FERRIS STATE TRACK & FIELD AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Four Athletes Honored As School’s Most Outstanding Performers For 2003-04 Campaign

Big Rapids freshman Kyle Schuberg received FSU's Most Outstanding Men's Track Athlete Award for the 2003-04 season

The women’s Most Outstanding Track Athlete Award was presented to sophomore Jenny Irwin (Scottville/Mason County Central), who placed fourth overall (4:33.11) while setting a school record and meeting the NCAA Division II National Provisional Qualification mark in the 1,600 meters at last weekend’s (May 6-7) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Hillsdale, Mich. A 2003-04 GLIAC Indoor Track and Field All-Academic Team honoree, Irwin captured all-conference recognition and posted the school’s second-best all-time effort (10:20.78) by winning the 3,000 meters at the league’s indoor championships (Feb. 27-28) in Findlay, Ohio. The first-team 2003 All-GLIAC Cross Country pick presently has recorded a combined six first-place indoor and outdoor individual finishes this campaign.

Senior Kristyn Buck (Brighton), who has claimed pole vault championship honors twice to date this outdoor campaign, received the Most Outstanding Women’s Field Event Athlete Award. She provisionally qualified for the outdoor national meet and registered the school’s top all-time pole vault performance (11-6.25) in the Michigan State Spartan Invitational (April 10) at East Lansing, Mich. Buck placed fourth (11-3.50) in the event at the GLIAC Outdoor Championships.

Freshman Elizabeth Engle (Colon) was named the women’s Most Improved Athlete Award winner. Engle currently has finished among the top 10 competitors a combined eight times in the hurdle events during the outdoor campaign after doing so only twice indoors. She recorded a third-place finish (15.97) with a personal career-best effort in the 100-meter hurdles at the Saginaw Valley State Invitational (April 17) in University Center, Mich. The Bulldog Award for spirit, dedication and leadership was presented to senior Rachel Cox (Gladstone/Battle Creek Lakeview), who earned runner-up recognition (18:00.67) in the 5,000 meters at the GLIAC Outdoor Championships. A 2003 All-Great Lakes Region Cross Country Second-Teamer, Cox compiled top five all-time FSU marks in the indoor 3,000 (10:30.73) and 5,000 meters (18:23.66) along with the outdoor 5,000 meters (17:57.28) in 2003-04.

Freshman Kyle Schuberg (Big Rapids) was honored as FSU’s Most Outstanding Men’s Track Athlete while senior Kurt Peterson (St. Louis) and junior Ryan Rouse (Macomb/Richmond) were named co-recipients of the Most Outstanding Field Event Athlete Award. Schuberg has placed among the top 10 event competitors a combined 15 times to date during the 2003-04 indoor and outdoor campaigns. He took sixth place (21-6) in the long jump at the GLIAC Outdoor Championships in addition to running on FSU’s 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay teams, which placed fifth (44.42) and sixth (3:28.22), respectively, at the league’s outdoor meet. Peterson posted the school’s second-best indoor pole vault mark (15-6.25) at Central Michigan’s Jack Skoog Open (Feb. 20) in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. The 2003-04 NCAA-II Indoor Provisional National Qualifier attained league runner-up recognition this season by vaulting 15-3 at the GLIAC’s Indoor Championships. Rouse currently has placed among the top five pole vaulters on five occasions during the 2004 outdoor season, including a fifth-place effort (14-3.50) at the GLIAC Championships.

Senior Joe Klein (Pewamo/Pewamo-Westphalia), who earned GLIAC Indoor All-Academic Team laurels this campaign, was the men’s Bulldog Award recipient. Klein had an outdoor season-best time of 2:09.20 in the 800 meters at the Bulldog Invitational (April 8) in Big Rapids. Freshman Chase Gibson (Big Rapids) garnered the men’s Most Improved Athlete Award. Gibson, who’s highest indoor finish was 11th (4:32.25) in the mile run at the Division II Team Challenge (Feb. 7) in University Center, presently has totaled four top-six placings during the outdoor season highlighted by a runner-up (1:57.90) effort in the 800 meters at the Bulldog Invitational.

Selected Bulldog athletes will take part in the University of Windsor (Ontario) Open this Friday (May 14) in Windsor, Ontario. FSU placed sixth in the women’s field (52 points) and seventh (24) in the men’s competition at the GLIAC Outdoor Championships. The women’s team finished sixth (47) while the men’s team tied for seventh place (12) at the conference indoor meet.