Ten to Watch Two Years Out From Tokyo 2020
7/24/2018 4:20:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Men's Track & Field, Women's Basketball, Rowing, Women's Swimming & Diving, Women's Track & Field, Water Polo, Wrestling, Olympics
As the summer begins to wind down and the start of classes creeps ever closer, it is important to note that we are officially halfway -- today! -- to the start of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Nearly two years ago, following the conclusion of the Rio Olympics, I highlighted several student-athletes to keep an eye on (see it here). Now seems like a good time to revisit that list.
Some of those same names reappear. There are some new ones, too. At the halfway point of the cycle, here are 10 student-athletes to keep track of as their Olympic aspirations become clearer with each passing day.
Hailey Brown, Women's Basketball
Brown is coming off a successful freshman year in which she averaged nine points and 5.2 rebounds in 27 starts. Internationally, she has been part of Canada's national team program since 2013, most recently helping Canada's U-19s win a bronze medal at last year's FIBA World Cup.
Felix Auböck and Ricardo Vargas, Men's Swimming
The University of Michigan men's swimming and diving program has had a presence at every Olympic Games dating back to the 1930s, and that is likely to continue in 2020. Auböck (Austria) and Vargas (Mexico), both distance swimmers, have already experienced the Olympics, each representing their countries in Rio. They have also both taken significant strides since relocating to Ann Arbor: Auböck was fifth in the 400-meter freestyle and sixth in the 800-meter freestyle at last summer's FINA World Championships, while Vargas was a two-time All-American and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2018.
Hailey Brown
Felix Aubock
Ricardo Vargas
Maddy Steere
Maddy Steere, Water Polo
She almost went to Rio, but was one of Australia's final roster cuts. Two years into her career at Michigan, she keeps improving, going from 51 goals in 2017 to 74 in 2018. Steere has spent a good chunk of this summer playing with the Australian National Team, and it would hardly be surprising to see her suit up in Tokyo.
Stevan Micic, Wrestling
Already one of the best wrestlers in the NCAA at his weight -- he was Big Ten champion and national runner-up this past season at 133 pounds -- Micic will likely have his chance to make it to Tokyo under the Serbian flag. He's 55-10 in his two years at Michigan.
Meghan Gutknecht, Rowing
While recent graduate Kendall Brewer may be the strongest candidate, do not sleep on Gutknecht. She has been a part of USA Rowing for three years now and is set to take a spot in the Women's Four boat at the World Rowing U-23 Championships, which begin tomorrow (July 25) in Poland. Collegiately, Gutknecht was Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2016 and was a second team All-American this past spring as part of the 1V8 boat.
Joe Ellis, Men's Track and Field
Could a member of the Meat Factory make it to Tokyo? Ellis, who represents Great Britain, has a good shot; his school-record hammer throw of 73.80 meters from last month would have qualified him for the final in Rio had he been there. He has improved about three meters per year at Michigan, and another three meters would put him right near the Olympic qualifying standard of 77.00 meters from 2016.
Stevan Micic
Meghan Gutknecht
Siobhán Haughey, Women's Swimming
Like Auböck and Vargas on the men's side, Haughey also has prior Olympic experience, finishing 13th in the 200-meter freestyle in Rio. The Hong Kong native was even faster last year, taking fifth in the same event at the FINA World Championships, while winning gold medals in both the 100- and 200-meter freestyles at the World University Games. She will wrap up her eligibility next spring and have a full year of training before aiming even higher in Tokyo.
Erin Finn and Alice Hill, Women's Track and Field
Finn has fought injuries off-and-on for the last two years. She qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials in the 10,000-meter run, but had to miss it because of an injury. Last year, she finished sixth at the USATF Outdoor Championships in the same event despite missing the collegiate outdoor season and much of the training time that goes with it. Moving to the post-collegiate ranks will also mean the opportunity to potentially qualify in the marathon, an event that may better suit the gritty, tough Finn.
As for Hill, she only has run the 3,000-meter steeplechase three times in her life -- all within the last month -- but it was the last one that really raised eyebrows. She finished seventh at the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships, putting her fifth on USA's all-time junior list. There is a lot of potential for growth as she continues to focus on the event.
Joe Ellis
Siobhán Haughey
Erin Finn
Alice Hill
FORMER STUDENT-ATHLETES TO WATCH: Kendall Brewer (rowing, USA), Adam Coon (wrestling, USA), Sam Mikulak (men's gymnastics, USA), Nik Stauskas (men's basketball, Canada), Moritz Wagner (men's basketball, Germany), Cindy Ofili (women's track and field, Great Britain), Tiffany Porter (women's track and field, Great Britain), Ben Flanagan (men's track and field, Canada), Mason Ferlic (men's track and field, USA), Nick Willis (men's track and field, New Zealand), Steve Bastien (men's track and field, USA), Jaimie Phelan (women's track and field, Canada)
Players Mentioned
