Portions of this release courtesy of the Ashland University and Grand Valley State University Sports Information Departments
Ashland, Ohio -- Grand Valley State University men's and women's cross country teams claimed the 2011 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Championships hosted by Ashland University at the Brookside Golf Course.
Click here for men's team and individual results
Click here for women's team and individual results
On the men's side, the Lakers claimed five of the top six spots in the race and finished with 17 points. Ashland finished second with 71 points and Wayne State was third with 93 points. Twelve teams competed for the men's crown.
The Grand Valley State men's cross country team won their 10th straight GLIAC cross country championship placing five runners in the top six. GVSU senior Anthony Witt won the individual title, crossing the line first in a time of 25:24.34 to earn GLIAC Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year honors. Just behind him helping sweep the podium for the Lakers was seniors Tyler Emmorey, who finished second in a time of 25:28.72 and Ryan Toth who placed third with a time of 25:44.60. Ashland senior Brock Weaver finished fourth with a time of 25:53.53. Finishing in fifth was GVSU junior Brent Showerman (25:56.83) with teammate senior Nathan Knisely (25:59.41) finishing sixth. Freshman Colin Fisher of Tiffin University finished in ninth place (26:11.25) claiming the "Freshman of the Year" honor for the men.
The GVSU women won the conference championship with 21 points. Ferris State was second with 57 points and Saginaw Valley State University was third with 95 points. Ashland was sixth with 165 points. Thirteen teams were in the field.
The women's race was expected to be a nip-and-tuck struggle between GVSU and Ferris State, but that never developed. FSU's Tina Muir ran an impressive race and finished first with a time of 21:18.60 (6K). But Grand Valley State runners captured six of the next seven slots, including spots two through five. That ended any thoughts of a FSU conference title. Rachel Clark, the GLIAC "Freshman of the Year," was second in 21:38.89 and Monica Kinney (22:00.37) was third. Callie Clark (22:02.51) was fourth. The Lakers won the GLIAC title a year ago and went on to win the national championship.
2011 All-GLIAC Men's Cross Country First
Team:
Anthony Witt, GVSU (Runner of the Year)
Tyler Emmorey, GVSU
Ryan Toth, GVSU
Brock Weaver, AU
Brent Showerman, GVSU
Nathan Knisely, GVSU
Keven deBear, WSU
2011 All-GLIAC Men's Cross Country Second
Team:
Tyler Crossman, FSU
Colin Fisher, TU (Freshman of the Year)
Ryan, Ziolko, GVSU
Alex Townsend, WSU
Josh Moskalewski, GVSU
Larry, Julson, GVSU
Tom Scott, AU
COACH OF THE YEAR: Jerry Baltes - GVSU
2011 All-GLIAC Women's Cross Country First Team:
Tina Muir, FSU (Runner of the Year)
Rachel Clark, GVSU (Freshman of the Year)
Monica Kinney, GVSU
Callie Clark, GVSU
Rebecca Winchester, GVSU
Amanda Putt, HC
Julia Nowak, GVSU
2011 All-GLIAC Women's Cross Country Second
Team:
Jessie Vickers, GVSU
Anna Rudd, FSU
Allyson Winchester, GVSU
Stephanie Stoffel, AU
Jen Rock, WSU
Jordan Chester, GVSU
Karie McDonald, GVSU
