The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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fourth, giving the Wolverines a huge boost. "Our freshmen were a pleasant surprise, the whole group," Bottom said. "PJ Ransford going that mile in the NCAA — what an incredible experience that was for the team. Then Paul Powers … for a freshman to be in the final of a 50 freestyle is just crazy. "Then you've got Tristan Sanders and Aaron Whitaker. Aaron Whitaker was, on the last day of both Big Ten and NCAAs, an inspiration, not only to the other freshmen, but every one of us, including the coaching staff." Bottom heaps praise on his predecessors in the head coaches' office, not only Bob Bowman and Jon Urbanchek, but all the way back to Gus Stager and Matt Mann, whose tenure spanned from 1925-1979. Bottom also credits current coaches, including Dr. Josh White, Mark Hill, Rick Bishop, Danielle Tanzel and Sam Wensman. Glanda and Bosch both pointed out the coaching element in keeping Michigan swimming an annual juggernaut. "We talked about putting the team in a position where we could be there at the national level each and every year," Glanda said. "I think we're there — we've had top-five finishes the last four seasons. We wanted to maintain that on the national level. "A lot of our culture starts at the top. As a coach, [Bottom] brings the passion every day, and he brings new ideas every day. There are very few workouts we reuse. Every training cycle, he'll bring new elements. He always tries to innovate. "That makes it exciting for the athletes. Otherwise, it could get repetitive, and when that happens you can lose focus. He keeps it on point, mixing it up a bit." "He's a really special guy and a great coach," Bosch added, regarding Bottom. "The training doesn't necessarily stay the same. They're very innovative. They keep changing. They work to their strengths too, and the strength of the team coming in." There were personnel losses following this latest season as well. But with freshmen and other underclassmen getting a taste of the big time, and a clear winning culture established, the head coach's surname figures to remain a misnomer when it comes to results. ❏ Michigan's Other Top Male Teams Mike Bottom's men's swimming and diving team stood out among the U-M squads featuring male athletes this past year. Others also competed well, and here are the best of the rest among the men. 1. Men's Gymnastics — Kurt Golder's squad couldn't match its accomplish- ment of a year earlier. But when you're the defending national champion, that's a pretty tall order. Despite significant personnel losses, the 2014-15 Wolverines still managed to finish fourth at the NCAA Championships, scoring 437.650 points to finish behind only Oklahoma (447.050), Stanford (440.450) and Penn