36 | JANUARY 26 • 2023
M
ikaela Schulz is
playing the sport
she loves for the
university she loves.
The 21-year-old University
of Michigan senior from West
Bloomfield is a member of the
defending Big Ten champion
U-M women’s golf team and
a second team All-Big Ten
selection in 2022 who has
aspirations of becoming a
professional golfer
after she graduates
from U-M.
“This is my dream
school,” she said.
“I knew I hadn’t
peaked as a golfer
when I was in high
school [Bloomfield
Hills]. I was so lucky
to get a spot on the
U-M team and have had an
opportunity to develop as a
golfer.”
U-M women’s golf coach
Jan Dowling is happy to have
Schulz on her team.
“Mikaela has been a die-
hard U-M sports fan since
she was a little girl,” Dowling
said. “She bleeds maize and
blue. She’ll do anything for
our team and is a phenomenal
teammate. She’s extremely
kind, calming and a joy to be
around. And she’s reliable.
She does exactly what she says
she’s going to do.”
As for golf, “Mikaela is
passionate about it and has
been a lifelong learner,”
Dowling said. “Her genuine
love for the game,
dedication and
commitment are hard
to find.”
Schulz loves to
compete … and
practice.
“It’s fun to see what
shots I can pull off
when I compete, and
to figure things out,”
she said. “That’s why I enjoy
practicing and the process of
improving. I’m always curious
about what can happen if I do
this or do that.”
Schulz has one more season
of collegiate eligibility after
this year because of the
season that was lost due to
the COVID-19 pandemic.
She plans to play for U-M
next season while pursuing a
master’s degree in social work.
Her undergrad major is
bio-psychology cognition and
neuroscience. She’s minoring
in entrepreneurship and the
environment.
“Mikaela takes tough
classes,” Dowling said.
Indeed she does. But that
hasn’t stopped her from being
a two-time Women’s Golf
Coaches Association All-
America Scholar (2020, 2021)
and a two-time Academic All-
Big Ten honoree (2021, 2022).
U-M won the Big Ten
women’s golf championship —
the first in the 46-year history
of the program — in April
2022 at Fox Chapel (Pa.) Golf
Club.
Schulz tied for 17th
individually in the
tournament, shooting 220
over three rounds. She
went on to play for U-M in
NCAA regional and national
championship tournaments.
A few months later, she
traveled to Israel to play for
the U.S. at the Maccabiah
Games. The U.S. won the
team gold medal in women’s
golf and Schulz was the
individual gold medalist.
Schulz said it was a
memorable trip to Israel and
not just because of the golf.
There was plenty of time
for her to see the sights,
get immersed in Israeli and
Jewish culture and traditions,
and meet new friends.
She caught up with U.S.
Maccabiah golf teammates
Mira Rubin, Alex Ross, Matt
Myers and Jeff Evanier during
a recent trip to Florida to
visit family and play in a golf
tournament.
It was hot on the golf
course during an Israeli
summer.
“It was important to stay
hydrated. I walked around
the course with an umbrella
to block the sun and I used
a pushcart,” Schulz said. “I
could have had a caddy, but
the caddies were kids, and
I don’t think they knew the
Big Ten champion and
Maccabiah Games gold
medal-winning golfer
Mikaela Schulz “bleeds
maize and blue.”
Living
a Dream
at U-M
STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
SPORTS
PHOTOS COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Mikaela Schulz