The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/703389
The Wolverines also pulled in big (6- 3, 214) defenseman Griffin Luce; 6-2, 201-pound defenseman Luke Martin; smaller skating defenseman Christian Meike (6-0, 172); 6-3, 200-pound for- ward Steven Merl and 6-1, 184-pound forward James Sanchez. 3. Track and Field — Distance run- ner Anthony Berry headlines this crew. He's a very capable two-sport performer out of Traverse City, Mich., but the class goes well beyond his ac- complishment and versatility. The Wolverines also picked up Jo- siah Davis out of nearby Saline, Mich., a sprinter/hurdler who served as his team's captain in 2016; high jumper Alex Klemm from Shelby Township, Mich., who won the AAU National Outdoor Championship (15-16 Boys) in 2014, going 6 feet, 6 1/2 inches to claim the title; and shot put specialist Manning Plater out of Rushville, Ind., who is well rounded enough to excel as a football and basketball player, in addition to serving as a stalwart on the track squad. 4. Tennis — This crew doesn't bring in the numbers that sports such as swimming and hockey accrue. Its shor ter roster demands qualit y among those it selects, and that's what the Wolverines believe they have in a two-man class for 2016-17. Both Nick Beaty from Wayzata, Minn., and Connor Johnston from Novi, Mich., are billed as five-star tal- ents who will be counted on in the coming years for U-M. Beaty ranked No. 49 in the nation when he signed on with the Wolverines, while John- ston was listed No. 71. Both have cracked the top 35 in recruiting at some point in their ca- reers, Beaty reaching as high as 27 and Johnston making it to 34, in the estimation of TennisRecruiting.net. 5. Golf — Michigan's men's golf team features ambitions similar to the tennis squad, in terms of getting choosy with limited scholarship spots. The golf squad is bringing in a pair of top-100 performers, and very nearly two top-50 players. Taisei Negishi out of San Diego earned a Golfweek ranking of No. 22, while Brent Ito from Ardsley, N.Y., proved the top player in his state as well as No. 51 nationally. Ito's list of 2015 accomplishments includes win- ning the Metropolitan Golf Associa- tion (MGA) Junior Championship with rounds of 71 and 72 for a 143. He also wound up second at the AJGA Phila- delphia Junior Championship and the AJGA Jos. A. Bank/David Leadbetter Junior Championship. "Coach [Nick] Pumford and I are ex- cited to welcome Brent and Taisei to our team," Michigan head coach Chris Whitten said. "We've developed a strong sense of what traits help make young men successful in our program and at Michigan, and Brent and Taisei show all of them — positive attitude, motivation, organization, athleticism and confidence. " They will both make very good transitions to college life and help our team compete at a high level im- mediately." — John Borton