The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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BIG TENS: MEN'S TRACK a long and successful career in Ann Arbor. There have been All-America honors and NCAA Championships appearances, but leading into the 2012 Big Ten Indoor Championships Feb. 24-25 there was one thing Forys had never accom- plished — a podium finish at a championship meet. During the first day of com- petition in Lincoln, Neb., it looked as though Forys would close the book on the indoor season, his last as a Wolverine, without meeting his goal. Forys competed in the Craig Forys Leads The Charge, But U-M Comes Up Short At Big Tens Fifth-year senior distance runner Craig Forys has enjoyed " Unfortunately for the Wolverines, Forys' race was a small highlight in an otherwise disappointing performance. In 12 of the 17 events at the Big Ten Indoor Champion- ships, Michigan's best athlete finished 10th or worse. "We didn't have our best meet," LaPlante said. "We had some guys struggle, and we didn't really put it together. The Wolverines finished in 10th place with 30 team points, 74 behind Big Ten champion Indiana. There were a few encourag- 3,000-meter run and, almost immediately, he could sense that something was not right. "I was hurting pretty bad," Forys said. Despite suffering from stiff- ness in his legs, Forys battled for a fifth-place finish, with a time of 8:04.35, three seconds behind winner Andrew Bayer of Indiana. As Forys was cooling down ing performances, though. Sophomore hurdle specialist Herman Washington had a promising meet, placing third in the 60-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 7.97 seconds. Junior pole vault Jack Green- lee took fourth place, with a jump of 5.22 meters. And the 4x400-meter re- from the race, something "weird" happened; after the physically taxing race, his body loosened up. "My legs just felt so much better," Forys said. "It was like I ran the junk out of them in the 3K and felt really healthy and confident going into the 5K. I knew I could finish with those guys. proved his mettle by post- ing a personal-best time of 13:51.57 in the 5,000-meter run — good for second place and a podium finish in an event that hasn't been Forys' strong suit over the years. "It was fantastic. It was one of those races where I couldn't On the second day, Forys " At the Big Ten Indoor Championships, Forys placed second in the 5,000-meter run with a personal-best time of 13:51.57. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS help but have a smile on my face and be happy about what was going on, blacked out and you don't know what's going on, but I was completely conscious and feeling good about what was happening. I was thinking about where I had to move and making smart decisions. "It was the first time I've really been pleased with a 5K per- " Forys said. "Sometimes you're a little formance in about three years. It felt great. I've been fourth, fifth, sixth so many times in so many races. I wanted to get in that top three, and it was a huge accomplishment for me. Forys' second-place finish was a long time coming for one of Michigan's hardest workers. "You have to feel good for Craig," Michigan coach Fred " " LaPlante said. "He's one of our leaders, and he deserved to get to the podium. He's been working with cross country coach Alex Gibby, and the returns are obvious. lay team of redshirt junior Nick Neuman, sophomore Ali Arastu, freshman Phillip Washington and sophomore Michael Parker Jr. was 0.40 seconds from a school record with a time of 3:09.14, which was good for fourth place. The relay team continued its improvement March 11 at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The quartet of runners earned second-team All-America honors with a 10th-place fin- ish (3:11.20). Redshirt sophomore Ethan placed 14th at the NCAA Championships with a toss of 19.36 meters, also earning second-team All-America accolades. "We have a young team, and I'm encouraged by the Dennis, who notched a disap- pointing ninth-place finish in the weight throw at Big Tens, progress we're making every day," LaPlante said. "It's not about one meet — you're seeing guys improve in key areas everywhere. "I think the guys are excited to push into outdoor season. that are not part of the indoor season. LaPlante is excited to see how potential high scorers in those events will boost the Wolverines during outdoor season. Michigan won't get much of a rest. The team is traveling to There are certain events — like steeplechase and discus — " They're seeing the improvements that we're making and they want to continue that. The next step is performing under pressure. Los Angeles to compete in the USC Invitation March 24 and will have less than two months to get ready for the Big Ten Outdoor Championships May 11. — Andy Reid APRIL 2012 THE WOLVERINE 95