Sept. 24, 2011
• Complete Results
Site: Gainesville, Fla. (Mark Bostick Golf Course)
Meet: Florida Mountain Dew Invitational (8,000 Meters)
U-M Finish: 1st of 17 Teams (42 points)
Top U-M Individual: Craig Forys, 1st (24:35.55)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Oct. 14 -- at adidas Wisconsin Invitational (Madison, Wis.), 1:40 p.m. CDT
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The University of Michigan men's cross country team captured the team and individual titles at the Florida Mountain Dew Invitational on Saturday (Sept. 24) at UF's Mark Bostick Golf Course. Fifth-year senior Craig Forys (Howell, N.J./Colts Neck) led the field across the finish line in his season debut with a time of 24:35.55.
Michigan topped the host school, No. 28 Florida, and No. 30 North Carolina, along with 14 other teams, in the 8,000-meter race. It was the first time the Maize and Blue beat a ranked team this season.
A pack of Michigan runners sat in third place through the first four miles on the heels of North Carolina and Florida's squads. During the final mile, the Wolverines made their move and overtook key positions to push their top five across the line in the top 16 spots.
Senior Bobby Aprill (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) finished on Forys' heals in third place with a season-best time of 24:39.73. In his season debut, sophomore Morsi Rayyan(Dewitt, Mich./St. Johns) also legged out a top-10 finish in a time of 25:05.8 to finish 10th.
Also making his first appearances this season was sophomore Mark Beams(Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg), who placed 19th with a time of 25:47.31. Freshman Mason Ferlic (St. Paul, Minn./Mounds Park Academy) had a solid career debut, clinching the 16th spot with a time of 25:36.05.
Michigan will spend the next three weeks training before its next competition at the adidas Wisconsin Invitational on Friday, Oct. 14. The 8,000-meter race is slated to start at 1:40 p.m. CDT at the Thomas Zimmer Cross Country Course in Madison, Wis.
Team Standings
1. MICHIGAN 42
2. Florida 46
3. North Carolina 47
4. Florida Track Club 165
5. Miami 188
6. Embry-Riddle 192
7. Florida Int'l 227
8. South Florida 252
9. Florida Gulf Coast 256
10. Running Center Elite 288
11. Florida Atlantic 310
12. Nova Southeastern 317
13. Saint Leo 340
14. Flagler 358
15. Stetson 472
16. Bethune-Cookman 479
17. Warner 516
Top 10 Individuals
1. Craig Forys, U-M 24:35.55
2. Matt Mizereck, Florida 24:38.50
3. Bobby Aprill, U-M 24:39.73
4. Evans Kirwa, Embry-Riddle 24:47.44
5. Jake Hurysz, North Carolina 24:54.63
6. Adam Cunningham, North Carolina 24:55.07
7. Mark Parrish, Florida 25:03.14
8. Jimmy Clark, Florida 25:04.91
9. Scott Morgan, North Carolina 25:05.02
10. Morsi Rayyan, U-M 25:05.80
Other Michigan Individuals
12. Brendon Blacklaws, U-M 25:12.86
16. Mason Ferlic, U-M 25:36.05
17. Zach Ornelas, U-M 25:39.10
19. Mark Beams, U-M 25:47.31
20. Derek Henning, U-M 25:57.02
22. Nathan Karr, U-M 26:01.99
25. James Yau, U-M 26:12.75
Q U O T E S
U-M Fifth-Year Senior Craig Forys
On how the team ran today ... "We faced a difficult challenge with the humidity and some strong competition today. As a group, we ran smart, tough and showed our hunger to compete."
On how Michigan earned the victory ... "The race set up with a pack of UNC and Florida runners leading the way with our group just behind. Through two to four miles we began to make moves and put ourselves in the lead. In the final mile, a few key spots were earned by our guys to secure the win. It was a good start for our squad and there are things to work on, but they are much smaller issues than last year."
Contact: Whitney Dixon (734) 763-4423
