By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Niles High School senior CJ Rumpf has signed a Letter of Intent to continue his track career at Grand Valley State University in Allendale. Grand Valley is a NCAA Division II school.
The university is nationally ranked by U.S. News World Report, The Princeton Review and Kaplan/Newsweek Collage Catalog.
Rumpf is excited to have the opportunity to compete with one of the top 15 track programs in the country. The Lakers recently won their fifth straight outdoor Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Track and Field title. The team also won their eighth straight indoor title.
"I choose the school because of the good facilities. They have good coaches, the overall program, academics and the location," Rumpf said Monday afternoon.
For the Vikings, Rumpf has lettered all four years in track, earning All-State and First Team All-Conference honors. He was a regional champion, qualified for the AAU Junior Olympics Track and Field Games and competed twice at the University of Michigan MITS Indoor State Meet.
Rumpf was also part of the 20-06 Niles soccer team, which won the district title. He played on the varsity soccer team for three years.
Rumpf also competed in the annual Sports Fest, is a team captain, a youth soccer camp volunteer, is involved in the Niles Ski Club, Science Olympiad and N-Club, was on the county track honor roll for 2006 and 2007 and received All-Division, All-District and All-Conference honors in soccer.
Rumpf's parents are Mr. and Mrs. Craig and Martha Rumpf.