These days, Myles Amine loves what greets him every time he enters Michigan's practice room.

On a massive blue mat marked by yellow circles, a band of wrestlers and coaches possessing a wealth of talent and knowledge readies for another session filled with sweat, grit, scrapping and growth. Adorning the walls above them are inspirational plaques featuring past Michigan greats .

The group usually includes more than the Wolverines' roster, which itself features an NCAA Champion (Nick Suriano) and six other All-Americans. 

The Cliff Keen Wrestling Club is also based at the school and its elite talents like Olympic bronze medalist, two-time world champion and three-time NCAA titlist J'Den Cox and past Hodge Trophy winner Alex Dieringer frequently join in.

On top of that, the Wolverines' coaching staff has been bolstered by the addition of Olympic gold medalist and former USA Freestyle Development coach Kevin Jackson, a trainer of several gold medalists and NCAA champions.  

"This season, we have the kind of room anybody who truly loves wrestling would love to be in," said Amine, a four-time All-American who returned for a final collegiate season after winning Olympic bronze last summer. "Having the Cliff Keen guys come in and work along side us gives the room a world class atmosphere. We are going to battle and the room will get vocal, but everybody brings something different and mixing all the different wrestling flavors together has benefited all of us."

Amine has certainly benefited from those practice wars which have left him feeling well-prepared for the final stretch of a storied career wearing the block M. 

Stiff competition awaits, but Amine can become the first Michigan wrestler to capture consecutive Big Ten titles since Kellen Russell in 2011-12 and the first to ever place in the top three at the conference tournament five times.

He is a near-lock to become the program's first five-time All-American as well. The Wolverines have not had an NCAA champion since Russell in 2012 either.

To say Amine is glad he opted to return to Ann Arbor for a one more run is a huge understatement.

"It's hard to put into words what this season has meant, but I have loved every second and had a feeling when I decided to come back, the experience was going to be something special," he said. "Just things like this being our 100th team and Kevin Jackson being one our coaches now have made it so fun day in and day out. I've had an amazing six months of training and competition and now the best part is here -- the postseason. Time to get it done."

Regardless of what happens at the upcoming Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Championships, the past six months have been the most eventful of Amine's life beginning with earning an Olympic podium spot in dramatic fashion.

Wrestling for the tiny European nation of San Marino, Amine scored the deciding takedown with a mere 10 seconds remaining in the 86-kilogram bronze medal match against 2019 World silver medalist Deepak Punia (India) for a 4-2 win.

While no spectators were allowed to attend, Amine was grateful to celebrate with Michigan coach Sean Bormet, Cliff Keen head coach and two-time gold medalist Sergei Beloglazov, Alex Dieringer, who was there as his training partner, and Micic, who made the Serbian Olympic team. 

Members of San Marino's Olympic committee were also watching.

"Having Sergei and coach Bormet in my corner was special and I've really built a strong bond with Alex, so it was nice to celebrate with him, and I was thankful Stevan could be there too," said Amine, who also carried San Marino's flag in the opening ceremony. "At the same time, I could not wait to get back home and celebrate with my family."

Amine was not home long before his parents, brother (former Michigan two-time NCAA qualifier Malik Amine), sister and his mother's parents traveled to San Marino where Myles was honored along with the nation's other two Olympic medalists.

 Amine is able to represent San Marino because his maternal great-grandfather was a citizen.

"What made that experience really special was my grandparents being able to make the trip," Myles said. "It's not easy for them to travel, but they promised they would do that for me and I'll always be grateful for that."

At the same time, Amine was in the midst of determining whether he was going to take advantage of another season of college eligibility. 

On Sept. 9, Amine announced he would be doing just that with a 46-second highlight video on his Twitter and Instagram accounts. Lyrics to the Eminem song Without Me -- "Guess who's back" -- began playing as the video concluded with the words "One More" and then "See You In Detroit", a reference to this season's NCAA Championships being held at Little Caesars Arena, appearing on screen.

Micic, a three-time All-American, followed Amine's announcement by declaring his own intentions of returning to the program on Sept. 23 followed by two-time All-American Logan Massa in early December.

"Deep down, I knew I'd probably be back, but needed to put all my energy into my Olympic run before announcing anything," Amine said. "I took about three weeks off from practice after the Games, talked it over with family and the coaching staff  before making a final decision. I figured if I said I was coming back, Stevan and Logan would probably be the next to say they were."

Amine was also recognized, along with the university's other Olympians, during a Michigan home football game and during a football game at alma mater Detroit Catholic Central where he won a pair of state titles. 

Michigan state Sen. Lana Theis and state Rep. Ann Bollin, who represent Amine's hometown of Brighton, welcomed him to the State Capitol in late September. 

Amine even found time to squeeze in an attempt at reaching the summit of 14,000-foot Mount of the Holy Cross in Colorado in October. He came within 1,000 feet of the top before being turned back by heavy snow. 

Amine finally returned to competition the last week of December at the Illinois Matman Open which non-collegiate wrestlers were permitted to enter. NCAA champion and three-time All-American Mark Hall, now a University of Pennsylvania assistant, joined Amine in the 184-pound bracket. 

They met in the final during which Amine took control with a decisive takedown in the final 10 seconds of the opening period on the way to a 4-2 win. He was 0-5 against Hall when both were collegians. 

On Feb. 13, Amine and the team's other seniors were honored during Michigan's win over Michigan State. An emotional Amine walked out on the floor flanked by parents Mike, an NCAA runner-up during his Michigan career, and Marcy. 

"Special day, special Wolverines! ," Bormet tweeted. "It’s been remarkable sharing this experience at Michigan with this group and watch them grow into great men. I’m also thankful for the chance to coach Nick and (All-American) Patrick (Brucki) for the final year of their outstanding college careers. Best is yet to come!"

Amine, ranked No. 9 pound-for-pound and second at 184 pounds, is 14-1 this season with two pins, two technical falls and a pair of major decisions. 

His career record is now 105-20, including 25-2 the past two seasons. Amine has gone 27-16 against All-Americans. 

Amine, who wrestled at 197 pounds last season, will likely have to avenge his only loss this season to win another Big Ten title and an NCAA Championship. 

He dropped a 3-1 decision to top-ranked, defending NCAA champion Aaron Brooks (Penn State) last month. A second-period escape put Amine up 1-0, but he could not score again. Brooks got behind him for the winning takedown with just 15 seconds left in the match.

"I was in a position to get a winning takedown (against Brooks) a few times, but lost my grip and he did a good job of defending," Amine said. "All through the postseason, I am just going to focus on being Myles Amine -- creating a lot of action, not standing around, and wrestling hard for a full seven minutes. I also have plenty of big-match experience to draw on."

Amine is also excited about the third-ranked Wolverines making postseason noise as a team. They finished 12-1 in duals, the lone loss to top-ranked Penn State.

That marks the first time Michigan, 5-1 last season, has finished with no more than a single dual loss in consecutive years since doing so in four straight seasons from 1962-63 through 1966-67.  

The most All-Americans Michigan has ever had at a single NCAA Championships is five and the chances of surpassing that total appear good with nine Wolverines ranked among the top 15 in their weight classes.

"I am very confident in our team even though some guys have gone through slumps at times this season," he said. "We have a solid, experienced group of guys who know what to expect from the postseason and will take advantage of their opportunities. We have a really focused mindset and will keep chipping away until we strike gold, so to speak."

Ultimately, the lure of capping his career with an NCAA title or at least a place on the podium for the fifth time just 43 miles from both Michigan's campus and his hometown was too strong for Amine to resist. 

He had to return.

"The NCAA Championships being is Detroit is a big part of why I came back," Amine. "It's been in the back of my mind, but I have to stay focused on next match in front of me. It's the only way for me. After the season, we will all talk about how special this season was and how much fun we had, but right now, it's time to perform on the mat. No more talking about it."