Etrain Team Power Rankings: #11 Michigan Wolverines


11. Michigan Wolverines
Flotrack’s #11: Indiana Hoosiers
Coach: Kevin Sullivan
Notable Departures: N/A      
Notable Additions:
Matt Plowman
Projected Scoring Five: Mason Ferlic (SR) [ET#10], Ben Flanagan (JR), August Pappas (SR), Tony Smoragiewicz (SR), George Kelly (JR),
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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….

No comments:

Post a Comment