As a student at Goodrich High School, Nick Oertel set school records in several sports that stand to this day.
Today, as a senior at Michigan State University and a member of the Spartans? men’s cross country and track teams, Oertel is continuing to lead both on the track and in the classroom.
After battling injuries much of his first two years at MSU, Oertel, the son of Chuck and Lisa Oertel of Goodrich, was named a captain for this year’s men’s cross country and track teams. In December 2005, Oertel was named a Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree by league officials.
As a member of this year’s MSU men’s cross country team, Oertel twice finished first among all Spartan runners at meets. His season highlight came at the Sept. 16 Spartan Invitational, when he placed sixth overall and set a personal best time of 25:04.
Oertel, a finance major at MSU, was also selected to the Big Ten Conference Academic All-Conference team for the fall 2006 season, one of 55 MSU student-athletes to be so recognized. In order to be achieve Academic All-Conference status, student-athletes at Big Ten universities must be letter winners in at least their second academic year and must have a career grade point average of 3.0 or better.
While at Goodrich High School, Oertel excelled in three different sports. In cross country, he was a two-time All-State performer, and is still the GHS standard-bearer for fastest boys? cross country time (15:04).
In track, he was part of the 2002 Goodrich 3200 meter boys relay team that placed third in the Division 3 state meet. He still has school records in the 1600 meters, 3200 meters, and 3200 meter relay.
Finally, in wrestling, Oertel was a four-time state qualifier, placing second in Division 3 in 1999, third in 2000 and 2002 and fourth in 2001. He also finished his Goodrich wrestling career with a total of 225 wins.
Oertel battled several injuries his first two years competing for the Spartans (he was redshirted one year), including stress fractures. He competed in a total of four cross country meets his first two years with the Spartans.
However, he said he persevered and now has a better knowledge of how to keep in shape.
‘It’s a long learning process to understand my role and what my body can and can’t handle,? he said.
Walt Drenth, the interim men’s track coach at MSU, said Oertel’s road to recovery began in the latter part of the fall 2004 campaign.
‘We decided it was really important that he just stop and give his body a chance to heal, and give himself a fighting chance,? Drenth said. ‘He started the gradual process of coming back, and started training in mid-2005. We’ve started to see the fruition of that training.?
Drenth said Oertel’s determination to make it back to a competitive level is a testament to his drive and willingness to succeed.
‘He’s not unlike a lot of distance runners ? he’s going to maximize his ability,? he said. ‘You get everything he’s got when he races.?
As a member of the Spartans? outdoor and indoor track teams, Oertel competes primarily in the 800 meters, 1500 meters and 5000 meters. His season highlight came at the Stanford Invitational April 10, where he placed 16th in the 5000 meters with a time of 14:10.88.
That time was just short of the 14:10 time needed to qualify for the National Collegiate Athletic Association regional meet May 26-27 in Knoxville, Tenn. Oertel said he hopes to beat that time and qualify for regionals during the Hillsdale Invitational April 28-29.
Drenth said Oertel has a very good shot at making the necessary qualifying time.
‘I’m pretty confident he’ll be better this time around,? he said. ‘He’ll come back from competition and tell me that he can run a lot faster.?
The Spartans conclude their regular season by hosting the Big Ten Outdoor Track Championships May 12-14 in East Lansing. ‘That would be a nice meet to do well in,? Oertel said.
After this season, Oertel plans to continue his education at MSU. Although he has a year of eligibility remaining in cross country and track, Oertel said as of right now, he plans to attend MSU’s law school for the 2006-07 academic year.
Drenth said he has talked with Oertel about his future plans, and also said there is a distinct possibility Oertel could come back for his final year of eligibility.
However, he acknowledges it is a tough decision for Oertel to make, considering Oertel may want to leave on a positive note after being healthy this season.
‘We talk about it a lot,? he said. ‘His teammates harass him a lot ? everyone wants him to come back. I think the dilemma for him is that he sees there could be more there (with regard to his track career). That’s intriguing.?