3x All-American Stevan Micic (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan wrestling program is celebrating its 100th season in 2021-22, and it's fitting that this yearlong commemoration is coming at a time when the program is as good as it's ever been.
The Wolverines have consistently become a national power in recent years. They took fourth at the 2018 NCAA Championships, then fifth in both 2019 and 2021, marking the best four-year stretch for Michigan since their four top-five finishes in five years from 1962-67 under legendary coach Cliff Keen.
This run of great wrestling began in 2017-18, Joe McFarland's final year as head coach, and has continued under Sean Bormet, who's been at the helm every year since. The Wolverines enter the' 21-22 season with a star-powered lineup and big expectations, and Bormet is excited about their potential this winter.
"I've seen a lot of consistency, a lot of grit, a lot of determination," he said. "The mentality they bring to the room week in and week out has been awesome.
"This lineup, we've got the team that can get it done. We have one of the most experienced and talented rosters we've ever had."
TOP RETURNERS
When we say "star-powered" in reference to Michigan's lineup, we mean some SERIOUS star power.
Three out of four All-Americans are back from last season, in Cam Amine (165), Myles Amine (197), and Mason Parris (285). Cam will be back at 165, but Myles plans to drop to 184. Parris will man the end of the lineup. Myles, of course, is also an Olympic bronze medalist, and Parris is a returning NCAA finalist and past Junior world champ.
Even more, Stevan Micic returns after taking an Olympic redshirt. He's a three-time All-American with a 74-11 overall record in three seasons with the Wolverines. He's done all of his previous damage at 133 pounds, but plans to bump to 141 this season, which means there will be a few interesting lineup battles for Michigan at the lighter weights.
"We're fortunate that Stevan and Myles decided to come back and wrestle," Bormet said. "These guys love Michigan. They're doing it for the program and they want to make a run at the team title."
Behind those four, Michigan has tons of experience filling in the other spots.
Jack Medley is back down at 125 after wrestling 133 last season, and he'll battle with Kurt McHenry for the starting spot. Dylan Ragusin, who was down at 125 last season, is now up at 133, and he'll compete with Drew Mattin to keep that spot.
Kanen Storr, a three-time NCAA qualifier, is back again at 149. So is Will Lewan, a two-time NCAA qualifier and past Cadet world champion, at 157. Bormet expects Max Maylor to lead the battle at 174, but Jaden Bullock and Joe Walker will also be in the mix, and Jelani Embree, an NCAA qualifier in 2020, will get time in spots at 184.
KEY DEPARTURES
One big loss from Michigan's lineup this season is Logan Massa, who is no longer listed on Michigan's roster. He finished his college career as a two-time All-American, a four-time NCAA qualifier, and with an 86-23 career record, all at 165 and 174 pounds.
That's a huge hole to fill. Massa scored 17 points at the 2021 NCAA Championships, where Michigan scored 69 to finish fifth, ahead of North Carolina State (68) and Minnesota and Missouri (both 64).
Bormet said he likes what Maylor, Bullock, and Walker have all done in the preseason to try and fill that hole. The Wolverines plan to send a bunch of wrestlers to the Michigan State Open this coming weekend, so perhaps that'll give an indication as to who the leader is in this particular lineup battle.
We shouldn't rule out the possibility that Massa could potentially come back at the beginning of next semester, either, should he decide to do so.
TOP NEWCOMERS
Michigan may be losing one All-American in Massa, but gained another in Pat Brucki, who transferred to Michigan after three stellar years at Princeton. Brucki was a three-time NCAA qualifier and 2019 All-American with an 82-18 overall record. Bormet expects him to step right in at 197 since Myles Amine is dropping to 184.
Brucki's addition gives Michigan All-Americans at 184, 197 and 285. Combine that with Cam Amine's All-American finish at 165, and the Wolverines will have four All-Americans in the last five weights.
With Micic anchoring the front-half of the lineup, and capable wrestlers filling in everywhere else, it's easy to see why many are excited about this year's Michigan team.
WRESTLERS TO WATCH
There are plenty of options here - Myles is among the toughest wrestlers, pound-for-pound, in the country; Parris is one of the most exciting; Ragusin was once the wrestling community's darling; Brucki, Storr, Lewan are all capable - but we're picking Stevan Micic.
Ready for this? Micic's first college season was back in 2014-15, at Northwestern. He redshirted and went 17-3 at 125 pounds. He took a medical redshirt the next year at Michigan, then produced three-straight All-American finishes from 2017-19, and after two years of Olympic redshirts, he's back again for his final season with the Wolverines.
Of Micic's 74 career wins, 51 have included bonus-points. What's more, he's 14-4 all-time in three trips to the NCAA Championships, and all four losses have come to guys who have won NCAA titles: Nick Suriano, Seth Gross, Nathan Tomasello and Cory Clark. Perhaps this is the year, at a new weight, that Micic goes out on top.
POTENTIAL LINEUP
125: Jack Medley/Kurt McHenry
133: Dylan Ragusin/Drew Mattin
141: Stevan Micic/Cole Mattin/Chance Lamer
149: Kanen Storr
157: Will Lewan/Fidel Mayora
165: Cam Amine
174: Max Maylor/Jaden Bullock/Joe Walker
184: Myles Amine/Jelani Embree
197: Pat Brucki
285: Mason Parris
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