The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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20 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2017 brushed off the Big Ten's hard knocks more easily. "Ever since I played for him, he was really tough on me," Walton said. "I think it's because he saw a lot in me, and thought I could be really good. I took it personally sometimes, but once I got over it, it helped me. "He always wanted me to be a re- ally good defender, and be who I was — a guy who could score, a guy who could pass, a guy who could really do a lot of things, and do them when it counts." Walton became all of that. Al- though he went unchosen in the 2017 NBA Draft, he signed a free agent deal with the Orlando Magic and will be performing in the NBA Summer League. While maintaining a forward focus, Walton relishes his time at Michigan. "I look at it as me growing," he said. "I grew a lot as a person. I grew a lot as a man and as a basketball player. It gave me the opportunity to grow, in an environment that I wasn't accustomed to. I had a great four years. "I wouldn't change anything, even if I had a chance to. It was a great op- portunity, and I made the most of it." He's also a Michigan graduate, an accomplishment without which he wasn't leaving Ann Arbor. "That was the No. 1 priority," he said. "My mom and dad have always been on me to be about finishing what I started. I did exactly that. "I will never look back and think I didn't finish what I started. I'm glad I did that." ❏ The Best Of The Rest Michigan featured no lack of sterling male athletes over the past calendar year. Some reached elite status in both team and more individual sports, making their own case for athlete-of-the-year status. Here is the rest of The Wolverine's top five, featuring nationally accomplished performers: 1. Jabrill Peppers, football — Michi- gan's athletic department picked Pep- pers atop its list, and a strong case can be made for that choice. Peppers finished among the Heisman Trophy finalists, be- came a consensus All-American and gar- nered the 2016 Paul Hornung Award as the nation's most versatile player. His 72 tackles and 16 tackles for loss stood out, as well as his ability to return kicks and punts. The finish to his three-year Michigan career became marked by a near miss and a bad break. Peppers secured his first ca- reer interception in the Wolverines' 30-27 double-overtime loss at Ohio State, and then he missed the Orange Bowl against Florida State with an injury. 2. Felix Aubock, swimming & diving — The true freshman exploded onto the scene as Big Ten Swimmer of the Year, a 20-year-old Austrian who nearly captured a national championship in his first sea- son of collegiate swimming. He finished second nationally in the 1,650-yard free- style, recording a time of 14:22.88. Aubock also garnered Big Ten championships in the same event (14:29.25), as well as in the 500-yard freestyle (4:10.63). He will be one to watch in the years to come. 3. Anthony McCallum, gymnastics — Sophomore An- thony McCallum continued one of the hottest starts by a Michigan athlete, locking down a second straight NCAA championship in his two seasons in Ann Arbor. He posted a score of 15.10 in the vault to capture the national champion- ship, a year after he won the vault title as a frosh. McCallum is the first Wolverine ever to win consecutive vault championships and only the sixth to conquer all com- ers in back-to-back years in any event. 4. Grant Cartwright, track & field — This redshirt junior experienced a breakout season in the field events for the Wolverines, narrowly missing an individual national champi- onship of his own. Cartwright finished second nationally in the weight throw during the NCAA Indoor Championships, posting a mark of 22.70 meters. He did even better at the event during the Big Ten Indoor Championships, setting a school record with a 23.31-meter weight throw and earning the event title. He also placed in the top 25 nationally in the shot put and the hammer throw during the outdoor season. — John Borton Versatile redshirt sophomore Jabrill Peppers was chosen with the 25th pick in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN