Former Hillsdale track and cross-country star Amanda Putt ‘12 won the GLIAC Scholar- Athlete Award this year due to what coaches described as diligence both on the track and in the classroom.
Assistant track coach Amanda Mirochna said Putt is “diligent, humble, and a leader. No one would ever know she is one of the fastest runners in the nation.”
Putt graduated last spring, earning a degree in biology. She graduated with a 3.8 GPA while shattering running records and winning three national champi- onships. In order to be selected for the GLIAC Scholar-Athlete Award, the student-athlete must carry one of the highest grade- point averages of all conference athletes and be selected by the conference faculty-athletic representatives. Putt’s high GPA and three national champion- ships surpassed the minimal credentials.
Putt received a near-full- tuition scholarship for gradu- ate school at the University of Michigan, where she is currently studying Public Health. This season, Putt will continue to run
for the track and cross-coun- try teams at the University of Michigan.
Coach Mirochna said Putt led the team by example in morning cross-training, at practice, around the class- room, and with homework.
“If the coaches couldn’t attend a practice, Amanda would lead the team and run the practice,” Mirochna said.
All of Putt’s dedication paid off as she ran record- breaking times and won many awards.
Putt’s personal bests were the 1500-meter which she ran in 0:4.15 and the mile, which she ran in 0:4.46.
Head track and cross- country coach Andrew Towne said “she rewrote the Hillsdale record books in the distance events.”
In her junior year, Putt broke the Hillsdale record for the 1500-meter. A year later, she shattered eight Hillsdale College records during her indoor and outdoor track seasons.
In indoor track Putt broke the school record in the 800-meter, the mile, the 3000-meter, the 5000-meter, and the medley re- lay. In outdoor track she set the final three records in the 5K, the 800-meter race, and broke her earlier record in the 1500-meter race.
“She was a really good team leader, especially by example,” said junior Mary Margaret Peter, a former teammate of Putt’s. “She set an example for a lot
of girls and worked hard even outside of practice.”
Towne said that Putt is the epitome of a Hillsdale student- athlete, and hopes to recruit runners similar to her. Amanda Putt has left a legacy for the new recruits to follow.
