NEW ORLEANS – The Saginaw Valley State University men's track & field and cross country program was named the eighth best program of the year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday afternoon. The Cardinals made the final list of the top programs for the third time in program history (16th in 2023-24 & 11th in 2009-10), with this year's eighth-place ranking being the highest ever for SVSU.
"First, let me acknowledge the tremendous effort our student-athletes gave towards this finish. Each day they come into the facility they bring with them a blue-collar work mentality. Starting with cross in the fall and ending with outdoor track in the spring...day-to-day they work at being great!" said SVSU Track & Field and Cross Country Head Coach, Rod Cowan.
Saginaw Valley finished with 35 points to claim the spot, four points more than seventh-place Adams State. Grand Valley State topped the standings with just seven points, followed by Wingate with 14 points. Colorado School of Mines rounded out the top three with 23 points.
The Cardinal cross country team earned six points after matching the best finish in program history with its six-place finish at the championship race, where two SVSU harriers, Corey Bowers and Nick McArdle, earned All-America with their finishes in the 10K.
SVSU collected 10.5 points for the 10th-ranked finish during indoor track and field season. Sawyer Moloy highlighted indoor season after claiming a National Championship in the men's high jump at the final meet. Moloy was joined in the All-America ranks by fellow high jumper Xavier Santiago, who placed fourth in the event, and thrower Andrew Quinn who earned top eight honors in the men's shot put, placing fifth.
Another 18.5 points were gathered following the standings of the outdoor season to get the 35-point total. The Cardinal men collected four more All-America awards with Moloy (4th in high jump), Santiago (3rd in high jump), and Quinn (8th in shot put) earned their second All-American honors of the year. Jacob Walker was the fourth SVSU athlete to claim All-America after he finished seventh in the men's 10K.
"The staff stretched themselves to their limits to exceed the program's expectations. I'm surrounded by four hard working and passion filled assistants," continued Cowan. "We finished the year with nine conference titles, nine All-America honors, and one National Champion! While the season can be exhausting, our batteries are recharged by a fantastic support staff. Finally, the support that we get from our administration makes all this possible!"