The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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for field goal percentage (63.1) dur- ing her first year in a Michigan uni- form. The 6-5 Thome started all 35 of Michigan's games, averaging 14.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. She became only the second Wol- verine in the history of the program to score 500 points as a freshman. The former Ohio Ms. Basketball and Pa- rade All-American scored 31 points in a game against Minnesota, and topped the 20-point mark in nine contests. 2. Kim Johnson, water polo — Dr. Marcelo Leonardi guided Michigan's water polo team to its best season ever, with a No. 4 finish nationally. Having a freshman like Johnson went a long way toward elevating the Wol- verines to those heights. The 5-10 rookie out of Walnut Creek, Calif., earned honorable mention for the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches All-America squad, as well as garnering Collegiate Water Polo Association Rookie of the Year honors. She landed on the NCAA All- Tournament second team. Johnson broke Michigan's fresh- man record with 62 goals, and also earned recognition as the top rookie in terms of a combined academic/ athletic effort. She finished second on the squad in goals, becoming only the third U-M freshman to ever score 50 or more. 3. Olivia Karas, gymnastics — This 5-2 freshman stood tall when it came time to deliver in her rookie season. The native of Chicago earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, as well as making first-team All-Big Ten and earning a spot on the All-Big Ten Championships Team. Karas ended her initial Michigan campaign ranked in the nation's top 50 for the following: the all-around (tied for 10th), vault (tied for second), beam (tied for 36th) and floor (tied for seventh). Her career-high of 9.950 on the bars at the NCAA Regional con- tributed to a Michigan school record bars score of 49.675. 4. Meghan Gutnecht, rowing — Gutknecht emerged from Guilder- land, N.Y., to make an instant impact on Michigan's rowing squad. She shared Big Ten rowing Freshman of the Year honors after a highly success- ful first season for the Wolverines. Gutnecht earned her way onto the first varsity eight boat last fall and re- mained there, settling into the No. 2 seat. Michigan continued rising in the rankings with that boat, moving to No. 6 nationally following a second- place effort at the Big Ten Rowing Championships. 5. Kate Fahey, tennis — Fahey came out of Fair Haven, N.J., and landed on the All-Big Ten squad in her first year of competition with the Wolverines. She rose as high as Michi- gan's No. 2 singles performer during the year, going 21-3 at the No. 2 and 3 spots while posting a 31-8 record overall in her first year. Fahey managed a 9-0 record in Big Ten play, along with nailing down wins in 15 consecutive singles matches during one stretch of the season. — John Borton