FERRIS TRACK/CROSS COUNTRY NAMES JOSH STRYKER TO COACHING POST

The Ferris State University men’s and women’s track and field/cross country program has appointed Josh Stryker as assistant coach in an announcement made today (Sept. 18) by 11th-year FSU head coach Jeff Kavalunas.

The 26-year old Stryker, who previously worked as an assistant coach the last three seasons at fellow Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) member Northwood, will assist in all phases of the Bulldog men's and women's track/cross country program including coaching, training, recruiting and administrative functions. He replaces former assistant coach Lisa Rollefstad, who departed following the 2005-06 campaign for an assistant coaching position at her alma mater, North Dakota.

“Josh is a great young coach who's a student of the sport and will do a fantastic job with our program,” Kavalunas said. “I'm excited for him to start working with our student-athletes and am confident he's prepared for this opportunity.”

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 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. During his tenure 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.

"Josh has competitive experience and will bring some unique ideas in terms of training our athletes," said Kavalunas. "He also has a good grasp of meet management skills, which will certainly be a plus. In addition, I expect him to fully assist with our recruiting efforts."

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 son of John and Laura Stryker, Josh has two brothers, John and Jesse. He is single and resides in Big Rapids.

The Ferris State women's cross country team captured fifth place at the 2005 NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Championships (Nov. 5) on FSU's Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids, Mich. Ferris' women's indoor track squad compiled six points at last year's national meet after placing fifth of nine competing teams with 59.50 points at the 2006 GLIAC Indoor Championships (Feb. 24-25) in Findlay, Ohio. The Bulldog women's outdoor track and field team finished sixth with 75 points at the league outdoor championships (May 4-5) last season, which were held at Ferris' Top Taggart Field.

The Ferris State men's cross country squad placed ninth at last year's league championships with 268 points. The Bulldog men were eighth at the GLIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships before placing ninth overall at the conference outdoor meet.