GLIAC -- The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has announced its weekly awards following the third week of competition of the 2025 cross country season. Michigan Tech senior Michael Dennis and Northern Michigan senior Madi Szymanski were honored.
MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Michael Dennis, Michigan Tech
For the second time in his career, Michigan Tech cross country senior Michael Dennis has been named the GLIAC Athlete of the Week, the league announced on Monday. Dennis, hailing from Saint Johns, Michigan, took runner-up honors in the Jo Rider Maroon race at the Roy Griak Invitational running a time of 26:39 to help the No. 27 nationally-ranked Michigan Tech men’s cross country team win its second team title in four years at the historic meet, posting a team score of 35 points, tying the lowest winning point total set 31 years ago. In his first race in the Black & Gold this season, he bested a field of over 270 runners to finish as the top collegian, improving his time (26:44) and place (23rd-place) from a season ago.
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Madi Szymanski, Northern Michigan
Madi Szymanski and the Northern Michigan cross country team competed at the Roy Griak Invite this past weekend. In a race featuring over 250 runners, Szymanski once again led the Wildcats with a time of 23:15.8, landing her in 5th place. She found herself in 6th place at the halfway point and 7th at the final 5K marker before making a move to 5th by the time she reached the finish line, running the final kilometer in 4:08.2, the second fastest finish in the field. With a third-place team finish, the Alpena, Michigan native was at the forefront of NMU’s best placement at the Roy Griak since 2016. Szymanski looks to lead the Green and Gold this season after an injury sidelined her in 2024. She was named All-Region and First Team All-GLIAC in 2023.
