Michigan
Big Ten Indoor Championships
Ferlic, Maye Bring Home Big Ten Indoor Crowns
2/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Feb. 28, 2015
• Complete Results 
| Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery 
Site: Geneva, Ohio (SPIRE Institute)
Event: Big Ten Indoor Championships (Day 2)
U-M Team Result: 5th Place of 12 Teams (67 points)
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sat., March 13-14 -- at NCAA Indoor Championships (Fayetteville, Ark.)
GENEVA, Ohio -- Senior/junior Mason Ferlic (5,000m) and junior/sophomore Chris Maye (60m dash) each claimed conference crowns, as the University of Michigan men's track and field team finished with 67 points to earn a fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships Saturday (Feb. 28) at the SPIRE Institute. The top-five finish marks U-M's highest placing since earning runner-up in 2009.
Ferlic outkicked Wisconsin's Malachy Schrobligen down the stretch of the 5,000-meter race to take the crown for the Wolverines. Ferlic's time of 13:58.77 was a new personal best, and the two-time All-American pushed himself to the limit in a loaded field. Fifth-year senior Morsi Rayyan took fifth, while senior/junior August Pappas came in sixth and PRed by more than 12 seconds.
The Maize and Blue dominated the 60m dash, with three finalists in the field and two of three places at the podium. Maye took the title at 6.74 seconds, the fourth-fastest true 60m time in indoor program history. Maye's time was an impressive .12 seconds faster than his previous PR heading into the conference championship weekend.
Behind Maye, senior/junior Codie Nolan took second place at 6.745, which now stands as the fifth-fastest mark in Michigan history. The one-two finish was a huge catalyst for the Maize and Blue's fifth-place finish and the program's highest point total since the 2009 runner-up team produced 93 points.
In the heptathlon, junior/sophomore Steven Bastien claimed fifth place overall, totaling 5,525 points. Bastien set a new PR in the 1,000m run and matched his previous career-best mark in the pole vault on the way to tying the second-highest point total in U-M indoor program history.
Fifth-year senior co-captain Ali Arastu was set to compete in both the 400m and 60m hurdles finals, but on the home stretch of the 400, he and another competitor tangled legs. The fall was enough to put Arastu out of the 400m race, and his injury -- though minor -- kept him from his best in the hurdles.
Junior/sophomore George Kelly finished sixth in a tightly contested mile race, crossing at 4:12.95.
The Maize and Blue will continue the championship season in two weekends at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Championships are hosted by the University of Arkansas at the Randal Tyson Track Center, which will welcome the nation's best for the 12th time since the year 2000.
N O T E S
• On the weekend, seven different Wolverine athletes tallied PR's across nine different events.
• The Maize and Blue was the only team with distance runners that scored in each event: the 800m race, mile run, 3K, 5K and distance medley relay.
• Chris Maye recorded a personal-best (6.78) in the 60-m dash yesterday, which he bettered to the tune of a 6.74 in this afternoon's dash final -- the fourth-fastest true-60m dash in U-M indoor history.
• Teammates Codie Nolan and Khoury Crenshaw both clocked times of 6.77 yesterday, and Nolan improved on that mark with a 6.745 in this afternoon's final. That mark is good for fifth-fastest among true-60m dashes in indoor program history. Nolan also holds the third-fastest time with a 6.72, which he set at U-M's Simmons-Harvey Invitational (Jan. 17).
• Steven Bastien -- who owns the U-M indoor program record in the heptathlon (5,576 points) -- tied the second-highest point total in program history with his score of 5,525 points this afternoon, which earned him fifth place.
• Though no PRs were recorded in the shot put yesterday, two Wolverines rearranged the record books. Derek Sievers -- who holds the program record (63-11.75 ft.) -- recorded the third-longest throw in U-M indoor history yesterday at 61-4 ft. Fellow co-captain Cody Riffle tossed the program's ninth-furthest distance (59-2.75 ft.).
• Fifth-year senior Patrick Cochran made his season debut in the long jump yesterday, reaching a distance of 23-4 ft. (7.11m). Cochran had been battling injury throughout the indoor season before making his first appearance.
PERSONAL RECORDS
Steven Bastien -- 1,000m (2:44.25) H; Pole Vault (14-9 ft.; 4.50m)*
Charles DeJonge -- 1,000m (2:51.62) H
Chris Maye -- 60m dash (6.74)
Mason Ferlic -- 5,000m (13:58.77)
August Pappas -- 5,000m (14:05.39)
* = ties previous mark
H = Heptathlon event
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Jerry Clayton
On his overall impressions from the weekend ... "The biggest thing in this meet was that everyone competed very well. The things we talked about were: trying to finish higher than where you were ranked in your event; focusing on the opportunity and taking advantage of the opportunity they had to perform; and each group reaching the goals they wanted to accomplish. When you meet individual goals and team goals, you put it together and that's when you have an outstanding team result. I am very pleased; we had some outstanding performances. The highlights have to be our two champions in the 60 and 5,000; we also had great performances in the shot put. In those events we scored a lot of points but we still had individuals in other events that came through. We had two athletes in the 800 final that you might not have seen on paper. We scored some points in the mile, with George Kelly coming through there. Of course (Steven) Bastien competed for the first time in a Big Ten Championships meet and he stepped it up and did a great job there. We had a lot of great opportunities and they were taken advantage of by these athletes."
On receiving contributions from each event group ... "That is the key, and that is what we are trying to do moving forward as a program, to have more balance. If we are going to challenge for a title you are going to have to have that type of balance. You cannot be one or two-dimensional; you want to try to at least have people scoring in all the various events because it gives you more opportunities. You have 17 events indoors, 21 outdoors, so that is what we are trying to move towards."
On peaking at the right time of year ... "That is something that we started last year. There are five critical competitions for our program: the indoor conference, indoor national, outdoor conference, outdoor preliminary round and the outdoor NCAA Championship events. This was our first championship phase of this season and I feel that we really stepped it up and did a great job. It was an outstanding performance by Chris Maye (in the 60). Last year he was an individual; his goal was to make the top 20 descending order list in the conference so he could actually get a bus seat to this trip. Four weeks ago he was the fourth-best sprinter on our team -- of course that was very close, within hundredths of a second. But to go from that to winning a title; who would have thought? He has been an outstanding example of what we really want to be about."
U-M Senior/Junior Mason Ferlic
On reaching his goal of winning a Big Ten title ... "I don't know what you want to call it -- sweet vindication maybe -- but it was a long time coming. One of the things that was missing from my resume was a Big Ten title. Coming into this year's race, that was the goal. I wanted that title, and wasn't worrying about time. I think it was set up perfectly. Coming down that home stretch and seeing Malachy (Schrobligen, from Wisconsin), a rival guy who has kicked me down before, and digging down and finding that strength felt divine and glorious coming down that home stretch, knowing I had him."
On the feeling he got as he crossed the finish line ... "It was one of the things I wanted -- a Big Ten title. The whole race, I could not wait for it to climax at the end. I knew it would be a slow pace and a hard finish, and I was just kind of waiting, thinking 'Man, this can't come soon enough. I just need to get to the end of this race.' I knew it was going to be there, so coming down that last lap and finding the strength to come away with it was a 'Yes!' moment for me. Throwing up those fists, I was like 'Finally!' I was ecstatic."
U-M Junior/Sophomore Chris Maye
On the emotions he felt crossing the finish line, looking to his left and right and realizing he had won ... "Coming across the line I knew it was going to be close. In my peripherals I could see my teammate Codie (Nolan) right next to me. Once I looked up and saw my name, I was speechless, honestly. I thought I was about to start crying and be embarrassed (on BTN), but I couldn't be more proud of my teammates Codie and Khoury (Crenshaw). They ran as hard as they could and on any given day it could have been a whole different order across the line. It was that close. It's a dogfight every day in practice and really, if it wasn't for those two, John (Spooney) and our coaches I would not be in this position."
On his new position in the U-M record books ... "It means a lot to me. I definitely want to be remembered. I do not want to just be another Michigan track athlete who is just okay. I want to make my mark, stay awhile and be remembered like the other track legends."
On the camaraderie of the sprinting group ... "We had four guys in the 60m dash, including John Spooney, who wasn't able to race. I would have been more happy if the other guys had got the gold. Khoury (Crenshaw) just missed a medal spot, but he was just as happy for us and it means a lot to have your teammates believe in you and believing in them just as much, working and grinding together every day."
On reaching peak form at this point of the season ... "I feel great. Our coaches and strength coaches try and set us up to peak at Big Tens and they did a great job doing that, because I definitely peaked this weekend and the other two guys ran really well, too."
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
