Saginaw Valley State University Athletics will be releasing a series of student-athlete spotlights, which will feature some of our Cardinal senior student-athletes from the 2019-20 academic year. Stay tuned to www.svsucardinals.com to get to know our SVSU seniors a bit more.
Next up in our series is Men's Track & Field student-athlete Sam Black. Black is a native of Pinckney, Michigan who has been a member of the track & field program for the past five seasons. Sam is a multi athlete who has collected two All-American honors for the Cardinals. He earned his first in 2017 with a sixth place showing at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships in the decathlon. His second came in 2018 at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships, where he finished seventh in the heptathlon. He is a two-time GLIAC champion in the decathlon, two-time GLIAC Field Athlete of the Meet and just claimed the 2020 GLIAC Indoor Field Athlete of the Year honor. Sam has earned national all-academic honors three times and was set to compete in the 2020 NCAA Division II Indoor Championships in the heptathlon and high jump before the meet was called-off. Black earned the prestigious GLIAC Commissioner's Award this winter as well for the first time.
Sam's favorite spot on campus is the Ryder Center. He is currently set to graduate in December 2020 with his master's degree in public administration.
His favorite memory while competing for Saginaw Valley was earning his first All-American honor in 2017. His favorite road trips were when the team traveled to California every outdoor season to compete.
Sam Black on his time at SVSU...
"I loved my time at SVSU! None of this would have been possible without the support from my family, friends and coaches!"
SVSU Track & Field Head Coach Rod Cowan on Sam Black...
"Sam has been great in our program. From year one until now his growth has been remarkable. He's achieved a great deal of success both on the track an in the classroom. We are a better program because his leadership has influenced his teammates."
