Four Polar Bear runners earn Academic All-OAC honors
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Paul Lewis
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Thomas Adam
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Joe Amstutz
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Alan Bowsher
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By Gary Petit
ADA — Four Ohio Northern cross country and track & field male athletes received Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors Thursday in voting conducted by the conference’s ten faculty representatives.
Juniors Paul Lewis (Medina), Thomas Adam (Cuyahoga Falls/Walsh Jesuit) and sophomore Joe Amstutz (Bluffton) earned First Team honors while Alan Bowsher (Bowling Green) garnered Honorable Mention honors.
Lewis, Adam and Bowsher all played key roles in guiding the Polar Bear cross country team to its second straight NCAA Championship appearance.
All three members placed in the top-15 and earned All-OAC honors at the OAC Championships while Adam and Bowsher also claimed All-Great Lakes Region honors by virtue of their finish in the Regional Meet.
On the track, Adam won his second OAC Title in the 5,000-meter run during the indoor season.
Bowsher had a tremendous season on the track earning his first All-OAC honors with a second place finish in the 5,000-meter run and a third place finish in the 3,000-meter run during the indoor portion. His time of 8:49.84 in the 3,000-meter run was a new ONU record.
During the outdoor season, Bowsher claimed two more All-OAC honors with a second place showing in the 10,000-meter run and a third place finish in the 5,000-meter run.
Both Adam and Lewis earned Honorable Mention honors last season while this is the first award for both Bowsher and Amstutz.
Amstutz, an electrical engineering major, won the 500-meter dash title and was a member of the winning 4x400-meter relay team at the indoor OAC Championships. He was also part of the OAC Champion 4x800-meter team during the outdoor season.
For his career, Amstutz has won four OAC Titles and has earned All-OAC honors seven times.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.25 GPA, be a starter or key reserve and be in at least his second year of participation in the sport.