Aquinas College Women's Cross Country

A 1997 Aquinas College graduate, Mike Wojciakowski will enter the 2024-25 athletic year in his 28th season as the Saints head cross country coach and it will also be his seventh year as head track & field coach at AQ. Commonly known as ‘Woj’, he has enjoyed incredible success at the helm of the Aquinas programs, including a lengthy list of WHAC Championships, numerous individual and relay NAIA National Championships, and WHAC and Region Coach of the Year honors. Woj's success with the middle distance and distance runners has been exceptional. He has directed the AQ men's and women's cross country teams to 25 WHAC Championships (men: 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2023, 2024/ women: 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020) and six Region VIII championships (men: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007). The Aquinas cross country programs have combined for 20 top-10 finishes (11 men, nine women) and 10 top-five finishes (six men, four women) at the NAIA National Championships during Woj’s tenure. Those national appearances include a men’s second-place finish in 2004 (tied for the highest NAIA national finish for any team in Aquinas athletics history), a men’s third-place finish in 2008, and back-to-back-to-back fourth-place finishes by the women in 2015, 2016, and 2017. A six-time USTFCCCA Great Lakes Regional Coach of the Year, Woj has also directed 16 cross country student-athletes to All-American status. Woj - a 26-time WHAC Coach of the Year - has also had a wealth of success with AQ’s track & field programs. In his first season as head track & field coach, he led the women's indoor team to the 2019 conference championship on AQ’s home track inside the Alksnis Athletics & Recreation Building. Aquinas has also earned a number of NAIA National Championships during Woj’s tenure. That lengthy list of titles includes the men’s 4x800 relay at the 2012 Outdoor Championships, the women’s distance medley relay at the 2016 & 2018 Indoor Championships, and the women’s 4x800 relay at the 2017 Outdoor Championships. He coached Adri Sigafoose to an individual crown in the 1000 meter at the 2017 Indoor Championships and the 800 meter at the 2018 Indoor Championships. And most recently he coached Maggie Whitney to the individual title in the 800 meters at the Indoor Championships in 2022. Woj has sent numerous athletes to the indoor and outdoor national championships, 72 of them receiving All-American recognition a total of 196 times. He has also guided many runners to the Saints top-five all-time performance list. A USA Track and Field Level II certified coach in the distance events, Woj's knowledge, personal approach and work ethic have been responsible for developing the Saints’ distance program into one of the best small college programs in the nation. Currently he serves as the First Vice President on the Executive Committee for the NAIA Cross Country Coaches Association and recently concluded his term as Great Lakes Representative for the NAIA Track & Field Coaches Association. He also serves as the NAIA/WHAC rater for Women’s Cross Country. A four-year varsity letterwinner in both cross country and track for the Saints, Wojciakowski captained both teams during his senior year. An outstanding student as well as a runner, Wojciakowski earned Academic All-American honors in cross country his senior year. Mike and his wife, Amorena, and their two daughters, Cecelia & Julia, and son, Collin, reside on the northwest side of Grand Rapids.

Former Aquinas College cross country and track & field athlete Nick Thelen returns for his twelth season as an assistant coach for the Saints. Thelen holds a USTFCCCA Track & Field Technical Certification and assists with the distance and middle distance athletes. Since starting in his coaching role in 2014, the Aquinas women’s cross country team earned three consecutive podium finishes at the NAIA National Championship, while both the men and women’s programs featured numerous All-American individuals and relays in cross country and track & field. While an athlete at Aquinas, Nick was a member of Aquinas' 4x800m Relay, which captured the 2012 NAIA Outdoor National Championship and school record, along with the 800m leg of the school record holding Distance Medley Relay. In addition to numerous All-American, Academic All-American, and All-WHAC accolades, Nick was awarded the Captain's award in 2011 and the Joseph Baker Award for most outstanding senior student athlete in 2012. Thelen graduated from Aquinas in 2012 with a B.S. in Mathematics and completed a Master's in the Art of Teaching degree in 2019. Currently residing in Grand Rapids, Nick continues to engage in competitive running as a member of the RunGR club team and helps run the Grand Ledge Summer Track and Field Recreation Program.