Fan Vote: Top 25 Student-Athletes Of The Past 20 Years -- No. 7 Aliyah Gustafson

Bowling Green, Ohio -- For a week, we asked our fans to vote for their favorite student-athletes of the past 20 years. Throughout the month of September, we will reveal one selection at a time each weekday over a five-week stretch. Today, we highlight your No. 7 choice for the top student-athlete of the past 20 years, thrower Aliyah Gustafson!

7. Aliyah Gustafson (2013 - 2019)

A native of Iowa City, Iowa, Aliyah Gustafson put both the MAC and the NCAA on notice with her throwing abilities.

After a redshirt season in 2013-14 and injuries derailing a promising start to the 2014-15 season, Gustafson was the Falcons' top shot putter and placed fifth in the MAC Championships in the shot put for the indoor season, while also being named Academic All-MAC. She also won the Tom Wright Open, GVSU Holiday Opener, and BG Open. In the outdoor season, she was an honorable mention All-American, named to the First Team All-MAC, and was the shot put MAC Champion with a throw of 51-feet-4.5. She also qualified for the NCAA National Championships.

Gustafson's 2016-17 indoor season resulted in being named Second Team All-MAC, MAC runner-up in the weight throw, and a third place finisher in the shot put. She was also named MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week after breaking the school record in the shot put at the Tom Wright Open. Additionally, she broke the school record at the MAC Championships in the shot put, throwing 53-feet-6.75. In the outdoor season, Gustafson was named CoSIDA Academic All-District and Academic All-MAC, while finishing fourth in the shot put at the MAC Championships.

Gustafson's final two years set herself apart from the rest of the conference.

She was Second Team All-American in both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2017-18. She became the school record-holder in the shot put and weight throw, and won the MAC Championship in the shot put. She was the first BGSU student-athlete to compete at the indoor national championships since 2001, placing 10th in the shot put. Additionally, she broke the school record in the BG Opener (53-feet-7.75), broke her own records at the Doug Raymond Invite (54.375) and the Tom Wright Open (55-10.5), and broke the school record at the Meyo Invitational (57.2). In the outdoor season, she finished 15^th at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, throwing 54-feet-0.5. Gustafson was the MAC Most Outstanding Field Performer at the MAC Championships after winning the shot put, placing third in discus and finishing fourth in hammer throw. This earned her First Team All-MAC after breaking the school record to win the shot put at 57-5.75. She also won every shot put event that she competed in during the regular season.

Gustafson's senior season was even more remarkable, as she was First Team All-American after placing seventh at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field National Championships in the shot put and named MAC Field Performer of the Year. She also became the second student-athlete (male or female) in MAC history to win both the shot put and the weight throw during the same year at the MAC Championship. Additionally, she set the school record in the shot put with a distance of 57-5 at the Can-Am Invitational. In the outdoor season, she concluded her career by earning her fifth trip to an NCAA National Championship meet and third outdoor appearance, finishing fourth at regionals in the shot put with a distance of 55-feet-3.5. She was named Second Team All-American after placing 10^th at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Championships with a mark of 54-6.75. She finished her conference play on top, winning the MAC Championship in the shot put, and earning a spot on the podium in the discus and hammer throw.

COMPLETE TOP 25 FAN VOTE
25 - Marny Oestreng
24 - Dylan Frye
23 - Travis Greene
22 - Keith McLeod
21 - Chelsee Washington
20 - Kallie Seimet
19 - Chris Jones
18 - Alec Rauhauser
17 - Liz Honegger
16 - Jovannah East
15 - Brooke Pleger
14 - Andrew Hammond
13 - Scott Miller
12 - Kory Lichtensteiger
11 - Roger Lewis
10 - Lauren Prochaska
9 - Ryan Carpenter
8 - Omar Jacobs
7 - Aliyah Gustafson

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