Bowling Green State University Athletics
Men's Cross Country Hands Out Awards
December 14, 2000 | General
Dec. 14, 2000
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's cross country program handed out its individual awards for the 2000 season, head coach Sterling Martin has announced. Junior Tom Kutter (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton) was named the team's MVP, while junior Rob Glatz (Amherst, Ohio/Steele) was named the most improved runner. Paul Niedzwiecki (Adrian, Mich./Adrian) was named the Falcons' freshman MVP.
Kutter was the team's top runner in each of the season's seven races. He was an All-Ohio First-Team selection, and was named to the All-Mid-American Conference Second Team. Kutter was the individual winner of the Falcons' dual meet vs. Ohio, and he posted top-three finishes at both the Mel Brodt Invitational and the All-Ohio Championships. He ran a season-best 8,000-meter time of 24:54 at the MAC Championships, placing 12th in the 95-runner race.
"Tom is the prototype of the kind of athlete we need in our program," said Martin. "His work ethic, competitive spirit, athletic lifestyle and commitment to excellence, both on and off the cross-country course, make me proud to have him on this team. Tom is very typical of the quality of runner that Eaton High School has produced over the years."
Glatz entered the season with a personal-best time of 26:39. This season, he broke that time by at least 12 seconds in every 8K race. His eighth-place finish at the All-Ohio Championships earned him second-team all-state honors. Glatz posted a season-best time of 25:42 at the league championships. He ended the year by being named to the MAC Academic Honor Roll.
"Rob truly committed himself to this team and his training this past summer," said Martin. "It paid off for him in a big way."
Niedzwiecki burst onto the scene by finishing as BGSU's second runner in six of the year's seven races. He was the top freshman finisher at three meets - the Ohio dual, the Mel Brodt Invitational and the Greensboro Invite. Niedzwiecki missed earning All-MAC honors by just five seconds at the MAC Championships, but his 15th-place finish in that race was the highest by a BGSU freshman in over a decade. His time of 24:59 in that race was a season best.
"Paul was a tremendous boost to this program," said Martin. "His competitive nature allowed him to reach beyond the limits freshmen often place on themselves."
The Falcons finished sixth in the 12-team MAC Championships, and placed 17th of 31 teams at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships.
