The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE ❱ OCTOBER 2026 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS ❱ Student-Athlete Of The Month Junior Football Lineman Blake Frazier Blake Frazier's ties to Michigan football run deeper than the three seasons he has spent so far in Ann Arbor. His father, Steve Frazier, played offensive line for the Wolverines and was part of the 1997 national championship team – a legacy that the junior hopes to carry forward. Frazier, a starting offensive lineman this season, has been handling his business in the classroom as well. He was named Academic All-Big Ten in 2025 while studying business administration, balancing a growing role up front with a full course load. This fall, Frazier's impact has extended well beyond his own snaps at left tackle. He was voted to be one of the members of the football program's leadership council, along with classmates and fellow starters Andrew Sprague and Jake Guarnera, a recognition of a bond the three have built since arriving on campus together. "Jake and I were roommates as early enrollees," Frazier said. "Sprague came in the sum- mer [of 2024]. I feel like we've been pretty inseparable since we got here. We all three followed similar career trajectories, and we were all starting last year. "This offseason, all three of us getting voted to leadership council was another thing that meshed us and helped us bond together. What can we do to help this team be what it needs to be? "We've grown together, we've gotten better together, and you can expect that to continue." Frazier has also felt the impact of the new coaching staff under head coach Kyle Whit- tingham, which he said has brought a renewed sense of structure to the program. "It definitely feels like a reset," Frazier said. "I think discipline is probably the biggest thing. Last season there was a lot of uncertainty around the expectations and standards in the program, and I think he came in and set those, right off the bat. Guys knowing what's expected of them and living up to those expectations has been the biggest change in the past seven, eight months." That structure has shaped Frazier individually as well. After a 2025 season in which he admitted to playing tentatively, Frazier has focused on a simple mental reset in shaking off mistakes rather than dwelling on them. "Move on to the next play," Frazier said. "That's the biggest thing. Last year I was playing to not make mistakes, so when I did make a mistake, it got in my head a lot. That's been the biggest thing. Bad plays are going to happen; it's football, there's no such thing as a perfect play. When something bad does happen, move on. At the end of the day, the guys across from you are getting paid too now." — Anthony Broome MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS Women's Field Hockey Junior Eva Bernardy: The Utrecht, Netherlands, na- tive was named Big Ten De- fensive Player of the Week on Aug. 31, after leading a defense that allowed no pen- alty corners in a 2-1 overtime victory over No. 2 North Caro- lina. She also defended 2 of 4 penalty corners in a 2-0 loss to No. 7 Wake Forest. She scored the team's first goal of the season off a penalty shot against the Tar Heels. Men's Golf Junior RJ Arone: The Las Vegas native earned Co-Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors along with Purdue's Jenson Forrester on Sept. 10, after collecting his first collegiate medalist honor in guiding Michigan to a dominant 25- shot victory at the Island Re- sort Intercollegiate. He fired a career-low 14-under 202 (66-67-69), tying for the fourth-lowest 54-hole total in program history. His 3-under 69 in the final round helped Michigan post an 823 (-41) team total, the second-lowest 54-hole score in program history. Volleyball Freshman Meredith Martin: The Northville, Mich., native re- corded 74 digs over four matches and was tabbed as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 27. She was named to the Valpo Popcorn Classic All-Tournament Team after posting back-to-back 20- dig showings against Cincin- nati and Valparaiso. She committed just 1 recep- tion error in 77 attempts while adding 21 assists, 3 service aces and the first 2 kills of her career over the four matches. Martin averaged 4.63 digs per set, which led all Big Ten players for the week and ranked 50th nationally. Women's Tennis Sophomore Gabriella Lind- gren: The Vancouver, British Columbia, native was recog- nized as the Big Ten Player of the Week on Sept. 16, follow- ing a stellar showing at the Kitty Harrison Invitational. She won her flight while going 3-0 in singles action, dropping just one set across three matches to open her sophomore campaign. She recorded victories over Andrea Chacon (UNC Charlotte) 6-3, 6-4; Martina Genis Salas (Virginia) 3-6, 7-5, 6-2; and Marta Leon Jaume (Kansas State) 6-1, 6-3. — Clayton Sayfie Frazier balances his role as a starting left tackle and his course load studying business administration. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL