Two Ferris State Track & Field Athletes Earn GLIAC Commissioner's Award
Big Rapids, Mich. - A pair of Ferris State University track and field student-athletes, senior Anna Rudd (Leslie) and junior Lucas Johnson (Morenci), have been chosen as recipients of the spring 2014 Meijer Commissioner's Award in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The awards, sponsored by Meijer, Inc., are presented after the fall, winter, and spring athletic seasons to six female and six male student-athletes within the conference that excel both in the classroom and on the fields of play. All grade-point averages are based on a 4.0 scale.
The six female student-athletes to receive the Spring 2014 Meijer Commissioner's Award included: Rudd, Miranda Cleary of Grand Valley State, Ashriel West of Lake Erie, Taylor Thomas of Ohio Dominican, Madison Pines of Northwood, and Stephanie Foster of Walsh.
The six male student-athletes to receive the Spring 2014 Meijer Commissioner's Awards were: Ethan Barnes, Tendo Lukwago, and Jeremy Wilk, all from Grand Valley State, Logan Gray from Malone, Jean Menard from Northwood along with FSU's Johnson.
"It is with great pleasure that I offer congratulations on behalf of the GLIAC to our 12 award winners," stated GLIAC Commissioner Dell Robinson. "The accomplishments of the 12 student-athletes are a shining example of the future leaders and individuals who serve as change agents on our campuses. I would like thank Meijer for their continued support that allows the GLIAC to honor our top student-athletes."
Rudd earned the GLIAC Commissioner's Award recogntion for the second time. This spring, she earned NCAA Division II Women's Wutdoor Track All-America honors in the 10,000 meters with a fifth-place finish at the national championships. She also competed at outdoor nationsl this year in the 5,000 meters and placed 10th.
Previously, Rudd broke the facility record and topped the national-qualifying mark by winning the 3,000 meters at the GLIAC Indoor Track Championships and was honored with GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team during both the indoor & outdoor seasons. The senior standout received 2014 Capital One Academic All-America First Team honors and also earned NCAA Division II Women's Indoor & Outdoor Track All-America accolades for the second year in a row. She was named to the USTFCCCA All-Region & All-America teams and was awarded Ferris State's Dean Davenport "Bulldog of the Year" Award for the second-straight campaign. A year ago, she became the second-ever women's track and field national champion in school history at the indoor national championships.
Meanwhile, Johnson was a 2014 indoor and outdoor track and field national provisional qualifier. He moved into second place on the school's all-time chart in the hammer throw during the outdoor season. His top performance traveled 185-9 while he also posted the team's top performance in the weight throw during the indoor campaign (54-4 ¾). Johnson ranks third all-time in school history in the indoor weight throw (55-3 ¾). He was a multiple-year letterwinner and a two-time GLIAC Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field All-Academic Excellence Team member.
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