11/5/2026 11:24:00 AM | MGoBlue Podcasts
00:00:00 Brian Boesch
We begin with the big news from Wednesday night. Michigan women's soccer kicked off postseason play in style, rallying to upset top seeded Ohio State, the third ranked team of the country, 2-1 in the Big Ten quarterfinals. The Buckeyes scored 30 seconds into the match, but Adi Walick delivered the tying goal just before halftime, and she registered the game winner in the 69th minute. Here is Walick on the massive win in St. Louis.
00:00:26 Adi Walick
This win is super huge for our team. We've been working really hard
00:00:30 Adi Walick
year since preseason and even since last spring. And so this was a culmination of everyone's effort and really pouring into each other and believing in ourselves and everything that we've built.
00:00:41 Adi Walick
And so I was fortunate to capitalize on my two moments tonight and use that to help us be Ohio State. And now we are doing everything we can to prepare, embrace this moment and be ready for Sunday.
00:00:55 Brian Boesch
So Walick and the Wolverines get to stay in St. Louis as they advance to the 2 o'clock Eastern Time semifinal on Sunday. The opponent will be either Michigan State or Washington. That Spartans Husky match takes place on Thursday. Michigan hockey showed some resilience
00:01:11 Brian Boesch
on the road last weekend, dropping its first game of the season on Saturday at Ohio State. And they trailed 4 to 3 in the final two minutes on Sunday in the finale. With 112 left, the Wolverines knotted things up on a Malcolm Spence goal to force overtime. And then Michigan left Columbus with a win.
00:01:29 Al Randall
And then they took it back from him. And there's a minute left. Wolverines trying to keep it in. Hage does. Hayes looking around, trying to play it out in front. He does.
00:01:40 Al Randall
Open net. Hage again. Goaltender lost his take and they score. Michigan Valentini and they win it in overtime.
00:01:50 Brian Boesch
Adam Valentini's first career overtime game-winning goal there as Michigan wins 5-4 despite surrendering three goals in the third period. Michael Hage was brilliant, being involved in every goal on Sunday, 4 assists plus one of his own. It was far from easy for the Wolverines in a rivalry setting to begin Big Ten play.
00:02:10 Brian Boesch
But head coach Brandon Naurato liked his team's approach.
00:02:13 Brandon Naurato
They played hard all weekend. I didn't give you anything. We adjusted the game plan or got to our game plan a little bit better, but just proud of the guys for fighting the fight. There was belief the whole time.
00:02:25 Brandon Naurato
It doesn't always work out, but when it does, you got to believe and that's what the guys are saying on the bench.
00:02:30 Brian Boesch
Michigan now 8-1 on the season, #2 in the nation. The Wolverines off this weekend before their first Big Ten home series, November 13th and 14th against Penn State. Both games start at Yost at 7 o'clock. Volleyball represented itself well over the weekend, taking the first set from top-ranked Nebraska in front of a sold-out crowd at Crisler Center on Friday night before the Huskers rallied to win in four sets.
00:02:55 Brian Boesch
Then Michigan earned a critical home win over number 19 Indiana three sets to one a day later. Ella Demetrician recorded a match high 20 kills in that one, while Morgan Burke distributed 27 assists, thus surpassing 3,000 assists for her stellar Michigan career. Fresh off its first ranked victory of the season over those Hoosiers, Michigan continues its stretch run with a road trip. It's at Rutgers on Thursday and at Maryland on Saturday. Both matches start at 7. Men's
00:03:25 Brian Boesch
Women's tennis hosted the Big Ten individual championships over the weekend, with freshman Naoto Tomizawa earning the program's first Big Ten singles title since Gavin Young in 2021. Nicholas Heng reached the semis, while Evan Burnett advanced to the quarters. Women's tennis in the Thunderbird Invitational last weekend. It was shortened by weather. Sunday's festivities canceled. Michigan 5-3 in singles, 1-1 in doubles.
00:03:51 Brian Boesch
The cross country Big Ten Championships were last weekend. The men placing 5th, the women's 6th out in Madison, Wisconsin. Nathan Lopez paced the men's team with a 6th place finish individually, thus collecting first team All-Big 10 honors. Trent McFarland was 22nd. The top women's performer was Penelopea Gordon, a 19th place performance for second team All-Big 10 honors. Brooke Johnston was 24th, just 1/10 of a second shy of her best 6K performance. So the Wolverines head to the NCAA
00:04:21 Brian Boesch
Great Lakes Regional Championships, those November 13th in East Lansing. A couple of seasons did come to an end since we last chatted. Field hockey lost to Ohio State 2-1, so they finished the season 7-10, narrowly missing in the Big Ten tournament. And men's soccer losing to Ohio State to conclude a 3-8-5 season on Wednesday that a 1-0 defeat.
00:04:46 Brian Boesch
It was a dominant start for Michigan Wrestling as they blank VMI 50 to nothing, tying the program record for most points scored in a duel. Henry Astlikyan and Moses Mendoza, two of Michigan's talented freshmen, opened the duel with pins in their collegiate debuts. Cameron Catrabone had Michigan's other pin. This weekend is the Michigan State Open Saturday at 9.30 up in East Lansing. Michigan's lone home duel before the holidays is next weekend. That's Friday, November 13th against Columbia. Get over to
00:05:16 Brian Boesch
goblue.com/tickets to lock in your seats for that. We are talking wrestling on this week's episode, greatness from the past, two pillars of the wrestling program. They join us this week on Conqu'ring Heroes as we reflect on the Hall of Honor inductions for Joe McFarland and Kellen Russell. Really excited to share those conversations next here on Conqu'ring Heroes.
00:05:41 Jeff Laurence
Welcome to your one stop podcast for all things Michigan Athletics.
00:05:45 Jeff Laurence
Updates on every team on campus and interviews with players and coaches are all on the way. This is Conqu'ring Heroes. Here's your host, Brian Boesch.
00:05:55 Brian Boesch
Continuing our conversation with Hall of Honor inductees and it's a pleasure to have Joe McFarland, one of two wrestling representatives with us. Joe, first congratulations. What was your reaction when you first found out you were going into the class of 2026?
00:06:12 Joe McFarland
Well, I'll be honest with you. I said this
00:06:14 Joe McFarland
the night of the banquet, I was sort of caught off guard a little bit. Ward had left me a voice message on my phone and I'm thinking, man, what this is all about? So, but when he told me, I was elated, obviously. And I mean, it's always an honor to be into some type of hall of fame and stuff. And I'm in a few of them, but
00:06:38 Joe McFarland
And I love all that, but this one really, really meant a lot to me just because, I mean, I spent a large part of my life here in Ann Arbor, as a student athlete coming back and spending a total of what, 28 years in between an assistant coach and a head coach. So it was a big part of my life. And yeah, I'm elated.
00:07:02 Brian Boesch
So then how did all of that match with the emotions of the weekend itself? Does one or two illuminate to the front of the mind when you think back to what transpired in mid-September?
00:07:16 Joe McFarland
Well, we had a, we, were, we were, we had three groups of three large tables of, between family and friends and former teammates and college roommates.
00:07:31 Joe McFarland
So that was exciting. My house, we had a full house here. And the whole weekend, it couldn't have been better, to be quite honest with you. The, Michigan did it first class. And everybody said that. Everybody couldn't believe what a great event that was. I like the format of it. was really, kept your attention. And then, we, Saturday at the football game, we beat Oklahoma, right?
00:07:58 Joe McFarland
Ohio State loses that weekend. Hey, could have been a better weekend.
00:08:02 Brian Boesch
Now, I want to get into that because you did grow up in Ohio and then came to Michigan. So what was that process like and why did you choose to come to Ann Arbor way back when as a student?
00:08:13 Joe McFarland
Okay, yeah, it was interesting. And I think I touched on this a little bit that evening. I was being recruited. Michigan was after me pretty hard. I was looking at some other schools. I was dragging my feet.
00:08:27 Joe McFarland
And any time the phone rang in the early evening, after supper, I was trying to find a place to hide downstairs under the pool table, upstairs in the closet. I didn't want to talk to any more coaches. And my mom knew something was wrong. So the Michigan coaches had been in my house. It was the second time. It was on a Friday evening. And
00:08:51 Joe McFarland
It's interesting because my former head coach just told me this recently. He said, when he and the assistant were driving to Cleveland to see me, they said, we're not leaving. We're not leaving this house until McFarland gives us a verbal commitment.
00:09:06 Joe McFarland
And this was the second time they were there. And I wasn't ready to make a commitment yet. And so after they had left, my mom pulled me aside. I called my buddies. I said, hey guys, the coaches are gone. Come on over and pick me up. It was a Friday night. I was going to go out with my friends. My mom said, you're not going anywhere. We're sitting down. We're going to figure this thing out. So my mom and dad sat me down and we were talking about it. My mom said, you know, something is going on. I can just tell you, you're dragging your feet on this. And she said, put money aside.
00:09:35 Joe McFarland
Where do you want to go? I said, well, I want to go to Michigan. And she said, well, why not? I said, well, they're the only school not offering me a full ride. It was a substantial scholarship. I believe it was right around 80%. But you know, my dad was a Cleveland firefighter. You know, growing up, money was tight in our family, and I knew that. And so that was, I was actually thinking about maybe going to one of these other schools that had offered me a full ride. But that night, my mom said, nope, you're going to Michigan.
00:10:04 Joe McFarland
It's emotional for me you didn't say that now.
00:10:08 Brian Boesch
That's really cool. And obviously it worked out great for you. It worked out great for Michigan. Four-time All-American, 166 career wins, two-time captain. How does that all sit with you now, knowing what you did as a coach, which we'll get to, but you know, coaches,
00:10:26 Brian Boesch
They love to think back to when they played, because that's what it's all about, is performing, competing, being out there. And you had so much success. What do you remember most about your time as a student athlete and all the accomplishments you had?
00:10:40 Joe McFarland
Yeah, you know what? You know, I don't necessarily reflect on the accomplishments. I'm proud of being able to go to the University of Michigan. You know, here's where I really cut my teeth. I mean, I turned from a young guy into a man.
00:10:54 Joe McFarland
And I was surrounded by really good people. Coach Barr recruited me and I'll be forever grateful to him for not only recruiting me, but then, there was years later he brought me back as an assistant coach when I was a head coach at Indiana University. So I'll always be grateful to him for that. But he surrounded me with good people, my good, you know, we had a really good staff. And I just, I grew as a student, I grew as a student athlete. And
00:11:20 Joe McFarland
And then that was a springboard for me, Michigan was a springboard for me for being able to make our USA national team and compete all over the world. So the whole thing was just a wonderful experience. I mean, it's hard to just pinpoint a few things, but it's more about the friendships, the camaraderie, and just the total experience that I had in the sport of wrestling. I mean, it really changed my life.
00:11:43 Brian Boesch
Along those lines, you then make the transition into coaching. Does some of that
00:11:49 Brian Boesch
description of what meant so much to you as a wrestler, as a competitor, lean you toward coaching? Like when did you realize that was the next step for you?
00:12:00 Joe McFarland
You know, that's, you know, I'm going to go back to another mom's story here because she always told me, I, you know, I'd always said like while I was in college, you know, every now and then you had these conversations when you go back, when I went back to Cleveland, like, hey, you know, what do you think about doing? And I'd always say, well, you know, I want to go into some type of business. Eventually, I want to own my own business.
00:12:16 Joe McFarland
And at that time, I wasn't quite sure what that was, but my mom said, you will never be able to get out of wrestling. And she was right. I just fell in love with it. that time, at that time as well, when you were on, when I was on our national team, you had to be an assistant coach. You had to, because you had to have a place to train.
00:12:39 Joe McFarland
You had a place that had, we were flexible enough where you could go overseas and travel and come back. So my first couple years out, I was a low level assistant, but I had the flexibility, of being able to go overseas, still training and training with the college guys and competing. And so I just loved it. I loved being around the guys and I, just like, I'm never going to get away from this. So my mom was right again.
00:13:05 Brian Boesch
They tend to be right about stuff. It's funny how that works. If only we listened more, right?
00:13:11 Joe McFarland
Exactly. I couldn't agree.
00:13:13 Brian Boesch
What were the core tenets, the things that a Joe McFarland led program you always knew, you always focused on, you always imparted on your players, your wrestlers?
00:13:25 Joe McFarland
Toughness, grit,
00:13:27 Joe McFarland
being highly conditioned. I mean, my guys, they'll tell you some funny stories about some of the workouts I put them through. But, there were times I really tried to mentally and physically challenge them, just so, when they got in those tough matches, they were able, they've been there before. And I felt, that was just something that I learned over time. I was fortunate because I had some really good coaches throughout my youth. My first coaches that got me in the sport of wrestling were four brothers and
00:13:57 Joe McFarland
And they were wonderful. And we worked extremely hard as grade schoolers. I mean, I look back on some of the workouts they put us through. And that was sort of a stepping stone for everything else. And that's where a lot of my development and my mindset was from those early years. And I just continued to develop that. And then I brought that into my coaching because
00:14:20 Joe McFarland
I used to think about expression. I want to pull this guy into deep water. And, a lot of times it's not maybe the most athletic, maybe not the most technical wrestler, but most of the time when it comes down to two really elite wrestlers, it's going to come down to who is the toughest, who can go the hardest for the longest period of time. And that's sort of my philosophy. And I brought that into coaching. So, our training sessions were tough, but our guys were prepared.
00:14:50 Brian Boesch
So many accomplishments that you in this program had three Big Ten titles, 11 top 10 NCAA finishes in your final season of 2018. That was the second best outside of the runner-up year in 2005. Why was it time after 2018 for you to step away?
00:15:09 Joe McFarland
Yeah, that's a good question. I think a lot of people were surprised. I had been talking, I'd been thinking about it, you know, for a number of years.
00:15:17 Joe McFarland
And interesting, I had a neighbor friend of mine who was an older gentleman that used to come over and use my gym all the time. I have a gym out my pole barn. And he had retired from the University of Michigan. And so one time I walked in and he was in there using the on the treadmill. And so I had been thinking about it. And I asked him, I said, hey, when did you know it was time for you to step down and retire? And he said, you know, we exchanged, he exchanged a few thoughts with me. And but I do remember him saying this,
00:15:46 Joe McFarland
when you're in your last year, you'll be counting the days. And I sort of felt like that. my wife and I had been talking about it. We were trying to figure out when that was going to be. I felt 2000. I almost, I am actually almost stepped down a year before. And thankfully, you know, I called Ward back. I said, you know, I want to reconsider. Let's just take it year by year. And so it was already in the back of my mind. You know, I had been doing it. I think that 2018 was my 33rd year of
00:16:14 Joe McFarland
either as an assistant or head coach in college. And in sport wrestling, it's tough. You're down on the mat with these guys all the time. And I just felt it was time. So.
00:16:25 Brian Boesch
So an individual who was on your staff for seven years, four years as an associate head coach took over for you, Sean Bormet. What did you see in Sean back then? And how would you assess what he's been able to do to take the baton and run with it here for a Michigan wrestling program that has had so many incredible seasons and accomplishments?
00:16:45 Joe McFarland
Well, you know, going back to Sean, you know, when I came back as an assistant coach from IU,
00:16:52 Joe McFarland
Sean was in his junior year, so I was able to coach him for a couple of years. And he was a leader on the team. All the guys looked up to him. I mean, and you could just feel it when I walked into the room, being in the practice room for a week or so. Sean was the leader of the program, and one of our captains. And Sean is super intelligent. He always knows what to say at the right time. And he's really turned into a great coach. I mean, I think he's
00:17:23 Joe McFarland
done a super job and he's going to continue to do that. And it's great that he's got Kellen coming back now and being part of the program. So these guys are going to continue to elevate the program from here on.
00:17:36 Brian Boesch
You alluded to Kellen, one of your wrestlers going into the Hall of Honor with you. What was that like?
00:17:44 Joe McFarland
Oh, it was great. You know, it's always an honor to be going in. And let's face it, Kellen was one of the
00:17:52 Joe McFarland
the best wrestlers to ever wear the Block M, and I was honored to go in with him. I told a funny story about him that night. We got in on him a little bit late, and he came out and Kellen, especially at that age, he was a little quieter, and I wasn't getting a good read on him all weekend. And I was just like, so Sunday morning, I meet him at the hotel, talk about his visit. I'm on my way to the airport, I'm trying to fish for information, he's not really giving me anything.
00:18:21 Joe McFarland
So I dropped him off at the airport. I come home and I was really a little disappointed. I was like, man, I don't think we're going to get him. I don't think we're going to get Kellen. And my wife, she's always the optimistic one. And she's always like, we still got a chance. And so anyways, on Monday evening, I called the house. Kellen was at Blair Academy, a prep school. So he wasn't living at home with his parents, but I called and talked to his mom.
00:18:45 Joe McFarland
Maria. And she said, my God, Kellen had such a great visit. She just went on and on about it. I said, I'll be out there Wednesday night. I'll be out there Wednesday night. So I flew out and then I got a verbal from him a few nights later at Blair Academy.
00:19:01 Brian Boesch
Wonderful. Before I let you go, what are you up to now? What has post-coaching, post-wrestling life been like for you?
00:19:07 Joe McFarland
I get that question A lot. I get this a little bit from my dad and I'm always, I always have projects around the house.
00:19:14 Joe McFarland
We love live up on the Portish Chain of Lakes, so we have our property is just a lot of work. I was out pruning trees before I ran in and took a shower and got ready for this for this podcast, but I always there's always work to do around here, whether it's fixing a boat, yard work, so I stay I stay super busy. I we have we have dogs and I still enjoy working out. I worked out earlier this morning and so I stay super busy.
00:19:44 Brian Boesch
I think that's what a former coach will always do. That's perfect. Joe, congratulations. Thanks so much for making the time and we'll see you here this winter for some wrestling action.
00:19:55 Joe McFarland
Hey, thanks, Brian. Appreciate it. Go blue.
00:20:05 Brian Boesch
Talking more wrestling here with the Hall of Honor induction class, Kellen Russell, who gosh, you talk about all the different ebbs and flows
00:20:13 Brian Boesch
to what he's meant to Michigan Wrestling is with us.
00:20:16 Brian Boesch
First off, what was your reaction to being an inductee and what was the weekend like back in September?
00:20:23 Kellen Russell
It was awesome.
00:20:24 Kellen Russell
It was actually funny.
00:20:25 Kellen Russell
I was sort of in the middle of my hiring process to come back here.
00:20:29 Kellen Russell
So I was in the middle of kind of packing my house up in New York and I got a phone call from a 734 number.
00:20:37 Kellen Russell
I was waiting for my background check to come through, so I figured maybe they were calling to tell me that and it was Ward calling me up and I was like, I don't know why he'd be calling me for assistant coaching job, but so we talked for a few minutes and then he then he dropped the news that I was getting adopted into the Hall of Honor and it was a surprise.
00:20:56 Kellen Russell
I wasn't, you know, I was kind of set on getting moving back out here and that was something that kind of dropped in my lap and it was
00:21:03 Kellen Russell
It was really cool to be able to talk to Ward about that and then him also congratulating me on coming back.
00:21:09 Kellen Russell
So it was kind of like a full circle moment.
00:21:12 Brian Boesch
Your head coach was a part of the class as well, Joe McFarland in it.
00:21:16 Brian Boesch
What did that mean and how did he help to shape who you are now as a coach, but also just who you are as a person?
00:21:23 Kellen Russell
Yeah, it was awesome being able to share a stage with Joe up there too.
00:21:26 Kellen Russell
That was a cool, unique experience.
00:21:30 Kellen Russell
kind of been able to talk about a few stories that we had going back and forth.
00:21:34 Kellen Russell
But Joe was a pivotal person in my wrestling career and my coaching career.
00:21:38 Kellen Russell
He was my head coach when I was here, then he was also my first boss when I started coaching on the college scene.
00:21:44 Kellen Russell
So from mentoring me as an athlete and then mentoring me as a coach, like there's really, I can't thank Joe enough for
00:21:52 Kellen Russell
for being able to learn everything from wrestling to coaching, to leading these young men, and what it means to be a true Michigan man.
00:22:01 Brian Boesch
And he said in our conversation that he left some of the tail end conversations with you in the recruiting process thinking, we didn't get Kellen.
00:22:11 Brian Boesch
We didn't get Kellen.
00:22:12 Brian Boesch
What do you remember about the late stages of the recruiting process?
00:22:16 Brian Boesch
And were you maybe
00:22:20 Brian Boesch
not giving him the full story or was it really an on the fence situation?
00:22:25 Kellen Russell
I was pretty set on going somewhere else a little closer to home.
00:22:30 Kellen Russell
But as soon as I touched down for my visit, the first thing I told my parents was like, I'm going to Michigan.
00:22:34 Kellen Russell
Like that's where I want to go.
00:22:37 Kellen Russell
I guess I hold my cards pretty close to my chest.
00:22:41 Kellen Russell
Joe learned there.
00:22:43 Kellen Russell
But you know, the after spending a weekend out in Ann Arbor and spending it with the guys on the team and just seeing what
00:22:50 Kellen Russell
Michigan wrestling met, like there's no place else I wanted to wrestle.
00:22:54 Kellen Russell
So I guess I stressed Joe out a little more, but he got used to that as he was coaching me throughout the year.
00:22:59 Kellen Russell
So it was a good learning step for Joe.
00:23:02 Brian Boesch
There you go.
00:23:03 Brian Boesch
I like that.
00:23:04 Brian Boesch
And obviously it worked out well for you and for Joe, a two-time NCAA champion at 141 pounds.
00:23:10 Brian Boesch
When you think back to those title clinching matches, what still sticks to you and in your mind to this day?
00:23:18 Kellen Russell
I think just being able to spend the time with the Michigan alumni and supporters of the program afterwards.
00:23:24 Kellen Russell
Like they poured so much into me, into the teams I was on, into the teams that I coached.
00:23:29 Kellen Russell
And none of us athletes would be there without that support system.
00:23:33 Kellen Russell
So to be able to, we always have a great following at the NCAA tournament.
00:23:37 Kellen Russell
So to be able to win for Michigan and be able to spend that right after was something that's really special.
00:23:46 Brian Boesch
Obviously, a tremendous start to your career.
00:23:47 Brian Boesch
You were 32 and seven as a freshman, 31 and four as a sophomore, won Big Ten championships both years, and then you redshirted before those national championships.
00:23:57 Brian Boesch
What went into that decision?
00:23:59 Brian Boesch
And do you think that I mean, now with the five and five, it probably is a moot point, but why were you comfortable in taking that step away from competition to try to build you up for something that became even greater in your 4th and 5th years on campus?
00:24:14 Kellen Russell
Yeah, I think a big part of it, it was kind of out of my hands.
00:24:19 Kellen Russell
I came back to help Josh Shorella train for the World Championship trials.
00:24:26 Kellen Russell
And I tore a ligament in my thumb.
00:24:29 Kellen Russell
I was having knee problems all kind of from high school.
00:24:33 Kellen Russell
So I ended up getting a thumb surgery and a knee surgery in June after my sophomore year.
00:24:40 Kellen Russell
And unfortunately when I came back, it was about three months later, my knee just still wasn't right.
00:24:44 Kellen Russell
I had a staph infection in it.
00:24:47 Kellen Russell
So I ended up having to get another surgery in December of 2009.
00:24:53 Kellen Russell
And then I was off the mat for about seven months.
00:24:56 Kellen Russell
So I wasn't able to train or anything during that year.
00:25:01 Kellen Russell
And that was kind of when I realized I really wanted to get into coaching because I couldn't do the sport that I loved, but I could help the guys out on the team.
00:25:08 Kellen Russell
So
00:25:09 Kellen Russell
Joe really let me kind of help out and coach and try to mentor some of the guys while I was off the mat.
00:25:15 Kellen Russell
And I think that just gave me a deeper respect and a different perspective of the sport.
00:25:20 Kellen Russell
When you can't do it, you got to learn, and you still want to spend your time doing it, you kind of got to learn how to break things down and explain things to guys that might just come naturally to you.
00:25:31 Kellen Russell
So I think I became a better student of the sport during that year.
00:25:35 Kellen Russell
And that kind of helped me elevate my game, I think, the last two years.
00:25:39 Kellen Russell
and really just thinking about it and not just going out and doing it.
00:25:43 Brian Boesch
Curious if that may have sparked your ultimate reality of now being in the coaching profession to have seen it from a unique perspective.
00:25:50 Brian Boesch
Had you thought about coaching before then and did it come up during that year when you probably were at times helping to coach some of your teammates?
00:25:58 Kellen Russell
I think I always wanted to be involved in wrestling.
00:26:02 Kellen Russell
wrestling is one of those sports, like many other sports, you grow up doing it.
00:26:05 Kellen Russell
And even if you're working in the business world, like you're probably helping out at a club or something like that.
00:26:12 Kellen Russell
So I always knew I'd be involved.
00:26:13 Kellen Russell
I just didn't know if that was going to be youth level, high school, college.
00:26:19 Kellen Russell
I was an education major, so I was kind of planning on being a teacher, which is what my dad did, and being a wrestling coach.
00:26:26 Kellen Russell
Just kind of the third that year, I definitely thought like, if I want to do this, I think college is the level that I want to be at.
00:26:33 Kellen Russell
And being able to coach in college and coach the senior level guys, it's a ton of fun, it's a ton of work, but at the end of the day, it's what I'm passionate about.
00:26:41 Kellen Russell
And being back at Michigan is even better.
00:26:45 Brian Boesch
So you were here as an assistant, went to Cornell, now you're back.
00:26:48 Brian Boesch
So what brought you back and has it been a fairly easy, not acclimation, re-acclimation process for you?
00:26:56 Kellen Russell
Yeah, I think so.
00:26:58 Kellen Russell
I'm glad I had a great experience at Cornell.
00:27:01 Kellen Russell
I got to learn a lot.
00:27:02 Kellen Russell
I think it's really good to-- and me and Joe actually talked about this when we found out we both were being inducted to the Hall of Fame because he did something similar where he left, went to Indiana for a few years, and then got called back.
00:27:14 Kellen Russell
And you just get a different perspective of the sport, of how things are handled, different ways athletic departments are run.
00:27:22 Kellen Russell
and then be able to come back now with, I have a 2 1/2 year old now.
00:27:25 Kellen Russell
So, I left kidless.
00:27:27 Kellen Russell
I came back with a kid.
00:27:28 Kellen Russell
So that's a whole different, perspective.
00:27:32 Kellen Russell
But, I'm definitely, I'm super excited to be back.
00:27:36 Kellen Russell
And, they've done a great job since I've been gone at Cornell.
00:27:39 Kellen Russell
We were battling them the few years.
00:27:42 Kellen Russell
Michigan was second one year, Cornell was third.
00:27:44 Kellen Russell
The next year we flip-flopped.
00:27:45 Kellen Russell
So
00:27:46 Kellen Russell
I've been keeping a close eye on them, and when Sean talked to me about the possibility of coming back, it was something that I couldn't say no to.
00:27:55 Kellen Russell
Me and my wife had talked a lot about different job opportunities, and I was like, it was always kind of known pretty point blank that if an opportunity to come back to Michigan came up, that we were probably going to take it.
00:28:08 Brian Boesch
And lastly, what do you hope to bring?
00:28:11 Brian Boesch
I mean, how much of a different coach are you now versus when you left and went to Cornell?
00:28:18 Kellen Russell
I think my, I guess, core philosophies are pretty similar.
00:28:23 Kellen Russell
I think being away for five years, being in a new environment, you gain a lot of confidence in your ability and kind of trust in yourself.
00:28:34 Kellen Russell
So I feel like now I'm a much more confident coach, which is good.
00:28:39 Kellen Russell
And I just have a, different perspective of, coaching in the Ivy League, being on that side of things and kind of showing these guys that, we can, you can accomplish great things on and off the mat, especially at a place like Michigan, you got the best of both worlds.
00:28:55 Kellen Russell
in the Ivy League, you obviously have an Ivy League education.
00:28:58 Kellen Russell
Athletics are treated somewhat differently.
00:29:00 Kellen Russell
Here, you're getting an Ivy League level education.
00:29:03 Kellen Russell
and you're getting a powerful athletic experience and all the resources that come with that.
00:29:08 Kellen Russell
So, something I'm preaching to the guys right now is, you have all these resources, take advantage of them.
00:29:14 Kellen Russell
go, tutoring, sports science, nutrition, there's nothing missing here.
00:29:21 Kellen Russell
It takes a little bit of initiative sometimes.
00:29:23 Kellen Russell
You got to ask, ask the questions, take advantage of it, but everything that you need to be successful is here.
00:29:31 Brian Boesch
Unquestionably.
00:29:32 Brian Boesch
Well, you're a great representative of that.
00:29:34 Brian Boesch
And now in the Hall of Honor for all time.
00:29:37 Brian Boesch
Kellen Russell, thank you so much for stopping by and good luck with the wrestling season.
00:29:41 Brian Boesch
It'll be an exciting one.
00:29:43 Kellen Russell
Thank you.
00:29:43 Kellen Russell
Appreciate it.
00:29:51 Brian Boesch
Great stuff from Coach McFarland and now Coach Russell.
00:29:54 Brian Boesch
We are thankful for their time.
00:29:56 Brian Boesch
Thanks to Kelly Bates and the rest of the team who put together the Hall of Honor induction ceremony back in September.
00:30:03 Brian Boesch
And you can tell how much it meant to Joe and Kellen.
00:30:06 Brian Boesch
We got a couple more weeks of those.
00:30:07 Brian Boesch
We'll continue to update you on what's going on throughout campus.
00:30:10 Brian Boesch
Good luck to Michigan women's soccer on Sunday.
00:30:13 Brian Boesch
It's a big one, either Michigan State or Washington for a spot in the Big Ten Tournament championship game.
00:30:20 Brian Boesch
All right,
00:30:21 Brian Boesch
for me, Brian Boesch again.
00:30:22 Brian Boesch
Thanks as always for listening to Conqu'ring Heroes and Go Blue.
00:30:26 Jeff Laurence
Thanks for listening to Conqu'ring Heroes, part of our Michigan Athletics Podcast Network, M Go Blue Podcasts.
00:30:34 Jeff Laurence
The preceding has been a Learfield presentation of the Michigan Sports Network.
