Brent Showerman lays out the same pair of socks before bed. They’re the ones he wears every race, and those shorts he wears to bed when he’s getting the socks – those are the same ones he wears the night before every race.

He just missed All-American honors and finishing in the top 10 at both the GLIAC and Midwest Regional Championships last season, but for the junior runner, that taste of success has him hungry for more, even if he won’t admit it.

“The individual achievements are nice, but it would be better for our team to place well than for me to get awards,” Showerman said.

The humility in Showerman’s voice is both genuine and endearing. After his high school career in South Lyon, Mich., Showerman chose not to continue running and went to Michigan State University to figure out his path in life.

“It just didn’t feel right, the school is much larger in size and it just didn’t fit well for me,” he said.
After spending a year in East Lansing, Showerman decided to look at GVSU as an option to finish out his degree, and maybe continue with his passion for running.

When Showerman picked up his spikes in the fall, he just wasn’t ready.

“I hadn’t raced since high school and training on my own wasn’t as rewarding as training with the team,” he said, “The results showed and coach [Jerry Baltes] said come back next year and we’ll see.”

Coach Jerry Baltes had his doubts at the time.

“When he first came here I didn’t think he was good enough for our team,” Baltes said.
Baltes told Showerman that he would need to wait a year and continue his training and then they would re-evaluate his progress.

Advice heeded.

Showerman said he took everything in stride and put in the work, not blaming anyone or trying to be vengeful.

“It was just a hurdle that I had to get through,” he said ” I had to come back and work harder.”
He ran as an unattached racer during his sophomore year at GVSU, then trained with the men’s team, working to get back into form.

His efforts paid off as he made the team in the 2010 season without redshirting.

“Brent loves to work hard, his work ethic is what helped him make it into college athletics,” said teammate Larry Julson. “His success comes from his ability to give himself 100 percent to the team, no matter what it means for him.”

Showerman has stepped into a leadership role on the team, reaching out to the freshman and getting the guys together for summer workouts.

“When we have Brent around, the team is much closer because we have that central figure that draws us together,” Julson said.

The team opens up its season Sept. 8 at Calvin College. Showerman will not run the opening meet, instead waiting for the following week to run at his former school, Michigan State, on Sept. 14.

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