Confidence is key for Michigan’s Stevan Micic

Michigan 133-pounder Stevan Micic is more confident than ever heading into the 2017-18 collegiate postseason after a stellar regular season that began with a rough start.  

Micic, a sophomore for the Wolverines, was forced off the mat early in the season due to a bursitis infection in his knee. Barely able to walk, Micic wasn’t able to get in a mat practice or conditioning for more than two weeks.

However, he didn’t let a little adversity hold him back. He enters the postseason as the No. 2 ranked wrestler in the nation.

“I’d say overall, this season has gone well,” Micic said. “It started off a little rough. It’s tough with how long the college season is for it to go perfectly. Right now it’s excellent, though. God willing, I’ll be able to stay healthy for the next month or so. I’m really excited and ready to compete. I’m feeling prepared.”

Not a newcomer to the big stage, Micic, who won a Junior World bronze medal in 2015, admitted that he was a little intimidated by the postseason buildup last year. He took third at the conference championships and went on to finish fourth at the NCAA tournament.

“I remember last year, I put a lot of pressure on myself and I was a little tenser going into the conference tournament,” Micic said. “I wrestled on big stages in freestyle and things like that, but when it comes to the college season, there’s a lot of hype and build up around the NCAA Championships. It’s a huge tournament here. Getting out there for the first time in front of such a big crowd was intimidating. This year, I’m just enjoying the whole experience a lot more. The process of improving and those kinds of things is exciting. I’m just going out there and getting things done.”

This time around, a change of mindset has brought about greater results for the sophomore.

So far, Micic has compiled an overall 18-2 record with a perfect 13-0 showing in dual competition. His two losses both came early in the season at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite in December, where he went on to finish fifth. Of those two losses, he recently avenged one of them, which was to Ohio State’s Luke Pletcher, who won the first matchup, 7-5.

Earlier this month, the Wolverines welcomed the No. 2 Buckeyes to Ann Arbor in one of the final duals of the year. And Micic was more than ready for the challenge.

“Learning to be patient and making sure that I finished every time and it was crisp was something that changed my approach to this last match,” he said. “I knew that if I could get in on his leg and finish my attacks then I could really flip the result and separate myself.”

That’s exactly what happened.

Despite giving up the first takedown, Micic rallied with four takedowns of his own and nearly four minutes of riding time to hand then-No. 2 Pletcher his first loss of the season with an 11-5 decision.

“It feels really good for sure,” Micic said. “It’s a really hard sport, and sometimes it’s hard to stay consistent, especially early on in the college season. Now that I’m getting in my groove, consistency is key for me. A lot of people were counting me out just because I had one bad day in Vegas. But this is the point in the season where it counts. To get over that little hump and avenge that loss means a lot. I like to make a statement, which I think I did. Now I just need to build off of that for the Big Ten Championships and NCAAs.”

With 2017 NCAA runner-up Seth Gross of South Dakota State leading the field at 133, several others throughout the season have shown that they have what it takes to be national title contenders. Of those in the top-10, this season Micic has only wrestled Pletcher and Drexel’s Austin DeSanto, who handed the Wolverine his second loss of the year.

Not having the opportunity to come face-to-face with other potential title threats doesn’t bother Micic.

“I’m not too worried about that because they’ve either been at my weight before or I’ve wrestled them in the past in freestyle,” Micic said. “I’m looking forward to getting a chance to wrestle some of those guys at NCAAs. Guys like Seth Gross and several other guys at the weight are pretty scrappy, so I just have to make sure that I’m always ready to go. I know for a fact that the Big 10 dual season is one of the toughest, so through that, I feel prepared.”

In order to make a run at the 133-pound championship, Micic said trusting in his training is the biggest key and one that will take him all the way to the top.

“I think I just need to believe in myself,” Micic said. “I have faith in my abilities and I know I’m the best guy at the weight. I think a lot of people know that. I can never let the score of the match discourage me either. It may start off rough, but I believe in my talent and I think I can turn it around. Whether it comes down to the last second or goes into overtime, I know I’m ready for it. I know that I’m peaking right now, so there shouldn’t be an issue.”