GLIAC -- The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has announced its weekly awards following the fifth week of competition of the 2026 cross country season. Jacob Walker of Saginaw Valley State and Ella DeBruyn of Northern Michigan were honored.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jacob Walker, Saginaw Valley State
Jacob Walker earns his second GLIAC Athlete of the Week this season, third of his career, after a career day at the Lewis Crossover this weekend. Walker won the men's 8K race with a PR time of 24:11.4, besting his previous best by almost four seconds. Walker finished better than over 300 runners in Romeoville, Illinois to earn the biggest win of the season for SVSU thus far.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Ella DeBruyn, Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan’s Ella DeBruyn has been named the GLIAC Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week following her first collegiate individual victory at Saturday's Lucian Rosa Invite in Kenosha, Wisconsin. DeBruyn claimed the individual title in a field of 210 runners, crossing the finish line in 22:12.84 to finish 2.7 seconds ahead of the runner-up. After sitting in second place at the halfway point, DeBruyn used a 5:58 pace to move into the lead late in the race, passing the front-runner with 400 meters remaining to secure the win. DeBruyn's performance also helped the Wildcats finish second among 20 teams. The victory marked Northern Michigan's first individual meet champion since Madi Szymanski won the Northwood Invite on September 9, 2023.
