A native of Asthabula, Ohio, Mike Sawicki came to Otterbein after an excellent career at Lakewood High School and helped lead the Cardinals to a pair of Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) team championships in cross country, and another three team titles in track and field. 

Individually, Mike was an impressive six-time OAC track and field champion and also won two individual titles in cross country. Earning all-conference and all-region every year in cross country, Mike ran his way to a pair of All-American honors in both cross country and track to finish as an outstanding four-time All-American.  He is one of just three Otterbein student-athletes to earn four All-America awards.

On top of that distinction, he also remains on the short list as one of just a few Division III competitors to ever win the All-Ohio meet, which encompasses runners across all divisions within the state.

A very versatile runner, Sawicki was the national runner-up in the 5,000-meter run during indoor track season of his junior year after finishing third in cross country just a few months prior. He sits second on Otterbein’s all-time list in the 5K and 10K, plus sixth on the steeplechase list.  His times in the 5K (14:28.93) and 10K (30:12.7) are second only to Otterbein Hall of Famer Tom Schnurr. 

A great leader and fearless competitor, Mike also ran the 1,600-meter anchor leg on Otterbein’s record-setting distance medley relay team. He would go at whatever pace was necessary to try and win a race and certainly goes down as one of the best runners in school history.

Mike now works as a software engineer for The Nerdery, a digital strategy consultancy of human-centered designers. He married his wife, Star, an All-American cross country runner in her own right at Shawnee State University, in 2011 and the couple recently welcomed their first child, Lucas.