SLIPPERY ROCK — Ethan Geisler doesn’t look like a hurdler.

He’s not tall — he’s barely 5-foot-10 — and he’s not lanky, able to easily glide over a hurdle.

He’s stout and strong. He looks more likely to plow through a hurdle rather than jump over one.

But Geisler has found a way to make it work, both at Slippery Rock High and now at Slippery Rock University.

“I take it as a challenge,” Geisler said of his unorthodox build for a hurdler. “I’m always the shortest in every meet.”

His success in the event didn’t come easily.

But as he enters his junior year at SRU, he is poised to become one of the best hurdlers in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

He’s already proven to be one of the smartest.

Geisler earned his second consecutive all-academic honor recently from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

To qualify, Geisler had to earn at least a 3.25 GPA as well as meet an NCAA automatic or provisional qualifying mark in at least one event at some point during the indoor or outdoor season.

Geisler ran a provisional qualifying time in the 400 hurdles last spring.

“I’m proud of what I’ve been able to do both on the track and in the classroom,” said Geisler, a business major. “I put the time and effort in both of them.”

That time and effort has paid off.

Geisler dabbled in the hurdles before he reached high school, but struggled.

“I wasn’t the greatest,” Geisler said. “I wasn’t good at all.”

That finally changed in high school. Slippery Rock hurdle coach Tom Meling snatched Geisler up and began working with him in the hurdles.

Geisler’s sister, Emily, had been a standout in the hurdle events at the school under Meling and the coach thought Ethan could do the same.

“He didn’t want me to get away. He wouldn’t let me get away,” Geisler said of Meling. “He’s probably the sole reason I’m hurdling today. He took me under his wing and he got me where I am today.”

Geisler is in a pretty good place.

But his plan was to play basketball in college. A standout point guard on the Rockets’ basketball team, Geisler searched for places to play at the Division III level.

The interest, though, was tepid at best.

“Everything kind of fell through,” Geisler said. “Track really was my last option.”

With basketball out of the picture, Geisler enrolled at SRU and decided to walk on to the track team.

“I figured I’d let the chips fall where they may,” Geisler said.

Everything fell into place.

He made an immediate impact during his freshman season, placing third in the 400-meter hurdles at the PSAC Championships.

Last year as a sophomore, he placed third again in the 400 hurdles and helped the 400-meter relay team to a second-place finish at the PSAC meet.

“My teammates push me,” Geisler said. “We put it all on the line for everyone. We have really competitive practices and we’re really close. It’s like a family atmosphere on this team.”

Geisler has found unique ways to stay in shape this summer.

Last week, Geisler went on a bike trip from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. with his sisters Emily and Bridget and their husbands, as well as his girlfriend Elissa McCune, who also is a Slippery Rock High graduate and runner on the SRU women’s track and field team.

“We rode between 60 to 70 miles per day,” Geisler said. “It was great cross training. It was really a great way to build up strength in the legs.”

Now, Geisler is focusing on the indoor and outdoor seasons.

He has lofty goals.

“I definitely want to win a PSAC title, get first place in the hurdles and first place for our team,” Geisler said. “That’s something we haven’t done in a while. I’d also like to qualify for the national meet. I’m close, but I’m not close enough.”