More GLIAC Honors for VB's Ritchie, XC's Iler
October 13, 2004

Ashland University’s Carrie Ritchie and Nate Iler may soon be part of the permanent directory for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Even though the league office is in Bay City, MI, and Ritchie and Iler are living in Ashland, the two AU student-athletes are well known at GLIAC headquarters.

This week, Ritchie is the GLIAC South Division volleyball player of the week and Iler is the GLIAC male cross country runner of the week. This is the third time this season Ritchie has earned the citation. Iler has been named the GLIAC runner of the week twice in 2004.

Ritchie led Ashland to a 3-0 week last week. The senior outside hitter paced the club in kills (62) and was second in digs (40). Her best performance came in AU’s biggest win of the week, a 3-1 triumph at 16th-ranked Northwood. Ritchie had 25 kills, 16 digs and four blocks against the ‘Wolves. The next day at Saginaw Valley State she had 19 kills and 17 digs in a 3-0 Ashland victory. Earlier in the week at Northern Kentucky, the Mansfield, OH, native had 18 kills, seven digs and four blocks as Ashland topped the Norse, 3-0.

Iler, a senior from Bucyrus, OH, finished second at the 50th All-Ohio Cross Country Championships in Delaware, OH, last Friday. The only runner to finish ahead of Iler was Ohio State’s Brian Olinger. Iler’s time on the 8K course was 25:51. Ashland placed fifth out of 39 teams and won the Division II/NAIA division. This is the second consecutive year the Eagle men have won the division crown.