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Grand Valley State Sweeps All Four GLIAC Outdoor Track and Field Weekly Awards

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Four weekly awards were on offer in the GLIAC. Grand Valley State took all four. The Lakers swept the conference’s outdoor track and field honours for the fifth week of the 2026 outdoor season, across both genders and both disciplines.

Men’s Track Athlete of the Week Joshua Page broke the GVSU 400m record with 45.98 — shaving the old mark of 45.99 — to rank fourth in NCAA Division II. Women’s Track Athlete of the Week went to freshman Gianni Harris, who ran 11.55 in the 100m (No. 2 in program history, No. 14 in Division II) and matched her personal best with 24.00 in the 200m.

In the field, Dolan Gonzales took the men’s honour with a personal-best 5.23m pole vault, No. 10 in Division II, while sophomore Brooke Bowers claimed the women’s with a season-best 4.26m — the No. 1 mark in Division II. A clean sweep, top to bottom.

We Speak Track And Field

Yehualaw Returns in Valencia as Kwizera Chases Spanish History

Yalemzerf Yehualaw returns from maternity leave in Valencia on Oct. 25, Rodrigue Kwizera chases a first Spanish win, and Kenenisa Bekele is also on the start list.

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Kenenisa Bekele racing the marathon

The Valencia Half Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 25 brings together a returning superstar, a man chasing national history, and one of the greatest distance runners of all time.

Yalemzerf Yehualaw headlines the women’s race in her return from maternity leave. The Ethiopian last raced at the Boston Marathon in April 2025, finishing third in 2:18:06, and her half marathon personal best of 1:03:51 — run on this course in 2021 — makes her the fastest woman in the field. She faces Lisbon champion Tsigie Gebreselama, world road running silver medallist Veronica Loleo and Ftaw Zeray on a course famous for fast times.

The men’s race could produce a first. Rodrigue Kwizera owns the fastest personal best in the field at 58:16, set in Prague earlier this year, and after receiving Spanish citizenship in 2026 he is chasing both the first Spanish men’s victory in Valencia and the Spanish record of 59:39. His training partner Thierry Ndikumwenayo, Andrea Kiptoo, Owen Kapkama, Daniel Ebenyo and 2018 winner Jemal Yimer are all in the field — along with Kenenisa Bekele, the three-time Olympic champion whose appearance alone will draw a crowd.

Britain’s Ben Connor, Charlie Wheeler and Samantha Harrison also feature. The course records — Yomif Kejelcha’s 57:30 and Letesenbet Gidey’s 1:02:52 — were both world records when set, which tells you everything about Valencia’s speed.

Photo: Canadian Running

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