Thirty Wolverines Headed to Beijing for Summer Olympics
8/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Swimming & Diving, Men's Track & Field, Rowing, Women's Swimming & Diving, Women's Track & Field, Water Polo, Wrestling, Olympics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Thirty individuals with ties to the University of Michigan athletics department will be in Beijing, China, for the upcoming 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Of the U-M contingent, 22 will be competing in the Olympics, while the remainder includes four coaches, three Olympic team staff members and an athletic trainer. The Games of the XXIX Olympiad begin with the lighting of the Olympic torch Friday (Aug. 8) and run through Aug. 24.
The group of current and former U-M student-athletes, coaches and staff will represent nine countries across five sports. The United States boasts the largest collection of Wolverines with 15, including nine athletes, five coaches and one athletic trainer. Canada will also take a sizable U-M representation to the Games, with six athletes and one official, and Michigan will have one athlete each on the teams of Guyana, Israel, Jamaica, New Zealand, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago, and a coach with Croatia.
In addition, Ron Warhurst, U-M men's cross country and men's track and field head coach, will travel to Beijing as the personal coach for former Wolverines Nate Brannen (2002-05) of Canada and Nick Willis (2003-05) of New Zealand.
Swimming
Heading the U-M contingent is former men's swimming volunteer coach Michael Phelps (2005-08). Phelps, a three-time American Olympian who won six golds among his eight medals in Athens in 2004, is scheduled to swim in eight events in Beijing, giving him a chance to break Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics (Munich, 1972).
Also back for USA Swimming is former Wolverine Peter Vanderkaay (2003-06), who won a gold medal in Athens as a member of the victorious 800-meter freestyle relay squad. Andrew Hurd (2002-05) will swim in the 800-meter relay for Canada as he makes his third Olympics appearance.
Rounding out the swimming competitors are four athletes who swam for U-M in 2007-08: freshman Natasha Moodie (Miramar, Fla./Miramar HS) of Jamaica and senior Valeria Silva (Lima, Peru/Alexander von Humboldt) of Peru on the women's side, and junior Alon Mandel (Netanya, Israel/Eldad) of Israel and sophomore Scott Spann (Austin, Texas/Westlake HS) of the USA on the men's. Spann is no longer at U-M.
The last three men who have served as the U-M men's swimming head coach will also be in Beijing, with recent hire Mike Bottom coaching Croatia and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Duje Draganja. Outgoing head coach Bob Bowman (2004-08) will serve as an assistant coach for the USA men for the second time, and former U-M head coach Jon Urbanchek (1982-2004) has a role as special assistant to USA men's coach Eddie Reese.
Track and Field
Two members of the U-M men's track and field team that won the 2008 Big Ten Conference outdoor title are headed to Beijing, with fifth-year senior Stann Waithe (Towson, Md./Loch Raven HS) representing Trinidad and Tobago and junior Adam Harris (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North HS) running for Guyana.
Three-time Olympian Kevin Sullivan (1994-98) heads the list of former Wolverine distance runners who will be competing in Beijing. He is joined by New Zealand's Nick Willis (2003-05), who is making his second Olympics trip, and first-time Olympian Nate Brannen (2002-05) of Canada.
Scott MacDonald (1993-97), the Big Ten indoor mile champion in 1993, serves as team manager for Canada.
On the women's side, former Wolverine Anna Willard (2007), the NCAA 3,000-meter steeplechase champion in 2007, will represent the United States after winning the steeplechase at the USATF Olympics Trials. Former Big Ten high jump champion Nicole Forrester (1996-99) also is headed to her first Olympics after winning her specialty at the Canadian Olympic Trials.
Rowing
Four former U-M women's rowers will take to the Shunyi Olympic Park for the rowing events, led by Canadian team members Heather Mandoli (2001-04) in the women's eight and Janine Hanson (2003-06) in quadruple sculls. For the USA, Ellen Tomek (2004-06) will compete in double sculls, while Brett Sickler (2002-05) is an alternate on the women's eight.
Ken Jurkowski, who served as a volunteer assistant coach for the U-M women's rowing program this past season, will row for the USA in single sculls, while Michigan men's club team alumnus Matt Hughes ('04) will compete in quadruple sculls.
U-M athletic trainer Lisa Hass will be on the athletic medicine staff for the USA rowing team and work with the American triathletes.
Water Polo
Former U-M water polo All-American Betsey Armstrong (2002-05), an Ann Arbor native, will be the starting goalkeeper for the USA in Beijing. She is one just three non-Californians on the Olympic team. Former Michigan assistant coach Bernice Orwig (2001-02), a silver medalist at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, is on the USA staff as team leader.
Wrestling
Director of wrestling operations Andy Hrovat (1999-2002), a three-time NCAA All-American, made the USA Olympic Team in freestyle wrestling and will compete in the 84 kg/185-pound weight class. Former Wolverine Steve Fraser (1978-80) serves as head coach of the USA Greco-Roman wrestling team. Fraser became the first American to earn an Olympic medal in Greco-Roman wrestling when he won the 198-pound division at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Notes
• Former U-M lefthanded pitcher Clayton Richard (2005) was named to the USA Olympic baseball team in mid-July but was removed from the team a week later when the Chicago White Sox called him up. Richard began his college career as a quarterback for the Wolverines football team.
• Including the squads for the Beijing Games, 204 U-M students and coaches have participated in the Olympics, representing the U.S. and 23 other countries. They have won 118 medals (55 gold, 28 silver, 35 bronze), and Michigan has had medal winners in every Summer Olympics except 1896 and gold medalists in all but four Summer Olympiads.
Players Mentioned
