Kurt Michaelis
Cross Country/Track and Field
2002-03
Kurt Michaelis has had the best individual year of any Youngstown State Track and Field athlete in the history of the program and his success will be honored this evening as the 2003 YSU Male Athlete of the Year.
Michaelis, a team captain for the track and cross country teams this past year, finished as an All American at the NCAA indoor track and field championships, was named the Horizon League Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year, won the mile championship at the Horizon League indoor track and field championships while leading YSU to its first league title in school history and has set school records in the 3000 meter steeplechase (outdoor), mile run (indoor) and 1000 meter run (indoor).
Competing this past year as a senior in indoor track and a junior in cross country and outdoor track, his fourth school record is in the outdoor 1,500 meters. At the NCAA indoor championships on March 15, Michaelis placed ninth overall in the mile with a time of 4:07.79, but by being the seventh place American finisher, earned All American status. He was only the second Penguin to compete at the national meet joining Kofi Owusu-Ansah (outdoor in 2000).
At the Horizon League championships, Michaelis won the mile for the second consecutive year, placed third in the 1,000 and fourth in the 800. During the indoor campaign, Michaelis set the school record in the mile with a time of 4:02.71 at Notre Dame's Meyo invitational on Feb 8. He set the 1,000-meter run record with a time of 2:28.23 two months prior on Dec 7 at the Golden Flash Gala. Three times he earned accolades as the Horizon League Track Athlete of the Week.
While he has had numerous successes, his year is not finished yet. Michaelis and the Penguins are scheduled to compete at the Horizon League Outdoor Men's Track and Field Championships on May 8-9. Already, he has qualified for the NCAA Midwest Regionals in the 800 meter run, the mile and the 3,000 meter steeplechase, which are held May 30-31 in Columbus, Ohio.
His YSU competition year began in the fall as a junior member and team captain of the cross country squad. Michaelis placed 19th at the Horizon League Men's Cross Country Championships with a time of 25:43, while as a team, YSU placed third.
Last year, Michaelis had an outstanding campaign as well. In the outdoor circuit, he won the Horizon League titles in the mile and the 800 meter run.
At the indoor championship meet he won the mile and the 800 meters as well. In the fall, he finished 24th at the Horizon League Men's Cross Country Championships.
Excelling off the track as well, Michaelis owns a 3.47 grade point average as an Exercise Physiology major.
A graduate of Holgate High School, he is a three-time Horizon League Academic All League team member. Kurt's parents are Doug and Sharon Michaelis.
