The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MARCH 2017 THE WOLVERINE 17 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Over his four years at Michigan, Kevin Wong has worked his way to the top of the men's tennis depth chart and is a member of the No. 4-ranked doubles team nationally. In his final season at Michigan, Wong has already claimed the doubles title at the ITA Midwest Regional Cham- pionships. Here are a few things you didn't know about Kevin Wong. Nickname: " They sometimes call me 'The Wizard' because I can hit all different kinds of shots. Also, I move really quickly at the net. I'm really good at doubles and really good at volleys, and that's also one of the rea- sons they call me that." Favorite restaurant in Ann Arbor: "My favorite restaurant is Sadako. … Me and my teammates will go there a lot." Best meal he can cook by himself: "I'm not really good at cooking, but because I'm from Hong Kong, I cook some Chinese food for myself. Like chicken fried rice or sweet and sour chicken." Sports he plays besides tennis: "Growing up I've been in contact with a lot of sports like soccer, table tennis, badminton, swimming and tennis. I started just playing tennis when I was 12, when I had to commit to one specific sport to practice in. I stopped all other sports when I was 12." Hobbies: "I don't have a lot of time for different kinds of hobbies with practice and I have to study, too. With downtime, I would just hang out with my team- mates, just surf the internet a little bit, watch some YouTube videos." Favorite TV show: "All seasons of '24.' I really love it." Favorite movie: "'The Avengers.'" Dream vacation: "One place that I haven't been to that I really want to go is Switzerland. I've seen pictures of it having really nice scenery and views." Favorite professional tennis venue he's been to: "One of my favorite tennis venues is the U.S. Open venue. I've played there a couple of times. I never played the U.S. Open juniors or seniors, but I played there just practicing. I played on their indoor courts in a tournament in the fall." Favorite professional athlete: "I really like [UFC fighter] Connor McGregor just because of his passion and his courage to perform and not fear anything. I just think the passion of the sport is really important. And his confidence, too." Role model: "I look up to this guy who played for Michigan tennis as well who is from Hong Kong. His name is Brian Hung. He was an All-American for Michigan tennis. Every day when I walk into practice I would see his name on the banner, and he's the one who introduced me to Michigan. I always looked up to him and want to be All-American one day." Why he chose tennis: "I made a lot of friends through tennis, and tennis is a sport where it's really challenging and it's also really interesting … There is a lot of variety and a lot of creativity in the game." What he hopes to do after tennis: "I'll be graduating this May. I will be mov- ing on towards playing on the professional tour for two years. That's what my plan right now is. I'll base my training back at home in Hong Kong because the government has been supporting me a lot." His overall U-M experience: "It's been great. I've been treated like family. I think that's what Michigan provides us, all athletes and students. I've met a lot of good friends. My teammates are some of my closest friends now and probably for the rest of my life. I had a great time here." — Leland Mitchinson Wong has been competing at No. 1 singles for the tennis team and was the ITA's No. 83 player in the country as of Feb. 12. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS Getting To Know Tennis Senior Kevin Wong Regents To Vote On $21 Million For Weight Room Jim Harbaugh loves to preach about getting one percent better every day. If a vote on a proposed weight room for football draws University of Michigan Board of Re- gents approval Feb. 16, the Wolver- ines could soon ramp the percent- age up a bit. The proposed new weight room would be constructed within the existing Oosterbaan Field House. It would encompass 32,000 square feet of space and cost an estimated $21 million. The project would include a mez- zanine level covering 5,000 square feet, as well as taking on some of the existing issues with the facil- ity. Oosterbaan served as Michigan football's primary indoor practice facility prior to the construction of Al Glick Field House, which ties into Schembechler Hall. Oosterbaan Field House was con- structed in 1980 and has served as a practice facility for a host of U-M sports over the years. It is also the present home for Michigan's lacrosse squad. In the proposed project, Ooster- baan would get a new roof, in ad- dition to fire safety upgrades, and improvements in lighting, air con- ditioning, heating and ventilation. Michigan football presently un- dergoes strength training on the first floor of the Al Glick Field House, 12,000 square feet of which is dedicated to weight lifting. U-M's facilities for weight training have seen a host of upgrades in recent years, but this would be by far the most comprehensive. Funding for the project — as has been the case with most of the ma- jor improvements on the athletic campus over the past several years — would come from gifts from do- nors, along with Michigan athletic department funds. The renewed success of the Wolverines on the football field has bolstered both areas, allowing for pursuit of such a plan. If approved, the project should be completed during the winter of 2018.