The Wolverine

August 2014

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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BY JOHN BORTON M en's lacrosse continues to build as a varsity sport at Michigan. In freshman Ian King, U-M head coach John Paul unearthed a cornerstone. The true freshman out of Cincin- nati — one of the biggest Wolverines on the roster at 6-2, 175 — didn't just carve out a contributing niche in his first year in Ann Arbor. He domi- nated, establishing a school record for goals scored, with 32. The new mark wasn't the first measure of King's success as a true freshman, as it turns out. He first had to beat mononucleosis, or he'd have found himself on the outside look- ing in when the sticks were raised in earnest. "I was trying to survive, basically, from the very beginning of college," King recalled. "I came in with mono. I was 190 pounds, and went down to 168. I had some struggles. It's hard to play at this level when you're 6-2, 168 pounds." The dramatic weight loss kept King from doing much during Michigan's autumn workouts, putting a ques- tion mark on the rookie's projected status once the season rolled around in February. His situation began to turn around after a few months in Ann Arbor. "I started feeling up to speed right after winter break, when the sea- son actually started," King said. "I started gaining weight over break. All of fall ball was tough for me. I obviously wasn't well enough to play on the field then. As the sea- son started, I gained my spot in the practices. "As the season progressed, the coaches put me in some situations where I could succeed. From the start, I didn't know how well I could do." It turns out that King could do very well. Those 32 goals ranked as the third-best total by any freshman across the nation. The attackman established early on he'd be one to watch closely throughout the season. In the fifth game of the year, MALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR IAN KING Head Of The CLASS Ian King Shoots Right To The Top As A Goal Scorer

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