The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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ley, but Mikulak's mother encouraged him to blaze his own trail after he loved Michigan on his visit. "She said, 'Go do something new. Start your own legacy. Don't live in my or your dad's gymnastics past. Go do your own thing.' "I came here with the idea of do- ing something new and changing the program. We did that. We fulfilled what we set out to do, coming back with two national team titles, back- to-back. It's never been done before. I just hope it continues." He'll continue in Ann Arbor for another year, taking classes, serving as a volunteer assistant for the gym- nastics team and diving into a start- up herbal tea company with some friends. Then he'll focus completely on training for 2016. "Gymnastics really isn't one of those sports where you're going to be making a whole bunch of money by signing a contract with some huge team," he noted. "It's nothing that's permanent. If you get hurt, you're pretty much out of the picture. "You're not making any money. You're not in contention for any of the big competitions. You could be on top, and then you get hurt and you're no longer in the picture. It's a small sport, and it's all about how long you can keep your body healthy. It's a struggle, but that's the life of a gymnast." It's one that has worked out quite well, so far. ❑ Michigan's 2013 race to the NCAA title game to the central figure on a crew that won the Big Ten title and made it to the NCAA's Elite Eight. He earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors among a host of plaudits, including first-team All- America honors by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Stauskas led Michigan in scoring this season, averaging 17.5 points per game and becoming only the eighth sophomore in Michigan history to top 1,000 career points. He also became the No. 8 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, going to Sacramento. 3. Dylan Bosch, swimming and diving — This sophomore from Johannes- burg, South Africa, proved that Jaeger wasn't the only Wolverine from head coach Mike Bottom's roster who could rise to the top of the NCAA ranks. Bosch earned an NCAA championship in the 200-yard butterfly at the national meet, while garnering All-America recognition in that event as well as the 200-yard and 400-yard individual medleys. He's earned six All-America citations overall at Michigan, with a pair of All-Big Ten notices to his credit as well. 4. Mason Ferlic, cross country — This redshirt sophomore became Michi- gan's first men's cross country All-American since 2004 when he earned that distinction at the national meet this past season. Michigan's team captain finished 22nd at the NCAA Championships in a time of 30:32, garnering his All-America honor. He also wound up third at the 10,000-meter NCAA Great Lakes Regional in 30:11, and ninth in the 8,000-meter Big Ten Championships, in a time of 24:36.2. — John Borton