Season Review: 2016 Michigan Men's Cross Country
12/9/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
• Team Captains: Micah Beller, Ben Flanagan, Connor Mora
• Big Ten Conference: 5th Place
• NCAA Great Lakes Regional: 5th Place
Throughout the 2016 season, injuries were a factor for the University of Michigan men's cross country team. Senior captain and returning all-region and all-conference athlete Ben Flanagan did not compete in uniform all year, and a number of other rising sophomores and juniors succumbed to injuries early in the season. The team earned top-five conference and regional finishes but fell short of its aspirations during the championship phase of the season based on a memorable 2015 season and promising returning lineup.
This team is young, though, and gained significant experience throughout the fall, as all five sophomores coming off redshirt freshman seasons saw action, and many showed great promise. The Wolverines also showed that they can compete with the best in the Big Ten and Great Lakes Region, piling up an impressive record of 69-11 through the Big Ten meet, including a 13-3 mark within the region. Altogether, the Wolverines showed some of the reasons why they should retain high expectations heading into the winter season of track and field and the 2017 cross country season next fall.
Team Highlights
• Michigan's most dominant regular-season effort came during the Sycamore Invitational, which saw U-M travel to Cross Country Town, USA, to visit Terre Haute, Indiana's famous Lavern Gibson Championship Course for an early-season 8K race. The team finished second overall with 37 points, with all five scorers in the top 10 and six in the top 11 overall.
• The Wolverines also proved their mettle at the adidas Pre-Nationals meet, finishing fourth in a tight team race that featured athletes representing 40 programs from across the country. A pair of top-15 finishes from Aaron Baumgarten (eighth) and Connor Mora (13th) led the scoring effort for the Maize and Blue in an effective team effort.
• At the regional meet, U-M had a disappointing fifth-place finish, but the silver lining came in the form of four All-NCAA Great Lakes Region honorees, with two in the top 11. Several athletes stepped up during the race to close the points gap, and U-M showed toughness in the season finale.
Individual Highlights
• Senior/junior Aaron Baumgarten led U-M in all six races he competed in this fall, earning first team All-Big Ten and All-Great Lakes Region honors along the way. Baumgarten timed 15:09.2 to win the season-opening Michigan Open 5K, and his 10th-place regional finish was his lowest placing of the season. Baumgarten had several races worth highlighting, but his sixth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships was an outstanding individual effort and an important bright spot at the conference meet for U-M.
• Senior/junior Billy Bund enjoyed a breakout campaign, placing top-22 in four of six races with three races in which he finished among the top 11 competitors. Though he had a number of strong races, his top performance undoubtedly came at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, where he was the second Wolverine across the line in an 11th-place showing.
• Sophomore/freshman Keenan Rebera showed growth and toughness in his runner-up finish at the EMU Fall Classic late in the season (Oct. 21), an important annual measuring stick for Michigan coaches. Rebera had been battling a lingering injury for about nine months, but he proved how hard he had worked and how well he had responded to recovery when he placed second in 15:20.8, six full seconds ahead of the next-closest Wolverine.
• Sophomore/freshman Jordy Hewitt had a gutsy effort during the NCAA Great Lakes Regional race, earning all-region honors in a fittingly strong conclusion to his first-ever cross country season with a 23rd-place finish. Hewitt, a transfer native to Austrlia, is now in his second year in Ann Arbor, but after joining the program last winter, his first action as a Wolverine was during the track and field season. Hewitt showed how well he has acclimated to his training program with his encouraging all-region finish, one of three top-25 showings which included one top-10 finish.
Honors and Awards
Aaron
Baumgarten
Billy
Bund
Micah
Beller
Connor
Mora
Big Ten Conference
All-Conference (First Team): Aaron Baumgarten
Sportsmanship Award: Billy Bund
All-Great Lakes Region
Aaron Baumgarten (6th)
Billy Bund (11th)
Connor Herr (18th)
Jordy Hewitt (23rd)
Big Ten Athlete of the Week
Keenan Rebera (co-recipient Oct. 26)
Academic All-Big Ten
Aaron Baumgarten, Sr., aerospace engineering
Micah Beller, Sr., information
Billy Bund, Sr., economics
Kevin Hall, So., LSA undeclared
Ben Hill, So., LSA undeclared
Connor Mora, Sr., sport management
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard
Players Mentioned
