Former Wolverine Standouts Compete on Final Day of USAs
6/26/2017 10:39:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
» Two-time Olympian Jeff Porter finished ninth in the 110-meter hurdles semifinals, and announced his retirement from the sport on Twitter after the race.
» Volunteer assistant coach Mason Ferlic took ninth in the steeplechase.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Sunday (June 25) not only marked the end of the four-day USATF Outdoor Championships with a pair of former University of Michigan track and field national champions in action, but also the end of an era as one of them announced his retirement from the sport.
Former NCAA Indoor 60-meter hurdles champion and two-time Olympian Jeff Porter announced his decision to hang up the spikes after a storied career via Twitter following a ninth-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles semifinals, just .08 from making the final.
Today I am officially announcing my retirement from track. I've had a long career, made 2 Olympic Teams against all odds. Not too bad.
— Jeff Porter, PhD (@jeffporter1) June 25, 2017
Porter clocked 13.68 running into a 1.7m/s headwind, less than a tenth of a second behind Jarret Eaton, to finish fifth in his semifinal heat. Only the top four athletes in each of the two semifinals -- eight men total -- advanced to the final.
Porter, who in addition to his professional track career is the director of Student-Athlete Alumni Relations for Michigan Athletics, recently obtained his Ph.D. in higher education and higher education administration.
He was a member of Team USA at both the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 110-meter hurdles.
Also in action on the final day of USAs was former 3,000-meter steeplechase national champion and current volunteer assistant coach Mason Ferlic, who finished ninth overall in the final of his signature event. He crossed the line in 8:34.54, just able to hold off a hard-charging Travis Mahoney by less than half a second.
Tweet of the Day 
Thank you to all who have supported me, kept me healthy & gave me a shot. I appreciate you all. @tiffofili @emenews @CoachGee @DrJoshGlass
— Jeff Porter, PhD (@jeffporter1) June 25, 2017
Players Mentioned
