GLIAC -- The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has announced its first weekly awards following the start of the 2020-21 indoor track and field season. Grand Valley St. swept the women's awards with senior Allie Ludge earning track athlete of the week, while junior teammate Judith Essemiah was awarded field athlete of the week. On the men's side, Ashland senior Trevor Bassitt was named track athlete of the week, while Grand Valley St. senior Justin Scavarda secured field athlete of the week honors.
WOMEN'S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK - Allie Ludge, Grand Valley St.
Senior Allie Ludge led the women in the distance events at the Bob Eubanks Open with a first-place finish of 4:50.23 in the mile, earning a Division II provisional qualification. The Grand Rapids native now hones five GLIAC Track Athlete of the Week honors during the indoor season. Ludge’s mile was the fastest DII time for the week of Jan. 12-18 by more than two seconds.
WOMEN'S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK - Judith Essemiah, Grand Valley St.
Judith Essemiah kicked off the indoor season on a high note with an 18.90m toss in the weight throw on Saturday, Jan. 16. The GVSU junior looks to repeat as a DII national qualifier after earning a provisional qualification for her season-opener performance. The Amsterdam native recorded the farthest shot put distance for the week of Jan. 12-18, earning the first weekly conference accolade of her career.
MEN'S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK - Trevor Bassitt, Ashland
Bassitt earned his latest conference plaudit thanks to his efforts on Friday (Jan. 15) at the Youngstown State Collegiate Invitational. There, he not only won two events, but turned in two meet records, a school record and two new automatic times for the 2021 NCAA Championships, March 12-13 in Birmingham, Ala.
In the men's 60-meter hurdles, Bassitt's winning time of 7.70 seconds broke his own school mark of 7.75 last season, and the meet record of 7.77 set by the Penguins' Chad Zallow in 2017 and 2018. In the men's 200 dash, his time of 20.85 broke his own meet record of 20.88 from 2020.
Bassitt leads NCAA Division II in the 60 hurdles by 0.20 seconds over Alabama-Huntsville sophomore Wilson McClain, and is just 0.06 seconds away from the best NCAA Division I time in 2020-21 (7.64), turned in by Florida State senior Trey Cunningham. In the 200 dash, Bassitt’s time last weekend is 0.39 seconds better in D-II than No. 2 Texas A&M-Commerce senior Lamarion Arnold, and is second in all of NCAA to just Texas Tech junior Courtney Lindsey
MEN'S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK -Justin Scavarda, Grand Valley St.
Senior Justin Scavarda wasted no time in qualifying for the NCAA DII Indoor National Championships, grabbing an automatic qualification in the shot put with a launch of 18.55m at the Bob Eubanks Open. Scavarda picked up another first-place finish in the weight throw with a distance of 19.40m, good for a provisional qualification. The Mason, Mich. native holds the top six DII shot put distances for the week of Jan. 12-18 by more than 1.25m. This is the second time in his career that Scavarda has been named GLIAC Field Athlete of the Week.