Michigan
Payton Jordan Invitational
Ferlic, Mora Shine at Payton Jordan Invitational
5/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
May 3, 2015
Connor Mora
• Complete Results 
| Notes & Quotes
Site: Palo Alto, Calif. (Cobb Track/Angell Field)
Event: Payton Jordan Invitational
U-M Team Result: Non-scoring
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, May 6 -- at Hillsdale Last Chance Invitational - Day 1 (Hillsdale, Mich.), 3:30 p.m.
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- The University of Michigan men's track and field sent a group of distance runners to Stanford University on Saturday (May 2) for the Payton Jordan Invitational, and they responded by recording four top-five finishes across three events, led by top-16 NCAA times from sophomore/freshman Connor Mora in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and senior/junior Mason Ferlic in the 5,000m race at Cobb Track and Angell Field.
Mora ran 8:45.96 for a third-place finish, improving his personal record by more than 15 seconds. His performance this weekend places him third in the NCAA Great Lakes Region and No. 16 nationally.
The 5,000m race brought a foursome of Wolverines competing. In the faster heat, section three, senior/junior Mason Ferlic ran 13:46.89, fastest in the NCAA Great Lakes Region and 10th fastest in the nation as of this weekend. The defending conference champion in the indoor 5K earned a fifth-place finish with that time.
Ferlic finished ahead of fifth-year senior Morsi Rayyan, who ran 14:00.10 for 16th place. Ferlic's time is more than 30 seconds faster than any mark recorded by a Wolverine this season prior to this weekend's events, while Rayyan now ranks sixth in the region and second among Maize and Blue competitors this season.
In the slower section, fifth-year senior Mark Beams ran 14:23.92 for 15th place, and senior/junior August Pappas' 5K season-debut produced a 14:35.27 finish and 17th place.
Two Wolverines won their heats in the 800m race. Senior/sophomore Scott Dvorak won the sixth section in 1:51.34, while junior/sophomore Nate Chapman earned fifth in 1:52.13. Sophomore Brennan Munley won section five in 1:50.45, not far off his personal best.
The Maize and Blue will continue competition next week, sending athletes to a trio of meets with an opportunity to establish season-closing qualifying marks for the NCAA East Regional later this month (May 28-30) in Jacksonville, Florida. U-M athletes will compete at one of three in-state meets, the Hillsdale Last Chance Classic (May 6-7) and Western Michigan's Jack Shaw Invitational (May 8); U-M's postseason begins in nearby East Lansing with the Big Ten Outdoor Championships (May 15-17).
N O T E S
• Connor Mora's 3,000m steeplechase time ranks as 16th best in the country and stands as an improvement of more than 15 seconds over his previous career best.
• Mason Ferlic ran 13:46.89 in the 5,000m race, the fourth-fastest time in U-M outdoor history. That time also stands as the fastest mark in the NCAA East Region and is top 10 in all the NCAA.
Personal Records
Scott Dvorak -- 800m (1:51.34)
Connor Mora -- 3,000m steeplechase (8:45.96)
Mason Ferlic -- 5,000m (13:46.89)
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Jerry Clayton
On the graduation of many of the team's seniors ... "Yes, we want to congratulate all this year's graduates and their families. It is always great to see these kids celebrate their graduation. It is the most important thing for them and their family so we were able to make adjustments for that. We will have other opportunities for them next week close to home, so they will regroup next week and for this weekend they are just enjoying their graduation from Michigan."
On the impressive work of the distance group this weekend ... "As a whole, the distance group did a great job. That is what that meet (Payton Jordan Invitational) is about. They were able to put down some times, including a huge PR for Connor (Mora) in the steeple. Of course, Mason (Ferlic) and Morsi (Rayyan) have been so consistent throughout their careers here at Michigan and they continued to do that with great runs in the 5K."
On the opportunities the team has before them next weekend, with three nearby meets at their disposal to peak before the conference meet ... "We will sit down when we get back to Ann Arbor and reassess who we will need to continue competition to get better prepared for the conference meet. There will be some athletes who will sit next weekend, but we will have to make that decision early next week. Those decisions are based on doing what we need to do to put together the best team to try and compete at the Big Ten Championships, where our goal as a team is to finish in the top half of the conference."
U-M Senior/Junior Mason Ferlic
On his top national time in the 5,000m race this weekend and how he felt with his performance overall ... "To me, this race was an affirmation of my training and where my fitness is at. I came to Stanford to run a fast time and I am happy to walk away with a new 11-second PR. I was definitely pleased with how the race played out. I was very comfortable throughout and the race felt very controlled. It felt really good to run that fast and to also feel like there is more left in the tank brings huge confidence coming into Big Tens. I know that when I run at Big Tens if the pace is fast I can run with it, and if the pace is slow I can take control and run hard. I feel comfortable either way."
On closing out the regular season racing against professional competition at Stanford ... "Going from an event like this to the Big Ten Championships is a good jump. The thing about racing at Stanford is, it either gives guys confidence or it can make guys scared because there are two weeks left before conferences and you're trying to put on some finishing touches. We are going to need to rest, and then take this training time right now and use it because we only have two weeks. This coming week is a big work week, where we will need more than one kind of hard workout and after that it's just about putting the finishing touches on your performance before conference. To come away with a new PR this weekend was great, and for me to be running well in not just the 5K but also the steeple heading into conference feels good."
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
