Three New Sports Highlight This Year
By Tom Isaacson

Ferris State student-athletes are gaining exciting benefits from the construction expanding the University's main campus. During the summer of 1998, Ferris State made vast improvements to Top Taggart Field by installing AstroTurf, one of the top artificial playing surfaces available, and a 400-meter, eight-lane track. Laying the AstroTurf included placement of soccer lines along with the football yard markers. "We prioritized which sports we were going to bring back," said Larry Marfise, athletics director. "We knew we had a state-of-the-art surface being installed, making it logical to bring in women's soccer, men's track and field and men's cross country."

New Coaches Direct New Sports


Jeff Kavalunas

Marfise hired Pete Watkins as the new women's soccer coach and appointed Jeff Kavalunas, Ferris State's current head coach of the women's cross country and track and field teams, to coach the men's programs. "We're fortunate to entice a coach with Pete's abilities and broad experience to Ferris State," said Marfise. "He's a dynamic, extremely personable young man who is an excellent teacher and tactician. "In addition, I'm extremely excited to have Jeff direct our two men's programs," continued Marfise. "I consider him one of the premiere cross country and track coaches in (NCAA) Division II. Jeff has an outstanding knowledge of both sports."

Kavalunas' knowledge and capabilities are evidenced by his accolades. In his three years with the women's programs, Jeff has twice been named Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Women's Indoor Track and Field Coach-of-the-Year. In the spring of 1999, Kavalunas and the women's track team hosted the first track meet on campus in 12 years. While women's soccer is a new program, the men's track and cross country programs were reinstated to varsity status after being eliminated in 1994 due to financial constraints. Men's track was originally established in 1957 and men's cross country in 1968.