The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Michigan's Top-Five Female Olympic Sports Recruiting Classes Basketball — Michigan has never signed a class this heralded, with the Wol- verines ranking sixth nationally according to BlueStarBB.com, and boasting a consensus team ranking of No. 14 among the outlets that also include ESPN. com/HoopGurlz, ProspectsNation.com and All-Star Girls Report. Forward Hallie Thome of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, who checks in at 6-5, leads the way, ranked No. 65 in the country by ESPN.com/HoopGurlz . She will joined in Ann Arbor by fellow four-stars 5-9 Doylestown, Pa., guard Nicole Munger (No. 69) and 5-6 Cambria Heights, N.Y., point guard Lauren Brozoski (No. 86), along with three-star Minnetonka, Minn., 6-2 forward Sam Trammel. Combined, the four helped their high schools accumulate a 107-9 record in their senior seasons. "The class is super impressive," said U-M head coach Kim Barnes Arico, who preached caution while at the same time struggling to contain her excitement. "One of the most important things to me is you have to be a winner in the classroom and on the basketball court. Michigan is the 'Leaders and Best' so you better excel at everything you do. And these kids have been able to do that." While Barnes Arico believes Thome and Brozoski will be early impact perform- ers, she is equally enthused about what both Munger and Trammel will contrib- ute. "Sam Trammel is a bigger, stronger kid, and we need that type of competitor," she said. "Nicole Munger will be like the Jenny Ryan [2010-13] of old. She has a motor, she leads her team in rebounding, she defends and she takes charges." Golf — In her third season, coach Jan Dowling went international to sign Elodie Van Dievoet of Brussels, Belgium, and Maria Alzueta Garcia of Vigo, Spain. "I originally saw them both when I went overseas for the British Girls Amateur Championship, and I was fortunate that they both came back to the States to play junior events," Dowling said. "They're different players, but they both have national and international expe- rience they will bring to our program. "I believe they will have an immediate impact on our team — I see them both being in the lineup right away." In 2014-15, Van Dievoet carded top-10 finishes at the King's Prize (third) and the Grand Prix AFG (sixth), while competing in events across Europe. "Elodie is an aggressive player. She is known for her great ball-striking," Dowling said. "She hits it a long way, and it's not unusual for her to hit 16 of 18 greens in a round. Her low rounds come when she gets hot. "Elodie will shoot 75 and not be happy with it at all, and that's where our stan- dard with our team has changed. Our mindset is to shoot par or better if the