Entering the NCAA Midwest Regionals, both of the cross country teams were only allowed to bring seven runners. To compare, a country team is usually composed of more than 20 runners. GVSU has a total of 53 men and 22 women on its teams. On the men’s team, the runners honored were senior Caleb Futter, redshirt junior Koby Fraaza, senior Scott Spaanstra, senior Daniel Lambert, senior Samuel Martens, redshirt junior Brock Wooderson and sophomore Owen Westerkamp. Of the lady Lakers, the seven runners given a spot were junior Lauren Kiley, sophomore Allie Arnsman, redshirt junior Maggie O’Malley, junior Abby VanderKooi, senior Maria Mitchell, senior Abby Olson and redshirt freshman Annika Sandman. 

To start off the day, the men’s 10k took place at 10 a.m. All seven of GVSU’s men finished in the top 20, with a total of 40 points. The score was calculated based on the position of each teams’ top five runners. Leading the Lakers was Futter, finishing in second place at 30:54.34. Close behind Futter was Fraaza, who finished in third place at 30:54.87, just 53 seconds behind. Futter and Fraaza recieved All-Region honors for their top 25 finishes, which contributed to GVSU’s overall win. Spaanstra finished 10th at 31:16.53, Lambert finished 11th at 31:16.62 and Martens finished 14th at 31:19.74. Spaanstra, Lambert and Martens received All-Region honors as well. 

Following the men, the women’s leg of the race began at 11:15 a.m. The lady Lakers pushed through the crowds, and ended up on top with six of their seven runners in the top 10. Leading the Lakers for her second consecutive post-season win was Kiley, who crossed the finish line at 20:57.78. Kiley was honored with the Women’s Individual title for her accomplishment. 

Kiley’s leadership doesn’t go unnoticed, but without the rest of the lady Lakers, 20-point score wouldn’t have been possible. Arnsman finished in second place at 21:16.21, O’Malley finished fourth at 21:34.21, VanderKooi finished sixth at 21:35.73 and Mitchell finished seventh at 21:36.01. All seven runners earned All-Region honors for their top 25 finishes. 

“The people before me have left a successful history and created a winning culture at Grand Valley that I feel obligated and honored to be a part of,” said Fraaza. “It is a big motivation. The goal is to extend that legacy for (the next) Lakers to come.”

Since the GVSU men’s and women’s cross country teams won the Midwest Regional titles, they are automatically qualified to compete at the highest level of competition, the NCAA Division II National Championships in Sacramento, California on Nov. 23. In 2023, the Lakers took home the Division II Women’s Cross Country Championship and they are certainly looking to win again this year.

The GVSU Lakers impressively captured five of the six GLIAC cross country awards. Both the men’s and women’s teams received the honorary title of the 2024 GLIAC Champions.

The Lakers’ cross country teams wouldn’t be successful without the guidance and support of coaches. For the 21st time in program history, GVSU’s coaching staff received the GLIAC Cross Country Coach and Coaching Staff of the Year Awards.

With a perfect score of 15, the men’s squad fought for the top five spots on the board. This perfect score marks the second time this has happened in GVSU men’s history– only the third time in GLIAC history. Overall, the Lakers finished with 11 men in the top 20, which resulted in a perfect score.

Leading the team was senior Caleb Futter, who finished in first place at 24:04.8 with an overall pace of 4:50. Futter was honored as the 2024 GLIAC Men’s Runner of the Year, and was awarded First-Team All-GLIAC honors. 

Futter’s grit and focus helped place GVSU at the top, but the men’s team couldn’t have accomplished the perfect score without the other 11 men.

Just three seconds behind Futter, junior Koby Fraaza received second place, crossing the finish line at 24:07.77 with an overall pace of 4:51. Junior Patrick Lyell secured the third spot on the podium with a time of 24:30.0, and an overall pace of 4:55. Freshman Owen Westerkamp finished in tenth place at 24:46.5 with an overall pace of 4:59. His placement awarded him the title of 2024 GLIAC Men’s Freshman Runner of the Year.

The GVSU women’s team placed first with 23 points total. Six of the lady Lakers finished in the top 10, securing the championship. Leaders junior Lauren Kiley and sophomore Allie Arnsman placed in the top two. Kiley navigated the race at a pace of 5:34, and finished first at 20:46.2. She was honored as the 2024 GLIAC Women’s Cross Country Champion. Arnsman finished in second place at 20:46.2 with a pace of 5:36.

The win for Kiley not only signified a great accomplishment, but also stood as her first race of the 2024 season. Kiley suffered an injury in the preseason that prevented her from competing prior to the championship. Spending the entirety of the regular season on the sidelines made Kiley even more motivated entering the match. Persevering with an injury and finishing in first place, Kiley was also named the 2024 GLIAC Women’s Runner of the Year, and received First-Team All-GLIAC honors. 

“It (the awards) means a great deal to me, as racing is the gift that all this training gives you, Kiley said. “(Since) my season hasn’t been full of races, and more so just coming out of injury, it serves to prove that if you are willing to work harder than you ever have before, you can achieve things you never thought you could have. ”

While Kiley played a crucial role for the GVSU women’s squad, she also stressed the importance of her community, coaches and teammates. 

Other honorable mentions from the women’s squad include junior Maggie O’Malley, junior Maria Mitchell, and freshman Annika Sandman for receiving First-Team All-GLIAC. Sophomore Jordyn Hopgood was named Second Team All-GLIAC for finishing in 13th. 

Dominating the races and awards, GVSU’s cross country teams are eager for more. 

“This team is full of really talented, hardworking individuals,” Kiley said. “With a large amount of medals and trophies for one race, (it) shows the world a glimpse of the talent and dedication present on this team, on both the athletes’ and the coaches’ sides.”

GVSU’s men’s and women’s cross country teams will travel to Romeoville, Illinois for the NCAA Midwest regional on Saturday, Nov. 9.

The match had a total of four races– the Men’s 8,000 meter, Women’s 6,000 meter and open races for both men and women, which were limited to 12 runners per roster. Last year, only the GVSU women’s team competed in the Lewis Crossover, where they claimed a second place finish with an overall team score of 98 points. The competition, in its ninth year, is an annual event hosted by Lewis University that features schools from 24 states and over 1,000 student-athletes. The course is a relatively flat terrain with a 10-meter wide path that is run in two loops. 

The Laker women placed third in the Women’s 6,000 meter with a total of 157 points. Seven women from the team earned personal bests during the race. GVSU senior Maggie O’Malley returned to the Lewis Crossover as a leader for the University. O’Malley finished in twentieth, accomplishing a new personal best of 21:41.0, which is a 30-second improvement from her previous record. 

“My team pushes me every time, whether it’s in workouts or just simple runs,” said O’Malley. “They motivate me more than they will ever know. My coaches also motivate me because they truly believe in the work I have put in and they encourage me to push myself.”

The GVSU men’s squad placed sixth overall in the 8,000 meter with a total of 286 points. Seven GVSU men also earned personal bests during the 8,000 meter. Leading the group was junior Colin Kachlic, finishing in thirty-eigth place with 24:37.0.

In the Men’s Open race, redshirt sophomore Bahózhóni “Baja” Church was highlighted for his collegiate debut by finishing second overall at 25:14.2. Six of the seven Lakers in the Men’s Open ran personal bests as well. 

With the regular season completed, senior Patrick Lyell reflected on the success of the men’s team.

“We have so many different backgrounds,” said Lyell. “With so many abilities, knowledge and interest, it feels like I have dozens of brothers. It think that’s why we’re so successful, because we trust each other to help one another in practice or in races, we hold each other accountable, we mentor each other and we just always have someone at our side, no matter what.”

GVSU’s men’s and women’s cross-country teams head to the post-season championship with optimism and a strong foundation. The championship season begins on Saturday, Oct. 26 in Big Rapids for the GLIAC Cross Country Championship hosted by GVSU’s rival, Ferris State University. Only 10 individuals from GVSU are able to race at the event. 

Oct 4. marked the first time GVSU’s cross country teams have attended Notre Dame’s invitational in over a decade. The teams ran in four of the six races– the Women’s Blue 5k, the Men’s Blue 8k, the Women’s Open 5k and the Men’s Open 8k. The teams saw success in all four of these races.

Of the nine total Lakers who ran in the Women’s Blue 5k, each of them finished with a personal record, with senior Abby Olson placing first for the women’s team. Olson finished with a time of 16:59.2, landing in forty-ninth place of 191 racers.

The Lakers saw similar success in the Men’s Blue 8k. The top five racers for GVSU all earned personal bests. Leading the pack was senior Caleb Futter who placed seventeenth out of 166 runners. He finished the race with 22:58.6 as his new record.

Building off their first two races, all four of Grand Valley’s racers in the Women’s Open 5k earned their personal records. The top finisher for the Lakers in this race was junior Madison Ebright with a time of 17:57.8. Having four women all run their best times meant that every single runner from the GVSU women’s cross country team earned a PR at the invitational.

The men followed this up with all seven of GVSU’s racers earning their personal records in the Men’s Open 8k. Senior Patrick Lyell led the Lakers in this race, with a time of 24:21.1. The impressive run earned him twenty-second place.

Among the racers who achieved their personal bests was redshirt junior Colin Hanson, who shared the mentality needed to earn a PR.

“I just try to make sure my mind is in a calm place, so I’ll listen to some chill music,” said Hanson. “I just remind myself that all the hard work is done at that point, I just have to be mentally ready to put it together in the race.”

Hanson admitted to having some nervousness right before the race.

“The pre-race nerves are always going to be there, but you learn to use that as an advantage rather than a detriment,” Hanson said. “You have to acknowledge that it’s going to hurt pretty bad at some point in the race, and just be mentally ready to embrace that.”

Although Hanson was able to maintain this mindset and achieve a PR of 25:10.0 in the Men’s Open 8k, he took little time to revel in his success, and remains focused on the future.

“(I) just enjoy it for a little bit, and move onto the next race,” said Hanson.”Really, the end goal is preparing for nationals and seeing how good we can be both individually and as a team.”

The teams hope to build onto their momentum when they compete in the Lewis Crossover Invite in Romeoville, Illinois and the Muskegon Jayhawk Invite, both on Saturday, Oct. 12.

Last season, the women’s cross country team won their twenty-second straight Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic (GLIAC) Championship, and followed the championship up by winning the NCAA National Championship. This marked the women’s seventh time winning the championship in the history of their program. 

Looking toward the upcoming season, a key difference for the women’s cross country team is the departure of last season’s graduates.

“We graduated several All-American women this past year from our lineup,” said women’s cross country senior Landyn Howell.

These several graduates included Natalie Graber and Klaudia O’malley, who both finished top ten in the NCAA National Championship a season ago. 

Howell is one of three seniors on the women’s cross country team, along with Maria Mitchell and Maria Widmann. Despite the makeup of the team, Howell is confident that the group will continue to perform well.

“Our team may be young now, but there is still an immense amount of talent and a passion for being great,” said Howell. “We aren’t focusing on who we lost. Instead, (we focus on) how we can accomplish our goals as a team.”

This mentality of accomplishing goals together aligns with the values of head coach Jerry Baltes. During Baltes’ 26 years as the GVSU cross country coach for both the women’s and men’s teams, he orchestrated 16 championship lineups for the Lakers and has been awarded nine total Program of the Year Awards.

In most sports, experience is thought of as the most crucial factor to success, but Baltes doesn’t just prioritize experience when it comes to forming his team.

“On both sides, we had runners not race in the national championship this year that have raced in the past (championships),” said Baltes. “No matter who the seven are toeing the line, we are all in this together.”

While experience is a principal attribute to have, the bond and chemistry of a team can propel a unit much further than only experience. 

“We have an amazing and supportive group who aren’t afraid to push the limits,” said Howell. “We want to be great, and be great together.”

According to Howell, there is an assumed pressure when it comes to defending national champions. However, Howell noted that pressure doesn’t seem to affect this team.

“There’s always pressure when it comes to nationals,” said Howell. “But we’re not scared. If anything, we’re excited to carry on the legacy before us.”

With the team’s new season starting in just under a month, the mindset for the group is simple.

“(We want to) achieve the highest potential possible,” said Howell. “It’s a new year and we’re going to be ready to compete at a high level.”

After winning their twenty-second straight Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic (GLIAC) championship on Oct. 21, the GVSU women’s cross-country team took home their seventh national championship. 

“An outstanding day for our program,” said head coach Jerry Baltes. “I’m happy that our seniors, our upperclassmen, who finished second the last three years at the NCAA championship on the women’s side finally got to pass that runner-up finish and earn a championship.” 

One of those seniors was Natalie Graber, who finished third place in the event with a personal record of 19:50.3.

“It’s a lot to take in,” Graber said. “I wake up every morning and think ‘Did that just happen?’”

Graber said she and the other seniors put their heads down and were determined to bring home the national title. While redshirting her freshman year, she previously had watched the Lakers’ women at that time capture a national title of their own. Ever since then, Graber has been chasing the same glory. 

“It’s the perfect ending to (my) cross-country career,” Graber said. “To find a way to win the title and go out like that in my senior year, it’s incredible.”

Graber was joined by Klaudia O’Malley as a top 10 finisher, with O’Malley placed eighth with a time of 20:07.6, just two of the many Lakers runners who contributed to the championship season.  

“We really did become a family,” Graber said. “When you’re out there running with girls that you put miles and miles of hard work in together, it’s easy to go out there and run hard. It’s very special, and I don’t think a lot of teams have what we have, so I feel very lucky to be part of it.”

The men’s team also had a successful season ranking in seventh place at the event and having won the GLIAC championship. Baltes reflected on the team’s season and accomplishments with pride.

“The men competed tough,” Baltes said. “It was a pretty deep field, probably one of the deepest fields that we’ve ever seen in a national championship. Still very proud of their efforts and performance.”

With 25 years at the helm, Baltes has been around this track countless times, he says that he found himself leaning on his years of experience to help guide both teams to championship heights.

“You try to draw on your past experiences. What’s worked from a training standpoint, what’s worked from a preparation standpoint and the mental side of things,” Baltes said.  

According to Baltes, another reason for the success this season has been the depth of the program’s roster. He says that having depth is extremely valuable, especially when some runners are struggling while others may be in a groove.

“In our sport, if someone isn’t having a good race you can’t call timeout. You put seven athletes on the line and hope you put the right seven out there,” Baltes said. 

Luckily for GVSU, getting seven good runners is not a problem. According to the Lakers’ head coach, the willingness to adjust and rotate while sticking together led them to another national championship.

“With our program, we’ve got 10 or 12 or 14 really good runners. (It) just shows the depth of our program. No matter who the seven are toeing the line, we are all in this together,” Baltes said. “We are all competing with each other for each other.”

The Grand Valley State University women’s basketball team defeated Purdue Northwest (88-47) and Wisconsin-Parkside (75-57), improving their record to 19-2 overall.

Both matchups were the second meetings against both opponents this season, resulting in the Lakers sweeping each series 2-0. 

GVSU’s first meeting against PNW on Jan. 7 was decided by just eight points (62-54), but their second meeting (Jan. 26) improved dramatically as the team shot 53.3% from the field and held PNW to just 11 made field goals (11-43) to blow their opponent out of the arena.

Senior guard Emily Spitzley (15), redshirt sophomore Rylie Bisballe (14) and sophomore guard Abrie Cabana (10) led their team in point production as the bench unit was a huge contributor to the win with 54 points.

The second game of this past week, on Jan. 28, saw the Lakers overcome a slow start in the first half as the team was only able to convert eight of their 34 shot attempts (23% FG) and trailed 23-25 at the break.

However, an explosive 52-32 scoring run in the second half would stun the Rangers and create enough of a cushion to take the win at home.

Redshirt freshman guard Nicole Kamin led the team with her career high in points (20), followed by 13 points each from Spitzley, Bisballe and redshirt sophomore guard Hadley Miller.

The Lakers are now 10-1 in GLIAC action as they maintain their No. 1 rank in the conference with just one game on the road this week against Davenport, on Feb. 4.

GV tennis preparing for UIndy in first match of 2023

GVSU’s men’s and women’s tennis teams are less than a week away from the beginning of their 2022-23 spring campaigns.

The men’s team hasn’t won a meeting against UIndy since 2011 with a losing streak of six-straight meetings (5-7 overall), while the women’s side face five-straight losses themselves (8-6 overall) as their last win was during their 2012 season.

Both teams will host the Greyhounds at home on Feb. 4 starting at 12 p.m.

115 Laker student-athletes receive academic honors through fall sports

In a typifying moment of GVSU athletics, 115 total student-athletes were recognized for their hard work in their sport and in the classroom to be just one of two schools in the GLIAC to reach over 100 honors.

Women’s volleyball, cross country, men’s football and women’s soccer were all recognized as a combined 73 Lakers were named to the All-Academics teams and 42 Lakers named to Academic Excellence teams. The full list of Lakers that received academic honors can be found at gvsulakers.com/archives.

After four seasons with the Lakers, Grand Valley State University men’s club hockey Head Coach Carl Trosien will move on from his position with the program.

“I am grateful to GVSU for the opportunity to coach here,” Trosien said. “I have really enjoyed my time here and the friendships we have made.”

This decision comes just five months after the club won its first conference title in the Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey Conference (GLCHC) Division 1 league, which was also the same year the club moved up to that level.

Trosien made it clear that he was not actively looking for a new position, but instead an opportunity fell into his lap.

“I was not looking, the family was very happy here,” Trosien said. “(However) there are not a ton of full-time ACHA jobs that are run through NCAA athletic departments, so it was something I had to consider. Long story short, it was a family decision first and a hockey decision second.”

To hear about Trosien’s resignation decision from Sports Editor Anthony Clark Jr.’s, click here.

Lakers show out in Spartan Invite as GV cross country places top-two

The Grand Valley State University men’s and women’s cross country teams had a successful start to their fall season in the Spartan Invitational as the men’s team placed first and the women’s finished second overall.

GVSU head coach Jerry Baltes was pleased with the results of his teams, stating that both sides of the cross country program are “focused on training at a high level” in order to compete for a back-to-back championship.

The men’s team finished with a score of 45 points, dominating their opponents and overcoming three NCAA Division I opponents: Cincinnati (second place, 89 points), Michigan State University (third place, 115 points) and Kent State University (fourth place, 162 points).

To read more of Ermias Stewart’s coverage on the team’s performance at the Spartan Invitational, 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 continue the golf team’s season recap by Jason Millis, 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.”

GVSU started the game flawlessly, as junior quarterback Cade Peterson led the offense 60 yards in six plays on the opening drive, capped off by an 18-yard touchdown connection from Peterson to senior running back Jack Provencher to put the Lakers up a touchdown, 7-0.

To read more of Brian Bloom’s article of the huge win FSU, click here.

Women’s volleyball finds momentum in three-game week

In another competitive week of close-scoring matches, the Grand Valley State University women’s volleyball team took on three conference opponents that finished 2-1 overall.

The Lakers played on Oct. 25 (Davenport University), Oct. 28 (Ferris State) and Oct. 29 (Lake Superior State), all of which resulted 3-1, 1-3 and 3-1 respectively.

GVSU mustered a 3-1 redemption match against the crosstown rival Davenport as the previous matchup was dropped 1-3 at home. This time around, the Lakers found themselves on the offensive attack and the defensive blocks as the only set loss was by three points.

The first set started well as the Lakers came out hot and created an 8-4 lead early. However, the Panthers would respond as the set continued to be a back-and-forth battle up to the 20-16 mark.

Going on a 1-4 run, the Panthers looked as if they might come from behind and steal the set, but the Lakers didn’t fold and eventually took the first set, 25-20.

To find out the outcome of all three matches written by Madeleine Smith, click here.

GV women’s basketball begins season undefeated after two games

Grand Valley State University’s women’s basketball is now 2-0 after a successful two-game road trip against Missouri – St. Louis (81-55) and Maryville University (78-57).

Missouri would win the opening tip but fail to convert on their first field goal attempt, and GVSU wasted no time to respond to the miss with a three-pointer by senior guard Emily Spitzley as the offensive attack wouldn’t let up.

The first 10 minutes of action would see the Lakers create a 19-9 lead as a three-point attempt by senior forward Hannah Kulas just before the buzzer would miss the mark.

As the action continued in the second quarter, GVSU continued to separate themselves from the opponent no matter how hard the Tritons attempted to claw their way back.

To read through the entire article by Gabriela Garbey, click here.

Women’s soccer achieves conference title and GLIAC honors heading into national tournament

After two shutout performances and a tough championship match, Grand Valley State University women’s soccer are the 2022 GLIAC Champions.

As the No. 1 seed in the conference, GVSU hosted all three battles on their home pitch and used it to their advantage.

GVSU’s first match on Nov. 1 was against Purdue Northwest (7-0), an opponent they managed to also shutout in both regular-season matchups (8-0, 2-0).

Applying pressure early, the Lakers opened the match with a goal  by senior forward Kennedy Bearden (her first of two) on an assist by senior defender Cate Brown (2:52).

Four missed shots by sophomore midfielder Emma Chudik, two by fifth-year forward Kennedy Metzger and senior defender Alexa Morello led up to PNW’s first shot attempt of the match (16:32) only to sail by the top right of the goal.

To continue the recap by Clark Jr., click here.

Grand Valley State University’s sports management students from the SPM 376 course are hosting the annual Rally with the Rapids basketball fundraiser this week.

Organized by Directors Ally Bayes and Kenleigh West-Wing, the event is an effort to provide the opportunity for two Special Olympic teams from both Grand Rapids and Big Rapids to participate in a professional sports atmosphere.

The GVSU dance team, members of the university’s pep band and cheerleaders will also be in attendance as any and all GVSU community members are welcome to come and support free of cost.

Giveaways and raffle opportunities will also be included for attendees as all proceeds collected through donations, raffles and sponsorships will help to reach the overall goal of $3,000 that will be distributed between both teams.

The basketball game will be held at the GVSU Fieldhouse on Nov. 30 at 7 p.m.

A look ahead at the remaining 2022 calendar events

With weekly sports coverage coming to a close for the semester, here’s a glimpse at what teams will continue their action with the winter break around the corner:

Both women’s and men’s basketball teams begin GLIAC action in a two-game road trip against Ferris State University (Dec. 1) and Lake Superior State (Dec. 3) while hosting their crosstown rival Davenport University on Dec. 11 with tip-off at 1 p.m. (women’s) and 3 p.m. (men’s).

The swimming and diving program will also participate in the Calvin Invitational for their final meet of 2022 that begins Dec. 1-3 as the men’s and women’s teams have an overall record of 4-2. GVSU were dominant in their previous invite at Calvin (Oct. 14) as the final scores tallied 192-50 (women’s) and 165-75 (men’s).

Track and field will commence its 2022-23 indoor season in the GVSU Holiday Open at home on Dec. 9 starting at 1 p.m., followed by another home stand in the GVSU Multi Field Event on Dec. 16-17.

Last but not least, the cross country teams will compete in the NCAA National Championships in their quest to complete the hat-trick of GLIAC Champions, Midwest Regional Champions and national champs. The men’s team is the reigning national champion as the women’s team will hope to redeem themselves from last season’s second-place finish.

Information related to GVSU athletics can be found at gvsulakers.com.

The men’s team captured its 20th-consecutive regional championship in dominating fashion with a final score of 58 points in the Men’s 10k – the second closest team being Saginaw Valley State with a score of 113. The women’s team won its 21st-consecutive regional championship by a sizable margin as well (31 points) as the second-place finisher, Cedarville University tallied a score of 73.

“We ran smart and controlled,” said assistant coach Alan Peterson. “Tanner (Chada) and Caleb (Futter) got out in front early and led the pack (for the men’s). On the women’s side, the three runners going top-three was very impressive. They looked really strong and controlled the pace.”

In the men’s race, five of the top-20 finishes were occupied by GVSU runners. Leading the group was Chada (senior), who placed second-overall individually with a time of 30:48. 

“It was a good race,” Chada said. “We try to take regionals a little conservative (in order) to use this meet to prepare for the national championship.”

Futter (sophomore) was not far behind Chada, finishing third with a time of 30:53 as sophomore Sam Martens crossed the finish line in 14th with a running time of 31:34.

Rounding out the top-20 runners were redshirt freshman Brock Wooderson (19th) and sophomore Daniel Lambert (20th) as Lambert would finish a hair behind his teammate with times of 31:44 and 31:45, respectively.

The Women’s 6k saw a trio of Lakers claim the top spots in the individual leaderboards as junior Klaudia O’Malley (21:19), freshman Lauren Kiley (21:28) and junior Natalie Graber (21:29) made a strong push to lead their team to the regional title. 

“Coach (Peterson) told me to go out with Klaudia and Natalie and do what I’ve been doing all season,” Kiley said. “I’m proud of myself for the way I ran today, but we don’t try as hard to do well at this meet, we use it to prepare for nationals.”

Finishing just outside the top-10 runners was redshirt freshman Madison Ebright (11th) with a time of 21:50, as junior Kayce Rypma snagged 14th place with a running a time of 21:57 and senior Grace Pagone crossed the finish line in 29th overall (22:30).

Looking ahead to the NCAA DII National Championships out West, the men’s team will look to defend its defending championship crown while the women’s team will hope to redeem its second-place finish from last season and secure their first national title since the 2018 season. 

With these goals in mind, Peterson believes both sides of the program are primed to do just that.

“Both teams are in a great spot,” Peterson said. “You have to grind day in and day out to win the title. We’ll try to be as competitive as we possibly can be, and hopefully that will result in a national championship.”

The teams will travel to Seattle, Washington to compete for the opportunity to etch their names in GVSU history on Friday, Dec. 2.

“We have a great chance of winning nationals,” Kiley said. “I know it’ll take all of us to have a great race. I want to lay everything out on the course to help our team win the meet.”