The two days of golfing were split into three rounds, with rounds one and two both being played over the first day, and round three filling out the second day.

In round one, junior Charlie Cooley and graduate student Drew Coble led the Lakers, both shooting 69 (-3). Juniors Manuel Cue Vargas and Bryce Wheeler followed, both hitting even par with 72. Freshman Ryan Gallagher was close behind after hitting a 74 (+2).

Cue and Gallagher improved in the second round, carding a 67 (-5) and 70 (-2). Coble also had another impressive outing with a 70 (-2). Wheeler and Cooley closed out round two for the Lakers, carding 73 (+1) and a 76 (+4).

Ending a successful day one, GVSU held the lead, shooting rounds of 282 and 280, overall ending -14. Coble and Cue stood out throughout day one, both hitting 10 birdies, as well as being tied for third place and leading their team at five under par.

With one round left to play on day two, the Lakers held a four-stroke lead over second place.

Making five birdies and an eagle, as well as hitting a 68 (-4), Cue was able to jump two spots and finish with the best overall score of -9. This final round success won Cue the title of individual champion. Along with winning his second individual title of the season, Cue was awarded the GLIAC Conference Men’s Golfer of the Week.

“Manuel showed a lot of positive signs this week,” said head coach Gareth Lappin. “He got off to a slow start, but managed to keep his composure and stayed patient and he was rewarded. He is learning fast and there is no limit on how far Manuel can go this season.”

Coble was the next ranked Laker, tied at 13th after carding a 75 (+3) with three birdies, and finishing two under par. Tied for 26th place was Cooley, who finished his round with 73 (-1), hitting four birdies and an eagle. Wheeler followed, shooting a round of 74 (+2) and tying for 31st place. Wrapping things up for GVSU was Gallagher, who tied for 38th, carding a 76 (+4).

“As a team we are close,” said Coble. “We just have to put everything together for three solid rounds. Going forward, I think it is the same mentality, trying to clean everything up. We are just now getting to play outside in Michigan, so that will definitely help us build more confidence going forward.”

Lappin added that despite the team showing “good signs,” the Lakers still have a couple skills to work on.

“We need to continue working on our putting speed, and some guys have technical things to work on,” said Lappin. 

Since this event was the 12th-straight top-five finish for the Lakers, the GVSU men’s golf team looks to continue their winning on the green at the Tennessee River Rumble in Lenoir City, Tennessee from Monday, March 24 through Tuesday, March 25.

“We are a very process-driven team and we treat each event the same,” explained Lappin. “Putting guys in high-pressure situations is the most important thing at this time of year to prepare us for championship play.”

Entering the SMSU invite, the women’s team had the opportunity to spend a week in Arizona beforehand to practice and get familiar with the green. Senior Olivia Stoll stated that GVSU had high expectations to win the competition.

The invitational kicked off mid-afternoon on a sunny day with warm temperatures for ideal golfing weather. Sophomore Evelyn Park was the first Laker to tee off. The Lakers shot a round of 291 at three over, taking first place. Stoll fought for first place at two under after a round of 70 with five birdies, but concluded the first day in a tie for first place. Four Lakers tied for fifth at one over, shooting rounds of 73. Freshman Charlotte Goersch and Lea Stotz tied for 14th in 75 rounds at three over. The Lakers concluded the first day of the competition strong, leading the opening round with a four-stroke advantage. 

The majority of golf tournaments allow five players to count toward the team’s overall score. Each team decides who will represent their given school before the event by playing qualifying rounds. Of the five players, the top four scores are added together for the group’s overall score. Since GVSU has nine women on the team, it creates an internal competition to fight for a spot.

“The competition within the team is intense, and that’s what makes us all better,” said Park. “It is nerve-racking to see how the top five players always change after each round of qualifying. However, knowing that every round is a chance to break into the top five keeps me motivated to work on my game and stay focused.”

In the invitational, Park qualified as an individual player. Her score didn’t count toward the team’s overall score, but counted toward her individual ranking. Despite golfing being inherently individualistic, the sport still fosters a sense of teamwork.

“Even when I’m playing as an individual, I am part of the team and want to contribute in any way I can, whether that’s through encouragement, practicing together or just helping create a positive team environment,” said Park.

Entering the second day with confidence and camaraderie, the Lakers repeated the first day’s successes. The Lakers won by 21 strokes and carded a final round of 286 (-2), which was the lowest round in the tournament, and secured the win. Stoll led the Lakers, earning the individual crown by taking overall individual winner and finishing -3 with three strokes ahead of the second-place golfer. In the final round, Stoll shot a round of 71 (-1), and sank three birdies. As a senior and leader on the team, Stoll’s leadership presents itself differently than in other sports. 

“I feel that I am a leader by example, not as much as a vocal leader,” said Stoll. “It is an individual sport, and each player has parts of their game (they) are better (at) than others, and not everyone has to have the same strengths to perform well.” 

Park received second place at an even par, carding a final round of 71 (-1) with three birdies. Junior Rachael Krieger tied for fourth at two over with a final round of 73 (+1), making three birdies and an eagle. Senior Megan Miron and Stotz both tied for seventh place, with scores of four over. The Lakers had five golfers in the top 10, while earning the first-place team title. 

With an early win in the spring season, the Lakers are optimistic about the future, given their successes at the invite. 

“We have a lot of depth on this team,” Stoll said. “Everyone is fighting for a spot in the lineup. We have a good team chemistry. Everyone wants to see each other succeed, and we are all each other’s biggest fans.”

The Lakers have a break to rest and prepare for the Lynn Invitational, which will be in Florida, on March 31.

The matchup is a major tournament, and competition was tough across the board. Several Division I schools participated in the tournament, such as the University of Alabama, the University of Texas and the University of Arizona.

“For the Folds of Honor, because it’s such a big event, all of our guys put a lot of pressure to perform, (and) a lot of pressure to compete against all those top players,” said the men’s golf head coach Gareth Lappin.

Graduate student Drew Coble took charge for the Lakers on the men’s team. After sinking four birdies and shooting just three over par, he finished in a tie for fourteenth place. Other notable Lakers included juniors Bryce Wheeler and Charlie Cooley. Both had several birdies, and ended up finishing in a tie for forty-fifth place.

“All in all, (we’re) pretty disappointed as to where we finished on the leaderboard, but happy with what we took from it,” said Lappin.

Lappin emphasized the need for his team to be relaxed when playing.

“All of our guys are physically very capable of competing,” said Lappin. “If we can be a little mentally better, that’s when our guys are going to be really good.”

Lappin also noted that being flawless is never a guarantee in golf, like in any sport.

“(It will be good) if we can be a little bit more patient, not feel as if we need to hit every shot perfect, and just know that there will be a lot of ups and downs throughout the course of a tournament,” said Lappin.

For the women’s team, it was senior Olivia Stoll who led the way. With a pair of birdies and shooting 10 over, she finished in a tie for twenty-ninth place. 

Women’s head coach Rebecca Mailloux touched on the idea that being in a highly competitive field only helps performance. The GVSU women’s team played their match against the University of Arizona, who ended up winning the tournament.

“Overall (it was) an incredible experience for these ladies to play with the best in Division I, and alongside Arizona for two days,” said Mailloux. “They all took away something that will make them better in our upcoming season.”

After seeing the team’s performance, Mallioux was pleased that her team only got better as the tournament progressed. The first day, the women’s team shot 27 over par, and on the third and final day, they shot 18 over par. 

Mallioux described the team’s short game as needing further practice. Arguably the hardest part of golf is chipping approach shots and putting– that is where holes are won or lost. 

“The ladies recognized that’s the difference maker between those top players in Division I and us,” Mallioux said. 

During the NCAA Division II Championship, five GVSU golfers headed to the course to compete for the NCAA title. The five golfers were seniors Drew Coble and Nick Krueger, as well as sophomores Manuel Cue Vargas, Bryce Wheeler and Charlie Cooley. 

In addition to Coble being the team’s top finisher, Cue Vargas placed the second highest for GVSU, tying for forty-fifth place. Right behind him was Wheeler in fifty-fifth place after he golfed a final round with four birdies. Following closely behind Wheeler was Cooley, who placed sixty-fifth, and Krueger, who placed seventieth.

“The greatest accomplishment this past season, in my mind, was how we were able to work together as a group to help overcome obstacles we faced throughout the season,” Coble said.

Coble achieved many other accomplishments during the season, including three individual wins, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Player of the Year, First Team All-American, GLIAC Commissioner’s Award and Jack Nicklaus Award finalist. During his time at GVSU, Coble was only the eighth player in the program’s history to be named All-American.

While 2023-2024 was his senior year, Coble plans to continue his education and time on the men’s golf team at GVSU. Looking ahead to the upcoming fall season, he believes the team should focus less on the immensity of their goals, and more on the day by day progress associated with achieving them.

Wheeler also noted that looking forward, the team will need to adjust to playing in high-intensity environments.

“We all need to perform in high-intensity, competitive situations,” Wheeler said. “Getting used to playing and performing in those high-intensity environments is super important to competing and winning.”

Wheeler described that while it was a great experience playing in the national championship, the team hopes to “make it there and win it all” in the future.

Starting Sept. 9, the team will be playing in the Folds of Honor Collegiate at the American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven.

 “We play against a power District 1 field,” said Coble. “(The) event will be live on national television as well.” 

Lakers’ head coach Rebecca Mailloux was happy to see how her team bounced back during the competitions. 

“We finished on a high note, our first nine holes were our worst nine holes of our 36 today, but the girls recovered and played amazing in those last 27 holes to secure the victory,” Mailloux said. 

On Monday, Sept. 18 GVSU women’s golf team was the only Division II school to compete in the Mary Fossum Invitational. After three rounds of play, the Lakers finished in 14th place, shooting a 941 which put them ahead of Division I opponent Oakland University. 

Julia Sanchez led the Lakers with a tie for fifty-ninth place. Sanchez shot a final round of 77 (+5) with one birdie to end at fifteen over for the tournament. Junior Olivia Stoll had a great final round, shooting a 70 (-2) with five birdies to end in a tie for sixty-second at +16.

Competing in the Mary Fossum Invite as a DII school is a tall task. Mailloux looked at it as an opportunity for growth.

“The reason I put the girls in such a tournament is to be tested, and to be challenged and hopefully make their game a lot better which I definitely think it did,” Mailloux said. “When we are playing in Division I tournaments playing close to 6400 yards, which is a lot longer than we are used to playing in Division II, so going back to shorter yardage would give us more confidence and helps us improve score wise.”

On Saturday, Sept. 23 the team began play in the Gilda’s Club Laker Fall Invite at The Meadows Golf Club finishing in first place, shooting a 615 through three rounds and claiming their first win of the season. Stoll took first place in the individual championship and sophomore Rachael Krieger also received all tournament honors.

Hosting the invite at the Meadows Golf Course, the Lakers had a bit of an advantage over their opponents, competing their home turf for the first time this season. 

Stoll shot rounds of 72 and 77 to finish at five over for the tournament, winning her fourth career tournament and first of this season. Stoll stepped up big time with three birdies in her first round and one birdie and an eagle in the second round to win the tournament by one stroke. 

Stoll said she was very proud of the way that the team played this weekend.

“We know if we aren’t playing great, we all know it’s inside of us to flip the switch and get it going, we all know we are better than that,” Stoll said. “It’s our home course. We knew how to play it, we knew how to play smart.”

Krieger and Sanchez both tied for fourth at nine over. Krieger shot rounds of 80 and 73 with two birdies while Sanchez shot a 77 and a 76 and had one birdie in each round. Lakers’ junior golfer Megan Miron was tied for fifteenth at 16 over par, as she had one birdie over her rounds of 82 and 78. Lakers’ freshman Evelyn Park played rounds of 80 and 81 to end in a tie for seventeenth, with five birdies on the day. 

GVSU will travel to Big Rapids, Michigan to compete in Ferris State University’s Lady Bulldog Invitational, which began on Sunday, Sept. 24 and will conclude the following day.

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.

Shooting one under par as a team, and finishing 19-strokes ahead of the runner-up, the Ralph Hargett win (March 20-21) was led by senior Charles DeLong who clinched his 10th career win with the Lakers and is now ranked No. 2 in the nation out of the 150-total players listed in the GolfStat NCAA DII individual rankings.

With three rounds played in total, the Lakers maintained a six-shot lead (+4) over the then second-place Shorter University after round one of action, and would still hold the lead after round two as they extended their cushion to an 11-stroke advantage (+1) over the once tied Flagler College and Wingate University (second place, +12). 

Overall, day one featured solid placing by the Lakers across the board with DeLong in second place after the first two rounds (-6), trailing only one point behind the tournament leader. Sophomore Nick Krueger (ranked No. 21 by Golfstat) found himself in a four-way tie for fifth place (-1), and freshman Bryce Wheeler helped keep the team in the running as he placed in a three-way tie for 11th overall (+1).

As the momentum seemed to be in favor for GVSU heading into day two and the third and final round of the invite, sophomore Drew Coble (No. 102 overall in GolfStat ranking) said the mindset for the entire tournament was to focus on each individual hole as they came.

“I wouldn’t say our game plan changed at all this week,” Coble said. “We have stuck to one shot at a time and just focus on what you can control.”

Head Coach Gary Bissell knows better than to believe a comfortable lead is safe, especially when it comes to a technical sport like golf. Bissell said that even with a high-stroke lead like the one GVSU had going into the final round, the pressure actually intensifies when it comes to closing out the match with a victory.

“A ten shot lead in golf is a really tough lead to play with because it’s big enough to make you feel somewhat safe,” Bissell said. “But it’s also a lead that can diminish in a matter of three or four holes quite honestly.”

Day two would finally arrive, and after the final round, GVSU would ultimately secure their second title of the spring after four of the five Lakers either improved or tied their best performance out of all three rounds. DeLong matched his second-round score with another 68 on the scorecard, Krueger shot his best round with a score of 69, Wheeler dipped below his average with 79 (71 best score, second round), Coble tied his second-round score (75) and Cooley saved his best for last with a score of 74 in the third round.

Overall, all five Lakers would finish in the top 50 of 95-total players: DeLong (first, -10), Krueger (tied third overall, -4), Wheeler (five-way tie for 25th overall, +8), Coble (five-way tie for 33rd place, +10) and freshman Charlie Cooley (tied 43rd, +13).

“It takes great play top to bottom (to win),” Bissell said. “You need a horse up front, which we definitely have in Charlie DeLong. (However) at this level, you can’t win with just two or three guys – you need five good players.” 

The Argonaut Invitational is up next for GVSU (April 3-4) as the team will head to Florida to hopefully add onto their momentum built early this season.

After opening their spring season with a victory in the Augustana Spring Fling March 9-10, the Grand Valley State University women’s golf team finished in seventh place in the UF Spring Invite with a score of 930 (+66).

The Augustana win featured seven teams in total as the Lakers would finish 16 strokes ahead of second place (Augustana-SD) with their final scorecard tallying 596 points. Sophomore Olivia Stoll (equal to par) led her team with the individual title victory, followed by sophomores Paula Badino (tied fourth, +6), Julia Sanchez (tied sixth, +7), Megan Miron (tied ninth, +8) and junior Kay Zubkus making her 2022-23 season debut with a three-way tie finish for 14th overall (+10).

March 20-21 consisted of the UF Invite as 18 teams fought for the title. Although a far different outcome than the one previous, all five Lakers managed to place in the top-40 of 95 golfers: Sanchez (tied 11th, +10), Stoll (tied 26th, +19), Miron (tied 30th, +20), Badino (tied 38th, +23) and Zubkus tying for 40th place (+24).

GVSU will hope to rebound as they travel out of state to play in the North Georgia Event April 3-4.

Men’s lacrosse club open up home action

GVSU men’s lacrosse club is one of many spring sports looking to add a potential conference, regional and even national title to their history books as the team is heading home to Allendale to continue spring ball.

However, the team is still feeling the effects of the global shutdown after all this time. Prior to their last two home games March 24 and 26, the team had only played one home game in 1,453 days. 

With that, the victory against the University of Dayton made it that much sweeter for the Lakers to be back on their home pitch and continue their illustrious play for the 2023 spring campaign. Just four games remain in their schedule, with two of those matches being at home this week.

The Lakers will host Missouri State University (March 31) and the University of St. Thomas (April 2) in their final home games of the season.

Softball back on the winning side

Women’s softball added their 18th victory of the season after a successful doubleheader against Parkside University that finished 2-0 for the Lakers, placing the team at No. 1 in the GLIAC standings.

March 24 consisted of GVSU shutting out the Rangers in the first game, 10-0, in just six innings, followed by another 10-2 blowout that ended in five innings to add to the excitement of their home-opening weekend. 

GVSU will continue a stretch of home battles as they host two doubleheaders against Lewis University (March 29) at 3 p.m. and Ferris State (April 1) at 1 p.m.

After an extensive break in coverage, many Grand Valley State University sports are finishing their seasons with high and lows while shaking off the rust of lengthy offseasons.

The men’s basketball team lost in the GLIAC Tournament semifinals to Michigan Tech (69-73) led by a near double-double from junior Marius Grazulis (19 points, nine rebounds), finishing their season 18-12 overall.

Both men’s and women’s golf secured invitational victories to begin spring action as the women’s team won the Augustana Spring Fling March 9-10 (+20 over par) and the men’s securing the Buccaneer Classic March 6-7 (-15 under par). Each team will participate in separate invites March 20-21 in the UF Spring Invite (women’s) and the Ralph Hargett Invite (men’s).

Women’s lacrosse is still finding their groove as they are 2-3 in their last five appearances and dropped both of their first two home games of the season against UIndy (12-13, March 12) and Maryville (12-15, March 17).

A huge battle for a national title saw both sides of the swim and dive program finish in the top-15 of the NCAA DII National Championships; men’s (sixth place, 239 points), women’s (14th place, 109 points). Although a disappointing end to the season, the teams were able to secure the GLIAC men’s and women’s titles this season.

The baseball team was almost perfect in the RussMatt Invite (9-1) March 6-12 to open up spring ball. The team’s most recent victory was against Salem University (7-3) March 17 followed by a canceled bout against Mercyhurst the same day.

Prior to two doubleheaders being canceled against Ohio Dominican (March 17) and Cedarville University (March 18), the softball team were also on fire to begin spring action as they finished 10-2 between March 5-11. The team has two doubleheaders scheduled March 25-26 against Parkside and Purdue Northwest respectively for their home opener.

GVSU’s DI hockey club finished their season in the semifinals of the ACHA Men’s 1 2023 National Championships against the No. 4 ranked University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV). The Lakers were defeated in a heartbreaking 3-4 overtime loss.

Men’s and women’s tennis have combined for a 1-7 record in a total of eight matches played (four each) between March 6-17 with the women’s team defeating St. Petersburg 4-3.

Last but not least, track and field competed in the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships with the men’s finishing in third place and the women’s sixth place overall. Both teams have started the outdoor season as the Raleigh Relays Invite is up next between March 23-25.

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.