Stevan Micic wrestling at the 2019 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Graduate student Stevan Micic, fifth-year seniors Myles Amine and Logan Massa and senior/junior Kanen Storr of the University of Michigan wrestling team will take Olympic redshirts during the 2019-20 season, head coach Sean Bormet announced Tuesday (Oct. 1).
Micic and Amine have already qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo after they earned fifth-place finishes at 57kg/125 pounds and 86kg/189 pounds, respectively, at the UWW World Championships last month in Kazakhstan. Massa and Storr will look to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, scheduled for April 4-5, 2020, in State College, Pennsylvania.
None of the four are currently enrolled in classes this semester and will retain the year of NCAA eligibility through the athletics activity waiver. Micic, Massa and Amine will return in 2020-21 with one year of eligibility, while Storr has two years remaining.
"Olympic gold is the pinnacle of our sport," said Bormet. "We already have two student-athletes qualified for the Olympic Games and believe we have others capable to doing the same. As a staff, we are committed to both the individual and the team component of our sport. We want to give our guys their best opportunity to train and prepare for success in Tokyo. I want to thank the administration at Michigan for valuing and supporting our philosophy in regards to these Olympic pursuits of our student-athletes."
Micic and Amine are three-time NCAA All-Americans at 133 and 174 pounds, respectively, and have never finished below fourth. Micic was an NCAA finalist in 2018 -- the same year he captured a Big Ten title at 133 pounds -- while Amine has placed third each of the last two seasons. Both boast 93 wins in their collegiate careers; Micic owns a 93-14 career record, while Amine is 93-20.
Massa also is an NCAA All-American, placing third in 2017, and a three-time NCAA qualifier at 165 pounds. Also a Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational champion and a Big Ten runner-up, he owns an 85-19 collegiate record. Storr posted a 26-8 record in his first season at Michigan last year and is 66-20 in his career. He qualified for the 2019 NCAA Championships with a fifth-place Big Ten finish.
Michigan returns four additional starters, including two NCAA qualifiers, from last year's team that posted a 13-1 dual record and claimed fifth place at the NCAA Championships. Among the returners, sophomore heavyweight Mason Parris reached the NCAA Round of 12 and, more recently, captured a junior world gold medal in just the third major freestyle tournament of his career last August in Estonia.
"We have a room full of young, talented wrestlers who have been working hard since they arrived in Ann Arbor," said Bormet. "They have a significant opportunity in front of them this season. I am confident they will embrace it and rise to meet the challenge. I'm excited for the season to get underway."
The 2019-20 season kicks off with the annual Michigan State Open on Saturday, Nov. 2. The Wolverines will host North Carolina in its dual debut a week later, on Friday, Nov. 8, at Cliff Keen Arena. Season tickets are still available through the U-M Ticket Office.
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