Greta Van Calcar is in her second year as an assistant coach and will primarily assist CMU Cross Country/Track & Field program director Travis Floeck with the cross country team and distance runners.
In her first year with the Mavs, she helped guide the CMU women's cross country team to their first NCAA Championship appearance as a team since 2014. Three Maverick runners then earned a combined four All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors during the 2025 track & field seasons.
Van Calcar is a 2021 graduate of Oregon State University, where she was on the dean’s list every term while earning her degree in wood science and engineering. She also ran for the Beavers and was the former school-record holder in the 5,000 meters (16:46.75), a mark that still ranks fourth in Oregon State program history for that discipline.
She also ran cross country for the Beavers and in her final season in the winter/spring of 2021, took 26th at the Pac-12 Championships while helping the Beavers qualify for the NCAA Division I Championships in what ended up being their best season in program history.
Van Calcar had begun her collegiate career at SCAD-Atlanta (Savannah College of Art of Design) in 2016-17 and was an NAIA All-American in both cross country and indoor track and field. She took 12th at the NAIA Championships in cross country and finished seventh for the Bees in the 5,000 meters on the track.
Van Calcar, is no stranger to the Grand Valley, as she is a 2016 graduate of Palisade High School. She qualified for the state championships in every season with the Bulldogs and took second in the 3,200 meters at the state championships as a freshman, trailing only now 2-time Olympian Elise Cranny.
He father Karl, who coached her in high school, was a former professional runner for Nike and was a NCAA Champion at Oregon State. Her mother Heidi was a personal trainer.
Off the track and cross country course, Van Calcar has been a youth hunting leader and enjoys spending time with her dog Obi, who describes as her best friend. She also enjoys archery hunting, fly fishing, woodworking and welding.
She hopes to begin graduate coursework in CMU’s occupational therapy program in January, 2025.
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