Men’s basketball team fall in finale at Oral Roberts

In the finale of the Oakland and Oral Roberts conference rivalry, the Golden Eagles went out with a bang defeating OU 93-86. The win gave ORU a season sweep of the Golden Grizzlies to maintain their undefeated Summit League record.

Oakland edged Oral Roberts shooting 56 percent and 55 percent respectively, but the Grizzlies couldn’t slow down Dominique Morrison who finished with 24 points.

For the Grizzlies, senior Reggie Hamilton led all scorers with 30 points, but two costly turnovers late in the game threw the brakes on a possible Grizzlies comeback.

Midway through the second half, Oakland held a ten point lead but a controversial intentional foul call from Drew Valentine gave the Eagles back the momentum.

The Grizzlies lost their first game of the season after leading at halftime, snapping a 28 game winning streak when leading at the half.

The game probably marks the last time the two teams will meet, as ORU is leaving the Summit League for the Southland Conference next season. The Grizzlies return for a two game homestand starting on Jan. 26 against South Dakota at 7 p.m. in the O’rena.

Second half comeback gives Oakland women the victory

The Oakland University women’s basketball team garnered their third road victory of the year with a 64-60 come from behind win over the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Monday night.

Star junior forward Bethany Watterworth led the Golden Grizzlies’ effort with 20 points. Freshman guard Amy Carlton was the only other Grizzly in double figures, posting a career high 12 points off the bench.

Both teams traded baskets in the first half, with the Thunderbirds taking a 34-26 lead into halftime. Southern Utah pushed their lead to 10 early in the second half, but left the door open for OU to storm back.

Watterworth exploded for 16 points in the second half. Behind Watterworth’s effort, Oakland outscored SUU 38-26 in the second half, fueled by a 16-1 run that put the Grizzlies in the lead for good.

The comeback was aided by a dominant effort on the boards in the second half, with Oakland out-rebounding the Thunderbirds 33-24 in the second half. Sophomore guard Victoria Lipscomb grabbed 9 rebounds for the Grizzlies.

Track and field shows how to ‘Keep up with the Joneses’

The Oakland track and field team impressed on Friday evening at the Mike Lints Alumni Open in Allendale.

For the women, Micah Jones took the top spot in the long jump and senior Lia Jones won the 5,000 meter run. This was the second consecutive week that Lia Jones had won a race.

Freshman Katelynne Hartman finished eighth in the shot put and senior Desiree Pettiford earned a top-ten finish in the 400 meter dash.

For the men, senior Dave Magnotte earned a top-five finish in the one-mile run and fellow senior Niklas Rippon also posted a top-five finish, notching his in the 60-meter run.

OU continues the season next week when they travel to Fort Wayne to take on IPFW on Saturday.

Coaches to be inducted into Hall of Honor

As part of the festivities surrounding the 2012 Homecoming Weekend, two new inductees will be added to the 25th Hollie L. Lepley Hall of Honor.

Men’s basketball head coach Greg Kampe and men’s and women’s swimming and diving head coach Pete Hovland will both be the newest members of the Hall.

Coach Kampe has overseen 20 winning seasons and three NCAA Division I tournament berths.

Coach Hovland spent the last 31 years at the helm of the men’s team, and 11 seasons at the helm of the women’s squad.

Contact senior reporter Timothy Pontzer via e-mail at trpontze@oakland.edu and follow him on Twitter @timothy_pontzer

Taylor Humm is indecisive. Many Division I college athletes choose one sport to focus on, but Humm couldn’t make that choice.

“Whenever someone would ask me if I really liked volleyball or track, I couldn’t tell them because I like both sports so much,” Humm said. “I figured if I could play one college sport, why can’t I play two college sports?”

The freshman engineering major is an outside hitter on the Oakland Volleyball team in addition to throwing discus, hammer, weight and shot put for the track team.

“I chose (Oakland University) for the academics. I was looking to major in engineering,” Humm said, “(Also) I felt the volleyball program was going somewhere … They had great things coming to them and I wanted to be a part of that. The track team here is relatively new. I felt I could make a good impact on the team by throwing.”

Getting her start

Humm grew up in Crystal Lake, Ill. In high school, she received all-state honors for volleyball and throwing. The dual-sport student athlete has already left a definite mark on Oakland athletics. She started the majority of the fall season games for volleyball and placed high the first few track meets of the season.

Humm considered playing one sport at other universities but really aspired to play both, which is one of the reasons she chose Oakland.

“I like them both so much, I couldn’t choose. I never wanted to choose,” she said.

The two sports are very different, and Humm said she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I love the team competition of volleyball … You have you rely on yourself and your teammates to get a win,” Humm said. “In track and field you get that individual taste you don’t get in volleyball. Track and field makes up for the individual competition I don’t get — in volleyball. That is why I like both. You get the best of both worlds.”

Despite her enthusiasm, Humm was a little afraid of the challenge she had accepted by playing two sports.

“You’re going to a new college where you don’t know anyone,” she said. “You don’t know what the programs will expect of you. You don’t know if you’re going to make it day to day because of the lifts, workouts, exercises and all the travelling. At first I was really afraid, but as I got into it, it got easier.”

Athletics are nothing unfamiliar to Humm’s family. Her older sister Kylie is a soccer player at Milliken University in southern Illinois. Her little sister Mackenzie is going to play volleyball at Xavier University in Ohio after she graduates high school. Her sisters were highly supportive of Humm’s decision to play two sports.

“I’ve been doing multiple sports since I was seven. We all have. My siblings just assumed I was continuing both sports. They support me. They know I can do it,” Humm said. “My little sister sarcastically said ‘Good luck with that one. I’ll see you at home this summer, if you survive!’”

Working through it

Humm manages to balance her schedule, albeit certain aspects of her schedule prove challenging.

“It’s difficult managing everything at once. Staying stress relieved is hard,” she said. “As a student athlete being stressed affects your athletic performance and it affects your academics. Managing, coping and putting stress aside is the hardest thing for me.”

In addition to stressing out, Humm must also avoid burning out from double workout days and a full 17 credit academic load.

“I keep things fun. I take competition seriously but there are some points where you just have to laugh. You have to have fun. You have to goof off because if you don’t, you’re almost taking it too seriously as a job,” she said “It is a job to an extent but it should still be something you love not just (the act) of going through motions day after day.”

Humm’s friends and teammates recognize her abilities to excel at two sports simultaneously as well.

“She is highly disciplined. She pays very close attention to things she needs to work on, and she doesn’t stop until she gets where she wants to be,” freshman and track teammate Leigh Bravender said. “She works really hard. I admire her very much.”

The love of the sports is the main fuel of Humm’s rigorous schedule.

For the love of the game

“I love it. I keep it lively and entertaining so I never get burnt out. I also take naps and eat ritually,” she said.  “It’s just about having fun. It comes down to that.”

Playing two sports offers another abstract challenge that Humm loves to focus on.

“It helps me with the mental game. I enjoy working on the mental aspect as well as the physical aspect,” she said. “I like learning how to turn certain parts of my mind on and off while I’m playing a sport, two different ones. You learn how to focus super well.”

Humm believes the mental aspect of athletics to be the hardest part.

“I love working on my mental strength. I read about and study it,” she said. “Any sport is 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical.”

Despite the obvious challenges, Humm is very happy with her choice to be a dual sport student athlete.

“A lot of kids don’t get this really cool opportunity to play two sports in college. I am living my dream,” she said.

“This is what I had wanted to do since day one. I get to do everything I love and I don’t have to give anything up.”

Contact staff reporter Emma Claucherty via e-mail at emclauch@oakland.edu

Hamilton led all scorers with a career high 41 points. Hamilton’s scoring barrage was fueled by five three pointers. The 41 marked the first time a Golden Grizzly scored at least 40 since Calvin Wooten did it against Valparaiso in 2006.

Junior Ryan Broekhoff notched the only double-double of the game for either side, giving the Crusaders (7-4) 18 points and 12 rebounds. Fellow junior Kevin Van Wijk scored 22 to lead Valparaiso who blew a 17 point lead in the second half.

Sophomore Drew Valentine chipped in 19 for the Grizzlies, and redshirt senior Laval Lucas-Perry added 12 off the bench.

The Golden Grizzlies conclude their two game road trip with a matchup against Arizona on 12/20. Oakland then returns home on 12/23 to face Western Michigan at the O’Rena.

As the 2011-12 season draws near, the Oakland women’s basketball team has four freshmen that are looking to make an impact on the team.

Lauren Robak, Halle Wangler, Peyton Apsey and Shelby Herrington have joined a Golden Grizzlies team that reached the Summit League championship game last season.

Robak, Wangler and Apsey are all 5-9 guards joining a backcourt that has a lot of depth.

Herrington is a 6-2 forward who became Hemlock’s career leader in points, rebounds and blocked shots. She will help provide size in OU’s frontcourt.

As freshmen, these four players are not only joining a new team, but making an important transition in their lives, from high school to college life.

A common theme among the players is that their transition to Oakland so far has been a “great.”

“I absolutely love it here,” Wangler said. “The older teammates have really stepped up and helped us get acquainted with college life and the team.”

Though the freshmen will have to find their place on a new team with new coaches, each one will get to do it alongside a familiar face. Herrington and Apsey were teammates on a Hemlock high school team that reached the Class C State semifinals last season. They both said that knowing each other has made their transition easier.

“Having someone that you’re comfortable around, (and) have been with throughout high school really helps you fit in better and you always have that core person you can be with if anything happens,” Herrington said.

Apsey became Hemlock’s all-time leader in assists and steals.  All three guards earned all-state honors in high school.

Robak and Wangler weren’t teammates in high school, but rivals.  They both played for teams in the Catholic League.  Robak, who finished her high school career as the all-time leading scorer, lead Our Lady of the Lake to two straight Class D state champions while Wangler helped Shrine win a District championship.

Now at OU, the two are roommates. Wangler said that having Robak here is a “great experience.”

“I’ve known her (Robak) since we were in eighth grade, we’ve been playing against each other,” Wangler said. “It’s cool having your rival and then getting to room with her.”

As the season draws closer, the Oakland freshmen will look to help OU win a Summit League Championship.

“(My goal is) to just get stronger, stay in shape and compete with all the bigger girls and try to win a spot on that main rotation,” Herrington said.

Oakland will play in a Saturday afternoon exhibition game against Ferris State. OU’s first regular season game will be against George Mason on Nov. 13.

“I hold the leading average score in women’s golf history,” Ecker said. “I definitely feel like I have contributed a lot to the program.”

On Oct. 9 Ecker won the Detroit Titans Fall Classic; her second individual win of her collegiate career, she beat her personal best for a 36-hole course, dropping from 146 to 140 from last year.

“Absolutely nothing was going through my head,” Ecker said. “That was the best part about it. I just went out there and played golf and it wasn’t even a thought. I knew going in that I had a chance to win… but I was surprised I was leading after the first round.”

Ecker placed fourth in conference as a freshman and third as a sophomore.

Ecker is originally from Delray Beach, where she played for her local high school in

Florida before moving to Michigan with her family. Her dad was a main influence in her golf career.

“I started golfing in about eighth grade,” Ecker said. “My dad plays golf; I had always played but didn’t start competitive golf until the freshman year of high school.”

Ecker, a marketing major, was drawn to Oakland by its reputation.

“I chose Oakland for the facilities, and because it had a really good academic reputation,” Ecker said. “I talked to others about the school and they said, ‘You’re going to get a good education if you go to Oakland.’”

The developing golf program also attracted Ecker’s attention.

“Part of the reason why I came here was because I knew I could see the [golf] program growing and getting better,” Ecker said. “I wanted to be a contributor to pushing the program. It’s nice to see that happening and to see us [the golf program] getting better every year.”

The women’s team is showing more strength than it has in past years; they took second overall in the Detroit Titans Invitational and first in the Cleveland State Invitational this season.

“We have a pretty strong freshman class that came in,” Ecker said.  “This is the first time since I’ve been on the team that we have been competing for the top five spots — we don’t have a guaranteed five traveling every week. We are a lot more competitive within the team, and that is making us stronger as a program.”

The team’s improvement can also be accredited to the addition of new coach, Russ Cunningham.

“He has helped us so much,” Ecker said of Cunnningham. “We have seen the team grow just in the past month and a half. Our short game and our course management have gotten a lot stronger as a whole for the team. That definitely played a part for me in winning this tournament.”

Cuningham also speaks highly of Ecker.

“Liz possesses natural leadership qualities, which is great for me because it’s like having an assistant coach with the team at all times,” Cunningham said. “Liz has proven to be a champion while at OU and I expect that to be the case no matter what her future brings.”

Ecker has high hopes for the team she has lead for two consecutive years.

“I want to see us win a conference championship,” Ecker said. “Oral Roberts has definitely had a 15 year regime on the women’s side. This is one of the first years I think we really can go out and give them a run for their money.”

Ecker hopes to end her college career with both titles.

“(Before I leave Oakland) I want a conference championship for the team and individually — I want to take both home,” Ecker said. “We have never won — This is our year.”

After graduation, Ecker plans on continuing her education and eventually taking over the family business.

“I’m planning to go to grad school for supply chain management or international business right after I graduate,” Ecker said. “I want to eventually take over my father’s company, a brokerage agency that buys and sells industrial food products.”

However, professional golf is not included in Ecker’s future plans.

“I’ll continue to play amateur golf for a long time, but I have no desire to turn pro,” she said.

That aside, Ecker is still thrilled with the development she has witnessed in the program and she hopes to see it continue in the future.

“I have seen the program grow a lot since my freshman year. We keep getting better players,” Ecker said “I don’t think I’ll be the best for very long (after I graduate).’’

“We recruited three very good players that we think will help our program,” said Greg Kampe , head coach.

Williams, a 6-foot-6 inch forward from Ann Arbor high school, received national attention from ESPN and gathered all-state honors. Colorado, Eastern Michigan and Providence, among others, scouted Williams, but he decided Oakland was the best fit for him.

“One of the main reasons I chose Oakland was for the location,” Williams said. “I’m close to home, so my family can come and see my games.”

Korab Imami, a 6-foot-10 inch center from Peje, Kosovo, has also been adjusting to the team, as well adjusting to living in the United States.

Last year, he attended Adelphi Christian Academy in South Carolina and gained scouting attention in the Converse Mo Mentorship All-Star Game in high school.

As an international student, Imami has found his teammates to be very helpful.

“I’m thankful to all the players, because all of them go out of their way to help,” Imami said. “In the first year that I was here, it was hard for me to adjust, but my host family and students have all been helping me.”

Poches is a 6-foot-4 inch guard from Hartland high school. Poches gathered all-state honors and earned a spot on the Detroit News Dream Team and was recognized by ESPN. He was also named Offensive Player of the Year and team MVP  at Hartland during his senior season.

“We like his tenacity,” Kampe said. “We like how hard he plays, we like that he’s single minded and (that he) sticks to the task.”

Kampe likes what he has seen so far from the freshman.

“We are looking forward to what the new players can do for us,” Kampe said.

The Grizzlies will host Spring Arbor in the O’ Rena on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.

The season kicked off with head coach Beckie Francis, along with members of the  team, taking part in Media Day.

The theme emphasized by Oakland during the press conference was it will be “a team effort” this season.

“One person can’t get you to win the Summit League championship, it’s all about the team,” junior forward Bethany Watterworth said. “I know my teammates have my back, my teammates are very important for our success.”

Oakland will also be healthy, after three teammates who missed most of last season due to injury return, and four incoming freshmen join the team.

Victoria Lipscomb, Jenna Bachrouche and Amy Carlton only played in a combined 16 games last season and will look to build on three 20-win seasons in four years.

Two of the four freshmen joining the team are forward, Shelby Herrington and guard Peyton Apsey, both from Hemlock, Mich.  They led their team to the Class C State Semifinals as high school seniors.

The other freshmen, guards Lauren Robak and Halle Wrangler, were both standouts in the Catholic League. Robak led Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes to two straight Class D State titles while Wrangler helped Royal Oak Shrine win a district title.

Francis made it a point to recruit from high level basketball programs, noting several players have won state championships or made it far into the state tournament in high school.

“We try to recruit from the top high school programs in the area,” Francis said. “Everybody on this team is from a very successful winning program.”

Another key addition for OU will be size. For most of last season, Carnago was the only active player OU had that was at least 6-0. Now there are three other players, Bachrouche, Herrington and sophomore Julia Vestin, who fit this description.

Francis described all three players as being “good inside-out players” with the ability to play on the post and the perimeter.

The OU backcourt will also have a great amount of depth with nine guards.

According to Francis, all of the guards collectively are very skilled shooters.

With the makeup of this year’s team, Calhoun believes that the Grizzlies’ chances of winning the Summit League championship are “great.”

“This team that we have this year is just amazing,” Calhoun said. “The work ethic that they (the other players) have, our defense is already looking great.”

The Grizzlies will play their first exhibition game at home at the O’Rena against Ferris State on Oct. 29 at 1 p.m.

“I don’t care about that stuff,” said head coach Greg Kampe, “I will tell you that I’m surprised that we weren’t picked to win (the league title) because we’ve won 50 of our last 53 league games.”

Regardless of outside opinions, coaches and players agree that team goals are more important than rankings and accolades.

“We are focused on us,” Reggie Hamilton, senior guard and All-Summit First Team player, said. “We know what this team is capable of.”

The departure of three of OU’s most-decorated seniors, including NBA draft pick Keith Benson and overseas professionals Will Hudson and Larry Wright, is the likely reason that voters were down on Oakland.

“If you put Michigan State jerseys on us the last few years, we could have been a Michigan State team with our size,” Kampe said. “We are going to be much different but that doesn’t mean we can’t be as good or better.”

Even with losing three starters in Benson, Wright and Hudson, the Golden Grizzlies return starting senior guard Hamilton and sophomore forward Drew Valentine.

Despite not being the starting point guard at the beginning of last season, Hamilton earned the position when Wright fell to injuries and finished as a top assist-men in the Summit League with 5.3 per game.

“(Hamilton) proved to me that he could still score and run our point,” Kampe said. “He’s pretty much going to have the ball and he’s going to have to make great decisions.”

Valentine, who led the Summit League with 1.7 steals per game last season, will be looked upon to continue growing.

“Drew Valentine is probably the best all around player in our conference,” Kampe said. “There’s a reason we’ve won a championship every year Drew Valentine has been in our program.”

Mid-Major All-American sophomore guard Travis Bader finished last season with 94 3-pointers made and shot 44 percent from the three-point arc, good for ninth place in the NCAA.

This season, however, he’s willing to further expand his role on the team.

“Anything I can do to help the team,” Bader said. “If they need me to pass more, I’ll pass more. If they need me to cheer louder, I’ll cheer louder.”

Without Benson and Hudson in the paint this season, Kampe and his staff will lean heavily on freshmen centers Corey Petros and Kyle Sikora for interior defense and rebounding. Both players were redshirted last season, but their teammates think they are ready to step up for the Grizzlies.

“The young guys have been doing a good job in practice and I think they are ready to show what they got,” Valentine said.

In three mid-August exhibition games, the Golden Grizzlies won two out of three games against the University of Windsor and Western Ontario, but Kampe admits to not having the full potential on the floor.

“My biggest concern about this team was rebounding,” Kampe said. “In those three Canadian games, we out-rebounded our opponents by 15 or 18 in all games; that made me feel a lot better about our team.”

Kampe expects to redshirt possibly two of the three incoming freshman because of depth.

They are Korab Imami, 6-foot-10 inch center; Matt Poches, guard from Hartland High School; and Dante Williams, 6-foot-6 inch forward and Ann Arbor native.

“I expect in the next four or five years that those guys will be big name players,” Kampe said. “I’ll be very surprised if they are not.”

The Golden Grizzlies open the 2011-12 season by traveling to Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Nov. 14 to take on the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, and then head to Arkansas on Nov. 16.

In the biggest home game of Oakland basketball history, the University of Tennessee Volunteers will be coming to the O’Rena on Nov. 28. To the cheers of many Grizzly fans in attendance at Midnight Madnezz, Kampe announced that the game would be televised on ESPN in their 9 p.m. primetime slot.

Other notable non-conference games include Michigan at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Dec. 10 and on the road against the University of Arizona on Dec. 20.

One major difference in scheduling, as opposed to past seasons, is the number of home games that OU will have.

“We’ve won 29 consecutive league games in here; it’s pretty amazing,” Kampe said. “Getting 15 home games should really help.”

Oakland will open at home against Spring Arbor on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. at the O’Rena.

When Allison Bell joined Oakland University’s volleyball team, she was a middle hitter who was timid on the court. Today, she is a key part of the team looking for a Summit League title.

Bell arrived to OU in the fall of 2008 from Marion, Iowa, after a high school career which included all-state honors as a senior.

She takes pride in being one of the earliest players, along senior Jenna Lange and junior Ashleigh Slemmer, to be recruited by Rob Beam since he became OU’s head coach.

Bell has seen the Grizzlies improve from eight wins as a freshman to 17 as a junior.

“Ashleigh, Jenna and I have been here since the beginning of Rob’s career here at OU and it has been awesome to watch the program grow and be a part of it,” Bell said.

Every season, Bell has improved in kills, hitting percentage, blocks and digs. She credits her coaches for always pushing her.

“Allison has progressed so much since our freshman year,” Lange said. “When she came in, she was timid and now she is one of our hardest hitters and capitalizes on important points when we need her.”

As of OU’s win over UMKC, Bell ranks second on the team in kills per set and hitting percentage and leads in service aces.

However, according to Lange, this does not tell the whole story of Bell’s value to the team. Bell is in her second season as a right side hitter after spending her first two as a middle hitter.

“Allison is a very important part of our team because of how versatile she is,” Lange said. “She’s not only able to play well on the right side, but when we need her to hit quick sets in other positions, she adapts well.”

According to teammates, calmness and composure are other attributes Bell has.Junior Alli Kirk agrees that Bell acts as the “voice of reason” on the team and helps keep everyone calm on the court.

“What impresses me most about Allison is how level headed she is on the court and in everyday life,” Kirk said.

This season has been special for Bell, not only because she is a senior, but also because she was able to play in her home state for the first time of her collegiate career.

During the Hawkeye Challenge last month, Bell elevated her play recording her first career 20-kill match against Loyola.  She followed that with a career-high 21 kills against Iowa the next night and was named to the all-tournament team.

Bell described playing in the tournament as “very special”.

“I am so happy that some family and friends from home who had never seen me play got a chance to,” Bell said.

As memorable as Bell’s season has already been, Kirk wants to help make this season even more special for her.

“I think that every day I really want to play for Allison and the whole senior class because they have all been working so hard for so long,” Kirk said. “They deserve to experience going to the Summit League tournament and they deserve to win a Championship ring.”

Using pedometers, members of the newly founded OU Walks! Across America walking program started their quest to the West Coast with a goal of walking 2,300 miles by Dec. 5.

“Each participant got a pedometer and they will log their steps and at the beginning of each week they turn in their step log and we convert it into miles,” said Leah Dupuie, graduate assistant for Fitness and Wellness.

At a meeting each week, the steps will be converted into miles so participants can keep track.

“We scale the miles so every mile that they walked equals 10 miles on the map,” Dupuie said. “Then we track each participant’s progress at the recreation center across America and the goal is that each person makes it to the destination of Los Angeles by Dec. 5.”

OU Walks! Across America began after Dupuie and the Department of Campus Recreation were granted the Brooksie Way Minigrant for a program that promoted fitness and wellness.

“We tried to get a fitness and wellness program together so no matter what fitness level they were at they could be apart of  it and could benefit from,so we decided to put this together,” Dupuie said.

Throughout the next few months’, participants in the program will have 200-mile mini-goals on their way to Los Angeles. The first mini-goal is in Chicago. and the walkers who make it to the destination are put into a drawing for fitness and wellness prizes.

“Every week, whoever makes it to a mini-destination gets thrown into a drawing and there will be prizes that relay back to fitness and wellness, so they’ll win personal training sessions or mind and body passes or memberships,” Dupuie said. “There just little prizes that get them more into fitness and wellness.”

In order to make things more manageable, the program set up bonus miles for participants who can’t always walk the full 10,000 steps required each day.

“If they attend a social event on campus or they bring a paper or project that they did better than 3.5 on, they’ll own bonus miles,” Dupuie said. “So, we have little things along the way so they can earn more miles rather than just walking.”

Other qualifying ‘bonus miles’ are intramural sports, nutrition demos,  group exercises and other wellness activities, according to Dupuie.

Although the ultimate goal is to reach 2,300 miles and L.A., Dupuie wants all the participants to work towards a healthier lifestyle through the program and realize you don’t have to set aside a designated amount of time to work out.

“We want people to understand that you don’t always have to set aside 30 minutes a day to get your exercise,” she said. “You can spread it out the day by walking a flight of stairs rather than talking the elevator.”

Only in it’s third day of existence, the program has already educated one participant.

“A program like this definitely makes us aware of what we can do and what we’re doing in our daily lives that we don’t see as important,” Breanna Coleman, student, said. “Just thinking of things that you do everyday really helps.”

Coleman, who is on a journey of her own to long-term weight loss believes the program can jump start her own goals.

“I think it’s a great program,” Coleman said. “I know Leah worked very hard to get the grant and she stressed in the meeting that this program can lead into so much more and with the incentives and the other ways you can earn bonus miles, it increases your overall health.”

Dupuie hopes the program will continue past the first year, but ultimately hopes it can teach the participants about fitness and wellness.

“It’s an educational piece,” she said. “Right now it’s a one-time thing, but we would like to do it again. It all depends on the funding for it, if we can figure out other ways to get funding for it, then we would love to do it again.”

A board will be set up in the Oakland recreation center tracking the progress of each participant as they travel across the country on their way to  California and their goal of 2,300 miles.

Participants who finish the full 2,300 miles will receive a an ‘OU Walks! Across America’ t-shirt as recognition for their accomplishment.