U of M Men - Wolverines Bring Home NCAA Regional Title
Provided by U of M
Site: Madison, Wis. (Zimmer Championship Course)
Meet: NCAA Great Lakes Regional (10,000 Meters)
U-M Team Finish: 1st Place of 31 Teams (70 points)
Top U-M Individual: Mason Ferlic, 3rd (30:11)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Nov. 23 -- at NCAA Championships (Terre Haute, Ind.), Noon
MADISON, Wis. -- The 16th-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team secured the NCAA Great Lakes Regional title on Friday (Nov. 15) at Wisconsin's Zimmer Championship Course to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships. The top four teams were separated by a narrow five points, with the Wolverines winning with 70 points, the home team Wisconsin following with 73 points, and Notre Dame and Indiana placing third and fourth, respectively, with 74 and 75points.
This marks Michigan's first regional championship since 2007, as the Wolverines shared the title with Wisconsin, and first outright crown since 1997. Michigan ended Wisconsin's unbeaten streak of 11 straight NCAA Great Lakes Region titles (2002-12).
Michigan's seven-man contingent packed up early and was all in the large front group, between eighth and 18th place, at the 4K mark.
Junior Mason Ferlic (St. Paul, Minn./Mounds Park Academy), as well as seniors Mark Beams (Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg) and Morsi Rayyan (Dewitt, Mich./St. Johns), remained a part of that lead pack even as the field began to string out at about the 18-minute mark. Around the 6,000-meter marker, seven runners broke away from the rest of the field, including Ferlic and Beams. At that point, Rayyan stood alone in eighth place, trailing the lead pack by about 20 meters, with 4,000 meters to go.
As Ferlic, Beams and Rayyan crossed the 9K checkpoint, they each remained in the top 10, sitting in the fourth, seventh and ninth spots, respectively. In a tight race to the finish, Ferlic edged Michigan State's Caleb Rhynard by one second, crossing the line in 30:11 to secure third place. Beams stopped the clock at 30:33 to finish eighth, while Rayyan was slightly edged by Wisconsin's Malachy Schrobilgen to take 10th in 30:38.
In their regional debuts, junior/sophomore August Pappas (Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea) and freshman Cory Glines (Canton, Ohio/St. Thomas Aquinas) secured Michigan's fourth and fifth scoring positions, respectively. Pappas placed 23rd in a time of 30:57, just ahead of Wisconsin's fifth scorer, while Glines finished 26th at 31:07, three seconds ahead of Notre Dame's fifth scorer.
Ferlic, Beams, Rayyan and Pappas each earned All-Great Lakes Region honors with their top-25 performances, while Glines was just one position shy of making the podium as a true freshman.
Freshman Connor Mora (Cedar Springs, Mich./Cedar Springs HS) (31:22) and sophomore/freshman Nick Renberg (Saline, Mich./Saline) (31:27) rounded out Michigan's seven-man squad at the regional meet, finishing 31st and 39th, respectively.
With their winning performance, the Wolverines automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships, which will be contested on Saturday, Nov. 23, at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind.
The men's 10K race is set to start at noon at LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course.
Top 10 Team Standings
1. MICHIGAN 70
2. Wisconsin 73
3. Notre Dame 74
4. Indiana 75
5. Michigan State 151
6. Butler 163
7. Ohio State 202
8. Purdue 241
9. Akron 283
10. Eastern Michigan 295
Top 10 Finishers
1. John Mascari, Indiana State 30:05
2. Matt McClintock, Purdue 30:07
3. MASON FERLIC, U-M 30:11
4. Caleb Rhynard, Michigan State 30:12
5. Jeremy Rae, Notre Dame 30:22
6. Martin Grady, Notre Dame 30:27
7. Michael Vanvoorhis, Wisconsin 30:29
8. MARK BEAMS, U-M 30:33
9. Malachy Schrobilgen, Wisconsin 30:38
10. MORSI RAYYAN, U-M 30:38
Other Michigan Finishers
23. August Pappas, U-M 30:57
26. Cory Glines, U-M 31:07
31. Connor Mora, U-M 31:22
39. Nick Renberg, U-M 31:27
Contact: Whitney Dixon
