The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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32 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2017 new to him, and the camaraderie that accompanied it buoyed him, both emotionally and competitively. A near miss for the Big Ten title stung, but could also prove a spring- board for next season. "There were way more guys from our team there, and the team atmo- sphere was great," he said. "We kept fighting until the end. We got second, but we always believed we had the chance to win, until the last session. "We never gave up in the meet, and that's going to help us a lot next season. We didn't lose focus." Aubock found himself a little stunned at earning Big Ten Swim- mer of the Year honors, among com- petitors like Northwestern's Jordan Wilimovsky, who took fourth in the 1,500 at Rio, and Indiana's Blake Pieroni, who captured gold in Rio as part of Team USA's 4x100 freestyle relay team. "If I can beat these people for an award like this … I hope I can have success in the Olympics in the future like these two guys had," Aubock said. "My goal is to [make the Olym- pic] final in 2020. That's what we are working on." Team-wise, the Wolverines will be working toward taking the next step in the conference, Aubock promised. "We lost Big Tens against Indi- ana last year," he said. "We haven't talked about goals for next year, but it's in everyone's mind that we want to get back there and win Big Tens as a team." The Team, The Team, The Team … if anything impacted Aubock's mindset in a stunningly successful freshman season, it was that concept. "I used to swim alone," he said. "I learned it was a team sport, and I had to take care of every other person on the team. You can't be selfish and feel like it doesn't really matter, because you're doing it for yourself." He experienced plenty of people reminding him it wasn't for himself, a delightful discovery along the way. "I got way more surprised with how the Big Ten Championships are and the NCAA Championships," he noted. "The atmosphere is so great. It's greater than at the world cham- pionships or the Olympics. "There are way more people there to support your team. I swam for a small country, and there are not really a lot of people going there to support a small country. It's not re- ally popular at home. "The first year here, I had people come to meets to support me and the team. That was the best thing I experienced." ❏ The Best Of The Rest Michigan featured a host of freshmen that stood out in 2016-17, across all sports. Here are The Wolverine's rankings of the next four first-year males behind swimmer Felix Aubock: 1. Logan Massa, wrestling — Massa established himself as one of the top wrestlers in the nation, capturing third place at the NCAA Championships in the 165-pound weight classification after finishing second in the Big Ten. Massa maintained the No. 2 ranking in the nation most of the season, on his way to a 32-3 record. His 12 technical falls also put him among the elite across the country, and his only losses as a Wolverine have occurred against national champions. 2. Chris Evans, football — Evans burst onto The Big House scene in spectacular fashion, rushing for 112 yards and two touchdowns in his debut against Hawai'i. After becoming just the third Michigan running back ever to top 100 yards in an opener as a freshman, Evans posted a 153-yard game at Rutgers and popped free on a 30-yard touchdown burst to put the Wolverines ahead of Florida State in the Orange Bowl with 1:57 left. He ended up with 614 yards on 88 carries as a freshman. 3. Jake Slaker, hockey — This rookie forward skated away with the Doc Losh Trophy as Michigan's leading scorer, his 21 points coming on seven goals and 14 assists. He played in all 35 Michigan games in 2016-17, getting named Rookie of the Year by the University of Michigan athletic department. Slaker, who came out of the United States Hockey League, earned the Big Ten First Star of the Week in mid-October. He proved at his best in rivalry games, scoring a goal in a 4-4 tie against Michigan State in February's Duel in the D and providing two assists versus the Spartans in a 5-4 overtime win during the Great Lakes Invitational. 4. Connor Johnston, men's tennis — Johnston proved a force for the Wolver- ines both in singles and doubles play during his rookie campaign. He rose as high as 10th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings in doubles, along with playing partner Jathan Malik. Johnston went 10-2 in singles play, teaming with Malik for a 19-8 record in doubles. — John Borton Redshirt freshman 165-pounder Logan Massa went 32-3 in his debut, losing only to two-time NCAA champion Isaiah Martinez twice and 2017 NCAA champion Vincenzo Joseph once. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS