FERRIS' JOSH STRYKER RETURNS TO NORTHWOOD AS HEAD COACH

The Ferris State University men’s and women’s track and field/cross country program has lost assistant coach Josh Stryker, who was recently (March 13) appointed head coach of the Northwood University men's and women's track and field/cross country programs.

Stryker previously worked as an assistant coach for three seasons at the fellow Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) school in Midland prior to his arrival at FSU as the program's assistant coach this past fall. He replaced former assistant coach Lisa Rollefstad, who departed following the 2005-06 campaign for an assistant coaching position at her alma mater, North Dakota.

Stryker will replace former NU head coach Scott Cook, who recently resigned to take over as the head coach of the Davenport cross country program.

Current Ferris State head coach Jeff Kavalunas previously served as Northwood's head men's and women's track/cross country coach from 1991-96 before coming to FSU.

In his short time at Ferris State, Stryker helped the women’s indoor track and field team match its highest finish in program history at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships (15th - 11 points) last weekend (March 9-10) in Boston, Mass. Stryker also helped coach current junior thrower Kamitra Carroll (Flint/Carman-Ainsworth) to All-America honors in a pair of events - the weight throw (second) and the shot put (sixth) at the national meet.

Previously, as an assistant coach at Northwood, Stryker worked primarily with Northwood's sprinters and jumpers where he helped the squad's student-athletes establish 16 new school records in those events. Among the athletes he coached during his previous tenure at NU were NCAA Division II Men's All-Americans Josh Weber and James Morley. He also coached NU's Danielle Miller, who was ranked as high as second nationally in the 200 meters and selected to compete in three events at the national championships. While he was at Northwood, the Timberwolves qualified student-athletes to the NCAA-II Championships in 16 different sprint, relay and hurdle events. The squad also claimed seven league individual titles in those areas.

A Grand Rapids, Mich., native, Stryker was a two-time NCAA Division II All-America selection in the 800 meters and the 4x400-meter relay during his collegiate career at Northwood. While competing in track and cross country for the Timberwolves, he won back-to-back conference championships in the 800 meters and was a member of the school's 4x400-meter relay squad, which also claimed a GLIAC title. The GLIAC All-Academic Team honoree also served as a team captain and posted multiple top three finishes in conference championship competition.

Stryker still competes nationally in both track and field along with road racing for the Front Line Racing Team. He took part in the 2005 USA Track and Field (USATF) Indoor National Championships as a member of the program's distance medley relay team.

A 2006 graduate of Northwood with a bachelor's degree in economics/management, Stryker competed in football, basketball and track during his prep career at Byron Center High School. The 1998 BCHS graduate attained all-conference, all-area and Grand Rapids Press Second Team laurels as a football player for the Bulldogs in 1997. He also qualified for the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) State Track and Field Championships in 1998.

The Ferris State men's and women's track and field teams open the 2007 outdoor campaign Saturday, March 31, at the Saint Joseph's (Ind.) Invitational in Rensselaer, Ind. Action is set to begin at 12 p.m. (EST).