By: Garrett Zatlin
Reminder of the list so far...
#11 Michigan Wolverines
11. Michigan
Wolverines
Flotrack’s #11: Indiana
Hoosiers
Coach: Kevin
Sullivan
Notable Departures: N/A
Notable Additions: Matt Plowman
Notable Additions: Matt Plowman
Projected Scoring
Five: Mason Ferlic (SR) [ET#10],
Ben Flanagan (JR), August Pappas (SR), Tony Smoragiewicz (SR), George Kelly
(JR),
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I desperately wanted to put Michigan in the top 10. I really
did. I love what they bring to the table this year in terms of their overall
group, talent, and experience. However, the other teams ahead of them were
simply just too established.
Last fall was a great season for Michigan. They began to
solidify their depth and become very serious contenders in a loaded Great Lakes
region. The Wolverines started their season off with a quick rust-buster at the
Michigan Open. Once they were done there, they headed off to the Iowa Black and
Gold invite where they easily trounced Iowa, Kansas State, and Wisconsin’s
B-team. Ferlic and Smoragiewicz would go 1-2 in that race. For Michigan, that
was child’s play and the first real challenge would come at the prestigious
Notre Dame Invite. Many knew Michigan was going to be good. The question was,
just how good? Well the Wolverines didn’t hold back and showcased their
outstanding depth and talent. Ferlic crushed the field with an outstanding
23:15 (4:39 pace) while the rest of the scorers went 15, 23, 24, 34. Michigan
walked away with the trophy by tacking on only 97 and defeating the second
place team (BYU) by 15 points. Just business as usual. The Wolverines continued
their journey at another big meet at the Wisconsin Adidas Invite. It was there
that Michigan would look to defeat the goliaths of the NCAA. After their Notre
Dame performance, it was reasonable to think that they could upset Syracuse for
the win or at least come close. Alas, that was not the case. Ferlic failed to
replicate his Notre Dame performance and fell to 12th. The rest of
the team couldn’t find the glue that had usually kept their pack together.
Smoragiewicz ended up placing a solid 44th place while the rest of
them dropped to 69th, 85th, and 93rd. Michigan
dropped all the way to 9th place but lost on the tie-breaker to FSU
and ended up in 10th. It wasn’t one of their finer team moments…Still,
the Wolverines were ranked high and continued to be thought of as a threat. They
would look to BIG 10’s as their way to get back their confidence. BIG 10’s, of
course, would not be easy. Wisconsin was the heavy favorite, while teams like
Indiana, Penn State, and Michigan State would cause some problems. Ferlic would
battle it out upfront with strong individuals all across the nation. It was
going to be an all-out brawl. Ferlic did his job and finished 4th
overall. However, Wisconsin took advantage of their strong front runners and
placed 1-2. Michigan had their scorers in the top 30, but Wisconsin had their
scorers in the top 20. Wisconsin would take the BIG 10 title while Michigan
would be 30 points behind in second. Michigan couldn’t be too upset about the
loss, but they would need to show that they were more competitive with teams
like Wisconsin if they wanted to be contenders on the national stage. With BIG
10’s down, only the Great Lakes regional race separated Michigan from Terre
Haute. If BIG 10’s was a battle, Great Lakes was a war. Michigan battled tough
but even the ace, Mason Ferlic couldn’t get a top 5 finish placing 7th.
The rest of the squad did very well, but
were thinned out by the deep field. Flanagan was 10th, Pappas was 18th,
Kelly was 27th, and Baumgarten was 33rd. Wisconsin once
again beat out Michigan and took the title, which didn’t surprise many. What
did surprise many was the fact that Michigan State came out of nowhere to place
second overall over their rival Wolverines. It was a slight blow to Michigan’s
confidence not having the auto-qualifier, but they knew what the real goal was.
The Wolverines gathered their things and headed off to Terre Haute. Michigan
had struggled the last time they were here and their unexpected third place finish
at regionals had some people skeptical. Would Michigan show up, bomb the race,
or end up somewhere in the middle? The Wolverines attacked the race from the
gun and Mason Ferlic ended his outstanding season by placing 13th
overall and giving Michigan a very nice low stick. The rest of the squad had
solid races placing 64th, 79th, and 114th. The
fifth man, however, did not enjoy the same success as he fell to 162nd
and ran up the team score. Michigan would finish 11th only a spot
away from Wisconsin (which seemed to be a common theme of their post-season
races). The men in blue went home with something to be happy about. No, not
their 11th place finish, but what the future held for their
promising returners. Michigan is ready.
Michigan is an outstanding program and I love what they have
going on this season. Michigan returns their entire 2014 squad, but just one
year older. The experience this squad holds is amazing and they all have NCAA experience.
It’s tough not to like that. They have a leader in Ferlic who is an absolute monster
and I love what he brings to the table. However, the group behind him is what I
like more. I am a big fan of Flanagan. I think he could be the next big name in
the NCAA. He’s been very consistent and holds his own every race. However, if
Michigan is going to compete with Wisconsin, Flanagan will need to become a
true low-stick like Ferlic for the Wolverines to really drop in scoring and
have a 1-2 punch. The rest of the squad is very solid and they have excellent
depth. Yet, I would like to see their pack tighten up a bit. That pack is
crucial to success and with the depth they have, a tight pack could really hurt
other team’s chances of winning. Some will need to be more consistent, but
considering most of these guys are experienced juniors and seniors, I won’t
worry about it much. Michigan is extremely talented. They just need to develop
the depth they have and become more consistent. If that happens, I wouldn’t be
too comfortable if I’m Wisconsin…
Just like CSU, BYU, and UCLA, Flotrack’s ranking of Michigan
at #13 is pretty fair. I don’t agree that Indiana should be at #11 or Portland
at #12. Portland simply looses far too many guys while Indiana loses some key
pieces and have no solid 4th or 5th man. How Michigan is
behind those two is beyond me. Still, #13 overall is pretty reasonable and I
can understand the concerns of placing them in the top 10 considering some of
their very minor hiccups in the post season. However, I do expect Michigan to
move into my top 10 come later this season. Can they hold it for the post-season?
That is to be determined….
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