Baker College in Owosso, Michigan, recently announced the addition of athletics, including cross country, to its campus. The Baker Bees will be part of the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) and compete within the NAIA division.

From Baker College's Press Release:

Baker College has named Adam Trausch as its new Head Cross Country Coach, bringing nearly 15 years of collegiate coaching experience and a proven track record of building successful programs, developing student-athletes, and fostering academic achievement.

A Michigan native from Grand Rapids, Trausch joins Baker after serving as head men’s and women’s cross country and track and field coach at Lyons College in Arkansas. He successfully relaunched the institution’s cross country programs and later expanded his leadership role to include track and field and athletic compliance responsibilities. Trausch guided student-athletes to conference championships, all-conference honors, national qualifying performances, and academic recognition.

In 2024, Trausch and his staff were named USCAA Men’s Cross Country Coaching Staff of the Year, and in 2022 he was recognized as the American Midwest Conference Coach of Character. His teams consistently earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors, reflecting his commitment to excellence both on the course and in the classroom.

Trausch’s coaching career includes collegiate stops at Defiance College, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and Wisconsin Lutheran College, where he helped mentor conference champions, all-conference performers, and nationally recognized student-athletes.

A former cross country and track and field student-athlete at Davenport University, Trausch was the first runner in program history and earned four WHAC All-Conference selections while also being recognized as a Daktronics Scholar-Athlete throughout his collegiate career. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in health service administration and is a USATF Level 1 certified coach.

“I’m excited and honored to be named the head cross country coach at Baker College,” said Trausch. “Being from Michigan, it’s especially meaningful to return to the state and join Baker College. I look forward to fostering a competitive and positive culture while developing our student-athletes and building a program that values relationships, accountability, and sustained success.”

As Baker College continues to grow its athletics programs, Trausch will lead recruiting efforts and help establish a strong foundation for cross country while supporting the college’s commitment to student success, leadership development, and competitive excellence.

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Bellevue University's Grace Steinmetz's college coach called her rapid ascent a "huge understatement" of a surprise, and there’s no better way to explain the incredible trajectory of improvement for this athlete. Grace had a high school cross country 5K best of 20:34, and she was 73rd at the Iowa Class 1A cross country state meet as a senior, with track bests of 2:30 for the 800, 5:37 for the 1600…no state titles, no national appearances, a few all-state awards…just your regular high school runner. And then all semblance of average disappeared. As a collegiate freshman, Grace won in Sioux City, Iowa, at the Dordt Classic last October, becoming just the second NAIA runner at that time in the season to break 21 minutes, running 20:40 and breaking her own school record and setting the course record by over a minute. She was named the NAIA Athlete of the Week and the Frontier Conference Runner of the Year for her efforts. By the end of her first collegiate season in November, she had set cross country school records of 17:33 in the 5K and 20:40 in the 6K, winning her conference and taking fifth at the NAIA cross country national championships, the best-ever finish for Bellevue, garnering NAIA USTFCCCA Midwest Region Athlete of the Year honors.

She now owns the 1500, 5K, and 10K track school records at Bellevue University, along with the DMR and 4x800 records, with personal bests of 4:42, 17:08, and 35:12, respectively. She’s a multi-time track conference champ, both indoors and outdoors, was All-American in both the 5K and 10K outdoors, and was named the Freshman of the Year by NAIA Track and Field Central.

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Welcome back to another episode of the Red Banner Race Report Podcast, the show where we dive deep into the minds, the miles, and the mindsets of the athletes chasing college running’s ultimate prize. Representing the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats, Trenton Sweet is our guest in this episode.

If you look back at his TFRRS page in early 2025, he opened his collegiate 5,000-meter career with a 15:29. This past season, Trenton blew the doors off the track. He broke the 14-minute barrier at the Bison Outdoor Classic with a blazing 13:59.26, hauled in a pair of 3rd-place All-American finishes at Indoor Nationals in the 3,000 meters and the DMR, and then went down to Asheville to capture the NAIA Outdoor National Title in the 5,000 meters in 14:15.

He is officially an NAIA National Champion, a sub-14-minute 5K runner, and now one of the most dominant distance forces returning in the NAIA…and he will only be a junior this fall.

We’ll chat with Trenton about how he managed the tactical pressure of being the man to beat on the national stage, what it’s like chasing Red Banners alongside his teammates, and how the powerhouse culture of the Crossroads League prepares him for the biggest moments in the sport. Plus, we’ll get a look into his goals for the upcoming cross country season, and find out what hobbies and time off look like for a guy who seems to rarely slow down.

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