The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/432566
INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS tains for the 2015 team. Seniors Danielle Robinson and Elizabeth Williams, along with junior Ali Thomason, will guide Dr. Marcelo Leonardi's crew into action. "The guiding principles of our water polo program include culture, leadership and teamwork," Leonardi told MGoBlue.com. "A leader is a person that can enlist the aid or support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. Lead- ers can lead by example, leaders can be vocal when necessary, leaders can be nurturing when needed, and leaders can make sacrifices for the betterment of their team. "Each of these individuals possesses specific traits that can be found in effec- tive leaders." Robinson is a transfer from Maryland, and ranked second on the squad last season with 29 assists. Williams is a returning team captain and one of Michigan's defensive stalwarts, who has also scored 29 career goals. Thomason set career highs last season in goals (37), assists (23) and steals (58), with the latter number leading the Wolverines. Student Athlete Of The Month Swimming & Diving Senior Justin Glanda Growing up in Rochester Hills, Mich., and attending a prestigious private prep school, Justin Glanda was exposed to a lot of things other young men might not be. His life experiences from an early age helped shape him into the driven, successful and accomplished young man he is today. Carrying a perfect 4.0 grade-point average at any level of schooling is note- worthy. Doing it at the University of Michigan in the Ross School of Business while competing on the swimming and diving team is very impressive. That's exactly what Glanda has done with just one semester of college remaining. It didn't just happen that way, though, Glanda worked very hard and had a great support system in place to make it all possible. "It really speaks to my upbringing," he said. "Also the environment of the school that I went to. Cranbrook Kingswood gave me exposure to things that you might not get at other schools. It was also a boarding school so there were a lot of students from other nationalities and religions. It shaped my worldview from an early age and it gave me a lot of different perspectives. It set the foundation in middle school and into high school. There were a lot of AP courses offered which helped me earn credit for college. My parents had high expectations for me, they wanted me to do well and I wanted to do well for them." As if being academically perfect and the captain of an elite athletic team weren't enough, Glanda also helped launch a program designed to bridge gaps between current student-athletes and alumni. BLUE Connect is in its