ALLENDALE, Mich. – Grand Valley State has swept the first Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week honors of the 2026 outdoor season. The honors follow impressive outings at this weekend's adidas Raleigh Relays and adidas Trojan Challenge. Koby Fraaza and Abigail VanderKooi were awarded Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week honors while Sebastian Tesch and Paige Westra were named Outdoor Field Athletes of the Week.
 
Fraaza and VanderKooi both ran the 10000m event at the Raleigh Relays. Fraaza ran the length first, 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.
 
VanderKooi followed suit in the 10000m, notching a personal-best time of her own in the event. The redshirt junior ranked 19^th 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.
 
In his final collegiate opener, Tesch impressed in 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.
 
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.