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