For the second time in program history, Grand Valley State University’s women’s basketball team won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) National Championship. Making history on Friday, March 28, the Lakers achieved the highest honor in Division II women’s college basketball. The last time GVSU went to the championship was in 2006.

The Lakers began their championship journey on Monday, March 24 by competing in the NCAA Elite Eight against Gannon University. This was the third time in the last 10 seasons that the Lakers competed in the Elite Eight, and the third time advancing to the Final Four after defeating Gannon, 60-32. With a day’s rest, the Lakers took the Final Four win, 68-61, against Pittsburgh State on Wednesday, March 26 after a hard-fought, nail-biting match up.

After spending time in Pittsburgh adapting to the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse court, the Lakers found themselves in the final championship game against California State University, Dominguez Hills. In support of the big game, Laker Nation took over the fieldhouse, as GVSU supplied transportation for students, the marching band, cheerleaders and family. Additionally, other University athletic groups, such as the football and women’s volleyball teams, shared various posts of support and encouragement on Instagram.

“The support (from Laker Nation) has been like no other, and they truly love being there to support us,” said redshirt senior guard Ellie Droste. “Having them at the game on Friday was a game changer. I truly think they shifted the momentum of that game and were able to get in the other team’s head a bit.”

By 7 p.m. on Friday, reality was setting in. Despite the Lakers’ 38-2 record this year, which is also the most single season wins in program history, the championship game was the ultimate test.

To read more from Tori Byrne on this historic victory, click here.

GV track and field shatters records at home meet

The Grand Valley State University track and field teams competed in their first outdoor home meet of the season from Friday, April 4 to Saturday, April 5. There were plenty of notable moments from the weekend, none bigger than school records being broken.

The meet kicked off with sprints and hurdles, where GVSU saw plenty of success. In the 110m, two men and three women for the Lakers qualified for finals. In the finals, senior Ethan Smith finished first with a time of 14.60. For the women, all three runners finished in the top five. Junior Destini Dorkins led the way by running a 14.35, beating her personal record.

In the 100m, GVSU had five men and three women competing in the finals. Graduate student Myles Rhodes led the way for the men with a first place finish. Rhodes ran a 10.48, which tied his personal record. Second and third place also belonged to the Lakers, thanks to freshmen Jacob Machiniak and Desmond Chapa, respectively.

Women’s first, second and third place all belonged to the Lakers. Freshman Claire Neumann ran a personal best, which placed her first. Sophomore Catherine Guckenberger placed second and senior Melia Williams rounded it out at third.

Click here to read more from Griffin Missant on this first meet for the outdoor track and field season.

GV swim and dive secures first win of the semester

On Saturday, Jan. 11, Grand Valley State University’s swim and dive team competed against the Wayne State University Warriors at home. The Lakers came out on top, with leading scores in both the men’s and women’s divisions. The final score for the women was 215 to the Warriors’ 84, in addition to the men’s lead of 207 to 93.

The Lakers had standout performances across the board. Sophomore diver Macy Polasek displayed skill in the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events. In the 1-meter, Polasek came in first, which awarded nine points to the Lakers’ final score. During the 3-meter event, Polasek attempted a new dive, securing her third place in the event.

“Macy Polasek’s forward 3 ½ somersault is a new dive and she performed it very well,” said Steve Burciaga, both the men’s and women’s diving head coach.

In addition to strong diving performances, the women had other notable accomplishments in the pool– the 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay. The Lakers triumphed in both events, securing a combined 22 points toward the team’s final score.

To read more from Arianna Westbrooks on the swim and dive team’s victory against Wayne State, click here.

GV women’s wrestling debuts at home against Northern Michigan

In front of a packed crowd at the Fieldhouse Arena, the Grand Valley State University women’s wrestling team debuted their inaugural dual against Northern

Michigan University, dominating their way to a win, 42-6.

Kicking things off for the Lakers was 160-pound junior Clarissa Agostini. She quickly scored her first points with a takedown over Sophia Bassino from NMU. Agostini maintained her early lead into the second period, where she scored four points from a takedown that resulted in her opponent being controlled on their back. Another quick takedown put Agostini up by 10 points, giving her the win by technical fall, 14-4.

Following GVSU scoring their first official points, 180-pound freshman Sabrina Nauss used her overpowering strength to quickly pin her opponent in only one minute and 40 seconds.

Off to a good start, 207-pound freshman Aaliyah Grandberry took the mat next for the Lakers. A strong first period put Grandberry up 7-0, but a quick pin by her opponent gave the Wildcats their only points of the duel. 103-pound junior Rayana Sahagun received an easy, automatic win for GVSU, as Northern Michigan then forfeited the match.

Click here to read more from Brady Kemmerling on the debut of the new women’s wrestling program.

Grand Valley State University’s football program welcomed their eighth head coach in program history, Scott Wooster, during an introductory press conference this past week.

Wooster served as the offensive line/tight end coach and offensive coordinator for the Lakers over three seasons prior to his promotion to head coach as he stated enthusiasm to continue the success the team has achieved in recent seasons.

“Obviously the biggest part of it was the opportunity to grow, build and serve these guys that were right out here (at this press conference) – it’s just such a special group,” Wooster said. “To be able to be the leader of this group of men, that was the most exciting part going through this week and the most honoring part.”

To continue the recap of Wooster’s hiring from Sports Editor Anthony Clark Jr., click here.

Men’s DI hockey club ices Davenport, extends win streak to seven

The Grand Valley State University’s Division I men’s hockey club continued their seven-game winning streak against Davenport University this past weekend after two blowout matches that finished 5-1 and 11-1.

Now ranked No. 10 in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Men’s 1 division with a record of 22-5 (25-5 overall), Head Coach Matt Sekosan had a lot to say about his upperclassman setting the pace for the winning streak.

“We have a strong class of upperclassmen,” Sekosan said. “They sort of lead the way in terms of self-policing and getting everybody on task; the guys listen to the system that we implement, and do the best they can to play.”

To see the rest of Breanna Hammer’s recap of hockey victory, click here.

Strutz headlines Bill Clinger Classic with new record for indoor track and field

The Grand Valley State University’s men’s and women’s track and field teams hosted the Bill Clinger Classic last weekend. The Lakers performed at a high level, marking personal and program records.

One of the highlights from this meet was junior Lindsey Strutz’s performance, setting program record for the women’s pentathlon with a score of 3615 – a record that also ranked Strutz No. 12 in the nation for the event.

“It feels absolutely amazing to break my old school record by so much,” Strutz said.

To read Madeleine Smith’s full story of the historical performance by Strutz, click here.

Women’s lacrosse above .500 after first GLIAC victory

Grand Valley State University women’s lacrosse made the trip to Minnesota to battle Concordia St. Paul last week, winning 17-10 and adding the fifth win to the Lakers’ record just past the halfway point of the regular season (5-4).

With this being the first test in conference action, Head Coach Mackenzie Lawler said she told her players to come out with intensity from the start in order to walk away with a win.

“It’s our first conference game; I think that this game sets the tone for (more) conference play coming up,” Lawler said. “We have two other conference games this week and I think it would be great to get a win to start strong but also know that those other games are going to be competitive and those teams have gotten a lot better over the years.”

To finish reading Zoe Murphy’s coverage of the women’s lax match, click here.

Swim and dive secure GLIAC Championship titles

Grand Valley State University swim and dive secured the GLIAC Championship titles after four-straight days of competing.

With the wins, the women’s team has won its second conference title in the last three seasons (2020-21 champions) with a total score of 969.5 points. The men’s team continued its dominance in the GLIAC as it has now won nine consecutive championships after scoring 942 points, winning by nearly 400 points above second-place Northern Michigan.

Individually, both teams saw several Lakers crowned as conference champions in their events as many of them set GVSU and GLIAC conference meet records over the four-day period (Feb. 15-18).

To find the whole story written by Brian Bloom, click here.

Men’s golf wraps up fall season with another team title win

In their fourth first-place finish in the fall season, the Grand Valley State University men’s golf closed out a successful fall season with a win at the Motor City Invitational.

The Lakers found themselves in a tight match after day one, holding only a six-stroke lead over Tiffin University, with Wayne State and Ferris State not far behind. GVSU shot a 296 on day one, eight strokes above par.

Sophomore Charles DeLong led the Lakers on the individual leaderboards once more after 18 holes as he sat in second place (71, -2). Sophomore Nick Krueger (fifth) and freshman Charlie Cooley (tied-sixth) were as influential in the first round as they held a score of 73 and 74 respectively.

Being one stroke behind the first place leader after round one (Hurtubise; Wayne State), DeLong was familiar with this type of situation and used his versatility to take charge.

To read the fall season recap by Jason Millis, click here.

Emily Spitzley talks hoops, milestones and team culture for women’s basketball

Westphalia, MI is a small village roughly 55 miles east of Grand Rapids with a population of about 1,000 residents. Those who didn’t grow up in the community may not think anything more of it besides a farmers’ town. For fifth-year guard Emily Spitzley, it’s the place where the game of basketball all started.

Grand Valley State University women’s basketball would eventually be the landing spot for Spitzley after high school. Like many true freshmen joining a team, Spitzley didn’t see a lot of action on the court as she adjusted to her new environment.

Averaging just 4.8 minutes of playing time in her 24 games played in the 2018-19 season, Spitzley figured the best solution of gaining respect from her peers and herself most importantly would be to put her head down and grind.

“I came in like a nervous little kid not stepping on anybody’s toes, kind of stay in your own lane (and) do your thing,” Spitzley said. “Over the last five years, I’ve been able to find that confidence, find that voice for myself overall. And that kind of comes with getting better overall as a basketball player.”

To view Clark Jr.’s whole conversation with Spitzley, click here.

GV tennis programs compete in ITA Regional Championships

Grand Valley State University’s tennis teams participated in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) DII Midwest Regional Championships over the course of the past two weeks (Sept. 17-26), as the men’s team traveled to Indiana and the women’s hosted their tournament at home.

The women’s team experienced a significant delay in their tournament due to inclement weather and were ultimately forced to play indoors instead of outdoors as the tournament is typically played.

In the Draw A women’s doubles bracket, sophomore Estefania Hernandez and freshman Rachel Sam paired up as senior Taylor Barrett and junior Vasileia Griva partnered to face off against opponents in the round of 32.

To find Ermias Stewart’s full article, click here.

Late touchdown lifts GV football over Ferris on the road

The now 7-0 Grand Valley State University football team defeated the defending NCAA DII National Champions in Ferris State University in the annual Anchor-Bone Classic to end the regular season six-game losing streak against the opponent.

With the win, the Lakers were able to avenge two losses from the previous season and dealt the Bulldogs its first regular season loss since 2017.

“(The games left a) very bad taste in our mouth,” junior linebacker Abe Swanson said. “We went a whole season thinking about the playoff game and how much that loss hurt us, and it gave us fuel going into this one. There’s still a lot of season left, but it was so satisfying to get that win.”

To see the highlights reported by Bloom, click here.