The Wolverine

August 2015 Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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who took sixth in the 200-yard backstroke (1:45.66) at the 2014 NCSA Junior National Championships. Michigan's freshmen came up big in 2014, helping the Wolverines finish No. 3 in the nation. That's the expectation, several current competitors noted. "There is a culture on the team that when the freshmen come in, that group of guys hasn't accomplished anything yet," All-American Dylan Bosch explained. "They haven't accomplished anything yet, so they all work together to ac- complish something together." Soccer — The Wolverines are bringing in plenty of reinforcements on the soccer pitch, with a class of eight, headlined by Francis Atuahene, who was ranked as No. 13 senior in the nation by CollegeSoccerNews.com. They also are welcoming Robbie Mertz, the Gatorade Player of the Year in Pennsylvania, and Ryan Kobakof, a two-year first-team all-stater from nearby Novi, Mich. The depth doesn't end there. Johann Bittner out of Indianapolis earned first- team All-Indiana recognition in 2014, and was a three-time member of the Indiana ODP State Team, from 2009-2011. Marcello Borges from Kearny, N.J., is a member of the United States U-18 National Team, and played on a top-five ranked club team (New York Red Bulls) the past two years. Here's what CollegeSoccerNews.com had to say about this group of Wolver- ines: "Michigan will look to reload with this coming class. Remember the name Francis Atuahene. The midfielder is as good as any player in the country, and the addition of Marcello Borges from the Red Bull might help soften the sting of those who left Ann Arbor after a lackluster season." Baseball — A pair of incoming Michigan freshmen (shortstop Charlie Dono- van and outfielder Jonathan Engelman) have already been selected in the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft. That's the start of a class that should keep the Wolverines competitive following an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015. Engelmann, a converted infielder who has his sights set on an outfield spot in Ann Arbor, told the San Mateo Daily Journal, regarding his partial scholarship: "They offered me to play center field for the University of Michigan. Obviously, I'll have to earn my spot there from here on out, but it was enough to get me over there. I'm very excited about their offer. It was very generous." He also noted of Michigan head coach Erik Bakich: "Everything he mentioned about the program seemed to fit my playing style. With the aspirations I have to play beyond college and play professional baseball, they have a great develop- ment program for that." Meanwhile, Westmont (Ill.) coach D.J. Cocks lavished praise on Donovan. "He's a five-tool player," Cocks told HighSchoolCubeNews.com. "That's very rare to get a player like that in high school. I have had him on the varsity since he was a freshman. As soon as I saw him work out, I told the freshman and sophomore coaches, 'Don't get used to seeing him. He is going to be with me.'" — John Borton

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