The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/480355
INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS to be landings, landings and more landings this week." — Women's gymnastics head coach Bev Plocki after the Wolverines captured the 2015 Big Ten regular- season championship and earned a berth into the second session for the March 21 Big Ten Championships at Crisler Center "I thought he would stay in the NFL. I think probably he was hoping, and I was hoping, it would work out [at San Francisco], but it didn't. What I've seen from a happiness standpoint is a coach and a brother that's back to being focused on the things he wants to be focused on, which is the players and the coaches and developing the program." — Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, brother of new Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, at the recent U-M coaches' clinic Cross Country Teams Garner Academic Honors Senior cross country and track runner Brook Handler was named an Academic All- American, and Michigan cross country was awarded U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association Division I All-Academic team honors, earning the distinction for the fourth consecutive season after recording a 3.18 team GPA. A chemical engineering major in the College of Engineering, Handler placed eighth at the Big Ten Championships Nov. 2 and seventh with a collegiate-best 20:08 on the 6,000-meter course at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Nov. 14. She was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a two-time captain for the Maize and Blue. The men's cross country team also earned All-Academic team honors, for the first time since 2012, with a team GPA of 3.08, while redshirt juniors Mason Ferlic and August Pappas and sophomore Ben Flanagan received individual Academic All- America honors. A back-to-back cross country All-American — U-M's first since Nate Brannen in 2002-03 — Ferlic placed 22nd in 2013 and 13th in 2014 at the NCAA Champion- ships. The aerospace engineering major was awarded Academic All-Big Ten merit in both 2013 and 2014. Majoring in performance music/percussion in the School of Music, Pappas helped Michigan finish 11th at the NCAA Championships Nov. 22 and second at the Big Ten Championships Nov. 2, crossing the finish line in 78th and 28th place, respectively. Flanagan was the 13th runner to complete the 8,000-meter run at the conference meet and was No. 10 at the Great Lakes Regional Nov. 14. He is a School of Kinesiol- ogy student with an undeclared major. To qualify for the All-Academic award, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 or better and have either earned USTFCCCA All-America status or finished in the NCAA region's top 15 (or top 10 percent) in 2014.