GLIAC -- The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has announced its weekly awards following the first week of competition of the 2026 outdoor track & field season. Grand Valley State athletes swept the honors redshirt with senior Koby Fraaza (men's track), redshirt senior Abby VanderKooi (women's track), redshirt senior Sebastian Tesch (men's field) and redshirt junior Paige Westra (women's field) receiving recognition.
MEN'S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Koby Fraaza, Grand Valley State
Koby Fraaza ran the 10000m at the Raleigh Relays, completing the event 10th of 95 finishers, the majority of which hail from NCAA Division I institutions. He crossed the finish line at a personal-best 28:52.63 to take the lead in NCAA Division II and rank fourth all-time at Grand Valley State.
WOMEN'S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Abby VanderKooi, Grand Valley State
Abby VanderKooi notched a personal-best time in the 10000m at the Raleigh Relays. The redshirt junior ranked 19th of 72 in the event, immediately leading athletes representing NYU, South Carolina and Notre Dame. Her finish 34:08.50 was not only a personal-best, but also leads NCAA DII and ranks third in GVSU program history.
MEN'S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Sebastian Tesch, Grand Valley State
In his final collegiate opener, Sebastian Tesch impressed in the hammer throw. He opened with a throw of 64.70m (212-3), already placing fourth at the esteemed Raleigh Relays. Through his next four throws, the New Baltimore, Mich. native averaged 62.70m (205-8) per attempt. His sixth and final throw of the day was his best yet, breaking the 65m threshold with a 65.96m (216-5) toss to solidify his fourth place rank behind three DI athletes. The mark places him second in Division II and third in program history.
WOMEN'S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Paige Westra, Grand Valley State
Paige Westra made appearances in three events this weekend, throwing shot twice and discus once. She began competition on Thursday in shot put at the Raleigh Relays. She jumped from 11th to fifth on her third throw of the day with a 14.74m (48-4) throw. She continued to increase her mark, throwing for a personal-best 15.02m (49-3.5) on her second-to-last attempt. But Westra didn’t stop there; at Mount Olive’s Trojan Challenge, she broke her personal-best one more time. On her fourth throw of the day, she threw for 15.04m (49-4.25) to place first in the event, rank eighth in program history and third in NCAA Division II.
