Ferlic, Arastu Recognized as Capital One Academic All-Americans
6/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
June 25, 2015
• Michigan Academic All-Americans
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Senior/junior Mason Ferlic of the University of Michigan men's track and field and cross country team was selected to the Capital One Academic All-America second team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America on Thursday (June 25). Ferlic's track teammate and fellow co-captain, fifth-year senior Ali Arastu, also collected All-America third-team recognition.
After earning Capital One Academic All-District V honors on May 22, Ferlic and Arastu moved on to the Capital One Academic All-America Team ballot, where first, second and third team All-America honorees were awarded.
A Northville, Michigan, native, Arastu recently graduated with a degree in movement science and will attend medical school at U-M beginning in the fall, while Ferlic, a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, is an aerospace engineering major. Ferlic is one of 14 repeat recipients on the men's side of the award and one of three to earn his second career distinction, as he was a third-team honoree in 2014.
To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
Arastu recently completed his second season as a team captain for the Maize and Blue (2013). Under the tutelage of sprints/hurdles coach Steven Rajewsky, he set a new program record in the 400-meter race (46.53) earlier this indoor season (Feb. 7), breaking a 28-year-old school record previously held by Omar Davidson.
A four-time USTFCCCA All-American in 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay events, Arastu has twice been named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2012-13). He is a four-time qualifier for the NCAA Championships (Outdoor - 2011, '12, '13; Indoor - 2012) and was headed for another run at nationals before injuries derailed his final season in Ann Arbor.
In the fall, Ferlic became U-M's first back-to-back cross country All-American since 2002-03 with his 13th-place finish at the 2014 NCAA Championships. There, he helped Michigan to an 11th-place team finish, the program's highest placing since finishing ninth in 2003. Ferlic crossed the finish line seventh overall at the Great Lakes Regional, helping U-M to third place, and he ran to a fourth-place finish at the 2014 Big Ten Conference Championships, which earned him All-Big Ten first team distinction after being a second-team all-conference honoree in 2013. Ferlic has been named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team in each of the past two seasons.
On the track, Ferlic became a two-time conference champion this season. He earned the first Big Ten title of his career during the indoor season, winning the 5,000m race in 13:58.77, then added an outdoor conference crown to his resume at the Big Ten Championships (May 16), capturing the 3,000m steeplechase title in 8:43.30. Ferlic added another pair of top-five conference finishes with a third-place showing in the indoor 3,000m race and earning a runner-up finish in the outdoor 5,000m race one day later after his steeplechase title last weekend (May 17).
His fastest steeplechase this past season (8:35.45) was run at the NCAA East Region Preliminary Rounds (May 30). Aside from earning Ferlic a runner-up finish in the event semifinal and punching his ticket to Eugene, Oregon, for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, that time ranks as the sixth fastest in program history at U-M. Ferlic later qualified in the 5,000m run as well. At the national meet, Ferlic earned second-team All-America honors with a 12th-place finish in the steeple, overcoming an early fall in the race.
In his first year under head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach Kevin Sullivan, Ferlic has set PRs in the indoor mile (4:03.24) and outdoor 3,000m (8:11.89) and 5,000m (13:46.89) races in addition to a new personal best in his marquee event, the 3,000m steeplechase (8:35.45).
Of the 45 members of the Capital One Academic All-America Division I Men's Track & Field/Cross Country teams, 28 have a 3.90 GPA or better. Thirteen of this year's honorees have a perfect 4.0 GPA. The average GPA of Academic All-America Division I Men's Track & Field/Cross Country teams is 3.842.
FULL LISTING OF AWARD RECIPIENTS
Academic All-America® of the Year: John Welk, Nebraska
FIRST TEAM
Name, School
Marco Bertolotti, Stanford
Stefan Brits (3) (#), Florida State
Tom Buffone (2), U.S. Naval Academy
Peter Callahan (1), New Mexico
Adam Chase (2, #), East Tennessee State
Chris DeWitt (2), Incarnate Word
Nathanael Franks, Arkansas
Levi Gipson (1), Nebraska
Martin Hehir (2), Syracuse
Caleb Hoover, Northern Arizona
Evan Karakolis (2), Rice
Brandon Lord (3), Georgia
Luke Lefebure, Stanford
John Welk, Nebraska
Drew Wiseman, Nebraska
SECOND TEAM
Name
Jordan Arakawa, Eastern Washington
Brian Barney, Cincinnati
Edward Cheserek, Oregon
Fabian Clarkson, Oklahoma State
Raymond Dykstra, Kentucky
Mason Ferlic (3), Michigan
Brant Haase, South Dakota
Trevor Halsted (3), California, Davis
Martin Kallur, Vermont
Andrew Pisechko (2), Arkansas
Malachy Schrobilgen, Wisconsin
Dillon Simon, Maryland Eastern Shore
Maicel Uibo, Georgia
Justin Whitaker, Wofford
Luca Wieland, Minnesota
THIRD TEAM
Name
Ali Arastu, Michigan
Joseph Beery, Stetson
Daniel Block, Abilene Christian
Aaron Castle, Arizona
Robby Creese (#), Penn State
Timothy Faust (#), Ohio State
Kyle Landon, Southern Illinois
Jan-Louw Kotze, South Alabama
Matthew McClintock, Purdue
William Milam, Gonzaga
Marshall Moyer, Bradley
Jonathan Reid, Florida State
Ben Saarel, Colorado
John Sherret, Liberty
Sam Stabler, Lamar
(1) Capital One Academic All-America® Division I 1st team selection in 2014
(2) Capital One Academic All-America® Division I 2nd team selection in 2014
(3) Capital One Academic All-America® Division I 3rd team selection in 2014
(#) Capital One Academic All-America® Division I 3rd team selection in 2013
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
