Holland Reporter

Former Laker athlete Chris Hammer is set to deliver the 2024 Fall Commencement address at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The event will take place on Saturday, December 7.

Hammer, who competed for the Laker cross country and track and field teams from 2006 to 2009, has a distinguished athletic background. He earned five USTFCCCA All-America honors during his time as a student-athlete, with four in the steeplechase and one in cross country. In 2007, he set a record at Grand Valley with the ninth-best time in the 3k steeplechase at 9:04.80.

His most recent achievement was winning gold in the PTS5 Para Triathlon at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. This victory marked his first Paralympic gold medal and made him the first Laker to win gold in either Olympic or Paralympic competition.

For more details on the commencement ceremony and Hammer's speech, readers are directed to GVNext's story.