Ferris State's Cody Stilwell and Katie Etelamaki Chosen As GLIAC Commissioner's Award Recipients

Big Rapids, Mich. - A pair of Ferris State University track and field student-athletes, Cody Stilwell (Cadillac) and Katie Etelamaki (Ishpeming), were recently recognized as 2019 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Commissioner's Award recipients for the winter season by the league office.

The awards are presented after the Fall, Winter, and Spring athletic seasons to six female and six male student-athletes that excel both in the classroom and on the fields of play. All grade-point averages are based on a 4.0 scale.

A total of only three conference member schools, including Ferris State, had multiple recipients during the winter campaign.

Stilwell earned All-America honors for the second time in his collegiate career at the 2019 NCAA Division II National Indoor Championships in Pittsburg, Kan. Stilwell, who was one of 18 throwers in the men's weight throw, placed eighth overall in the event at the Robert W. Plaster Center. He tossed a season-best throw of 20.25 meters (66-5 1/4") to garner All-America accolades and become the first FSU male thrower to earn indoor All-America recognition since former national champion Paul Cochran in the shot put in 1990. Additionally, Stilwell is the first-ever Bulldog male to earn All-America honors in the men's weight throw.

This season, Stilwell led the Bulldogs with a fifth-place finish in the weight throw (63-6.25) at the 2019 GLIAC Indoor Championships. Stilwell was an All-GLIAC honoree in both men's indoor and outdoor track and a GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team selection as a junior last season. During the indoor season this year, Stilwell finished among the top five throwers in six of his collegiate competitions, including two first-place performances and four top-three efforts.

Etelamaki took fourth place in the 5,000 meters (17:33.88) and was sixth in the 3,000 meters (10:08.12) at the 2019 GLIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships this year. Etelamaki also was a provisional qualifier for the D2 National Indoor Championships and is a three-time GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team honoree.

A biology major with a perfect grade point average, Etelamaki is a two-time All-GLIAC Cross Country recipient and earned Division II Cross Country All-America accolades for the first time in her collegiate career by placing 16th overall as an individual qualifier for the 2018 National Championships last fall. She finished the fall cross country season with eight top-20 meet finishes in eight races and has ranked among the region's top distance standouts both in cross country and track throughout her career. Etelamaki is a five-time All-GLIAC Track and Field honoree and has been both an all-conference and all-region choice.

The awards are presented by Meijer, Inc.