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. 

The 200m saw 14 total runners between the men and women representing GVSU. Not only were there many Lakers competing, numerous of them succeeded. For the men, seven of the nine runners placed top 10. For the women, all five athletes placed within the top 15. 

GVSU concluded this portion with 400m and 400m hurdles. Between these two events, 12 total Lakers competed. Sophomore Dominik Balenda placed first in the 400m. The women’s first place finish came in the 400m hurdles by Dorkins. 

The distance events saw 16 athletes representing GVSU, and four competitors finished first in their respective events. The long-jump events and junior Alaina Diaz headlined the day.

Not only did Diaz place first after her 6.19m score, but she is now the University’s record holder for the event. Diaz said her first jump was a personal best, which surprised her. However, she felt she had more in the tank, but the weather was not ideal. Her coaches gave her the option to go for it or be done for the day.

“My first jump of the day felt decent, but not amazing,” said Diaz.

Diaz broke down the exact moment by moment of her final, record breaking jump.

“I began my approach, (and) everything felt great (from the) takeoff (to the) flight,” said Diaz. “But, I (still) wasn’t sure. Then I heard, ‘that’s it.’ My jaw dropped (and) emotions hit me all at once.” 

This just about wrapped up day one of the meet, as the last event were the throws. The throws saw no first-place finishes for GVSU, however there were still several impressive performances that resulted in personal records. 

Day two may have had less events, but records were still shattered. Senior Erika Beistle had an all-time performance in discus. Beistle threw for 66.63m, which is not only a GVSU record, but is the fourth-best in Division II history and second-best among current athletes in the entire world. Graduate student Maggie Stevenson placed second in this event and sophomore Sophia Snellenberger placed seventh. 

The men had two throwers in this event as well. Redshirt senior James Mackey Jr. placed second and graduate student Nathan Spitzley earned third. 

Day two wrapped up with pole vault and javelin. Junior Will Gaston was the lone Laker in the javelin event, and placed number one on the podium. The pole vault competition included 12 total student-athletes from GVSU. This event rewarded plenty of podiums and personal bests, much like the rest of the meet for the Lakers. 

“With this being our third weekend of competing in the outdoor season, we are simply trying to make steady progress and compete to the best of our ability,” said the teams’ head coach, Jerry Baltes. 

GVSU’s track and field teams hope to break even more records when they head to Tampa, Florida for their next meet on Friday, April 11.

Of the 38 competing Lakers at the championship, six student-athletes competed on day one. Freshman Brooke Bowers kicked off Thursday in women’s pole vault. Bowers placed seventh in the event, and grabbed two points for the Lakers.  Following this, senior Maria Mitchell placed fifth in the women’s mile. With a finishing time of 4:45.80, Mitchell qualified for the final. Junior Lauren Kiley closed out the day for the women. Kiley, who competed in the 5000m run, placed sixth with a time of 16:16.51. 

On the men’s side of the track, two GVSU athletes competed on Thursday. Graduate student Caleb Futter and sophomore Owen Westerkamp both ran in the men’s mile. Westerkamp placed 17th with a time of 4:09.12, and Futter placed fifth, earning himself a spot in the finals.

Day two was a tidal wave of wins for the Lakers. GVSU had 24 total participants throughout Friday’s events. Not only did the teams have a large number of competing athletes, but their successes were undeniable. The Lakers’ biggest highlight from day two came from the men’s high jump. Here, it was a clean sweep for GVSU on the podium. Graduate student Eli Kosiba, senior Jonathan Rankins-James and sophomore Jaivon Harrison all took the top three spots. With this placement, Kosiba was awarded the title of national champion.

Moments after receiving the hardware, the high jump team was feeling extremely confident. 

“Grand Valley is not just jumping against the NCAA, we (are) jumping against the world,” said junior Marcus Gelpi. 

Harrison echoed a similar sentiment.

“Name someone better (than us),” Harrison stated.

The women had major successes on day two as well. Graduate student Alaina Omonode and senior Shelby Ulven competed in the women’s weight throw. Both had impressive throws, and advanced to the finals. The women also had four athletes competing in the distance medley relays. There were several strong performances, which resulted in a third place finish in the event. 

Saturday was the conclusion of the championship. The University saw its athletes represented on 23 total podiums. The men fell just one spot shy of winning the national championship with a final score of 61.5. They ended up finishing runner-up to Pittsburgh State University, who tallied around 15 points more. While the women’s side was able to finish third in the finals with 47 points, first place was awarded to PSU and Minnesota State University, Mankato took second.

The championship marked the end of the University’s track and field indoor season. The teams are now looking ahead to their outdoor seasons, which will begin on Saturday, March 22 in Marion, Indiana with the Polar Bear Classic.

Day one of the championship held all of the running preliminary events, where the top eight in each race moved on to finals the next day. On the other hand, the field events did not have any preliminaries, as the final events were split between the two days. In day one’s field events, GVSU medaled in all events. In both men’s and women’s long jump, the Lakers finished in first and third place. GVSU also took the top three spots in men’s pole vault and both men’s and women’s weight throw.

Among these field athletes was senior weight-thrower Shelby Ulven. Ulven was one of the many Lakers who earned the title of individual conference champion.

“The only thing that goes through my mind while I’m in the ring is pushing as hard as I can,” said Ulven. “Once I’m in this mindset, competing comes a lot easier for me and (competing is) more natural. When you aren’t forcing yourself to feel relaxed, things fall into place fast.”

On day two of the competition, at least one Laker finished in the top three for all running events, and many GVSU student-athletes took all top three spots. In the one mile race, the women’s team placed first and third, while the men’s team took the top three spots. In the 60m hurdles, GVSU senior Brooke Barkocy placed second for the women, and sophomore Joshua Hurt placed first for the men by a large margin.

Later on, in the 400m run, the women’s team took the top two spots, while the men took all top three positions. Senior Myles Rhodes, who took first place in the 400m, ran a time of 47.42 seconds, which placed him first all-time in the GVSU record book. In the 60m race, both the men’s and women’s teams placed third. Increasing to the 200m, the women placed third, while the men’s runners again took the top two spots. 

The Lakers also dominated the event’s longer races. In the 800m, the women’s squad took first and third, while the men placed first and second. During the 3000m run, the women’s team dominated, and took the top four positions. The men’s team, on the other hand, took first place. The running events concluded with the 4x400m relays, in which both the men’s and women’s teams placed first.

Day two of the field events started with the high jump, where the women took the top three spots, and the men finished in third place. Taking first for the women in the high jump was senior Kaylee Diamond, whose 1.80m jump set a new GVSU record. Another sweep by the women came in shot put, where the Lakers once again placed in all top three positions. The men followed closely behind, placing first and second in shot put. GVSU senior Myles Kerner took first with a throw of 19.72m. This distance broke his own record for the furthest shot put in GVSU history. In the final field event, pole vault, freshman Brooke Bowers took home her first individual championship for GVSU.

For the No. 1 ranked men’s squad, this was their 24th conference title in the last 26 seasons. For the No. 3 ranked women’s team, this was their 26th consecutive indoor conference title, making them the winningest program in GLIAC history.

The GVSU men’s and women’s track and field teams are looking ahead to the NCAA Indoor Championship. 36 individual Lakers and three relay teams will be heading to finals on Thursday, March 13 through Saturday, March 15 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. In preparation for the championship, the teams will be upping their training and practice.

“Training for the NCAA Championship will look like fast movements and lots of isometric training for our lift and lots of reps in practice,” Ulven said. “We will focus on getting our bodies prepared for bigger competition.”

Leading the way for the Lakers’ track and field teams is head coach Jerry Baltes. Since taking over the program in 1999, Baltes has led the men’s and women’s teams to all of their combined 50 conference title wins.

“The main focus is to keep doing what we are doing,” said Baltes. “It’s about being in the right frame of mind mentally and taking care of our bodies to compete.”

The running events took place on day one of the Big Meet. GVSU seniors Myles Rhodes and Zach Pray took the top two spots in the men’s 400m. Both of their times placed in the top 25 all-time in Division II history. More history was made in the men’s 800m, where freshman Samuel Allen and senior Scott Spaanstra finished with times that placed top 10 all-time in Division II history.

In the men’s 1 mile, freshman Owen Westercamp took second place with a personal-best time of 4:02.73. Westercamp’s time also placed him 13th all-time in Division II.

In the relays, both the men’s and women’s 4x400m teams took first place, with the women’s team placing 10th all-time in Division II.

In the field events, senior Myles Kerner threw an impressive 19.69m in shot put. This throw not only broke the Kelly Family Sports Center’s record, but broke the NCAA Division II all-time shot put record. Throughout the rest of the field events, many Lakers found their way to the top of the leaderboard, medaling in men’s and women’s long jump, high jump and pole vault.

Despite being a freshman, pole vulture Brooke Bowers has made an impact on the Lakers’ team. After being named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Women’s Field Athlete of the Week and having a jump that placed her fourth all-time at GVSU, Bowers took second place overall in the Big Meet.

“Knowing that I’m able to contribute to something bigger than just my individual success pushes me to stay focused and be persistent,” said Bowers. “Ultimately, it’s about embracing the challenge and enjoying the process. I remind myself that no matter the outcome, there is always an opportunity to improve and grow.”

Day two began on the track, where the women’s team dominated by placing top three in the 60m, 60m hurdles, 200m, 400m and 3000m. The women’s distance medley team had a run time of 11:18.80, which placed them third all-time in the Division II record book. In day two of the field events, the Lakers once again showed out with multiple athletes medaling in both men’s and women’s weight throw and shot put. GVSU also prevailed in the men’s and women’s long jump, where multiple athletes were able to hit a personal best.

After a successful weekend, the track and field team will remain at the Kelly Family Sports Center for the GVSU Tune-Up on Friday, Feb. 21.

Opening the night were the field events. In the weight throws, senior James Mackey Jr. took first place for the men with a throw of 20.19m. The women also showed their talents, taking second and third place in the weight throws. In the shot put events, the Lakers once again topped the charts, taking first in men’s, as well as first and second place in women’s.

For the rest of the field events, the Lakers were present atop all of the event’s leaderboards. The Lakers had multiple athletes in the top three, and won both men’s and women’s pole vault, high jump and long jump.

Although he didn’t compete in this open, junior Marcus Gelpi expressed the mindset that he and numerous GVSU track and field jumpers share. He noted that he “trusts the process” and leans on his support group, whether that be his coach or teammates. 

“Iron will sharpen iron and they’ll (his support group) hold me to high standards,” said Gelpi. “Before each meet, I try to have fun and be laid back. I clear my mind of all the stresses and outside noise. Then, when it becomes time to compete, a new side of me comes out. My sense of fight-or-flight kicks in, and usually, it results in something great happening.”

The team’s winning momentum continued on the track. For the men, multiple Lakers found their way into the top three, and a few took gold in the 200m, 1 mile, and 4x400m relay. However, the women found even more success, taking the gold in the 60m, 400m and 800m, along with the top three spots in the 60m hurdles and the 200m.

The Lakers’ return home to the Kelly Family Sports Center was a big motivator for the team’s athletes. According to head coach Jerry Baltes, knowing a home location’s runways, circles and how things flow is incredibly beneficial. 

“There are certainly benefits of getting out of our comfort zone and going elsewhere, but we had some events (where) they (student-athletes) weren’t used to the runway or the circle was a little bit slower,” Baltes said. “That affects things, and you (have to) adjust on the fly, whereas we know what we have here at home.”

Now, well into the season, GVSU’s track and field team looks to continue their dominance and prove their top national rankings.

“I don’t have to do a lot to get them (athletes) fired up,” said Baltes. “They know what’s in front of them and the opportunities they have. Each person continues to put in hard work, and that’s the goal every weekend. For some of them, that means they’re gonna be in the top 10 in school history, and some might break a school record.”

The Lakers are staying home for their next go-around, as they will host the GVSU Big Meet on Friday, Feb. 14 at the Kelly Family Sports Center.

GVSU started strong in the field events, medaling in nearly every competition. The men’s and women’s weight throw and shot put events were most notable, as this was where many Lakers hit their personal bests.

Junior Erika Beistle not only hit her personal best in women’s shot put, but set GVSU’s record with a throw of 17.20m. The throw also placed Beistle atop national records, placing fourth all-time in Division II track and field history.

“I go into each meet trying to do a little better than I did in the last one,” said Beistle. “Being at this level in college athletics and competing against other college athletes while also trying to compete with the big dogs or professionals is certainly a challenge. Staying healthy is definitely a priority for me long term.”

Altogether, the Lakers earned either gold or silver in the men’s and women’s weight throw, shot put, pole vault, long jump and high jump events.

Domination continued on the track, with multiple Lakers placing in the men’s 60m hurdles, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1 mile and 3000m races. Once again, the University’s record book was rewritten, as senior Caleb Futter completed the 800m in 1:50.25, which placed him fourth all-time at GVSU. Futter was not alone in setting records; close behind Futter was freshman Samuel Allen with a time of 1:50.53, placing fifth all-time in GVSU’s records.

On the women’s side, runners medaled in the 60m hurdles, 60m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1 mile and 3000m races.

Head coach Jerry Baltes noted that preparation for the Bill Clinger Classic could have seemed chaotic to those not on the team.

“Track practice usually looks like a circus of something going on,” said Baltes. “People run all over the place, but there’s some method to the madness. Our training is set up in a progression and a process. (We start) with a wide base and try to fine-tune things over the course of the season, as well as from week to week.”

For the individual athletes, practice time becomes key in preparing for competitions.

“I get all my gear together, stretch really well and get in the right headspace,” said Beistle. “Not every day is easy, but every day is a learning experience for the next.”

Baltes added that for runners, it’s important they keep increasing their pace, and get “a little bit fitter and stronger each week.”

Following the Bill Clinger Classic, the Lakers’ track and field teams will hit the road for the first time this season. They will be heading to Indiana for the Notre Dame Meyo Invite and Midwest Classic on Friday, Jan. 31 through Saturday, Feb. 1.

Prior to the meet, the teams were able to practice for two weeks, which played a crucial role in their performance, according to head coach Jerry Baltes.

“We’ve had a great two weeks of practice (before) getting back into it,” said Baltes. “We’re looking to hopefully pick up (from) where we left off in December, see where we’re at and start building some momentum from week to week.”

Starting the open were weight throws and shot put. In these events, GVSU took first in women’s weight throw and both men’s and women’s shot put. Taking first in the men’s category was redshirt senior Myles Kerner with a throw of 18.05m. Although Kerner is a three-time Division II national champion in shot put, he still looks to improve his performance upon every competition.

“Since I only have an indoor season left in my eligibility, my goals are more focused on this season than years prior,” said Kerner. “Short term, I am always looking to improve on my previous meet’s distance and build consistency week by week. Long term, I want to improve my personal best up at least once a season. Specifically, I feel the NCAA DII indoor shot record has been a good goal to shoot for.”

The Lakers proceeded to take first place in both men’s and women’s long jump, as well as men’s triple jump, high jump and pole vault. In the high jump, junior Marcus Gelpi managed to leap 2.21m for a personal record. Gelpi wasn’t alone at the top of the leaderboard, with four other Lakers placing in the top six.

“There’s strength in numbers,” said Baltes. “I’ve always said there’s two ways to be good to great in track and field. One is to have exceptional top-end talent (that allows you to) perform at a high level. The other piece of that is to have depth.”

Moving into the running events, freshman Cara Newman took gold in the women’s one mile with a 4.57.30 finish. In the 60m hurdles, sophomore Joshua Hurt took first place with a time of 8.16. While taking second in the 60m sprints, senior Myles Rhodes hit his personal record with a time of 6.83. Considering this, Rhodes placed fourth in GVSU’s all-time record. Eventually, Rhodes went on to achieve a gold medal in the men’s 200m with a time of 21.60.

Following the final event’s conclusion, GVSU honored their NCAA championship-winning 1600m and 3000m relay teams from the previous season.

As the teams’ competitions begin to become weekly, there will be less practice time for each athlete.

“I am always looking to improve, and I hate to waste opportunities to get better,” said Kerner. “I am looking to improve from a technical standpoint, no matter the level of intensity.”

Baltes emphasized that the teams’ coaching staff feels confident in their leadership moving forward. He also vocalized the importance of upperclassmen leadership.

“Whether it’s on the technical side of things or just the encouragement and mental side of things, we rely on our upperclassmen to be great leaders and role models who set the tone from a work-ethic standpoint, a mentality and (an) attitude standpoint.”

The Lakers will be back in the Kelly Family Sports Center for the Bill Clinger Classic on Friday, Jan. 24.

The 2023 season was one of major successes for the Grand Valley State University Lakers women’s lacrosse team, who went undefeated in conference play (6-0) and reached the NCAA Division II National Semifinals after winning the Midwest Regional Championship. The Lakers finished 16-5 and are now off to another blazing start in 2024.

After winning their first four games, No. 10 GVSU has started 7-1, with their only loss coming to the undefeated No. 3 Maryville University by a narrow score of 7-6.

The Lakers are on the road this week, facing Indianapolis University on Thursday, March 28 at 3 p.m. Following their matchup with Indianapolis, GVSU will begin Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference (GLIAC) play the ensuing week.

GV swim and dive men finish 6th, women place 16th, as Maddie Kooistra wins national championship

The GVSU men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams competed at the NCAA DII National Championships in Geneva, Ohio from March 12 through 16. Although the men’s team placed higher at No. 6 overall, the No. 16 placed women’s team brought home a national champion.

Junior diver Maddie Kooistra came home as a national champion after earning first place in the 1-meter-board dive. Kooistra tallied a score of 463.95, which was good enough for the Lakers’ sole national championship. 

Kooistra previously won the consolation final in 2023 for the 1-meter-dive with a score of 446.40 points, a 17.55 point improvement. She had previously also finished with a bronze medal in the 3-meter-dive with a score of 475.90 in 2023.

GV Track and Field continue outdoor season after winning indoor GLIAC Championships, earning 4 NCAA Indoor Championships

After both GVSU men’s and women’s track and field placed first in the GLIAC Championships, winning 17 of 34 titles in the events, both teams finished top five in the NCAA Indoor Championships.

With three men’s athletes winning a national championship, one player from the women’s team earned one. Junior thrower Erika Beistle, who has previously been named an All-American in the discus throw, tossed a 16.37 meter shot put to win the women’s team’s championship.

The national champions for the Lakers men’s squad were senior thrower Myles Kerner, senior distance runner Caleb Futter and freshman high jumper Jaivon Harrison.

Futter ran a 4:18:02 mile time to win the individual title, while Kerner is now the reigning back-to-back national champion in shot put, after winning his second straight title with a 19.31 meter throw. Harrison, who won a high jump national championship in 2021 at the junior college level for the Bryant & Stratton College Bobcats, garnered his first NCAA DII National Championship in year one with GVSU.

The GVSU men’s squad placed second at indoor nationals, while the women’s team placed fourth. The Lakers began outdoor competition on Friday, March 15. They will continue competing outdoors with the men’s team heading to the Raleigh Relays at North Carolina State University starting on Thursday, March 28. The women’s team will head to the University of Texas for the Texas Relays during the same time.

The Lakers’ first home outdoor competition will be the GVSU Early Meet on Friday, April 5.

The No. 16 ranked Grand Valley State University Lakers’ men’s wrestling team has continued to build momentum by taking victories against unranked Thomas More University (3-2) and the No. 5 ranked Lake Erie College Storm (6-5) in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Regional Duals for Super Region 3. The competition was hosted at Tiffin University in Tiffin, Ohio.

In a massive 42-15 win over TMU, the Lakers saw three wins by forfeit, as well as wins for Seth Konynenbelt, Trammell Robinson and Jak Keller by pin. Josh Kenny, the No. 3 ranked 174 pounder in the nation, won by injury defeat over TMU’s Liam Schram.

In a 22-21 Lakers victory, the meet against Lake Erie proved to be far more difficult than the ranking would imply. The Storm are extremely battle-tested this season, with eight total meets against top 25 ranked teams, three of which they came out with a win.

After dropping the first four matches, the Lakers came back to win with the help of a major decision by the 184-pound Konynenbelt, who dominated Lake Erie’s Jordan Barnett.

Head coach Joey Simcoe’s squad now moves to 9-2 in the season with two top-ranked 10 wins on the year, positioning themselves for success in the final month of the regular season.

The Lakers will now head to South Euclid, Ohio to play the winless, 0-10, Notre Dame College Falcons on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 5 p.m. 

GV swim & dive sweeps Wayne State with top-ranked men’s and women’s teams

The No. 4 GVSU men’s swimming and diving team took a 180-120 victory over the Wayne State University Warriors on Saturday, Jan. 13 as the No. 6 Lakers’ women won 190.5-109.5.

The Lakers had 11 individual first-place finishes on the women’s side and won the team 200m Medley Relay and 400m Free Relay. The men’s squad also finished first in both team relays and had eight first-place finishes in other categories.

The GVSU women remain undefeated this season after winning all of their meets and invitationals. The men have lost just one game this year, a loss to the top-ranked Indianapolis University team.

The Lakers will return home to take on cross-town rival Davenport University on Friday, Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. in Allendale, Michigan at the GVSU Fieldhouse Pool.

GV men’s and women’s track combine for 35 top 5 finishes at Bob Eubanks Open

With just three meets under their belt, the GVSU men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams continued their impressive season at the Bob Eubanks Open in Allendale, Michigan.

Among first-place finishers for the women’s team, junior sprinter Melia Williams took home the 60m dash with a time of 7.78s, helping to take four of the top five spots in her category. GVSU had several categories where they took a majority of the top five or ten finishes.

The men’s team had similar success, as junior Myles Rhodes won the 60m with a time of 6.89s and GVSU took all of the top five spots in that category. Rhodes also finished first in the 200m at 21.61s.

GVSU had a total of 35 top-five finishes across the board in a dominant showing from both the men’s and women’s teams.

The Lakers will stay at home for the upcoming GVSU Mike Lints Alumni Meet on Saturday, Jan. 20, which will be among their five remaining hosted events.

The Grand Valley State University softball team reached the National Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee after an incredible run in the regular and postseasons. The Lakers impressed with a 48-8 record overall and an incredible 20-1 record in conference play. The Lakers softball team did not lose a game at home (12-0).

After battling their way through the postseason, the Lakers approached the National Championship Series on an eight game winning streak, falling in two straight of a best-of-three to North Georgia.

Head Coach Dana Callihan has tallied an impressive 352-96 (0.789) record in her nine seasons. Callihan earned her sixth straight Coach of the Year in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference (GLIAC). Eleven of her players earned All GLIAC accolades.

Redshirt Senior Lydia Goble won GLIAC Player of the Year while her fellow Redshirt Senior Hannah Beatus was awarded her third straight conference Pitcher of the Year.

Men’s and Women’s track and field finish strong in nationals 

The GVSU men’s and women’s track and field teams both reached the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) National Championship games. The Lakers men finished in fourth place while the Lakers women finished fifth overall. The two squads had athletes that earned some national recognition and impressed along the way.

The Lakers’ Taryn Chapko (800m), Klaudia O’Malley (1500m) and Natalie Graber (5000m) all finished in the women’s top eight of their respective categories. 

Myles Kerner reached third in the men’s shot put while Eli Kosiba and Jonathan Rankins-James, both high jumpers, placed in the top ten as well. Kosiba finished fifth and Rankins-James finished seventh.

For the United States of America Track and Field (USATF) Outdoor Championships the Lakers did not disappoint. Perhaps the biggest accomplishment of the day was Kosiba finishing fourth in the high jump against 18 of the top high jumpers in the country, regardless of collegiate or professional standing. Rankins-James placed at 12 among the same group of 18.

Women’s Lacrosse program climbs to new heights 

After a dominant 16-5 season (6-0 in conference) the GVSU Lakers’ Women’s Lacrosse team reached the NCAA Final Four in the program’s first season having ever won their region. The Lakers defeated Indianapolis in the Midwest Regional Finals 11-10 to advance to the NCAA Final Four.

The team boasted three First Team All Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Midwest Region honorees as well as four Second Team players in their run to the Final Four. The seven total Lakers also received various levels of All GLIAC recognition following the regular season.

One of the Lakers’ First Team Midwest Region players, Maddy Bursinger, was named GLIAC Midfielder of the Year. Fellow First Teamer Maddy Champagne was awarded with GLIAC Attacker of the Year.