GLIAC -- The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has announced its weekly awards following the fourth week of competition of the 2025 cross country season. Saginaw Valley State junior Jacob Walker and Northern Michigan senior Madi Szymanski were recognized.
MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jacob Walker, Saginaw Valley State
Jacob Walker led the 12th-ranked Saginaw Valley State men's cross country team at the Lucian Rose Invite in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this past weekend to earn the first GLIAC Cross Country Athlete of the Week honor of his career. He finished in the top 20 among 220 total runners with a time of 24:57.82. Walker's finish propelled the Cardinals to a fourth-place finish out of 25 teams with a total score of 162.
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Madi Szymanski, Northern Michigan
Madi Szymanski of Northern Michigan has earned her second straight GLIAC Cross Country Athlete of the Week after her third top-10 finish of the season this weekend at the Lucian Rosa Invite. Competing against more than 200 other runners, Szymanski led the Green and Gold with a 9th-place finish, crossing the line in a season-best time of 21:37.1. Her efforts helped lead Northern to a 4th-place team finish, beating several nationally ranked teams including CSU Pueblo (15th), Lee (12th), Minnesota State (24th), Cal Poly Pomona (26th), and Parkside (25th). Receiving votes in last week’s USTFCCCA National Poll, the Wildcats are poised to climb even higher this week, perhaps entering the top-30 for the first time since 2019, with Szymanski playing a pivotal role in the climb from the ‘Cats. Last week, she was named the GLIAC Cross Country Athlete of the Week after leading the Wildcats with a time of 23:15.8, which landed her in 5th place at the Roy Griak Invite. Szymanski also led the way for NMU in the season opener, finishing in a time of 22:14.8 for 5th place at the Phoenix Open.
