Lutzke promoted to head track & field coach at Olivet College

OLIVET, Mich. – Olivet College Athletic Director Ryan Shockey has announced the promotion of Karen Lutzke to head men's and women's track & field coach. Lutzke will continue to serve as the head men's and women's cross country coach.

"I am excited for the future of our track and field programs," said Shockey. "This promotion is a well-deserved honor for Karen. Her student-athletes have said great things about how her. I look forward to watching her develop them into winners in the class room and on the track."

In 2010, Lutzke began a second stint on the Comet athletic staff as both the head women's cross country and track & field coach. In February 2014, she took on a changed role in track & field program as an associate head coach before adding head men's cross country duties to her duties for the 2015 season.

During this second stint at Olivet, Lutzke has mentored two All-American selections on the track in 2015. The first to earn All-American honors was Jalen Weaver in the 800-meter run during the indoor season. She then coached Andrew Benkovsky to All-American honors in the 3,000-meter steeplechase during the outdoor season. At the 2014 and 2015 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Field Day, her male middle distances runners won the 800-meter title, while Connor Bauserman won the 800-meter MIAA indoor title in 2016 and was named to the Great Lakes All-Region team for his performance.

On the women's side, Lutzke coached Allyson Schultz to second-team All-MIAA honors during the 2015 cross country season.  Schultz was the first women's cross country athlete to earn those honors since Kathy Hughes did in 1998, who was also coached by Lutzke during her first stint at Olivet. She has also coached four women to All-MIAA honors in track and field.

The Comet track & field and cross country athletes have also excelled in the classroom. Three athletes have earned CoSIDA Academic All-America® honors after being selected to the Academic All District VI teams. Three individuals earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors in the past two years. In addition, six of Lutzke's cross country teams have received the MIAA Team GPA award and more than 20 student-athletes have been selected to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.

"I want to thank Ryan Shockey for the opportunity to lead the entire program into the future," said Lutzke. "I am excited to build on the success our individual student-athletes have had the past few years earning All-American honors and individual conference honors. As we move forward, one of the goals is to have continued growth like we have had with the women's cross country program the last few years."

Lutzke began her collegiate coaching career as head women's cross country/assistant women's track and field coach at Michigan State University (MSU) from 1990-98 and coached two cross country All-Americans. She then spent one year as Olivet's head men's and women's cross country and head women's track and field coach. After leaving Olivet, Lutzke was at Central Michigan University (CMU) for 10 years, serving as an assistant women's track and field/cross country coach from 1999-2003 and as head women's track and field/cross country coach from 2003-2009.

At CMU, Lutzke coached three Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship teams and was named MAC Coach of the Year three times. She was also selected as the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Regional Coach of the Year. Overall, she coached 30 All-MAC selections in track and field and eight All-MAC selections in cross country.

Lutzke earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from MSU in 1985. She participated in cross country and track and was a member of the cross country team, which placed fourth at the 1981 NCAA Division I National Championships. Individually, Lutzke was an NCAA All-American in 1981. After her collegiate career, she was a USA Olympic Trials qualifier in the 10,000 meter (1984 and 1988) and 5,000 meter (1984) runs.

Lutzke lives in Williamston with her husband, Mitch. They have three children, Matt, Greg and Laura.