season, brings back a core group that got a lot of compe- tition experience during last year's cam- paign. Top Three Athletes: Junior Nilay Naik – Former Pomona College transfer started all 11 events last season, averaging 72.56 strokes per round and recording at least one under-par round in seven of 11 tournaments, head- lined by tying for 20th at the Big Ten Championships. Junior RJ Arone – Has started 23 con- secutive career tournaments in two years at U-M with a career scoring average of 72.25 strokes per round, a career 54-hole scoring average of 217.14, and 31 rounds of par or better and 25 under-par rounds. Sophomore Jordan Hwang – One of three Wolverines to play in all 11 tour- naments last season along with Naik and Arone, making 10 starts and tying for 40th at the Big Ten Championships. He averaged 72.84 strokes per round, setting the freshman record for program scoring. Women's Golf First Event: Sept. 13-14 at Badger In- vitational (in Madison, Wis.) Season Outlook: A changing of the guard is taking place within the women's golf program following the graduation of the Sung sisters and Mara Janess, open- ing the door for a younger roster to take the reins. Top Three Athletes: Sophomore Reese Ng –Played in and started 10 events as a freshman, averag- ing 75.00 per round, and recorded two of 29 rounds at 72 or better, along with a sub-par round and one at even par during the season. Sophomore Jaymie Ng – Missed the fall season while recovering from an injury but returned to play in six tournaments with four starts, averaging 224.33 per 54- hole event. She set a 54-hole career-low total of 223 three times during the season, along with two rounds at 72 or better. Sophomore Vanessa Zhang – Missed the spring slate and postseason due to injury but made three starts in four tournaments and posted three straight top-20 finishes to start her career, lead- ing the team in average individual scoring with a 73.09 in 12 rounds played. Men's Tennis First Event: Fall schedule TBA Season Outlook: After finishing 13-11 last season, the Wolverines return a star in Max Dahlin, who made conference his- tory by winning the Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Year awards. He was a unanimous All-Big Ten first-team selec- tion as the face of the program. Top Three Athletes: Senior Alex Cairo – Went 4-7 in singles last season (1-3 fall, 3-4 duals), including a 2-1 mark at No. 4 and a 3-2 record in Big Ten play. In doubles, he posted an 8-6 record overall, going 5-3 with partner Bjorn Swenson and closing the season on a three-match win streak. Senior Evan Burnett – Transferred into the program this offseason after spending the last two seasons at Texas following a medical redshirt as a fresh- man, compiling a 26-8 singles and dou- bles record during the 2025-26 season. Sophomore Max Dahlin – ITA Na- tional Rookie of the Year also won Big Ten Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors, climbing as high as No. 6 in the country and posting a 29-3 overall record. Women's Tennis First Event: Fall schedule TBA Season Outlook: U-M returns a very talented roster from a group that won 21 matches in 2026, capturing both the 2026 Big Ten championship and Big Ten Tour- nament titles. Top Three Athletes: Senior Reese Miller – Finished the season ranked No. 84 in singles by the ITA, going 31-10 overall and 20-5 in du- als. She was 10-1 in Big Ten play, winning her final 10 regular-season matches. She posted a 23-10 mark in doubles, largely paired with Laura Rahnel. Senior Piper Charney – Earned her second career ITA All-America honor, reaching the round of 16 at the 2025 NCAA Singles Championship. She fin- ished the season ranked No. 8 in singles, the sixth Wolverine ever to crack the top 10, while claiming All-Big Ten first-team and all-tournament honors. Junior Emily Sartz-Lunde – Went 29-10 in singles, ranking third on the team in wins, and posted a 15-4 dual-match record, highlighted by a 7-1 mark at No. 4. Sartz-Lunde finished 22-12 in doubles, mostly partnering with Charney at Nos. 2 and 3. ❑ Sophomore Max Dahlin is aiming to repeat the same form that earned him the ITA National Rookie of the Year award as well as both Big Ten Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors in 2025-26. PHOTO BY NISSE NILSSON / STELLA PICTURES