GLIAC Runner of the Year leads on and off the course

To be to be able to run 120 miles a week, one must possess a superior work ethic and sheer determination, but for senior Anthony Witt, running that distance every week has become second nature.

After leading the Grand Valley State University men’s cross country team to its 10th-straight GLIAC Championship in Ashland, Ohio, this past weekend, Witt has put in the miles and was named the GLIAC Runner of the Year.

Even with Runner of the Year honors, Witt said he is not satisfied yet.

Courtesy GVL Archive Photo

His ultimate goal is to perform well in the Regional Tournament on Nov. 15 in Big Rapids, Mich., and then end the season with a national championship.

“Running is a sport where there are no shortcuts,” he said. “To have success, you have to put in the work, and I’ve been able to do that with my teammates, so that’s why we’ve seen the success.”

GVSU head coach Jerry Baltes said Witt brings several intangibles to the cross country program, but his biggest strengths are his work ethic, leadership and commitment to being great.

“Anthony can lead by either example in doing work, he is someone who trains anywhere from 120 to 125 miles a week,” he said. “That’s the highest on our team, so everyone looks up to that and understands that he is doing the work that it takes to get the job done.”

Baltes added that Witt is willing to lead vocally if needed by telling or asking teammates to do the right thing.

Witt began his running career in high school at Shakamak in Jasonville, Ind., when looking to get involved in activity outside of the norm.

“I’ve always wanted to find something to be different than most, so in high school the way to do that was through running rather than the mainstream sports of baseball and basketball, at least in my school,” he said.
 “That’s kind of when I developed a passion for it and met some interesting people, so that kept me going.”

Fellow teammate Tyler Emmorey said he recognizes that Witt brings a lot to the team in terms of athletic ability, but perhaps more importantly, Witt has an entertaining personality to which the entire team can relate.

“You think he is serious, but he’s always cracking jokes,” he said. “Still, he’s very passionate and he steps up when he needs to.”

Witt, a biomedical science major who has aspirations to go to medical school after he graduates, said his success this season is in large part due to the support and encouragement he receives from his teammates and the GVSU coaching staff.

“It’s been of culmination of four years in college and then four years high school, so eight years total, working up to this point,” he said. “I’ve been able to stay relatively healthy so you put all that together and luckily that has resulted in positive things.”

Teams wash cars for Make-A-Wish Foundation

Competing for championships is a yearly expectation for Grand Valley State University’s athletic program, but what Laker fans do not often realize is being an athlete at GVSU involves more than just game play.

Each year Laker athletes spend countless hours away from sports to participate in community service projects.

Courtesy of Coach Jones

On Saturday, the GVSU men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams hosted a car wash and donated the proceeds to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“When we do events like this, it shows everyone that we’re not just all about sports, we’re involved the community too,” said Jocelyn Kuksa, senior pole vaulter.

The two teams are comprised of 188 athletes, with 150 of them taking part in the community fundraiser. The car wash took place at four different locations, including McDonald’s in Allendale, Arby’s in Standale, Advanced Auto Parts in Jenison and Walgreen’s in Grandville.

The athletes raised about $1,300 for charity.

“We used to do a car wash as a fundraiser for our team, but two years ago we decided to give back to Make-a-Wish Foundation,” said GVSU assistant coach Steve Jones. “Overall, it was a very successful day. You can’t always judge an event like this by its monetary outcome because it’s something that our athletes embrace and love doing together.”

Jones said community service is integral to Division II athletics, because it helps with character building.

“It’s not just [the cross country and track] teams, all the teams do something,” he said. “[Women’s] basketball went down to Alabama to help with tornado relief and football volunteers at a camp.”

Aside from benefiting the Make-a Wish Foundation, the car wash helps GVSU athletes improve team chemistry, build character and prepare for life after their playing days are over.

“We are a big group, so an event like this allows us the chance to bond and get the chance to know each other a little bit better,” said Tyler Emmorey, senior distance runner. “I like doing things like this because I actually get to see it pay off in the community.”

For some student athletes, giving back to organizations means helping out a cause near to their hearts.

“I have some family and friends who are sick, so to take time out of my day to give back to people who need it is good,” Kuska said.

At the same time, Kuksa knows that giving back to the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the team bonding are the two main goals, but they also gain new fans and bring positive publicity to GVSU by working in the community.

Cross country looks to use depth and experience to build on success

Behind 2010 National Coach of the Year Jerry Baltes, the Grand Valley State University men’s and women’s teams reached new heights last season. The women brought home their first NCAA National Championship, and the men finished third in the nation.
 
Looking ahead to the 2011 season, Baltes said last year’s success has given the Lakers confidence and experience to build on their winning ways.

Courtesy Archive Photo

“The expectation for both teams is to focus on the day-to-day process and work hard,” he said. “If we can do that, the rest will take care itself, and hopefully we’ll be competing for national titles on Nov. 19.”

Despite ending the season on top of the proverbial mountain, the women’s team was ranked No. 2 in the Division II preseason poll, trailing Western State College. The men’s team, however, starts out the season right where they finished last year.

The women’s team graduated some key contributors from last season’s national championship team, but has plenty of athletes who are ready to step up. Most notably, the team returns four runners who finished in the Top 32 at the national meet.

“Anytime you lose seniors it’s hard, but we’re not going to dwell on what we lost,” Baltes said. “We have ladies who did not finish in the top seven last year, but now they’re right there. They’re hungry to win.”

As defending national champions, the girls know their opponents will come at them hard, but that’s just added motivation to keep improving.

“I hope our team can expand on what we did last year,” said senior Monica Kinney. “We have a target on our back, that’s hard, but we have experience and confidence in each other. We know we have what it takes to win.”

The men are coming off of their best finish in program history, and hope to improve on that mark in 2011. With virtually the entire team returning from last year, and a roster loaded with fifth-year seniors, expectations are high. Leading the way will be 2010 Midwest Region Player of the Year, Tyler Emmorey and fellow senior Anthony Witt.

“This team’s strength is definitely our depth and experience,” Baltes said. “Hopefully we can use both to help compete for a national championship.”

However, the men know that experience and depth alone are not going to be enough to win a national title.
“My goals and everyone else’s goals are to improve individually and as a team each day,” said senior Paul Zielinski. “If we put in the work we can reach our goal to bring home a national championship.”

Not only do both teams have the goal to make noise on the national scene by competing at the national championships, but they also want bring home conference championships. Laker cross-country teams have exhibited dominance over the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) in recent years. The men and women have won nine and ten GLIAC titles, respectively.

“Every year it’s our goal to compete and win conference, regional and national titles, but it’s important to remember we can’t focus on the end result,” Baltes said.