Issue 19, January 6, 2020 - Grand Valley Lanthorn

G R A N D VA L L E Y L A N T H O R N

Bringing Home the Hardware GVSU soccer earns sixth national championship

Newly elected IFC, PHC presidents look forward to making waves in 2020 GREEK LIFE | A2

The GR Justice Choir welcomes new members SOCIAL JUSTICE | A8

M O N D A Y, J A N U A RY 6 , 2 02 0 // VO L . 5 4 N O. 1 9

@ GV L A N T H O R N

LANTHORN.COM

A2 | NEWS NEWS BRIEFS MDHHS COMMUNITY FORUMS COMING UP

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is hosting five public forums over the next month to receive feedback on the department’s vision to strengthen Michigan’s Medicaid-funded behavioral health and intellectual/developmental disabilities system. The purpose of the forums is to hear from the people and families being served by Michigan’s specialty behavioral health system and to get valuable feedback.

This feedback is used by MDHHS to figure out the best way to design an effective system to that meets the needs of residents that rely on these critical services.

There will be a forum in Grand Rapids Thursday, Jan. 9 from 5-6:30 p.m. at Grand Valley State’s L.V. Eberhard Center.

TRUMP LAUNCHES MISSILE AT IRAN

The United States launched an airstrike at Iran on Friday, killing top Iranian military general Qassim Soleimani. The strike was very unexpected and has led many people to speculate how Iran will respond.

United States Senator Debbie Stabenow gave a statement on the attack: “Soleimani was responsible for the death of many American service members and inciting chaos throughout the Middle East. However, a single action without a meaningful plan will lead to more risk for Americans at home and abroad. The Administration is required to provide a clear rationale to Congress for its actions. They also must consult with Congressional leaders on a meaningful strategy to protect American lives and interests around the world.”

With campaign season in full swing, the airstrike serves to set up an interesting lead-up to the 2020 election in November.

GV TO HOLD 2020 ANNUAL HEALTH CHECK

On Jan. 10, GVSU will host their annual Health Check to share health-related trends and issues facing Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon and Allegan counties and give a preview of the health industry in 2020.

To go along the presentation, there will be several top health professionals in attendance that will hold a panel. Those in attendance will be: Dr. Darryl Elmouchi, President of Spectrum Health Medical Group and CMO of Spectrum Health; Michigan DHHS Director Robert Gordon; Dr. Ron Grifka, CMO, Metro Health-University of Michigan Health; Dr. Hyung Kim, M.D., president, Mercy Health Saint Mary’s; and Kent Riddle, CEO, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.

Registration is free and the event starts at 8 a.m. in the Eberhard Center.

CAB TO HOLD FIRST EVENT OF 2020

The Grand Valley State Campus Activities Board (CAB) has its first event of the new semester Tuesday, Jan. 7. At 8 p.m., CAB will be holding an event called Magnet Making: Let’s Get Crafty. Students are encouraged to join CAB in making magnets to decorate their room.

Throughout the semester, CAB will be holding events and trying to broaden the reach of the GVSU community. They will be holding their Replenish Week starting on Jan. 17.

JANUARY 6, 2020 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

GREEK LIFE

Newly elected IFC, PHC presidents look forward to making waves in 2020

BY SEAN CAUVET NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

In December 2019, both the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and Panhellenic Council (PHC) held elections for the next school year. The outgoing IFC and PHC presidents are Eli Ong and Julia Henderson, respectively. Both said that their biggest goal was to end the alcohol ban put in place in October 2018 by Grand Valley State University Administration, otherwise referred to as the moratorium.

“When I became president, the moratorium was just starting and I served on the task force,” Henderson said. “A big goal of mine was to hopefully serve while the moratorium ended and change the negative light that greek life was viewed in.”

The task force was a committee created by the university to identify problems socially within the community and figure out policies to help facilitate a realistic and effective solution. The task force met every Friday.

Although Henderson served on the task force, Ong sent his Vice President of Judicial Affairs, Kyle Holka, to sit in on the task force meetings each week, at Holka’s request. Holka would update Ong each week and keep an open line of communication. As his right-hand man on the council, Ong says Holka was his most trusted board member.

“I would say that Kyle and I accomplished a lot together,” Ong said. “We put a lot of effort in meeting with the Dean of Students Loren Rullman and the Interim Director of Student Conduct Jake Stodgel over the year and maintained open lines of communication back and forth. We did this to try to facilitate a quicker development of the greek life action plan that ended up being (put) in place.”

On top of meeting with University Officials, Ong and Henderson brought their councils together and met multiple times over their term.

They met to discuss the state of greek life and what they could do to help get the moratorium lifted. Henderson said that it would be on both fraternities and sororities to hold themselves accountable in order for any progress to be made.

“We had a meeting last semester to make sure that the IFC fraternities were holding themselves accountable because that wasn’t always the case and we wanted to communicate that,” Henderson said. “However, the women are the ones that go to those parties so we have to hold ourselves accountable too.”

As many people are aware of, the moratorium was lifted in April of 2019. However, that never would’ve been possible without the hard work of Eli Ong, Julia Henderson and their executive boards. In the past, these councils haven’t had much reason to collaborate. This is something that new IFC and PHC presidents Zack Kirshner and Kaitlin Bayer are hoping to continue, even without the moratorium.

“I definitely want to have a good relationship with Zack,” Bayer said. “I don’t see why it can’t be a beneficial relationship where we pool our minds together to help each other solve problems that the other is facing.”

TAKING A DIFFERENT PATH: Since the GVSU Administration removed the alcohol ban on Greek events in April, the community has been in a holding pattern, unsure of its identity. COURTESY | MLIVE

A big advantage that Bayer and Kirshner have is that both have previously held positions on their respective councils. Bayer, a member of Gamma Phi Beta, was the Vice President of Rho Gammas and Kirshner, a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi, was the Vice President of Executive Records.

Besides getting the moratorium lifted, Henderson’s biggest goal for her presidency was to change the Panhellenic Council’s election process. In the past, a slate committee comprised of one member of each sorority would review the online applications that were submitted and make a decision on each position. Henderson, with the help of her council, implemented a new election process that was a little more hands-on.

“We kept the online application but changed a few questions, with a new one being related to the moratorium,” Henderson said. “We also decided to implement interviews. Each position holder from executive board sat in on the interview for their position. If a sorority wasn’t represented, then they would be able to send a woman so that every chapter was represented in these interviews. At the end of the process, the slating committee met and they looked at the applications and the notes from the interviews to make their decision.”

With this new process, there would be two or three people involved in the process, as opposed to just one. This new process is what helped Bayer have the chance to run for Panhellenic President because she didn’t go for it until the first slate failed for President and Vice President of Recruitment, because they weren’t confident in the people that were running. After further consideration and encouragement from her sorority sisters, she ran from the floor and won.

“Sometimes girls just need that person to slap them in the face and say, ‘Kaitlin, what are you doing?’” Bayer said. “That’s what Greek Life is all about.”

Bayer said her goal for her term is to bring back the excitement to the greek community.

“Even though the moratorium got lifted, I still feel like the community is hung up on it,” Bayer said. “My goal is to get the community move on from what happened and be excited about our future.”

As Vice President of Rho Gammas last year,

Bayer oversaw the active sorority women that would temporarily disaffiliate to help potential new members find the sorority that best suited them over a two weekend process. Shifting to her term as President, Bayer wants the community to be more informed about the decrease in Panhellenic recruitment numbers, which is due to more than having a new sorority added to the pool this year.

“The biggest factor in the decrease was that the Vice President of Recruitment, Laura Miller, implemented pre-recruitment events, which are informational meetings on getting girls as much information as we could before they go through our recruitment process,” Bayer said.

“In the past, we would have 600 girls sign up and 300 would go through. This year, the total number of girls went down, but the number of girls that ended up accepting a bid was around 300 anyways, so we were actually very close to our bid acceptance number.”

Bayer added that part of the reason the numbers are down comes from the National Panhellenic Council.

“With Delta Gamma joining our campus and recruiting this past fall, it lowered our campus total from around 134 girls to 108 girls that each chapter can have,” Bayer said. “As a result, there was a lower number of girls that each sorority needed to recruit in order to meet that number so that contributed to the decrease as well.”

Similarly, Kirshner is hoping that he’s able to avoid getting in the rut that he said IFC Presidents of the past have gotten in: just riding the wave out.

“I don’t want to be like any other IFC President; I want to create my own wave and step out of the box,” Kirshner said.

Although he wants to be different, Kirshner said he wants to make sure he has a good relationship with his executive board and focus on chapter accountability.

“My level of success that I expect is dependent on not only my vice presidents doing their job, but me putting it all out there and doing mine as well,” Kirshner said.

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JANUARY 6, 2020 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

CONTENTS GREEK LIFE

| A2

EDITORIAL

| A4

EDUCATION

| A5

SOCCER

| A6&7

SOCIAL JUSTICE

| A8

SOCCER

| A9

SWIMMING

| A10

M. BASKETBALL

| A11

W. BASKETBALL

| A12

VOL. 54

NO. 19

Lan thorn EDITORIAL STAFF

Layout Editor VIVIANA RUBIO

Editor-in-Chief NICK MORAN Associate Editor BRIANNE KERR

Layout Designer KHOI TRAN PROMOTIONS

Associate Editor AMY MCNEEL News Editor SEAN CAUVET

Promotions Manager ALEX DAGOSTINO ADVERTISING STAFF Advertising Manager JESSE BECKER

Sports Editor KELLEN VOSS Laker Life Editor YSABEL GOLDEN

BUSINESS STAFF

A&E Editor MARY RACETTE Image Editor BENJAMIN HUNT

Business Manager RACHEL RUTGERS Asst. Business Manager NEHEMIAH HUDGINS-LOPEZ

At the Lanthorn, we strive to bring you the most accurate news possible. If we make a mistake, we want to make it right. If you find any errors in fact in the Lanthorn, let us know by calling 616-331-2464 or by emailing editorial@lanthorn.com.

The Grand Valley Lanthorn is published weekly by Grand Valley State University students 31 times a year. One copy of this newspaper is available free of charge to any member of the Grand Valley Community. For additional copies, at $1 each, please contact our business offices.

A3 | NEWS GRAND RAPIDS

Concerts Under the Stars comes to Grand Rapids Public Museum in Januar y

BY SEAN CAUVET NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

On Jan. 16, the Grand Rapids Public Museum is kicking off their Concert Under the Stars Series, which consists of four shows.

“We’re thrilled to kick off the Concerts Under the Stars series with ‘How to Live Together,’” said Kate Kocienski, Vice President of Marketing & Public Relations for the Grand Rapids Public Museum. “Each concert, held in our Chaffee Planetarium, will generate a highly immersive experience for attendees, showcasing an immense amount of diverse musical and visual artistry.”

The Concerts Under the Stars Series is a unique type of show, but not because of its content. The first show is done with only a two-person cast and the show changes each time. Each performance coincides with a live light show on the planetarium dome.

The first installment of the 2020 series of Concerts Under the Stars begins with How to Live Together, featuring the unique sounds of synth-pop in the Museum’s Chaffee Planetarium.

“Grand Rapids residents, Jesse Kaczmarczyk and Steffanie Rosalez, utilize digital and analog synthesis to compose their synth-pop songs,” Kocienski said.

“The duo sample lighthearted Nintendo blips while creating dark analog sounds, which became an ongoing parallel for their

STARGAZING: From January until March, the Grand Rapids Public Museum will put on a show each week, giving people in the community the chance to see unique shows. COURTESY | MICHIGAN.ORG

own relationship and their relationship to the world around them. Using the limitless world of synthesizers, they examine the joy and dysfunction of being an interracial couple in the current cultural landscape of race, politics and social norms.”

The second installment of Concerts Under the Stars takes place on Thursday, Feb. 6 with Coffin Problem.

“Coffin Problem is rock band whose mu-

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GOVERNANCE

UAS reflects on semester of work with Mid-Year Report

BY NICK MORAN NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

Grand Valley State University’s faculty government, University Academic Senate (UAS), released its Mid-Year Report, which reflects on Fall 2019. The report was shared to showcase the work done by UAS, as noted

by President Felix Ngassa.

Included in the report were highlights on policy changes, In terms of policy, UAS made recommen-

dations to the Provost regarding portions of the Faculty Handbook. Key recommendations included a complaint policy for non-tenure affiliate faculty, an affiliate faculty mentoring program, an affiliate faculty workload plan. Beyond affiliate faculty, UAS’s Graduate Council also released a memo on creating a Cumulating Experience Projects policy, which UAS and the Provost approved and enacted.

The report also noted the ability for UAS to endorse policies, events and initiatives within

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sic resembles an abrasive, yet familiar sound to the genre,” Kocienski said. “The group consists of four talented musicians including Sean Stearns, songwriter; Billy Bartholomew, bass guitarist; Trevor Goldner, guitarist and Ben Weissenborn, drummer.

the university, of which it supported several.

During the Fall 2019 semester, UAS endorsed MLK Commemoration Week, Student Senate’s proposal to create a prayer/medication rooms, and Student Senate’s resolution opposing the Grand River Waterway Project among other topics. In most of these cases, the voting was either unanimous or strongly in favor, according to the report.

Looking toward UAS task forces, the MidYear Report highlighted the work of several.

The GLEV Task Force, which was created recently during Spring/Summer 2019, made strides to remove gendered language in University Policies, submitting a final report that was approved Sept. 27, 2019. These efforts were further supported by the Provost, which tasked Vice President Ed Aboufadel and Vice President Tom Butcher.

The UAS’s CONREP Task Force, which was also created Spring/Summer 2019, was task with reviewing University Policy (SLT 9.2) and proposing possible revisions.

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A SEMESTER OF PROGRESS: Grand Valley State University’s University Academic Senate (UAS) convenes Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 inside the DeVos Center on GVSU’s Pew Campus. GVL | ARCHIVE

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A4 | OPINION

JANUARY 6, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

By Athena Jasman

GVL EDITORIAL CARTOON

EDITORIAL

Like it or not, college students feel the aftershock of bombings

A 01/06/20

editorial@lanthorn.com

Tinder: Gotta catch ‘em all?

BY ATHENA JASMAN JUNIOR FILM & VIDEO WRITEMYTINDERBIO@GMAIL.COM

Being in a committed relationship sucks for many reasons, but there is one clear, overbearing con: not being able to make fun of tinder bios.

I realized that Tinder is, in fact, exactly like Pokemon. The kinds of Tinder cards you can collect (or refuse to collect) aren’t super varied,

but you could find some rarities that aren’t entirely useless.

First, there’s the starter pack.

Everyone has enough of these to fill a couple decks and then some.

The bios say “Idk what to put here,” “snap: hookupsonly69,” “8’4 if that matters,” or any combination of these three.

Then there’s the theme deck.

Made up of cards that seem special, but are actually more common than starters. Yes, I’m referring to the “The Office” Tinder cards. These bios will have one of the following phrases: “Looking for the Pam to my Jim,” “First date: The Office and pizza,” and “Please watch The Office with me, please, it’s all I have left.”

There are miscellaneous cards, though they are as common and lacking in personality as those mentioned so far (if not moreso): “Not sure what I’m looking for,”

“Here for a good time not a long time,” “Swipe to see my dog,” “Good vibes only,” and “420 friendly.”

If you or someone you know is looking to change their personal Tinder from an energy card to the Charizard 1st edition holographic no shadow card of Tinder, email me at writemytinderbio@gmail.com (this is real) with all of your Tinder information, and I will personally write you a bio that isn’t generic and/or the worst thing anyone has ever had to read.

I also specialize in the “first message” as well as the “first response,” if you have trouble figuring out how to capture your match and keep it captured. Whatever Tinder-related problem you have is no match for me!

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Sack Lunch Bunch: subpar SNL episode, but with kids

BY BRIANNE KERR SENIOR WRITING EDITORIAL@LANTHORN.COM

On Dec. 24, I woke up early, full of excitement and ready to watch John Mulaney’s newest Netflix

show, the Sack Lunch Bunch.

But I was left disappointed.

If you haven’t seen the show or the previews yet, the basic premise is that John Mulaney wanted to put a twist on some of his childhood nostalgia by hosting a kid’s special.

There would be celebrity guests, dark humor and childhood nostalgia, which sounds great.

The show starts off promising, with a short clip of a small child telling an interviewer about their fears, saying, “I’m afraid of death, but out of all of the ways to die, I don’t want to drown.” It’s dark, it’s cute, it makes you want more.

We’re next brought to John Mulaney’s little garden where he en-

gages in some scripted banter with kids. Sure, it’s not natural, but it’s kinda fun, John Mulaney is center stage and you think it might be able to work.

The problem is, most of the time is the show is not taken up by the interviews about fear, nor the children sassing Mulaney in the garden. Most of it is taken up by sketches.

And this is when the show doesn’t feel like Mulaney’s standup, but instead reaches back further in his career and begins to feels like a subpar episode of SNL. LOG ON TO: www.lanthorn.com FOR THE FULL ARTICLE

fter Qassem Soleimani’s assassination was announced, it didn’t take long for people to start speculating about nuclear warfare, World War lll and a new draft. There have been lots of jokes, but there is also a lot of genuine concern.

The problem is, whenever someone who isn’t a news anchor or a senator voices those concerns, they’re dismissed.

And most people will admit that they aren’t experts in international conflict and Middle Eastern politics.

But just because you aren’t planning on being a congressperson or you’re young enough to have been born after America started the war with Afghanistan, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t pay attention, get informed and speak your mind.

Mainly because it can affect you.

Currently, we seem to still be pretty far away from a draft, even if the jokes about it are kind of funny.

The problem is, the military doesn’t need to implement an official draft for it to affect young people. In 2019, the Army reached its annual recruitment goal by September, and it was reportedly because of student debt. The government is seemingly using the high price of college to get people to join the mili-

tary, which means that there is a government incentive to keep tuition unaffordable.

While talk of nuclear war at might have seemed like an overreaction at first, on Sunday Jan. 5 Iran announced their withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, which put limitations on their amount of enriched uranium.

Between 2001 and 2018, the U.S. spent an estimated $5.9 trillion on the conflicts in the Middle East. To enter another war could be costly, potentially adding to the national debt, raising taxes or preventing other government programs.

And these are only the national concerns. Ultimately, a war with Iran would hurt innocent civilians. Conflict in the Middle East has resulted in upheaval for the people that live there, and we should be concerned. It seems that no president has been able to get American troops out, and we should be worried that we’re brewing up a new conflict.

So you may not agree with all of these concerns, or you may believe that Soleimani’s assassination was necessary and worth the risks, but as the decade starts anew and we risk the possibility of repeating the last two decades of endless war overseas, stay informed. While it may seem worlds away, repercussions could become unavoidable.

GVL OPINION POLICY The goal of the Grand Valley Lanthorn’s opinion page is to act as a forum for public discussion, comment and criticism in the Grand Valley State University community. Student and columnist opinions published here do not necessarily reflect those of the paper as an entity.

The Lanthorn strives to be a safe vehicle for community discussion. With this in mind, the Lanthorn will not publish or entertain any forms of hate speech, but neither will it discriminate against any other views, opinions or beliefs. The content, information and views expressed are not approved by—nor do they necessarily represent those of—the university or its Board of Trustees, officers, faculty or staff.

Letters to the editor should include the author’s full name, relevant title and a headshot, along with a valid email address and phone number for confirming the identity of the author. Letters should be approximately 500-650 words in length, and they are not edited by the Lanthorn staff except to fix technical errors or to clarify.

Reader submissions on the opinion page appear as space permits.

To make a submission, email editorial@lanthorn.com or drop your submission off in person at:

0051 KIRKHOF CENTER GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY ALLENDALE, MI 49401 616-826-8276

JANUARY 6, 2020 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

A5 | NEWS

EDUCATION

GV students help spread word about ROTC

BY AUDREY WHITAKER AWHITAKER@LANTHORN.COM

When Julian Sanders transferred to Grand Valley State in Fall 2019, he had already contracted with the Army National Guard that June. Upon further research, Sanders joined GVSU’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program, offered by the university through a partnership with Western Michigan University (WMU).

Sanders, a transfer student from Jackson College and originally from Flint, Michigan, is studying political science and criminal justice in addition to participating in the ROTC program.

“It’s a big time commitment,” Sanders said. “Every week we have workouts Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We have four to sixhour days on Wednesdays with ROTC classes, learning different battle drills, tactical techniques and leadership skills.”

Billy Clayton is the Scholarship and Enrollment Officer at WMU and served in the Army for 20 years, retiring with the rank of First Sergeant. He said that ROTC programs like the one GVSU and eight other schools in Michigan participate in through WMU are designed to develop students seeking a bachelor’s degree into army officers.

“The whole purpose of an ROTC program at the college level is to make an army officer,

and you have to have a bachelor’s degree in order to be an army officer,” Clayton said. “So that’s why the ROTC program pairs up very well with the university.”

Sanders said that Jillian Elmer, another GVSU student in the ROTC program, first brought the issue of credits to his attention and began reaching out to GVSU faculty and staff.

“We have three or four seniors that are Grand Valley students and have suffered from not receiving credit,” Sanders said. “(Elmer) found that out and she was going to different offices but really wasn’t getting anywhere at first.”

Sanders said that he was able to use connections and resources at GVSU to build off of Elmer’s work, eventually bringing the issue to the attention of Lynn Blue, Vice President for Enrollment Development. She was able to work out the problem in just three weeks. “(Elmer) did most of the groundwork to get everything started and then once she passed it to me, we finished it as a team,” Sanders said. “It was great working with her.”

Sanders said that receiving credits for ROTC was important to him and other members due to the demanding schedule and workload members take on alongside regular college courses.

“On top of regular school work, we do have a lot on our plate,” Sanders said. “We enjoy what we do, but it definitely would be very beneficial to see the credits. A lot of people were suffering from this and we were trying to figure out what

TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK: The members of GVSU’s ROTC program pose for a picture together. Sanders and Elmer accomplished their goal by working together. COURTESY | GVSU

can we do to try to help everybody.”

Clayton said that by offering credits for ROTC classes, GVSU helps students financially and serves the military community. Clayton said that by offering credit for ROTC classes, military benefits will cover the cost instead of students paying out of pocket.

“One of the stipulations for using military education benefits is that they will

ARTS

UICA inspires vision boards

BY ALLISON RAFFERTY ARAFFERTY@LANTHORN.COM

Since Feb. 2017, the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA) has been putting on First Friday Studio Nights for the Heartside Neighborhood of Grand Rapids.

First Friday Studio Nights occur the first Friday of every month, and while each varies in theme, they all entail a plethora of local artwork and inspiration.

LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION: Ever since the UICA started doing First Friday Studio Nights, they’ve welcomed many. GVL | BENJAMIN HUNT

Attendees of First Friday Studio Nights are able to explore the shops and galleries located on South Division, tour and get inspiration from the four floors of The Galleries at the UICA, experience the artworks on display and have the opportunity to create artwork of their own in The Studio with the help of a host.

“First Friday Studio Nights at the UICA are casual, informal and open to all ages and skill levels,” said UICA Marketing and Communications Coordinator Chris Koens.

UICA staff members and volunteers take attendees on tours of The Galleries at UICA and give insight to the artwork on display. They also provide those in attendance with ideas of inspiration to help them create artwork of their own in The Studio. When guests visit The Studio, hosts give some guidance on skills and techniques, along with the necessary tools and materials, so that they can create original artwork of their own to take home.

Friday, Jan. 3 marked the first First Friday Studio Night of the new year, and naturally, the theme of the night was about “celebrating 2020 and another year of new and exciting possibilities,” Koens said. Attendees who were inspired to do so were provided with the tools and collage mate-

rials required to create a vision board to lay out what they hoped 2020 will look like for them. Inspiration for the themed artwork could be found by taking one of the docent-led tours through The Galleries “to see how contemporary artists interpret the world around them, express thoughts, and share ideas.”

“Studio nights are aimed at providing guests with a casual, safe space where they can learn about different art-making techniques and express their own creativity without the pressure of perfecting their skills,” said Koens.

Despite the theme, guests are encouraged to use their own imagination and create whatever unique item they desire, whether their item is based on the theme or viewed artwork is entirely up to them.

First Friday Studio Nights are drop-ins, free to the public and always family-friendly. Guests can arrive anytime between 6-9 p.m. and are able to stay until The Studio closes.

Guests are also encouraged to arrive early and stay late in order to make the most of all the event entails and also to meet other people with similar interests.

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only pay for a class that goes towards graduation,” Clayton said.

According to Clayton, GVSU is the first university in partnership with WMU to offer credits for ROTC courses.

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JANUARY 6, 2020 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS

We are the Champions: GVSU S Earns Sixth National Champion

BY ELI ONG EONG@LANTHORN.COM

“The feeling was just incredible. To be surrounded by my best friends and celebrate what we’ve worked so hard for all year,” Grand Valley State University sophomore midfielder Gianna Parlove said after scoring the national championship clinching goal in double overtime. “We showed so much resiliency today and I couldn’t be happier.”

In a season defined by overpowering offensive play and a campaign to avenge their loss in last year’s national championship, only one word could define how GVSU women’s soccer won their record sixth title: Grit.

On a cloudy, rain-soaked Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, GVSU Soccer faced their toughest test of the year by far against a Western Washington University squad that came into the game with a 23-2 record and a 5-game shutout streak.

Both teams were mirror images of each other coming into the game, grounded in stifling defense that allows for each of them to create numerous offensive opportunities at the other end of the field.

In the end, GVSU prevailed 1-0 on Parlove’s golden goal that came from a well-executed free kick setup at the feet of sophomore defender Abby Willerer.

The best scoring opportunity in regulation for GVSU came in the 17th minute after the nation’s leading scorer, Ava Cook, bullied her way into the box to draw a penalty that would set GVSU up for the PK. Senior midfielder and national player of the year Riko Sagara lined up for the penalty kick, but pushed a sizzling low liner just wide of the left post to leave the score knotted at 0-0.

GVSU had a second scoring opportunity in the 23rd minute as junior forward Caitie Baron made a nice step in the box, but launched a shot just left of the goal, marking GVSU’s last scoring opportunity of the first half.

Coming out of the locker room for the second half, Western Washington flipped the script on GVSU, who usually has been the team

all year long to make a statement to open the second half.

The Vikings routinely beat the Lakers to every 50-50 ball and used their midfield to dominate possession on GVSU’s half of the field over the final 45 minutes of regulation.

That constant possession allowed Western Washington to consistently volley shots toward GVSU’s goal, but goalkeeper Jessica Radice was up to the challenge.

Radice made save after save over the course of the game, tallying 8 total by the final whistle.

Two of Radice’s saves were full extension dives to preserve a scoreless tie, one in the 50th minute and another with 4 seconds left in overtime.

“We were not going to let (what happened last year) happen again,” Radice said after the match. “I knew my back line had every rebound, so I felt comfortable to just go for the ball and know we would have it covered.”

The Vikings ended up with 14 shots and 11 corners in the second half, but came away without putting a goal on the board. Comparatively, GVSU only managed 1 shot and 2 corners over the entire second half.

Not only were the Lakers outplayed in the second half, but they weathered their fair share of controversy as well.

Nearly 15 minutes into the second half with the Vikings bearing down on the GVSU net, 3-time 1st-team all-american center back and 2-time GLIAC conference defender of the year Cece Steinwascher went down with a left leg injury that held her out for the rest of the game.

With GVSU’s vocal leader and best defender on the backline out of the game, GVSU needed someone to step up and play big minutes in Steinwascher’s place. Enter Willerer and junior Olivia Trombley.

Trombley, who recently won the Elite 90 award for having the highest cumulative GPA of any student-athlete to compete in the NCAA’s 90 championships, came in and provided that spark in combination with Willerer on the backline to help preserve the shutout in Steinwascher’s absence.

“If you look at the box score, the better team lost today,” GVSU head coach Jeff Hosler said after the game. “But the fight we showed, the

way our defense stepped up – particularly Jess – and then Abby (Willerer) and Liv (Olivia Trombley) when Cec (Cecilia Steinwascher) went down. That was incredible. It’s hard to put into words how I feel right now.”

GVSU used the five-minute break before the start of OT to catch their breath and draw up a plan to go on attack in overtime.

They did just that.

GVSU started to flip the script back on the Vikings, as the Lakers began to find effective passing combinations that lead to a handful of opportunities to attack the Western Washington goal over the first 7 minutes of overtime.

Western Washington did not yield though, as they gained possession of the ball for the last 2.5 minutes of the first overtime. Their final attack of the period nearly ended the game, as the Vikings unleashed a shot far post that was denied off of a diving save by Radice and then alertly cleared by junior defender Syd O’Donnell, allowing for time to expire.

Opening up the second overtime, Western Washington immediately gained possession and streaked toward GVSU’s goal on a 2-v-2 attack, but ended the possession with a shot that harmlessly skidded far right of the goal.

After consistently regaining possession of the ball near the halfway point of overtime number two, GVSU found it’s opportunity to score six minutes in.

Advancing up the center, Cook was able to use superb body positioning to draw a foul on a through ball slotted for her at midfield, which allowed GVSU the opportunity to set up in front of the Viking’s net for a free kick.

Willerer took the free kick and centered a ball perfectly in front of Western Washington’s goal. The ball sailed into a crowd of players, was headed twice and ricocheted off of a Vikings defender directly in front of Parlove who only had Western Washington’s keeper in between her and glory.

Parlove shot a line drive under the extended left arm of the Vikings goalkeeper and found the back of the net. Elation set in, and the celebration was on.

Now they need a second hand to display all of their rings, and revenge season is complete.

GOALS AND GLORY: Defender Olivia Trombley and teammates celebrate their victory over Western Washington University. COURTESY | GVSULAKERS.COM

Soccer nship

A6&7 | SPORTS

A8 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ARTS AT A GLANCE TRADITIONAL MUSIC KEPT ALIVE AT THE WINTER WHEAT FESTIVAL

The Intersection will be hosting their 11th annual Winter Wheat Festival January 11. The Winter Wheat Festival is a celebration of traditional music and dance and is featuring a variety of artists. The festival is being put on by The Wheatland Music Organization. This regional organization is dedicated to preserving the relevance of traditional music and arts by hosting concerts and festivals.

Among the lineup of folk artists scheduled throughout the festival is the Blue Water Ramblers, Ruth & Max Bloomquist and the Palooka Brothers.

Artists will be performing on both the main stage and an acoustic stage. The doors open for the festival at 1 p.m. and the first artist’s set begins on the acoustic stage at 1:30 p.m. The Festival is open to all ages and the public can purchase $25 tickets online.

NEW CONCERT SERIES BEGINS AT LOWELLARTS

A new concert series will be brought to a neighboring Grand Rapids community, downtown Lowell in the LowellArts building. LowellArts is a council that works toward their mission of supporting and connecting local artists and musicians by bringing art and music performances to the area. They have been involved in multiple projects throughout the community which have focused on keeping art and music prominent in the city.

LowellArts will be hosting 12 concerts for the 2020 Gallery concert series. The opening act will be The Ryne Experience on Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. Frontman of The Ryne Experience, Ryne Clarke is from Lowell and creates music which ranges from funk to folk. With purchase of a ticket to the concert, attendees will receive a copy of their newest album, “Funky Town.” Prices and times vary from show to show and will run until April 4.

HOLIDAYS CELEBRATED AT THE GRPM PLANETARIUM

The Grand Rapids Public Museum wrapped up its holiday celebration at the planetarium on Jan. 5. Beginning at the end of November, the GRPM hosted “Let it Snow,” its holiday planetarium presentation. This event which spanned the holiday season was free to museum members and $4 for other members of the community who wanted to explore to the event.

Featured in this event was the music of Frank Sinatra, Chuck Berry and more.

It will wrap up with a finale with a multimedia performance to the music of the Trans Siberian Orchestra. Along with this holiday themed presentation, the GRPM hosts planetarium presentations for members and the Grand Rapids community throughout the year.

JANUARY 6, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLARTS

SOCIAL JUSTICE

The GR Justice Choir welcomes new members

BY MARY RACETTE ARTS@LANTHORN.COM

With new leadership and a desire to grow, the Grand Rapids Justice Choir chapter invites students and other members of the Grand Rapids community to have their voice heard through the power of song. The Justice Choir will be holding open rehearsals Jan. 6 and 13 from 6-8 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church.

Grand Rapids is home to one out of the 16 Justice Choir chapters nationwide. The National Justice Choir was formed in January 2017 as activists were gathering for the first Women’s March. The organization was built as an outlet for community members to have their voices heard.

“Our mission is to amplify local voices fighting systems of oppression and building justice in our community,” said Media Director Ashley Bovin.

The Grand Rapids chapter of the Justice Choir began when founding director Claire Minnis started the “Social Justice Choir” as a program at Trinity United Methodist Church in 2017. The club, who had already been singing songs from the Justice Choir Songbook, became officially affiliated with the National Justice Choir the week of their first concert, November 2017.

SINGING FOR CHANGE: The Grand Rapids Justice Choir is an organization dedicated to expressing their voice through music. They are hoping to welcome new members. COURTESY | SARA VRUGGINK

Part of the Justice Choir’s mission is to support other local organizations. They carry out this mission by singing at rallies and events organized by other groups, as well as holding their own concerts. The Justice Choir partners with other local social justice organizations and invites them

on stage to inform the audience about their programming. Space is also offered to local organizations to share their advocacy at the reception following the concert.

LOG ON TO: www.lanthorn.com FOR THE FULL ARTICLE

HOLIDAY CELEBRATION

Frederik Meijer Gardens offers Christmas display, multicultural celebration

BY MARY DUPUIS ARTS@LANTHORN.COM

From Nov. 26, 2019 to Jan. 5, 2020 the Frederik Meijer Gardens held their annual Metro Health Christmas & Holiday Traditions exhibition. This year was the 25 year anniversary of the event and brought in about 85,000 joyful visitors.

According to Laurene Grunwald, the Director of Sculpture, Art Collections, Ex-

EXPLORING CULTURES: Along with the holiday lights, the venue presented displays representing cultural celebrations. GVL | BENJAMIN HUNT

hibitions and Installations at Meijer Gardens, this event began as a humble, family built exhibition. However, it grew to be something much greater.

“This exhibition was originally created by the members of the Meijer family and friends using an exhibition design they had seen at another institution 25 years ago,” Grunwald said. “Since then many things have evolved and changed. We now have two full time staff who work on this all year round with a multidisciplinary team from many different departments.”

The exhibition included a vast array of lights, as well as programming on Tuesday evenings and weekends. On top of this, there were roaming professional carolers, The Original Dickens Carolers, Santa visits, Rooftop Reindeer and wintertime walks. There were also several holiday parties offered for Frederick Meijer Gardens members.

In addition, there was a film created to highlight the local community cele-

brations during the holiday season that played in the auditorium. It has been posted on Frederick Meijer Garden’s YouTube channel as well for those that could not see the film in person.

By far their most popular holiday tradition is the international holiday displays.

This exhibition focused on decorated Christmas trees, but also goes far beyond that with other cultural displays. It was a celebration of different cultures all around the world and their respective holiday traditions.

There were 46 different trees and displays set up for each guest to enjoy. Of those trees, 26 were decorated and 19 were cultural displays.

Grunwald states that Meijer Gardens make an effort to be welcoming and inclusive. They feel that it is important to recognize and value each culture, especially during the holiday season.

LOG ON TO: www.lanthorn.com FOR THE FULL ARTICLE

A9 | SPORTS

JANUARY 6, 2020 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS

QUICK HITS

SOCCER

GVSU SOCCER’S RIKO SAGARA NAMED DII HONDA AWARD FINALIST

Riko Sagara, a senior midfielder from Grand Valley State University was named the DII Honda Athlete of the Year finalist for soccer, as announced Thursday, Jan. 2

by Executive Director Chris Voelz of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.

Sagara is now designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious DII Honda Athlete of the Year. This will be voted on at the end of the academic year by national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of the CWSA program, now in its 44th year.

“I am extremely honored to be selected as a finalist for the 2020 Honda Division II Athlete of the Year,” Sagara said. “I accept this selection of behalf of Grand Valley State and the soccer program. We had an incredible team that was unselfish and cared so much for each other both on and off the field. We had a wonderful season that was capped with the ultimate team accomplishment in a national championship.”

Sagara scored 20 goals and dished 23 assists for 63 points on the season, and is a four-time All-American as a transfer. In just two years at GVSU, she ranks second all-time in program career assists with 46.

FORMER LAKER FOOTBALL PLAYER NAMED AS FINALIST FOR WALTER PAYTON MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD

Brandon Carr, a former Laker great on the gridiron and current defensive back for the Baltimore Ravens, has been named a nominee for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Carr is one of 32 players – one from each team – nominated for the 50th annual Award, which recognizes players for their community service activities and excellence on the field. Carr was named the Ravens’ Walter Payton Man of the Year, marking the third time in his career that Carr has been his team’s recipient.

Carr was a four-year standout for the Lakers on the gridiron and played a key role in GVSU’s 2005 and 2006 NCAA Division II National Championships. Carr was a fifth round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2008 NFL draft and is in his 12th year in the league.

Each team announces one winner of the award, and as the Ravens’ winner, Carr will be eligible to win the 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, which will be revealed at NFL Honors the night before the Super Bowl.

VARSITY SCHEDULE MEN’S BASKETBALL

Thursday, Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m., @ Ashland Saturday, Jan. 11, 7:00 p.m., @ Wayne State

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Thursday, Jan. 9, 5:30 p.m., @ Ashland Saturday, Jan. 11, 5 p.m., @ Wayne State

MEN’S/WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING: Saturday, Jan 11., 2 p.m., @ Indianapolis facing Lindenwood, Indy, and Davenport (Women’s only)

CHAMPIONSHIP POSE: Grand Valley State University Women’s Soccer Head Coach Jeff Hosler hoists up championship trophies with his team after winning the NCAA Division II National Championship 1-0 after a double overtime game against Western Washington on Dec. 14, 2019. COURTESY | NCAA

A season to remember: Hosler, Cook reflect on GVSU Soccer’s sixth national championship

BY ELI ONG EONG@LANTHORN.COM

“I think I’ve watched it about a thousand times,” said Grand Valley State University Head Soccer Coach Jeff Hosler when reflecting on midfielder Giana Parlove’s national championship-winning goal in double overtime. “Probably 300 of them are just because of my daughter that wants to watch it over and over again.”

It’s truly one of those plays that will go down as one of the most significant, if not the most significant play in GVSU Soccer history. If you have yet to see it unfold, the video highlight is on YouTube.

“We instructed Abby (Willerer) to serve it on that set piece to serve it really deep and put her foot behind the ball,” Hosler said when recalling the play. “Liv (Trombley) had a great fight for the ball and then it got to Ava who had her shot blocked then it came off right to Gi (Parlove) and Gi just followed it all the way through to the back of the net.”

Before Willerer initiated the set play, Ava Cook, the nation’s leading scorer with 29 goals and 70 points, was able to position herself in between her defender and the ball on a pass, which allowed Cook to draw the penalty and set up a free kick.

“As soon as they called the foul, I thought to myself, this is it, and sure enough, it was,” Cook said. “GiGi (Parlove) came up with one of the best hustle goals of the year and it couldn’t have been more fitting that she put it in the back of the net because of how well she had played up to that point.”

In a season full of dominant performances from the likes of Cook, Riko Sagara, Cece Steinwascher and Chantel Carranza, Hosler and Cook both said it was the performances of those who were not usually talked about in the post-game box score that proved to be the

difference makers for GVSU down the final stretch, like Parlove.

“She plays that holy mid position that just doesn’t provide a lot of stats, but she’s just such a creative player,” Hosler said of Parlove. “That goal was just one of those well-deserved, ‘soccer gods’ type of moments where her great performances all weekend shined through and gave her the opportunity and she was really composed to finish.”

Parlove finished the season with just five goals and four assists on 36 shots over the entirety of the regular and postseason for the Lakers, but took her play to a new level during the NCAA tournament, where she earned NCAA Tournament MVP honors once it was all said and done.

Other players Hosler mentioned that came up big in the national championship for GVSU were goalkeeper Jessica Radice, Trombley and Willerer.

“I think our kids showed tremendous resiliency throughout the entire weekend in Pittsburgh to be fair,” Hosler said. “I think Jess really stepped up and played incredibly tough, you know, she took some really hard knocks and got right back up and made some incredible saves.”

Former GVSU soccer player Tara Lierman once said, ‘you don’t have to get ready if you stay ready’, and according to Hosler, this has left an impression on many players throughout the team, including Trombley.

“I think that was really evident in Liv and how she was able to play to her strengths out there,” Hosler said. “She’s great in the air and with a team like Western Washington, whose game plan was to attack on corners, we probably had our very best ball winner out there defensively in those big moments and she was ready to go when her team needed her.”

Trombley and Willerer, were able to help condense the Lakers’ defense and help contribute toward an excellent game

in goal by Radice.

“Jess (Radice) doesn’t really get to showcase her shot-stopping ability very often with the way we’ve been able to be so dominant over the course of the last two years,” Hosler said. “I think for her, she has a chip on her shoulder because of that, because people don’t really know how good of a goalkeeper she really is.”

In her two seasons as GVSU’s starting goalkeeper, Radice has presided over 38 shutouts, made 77 saves, owns an 81.9 save percentage, has a record of 50-2-1, and earned a first team DII CCA All-American plaudit at the end of the 2019 season.

“Our backline gave every single ounce of effort they had and it showed big time,” Hosler said. “Olivia Trombley stepped up huge for us when she came into the backline after Cece went down, she was absolutely dominating in the air and it took a lot out of Western Washington. Jessica Radice also had a lights out game and came up with some incredible saves that undoubtedly kept us in the game.”

Having taken some time off for the holidays following their national championship win, Hosler and Cook both have plans for how to attack the offseason.

“Recruiting, recruiting never stops,” Hosler said. “I was on the phone with kids the next day after the championship and then I’ll be on the road for most of January and almost all of February trying to wrap up our 2021 class and talk to a few last-minute transfers for 2020.”

For the rest of the team, Cook said they can focus on personal growth before returning to the pitch.

“The offseason is all about growing as a player, and it’s really nice because you can be as specific as you want in terms of growth,” Cook said. “I’m excited to just continue to work on different parts of my game and improve as a team to come back next year just as strong, if not stronger.”

JANUARY 6, 2020 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS

A10 | SPORTS SWIMMING & DIVING

Swimming & Diving dominates competition in Florida meet

BY SEAN CAUVET NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

On Friday, Jan. 3, the Grand Valley State Swimming & Diving Team continued their successful season with both the men’s and women’s teams earning dominant wins against Lewis University and Rochester Institute of Technology. GVSU Swimming & Diving is now 16-1 on the year under Coach Andy Boyce.

“The meet went really well and we’ve been training pretty hard all year,” Boyce said.

“This is our heaviest training time of the year and they were pretty tired going into the meet, but they did well.”

Boyce said he was impressed by both the men and women during the meet.

“I was pretty pleased with how everyone did, especially the divers,” Boyce said. “The women got first, second and third for the boards which was really nice. For the men, I thought Harry Shalamon had a good showing, winning the 100-yard and 55-yard backstroke races.”

This meet was a little bit different, taking place in Fort Pierce Florida. The team got there on Monday, Dec. 30, and Boyce said it’s gone well.

“We were able to get out of the cold climate and not have to worry about school because we’re on break, which really allows us

to focus on the training and try our best to get better,” Boyce said. “We do our best to get to know each other well and the long bus ride down here definitely helps with that.”

Even though it has been break for most students, GVSU has been training hard, practicing two times a day as well as lifting weights. However, they still try their best to enjoy the holiday season.

“We didn’t do anything special for New Year’s Eve, but everyone did their own thing,” Boyce said. “On New Year’s Day, we all got together as a team for dinner in West Palm Beach.”

When asked to describe the dynamic of his team, Boyce focused on how competitive the team is this year.

“I think we’re a really close team, a really deep team in all of our events, so we have people on our team that are pushing each other to be better,” Boyce said. “Every meet we go into, people are competing for spots on our team and trying to move up on the roster.

I think that’s good, healthy competition.”

As the new semester begins, this trip was the last big moment that the team will have to get a lot of good training in. The GLIAC Championships start in a little over six weeks and the Division II National Championships start two-and-a-half weeks after that.

“With our two biggest meets of the year are coming up in a little over a month-and-a-

SETTING THE PACE: Trying to edge ahead of swimmers to either side, a GVSU swimmer presses onward. The Lakers dominated the waters during their meet in Florida Jan. 3. GVL | KATHERINE VASILE

half, we’ll focus a little more on the speed and technique work,” Boyce said.

Boyce said that he tries make the trip to Florida a memorable one for his players. He still looks back fondly at the training trips he took when he was in college.

“I think the trip is pretty memorable for everyone,” Boyce said. “You’re around some of your best friends and I like to think that a

lot of the swimmers and divers on our team are pretty close and consider each other good friends. Also, I think all of them pushing through these tough practices together is really important and goes a long way to help strengthen that bond.”

GVSU Swimming & Diving will look to improve their record in Indianapolis against Lindenwood University Jan. 11.

SWIMMING & DIVING

Swimming & Diving teams welcome 11 new recruits for 2020-2021 season

BY HOLLY BIHLMAN HBIHLMAN@LANTHORN.COM

DASH TO SPLASH: A GVSU swimmer leaps from her platform during a meet. GVSU will be adding 11 freshmen to its team. GVL | KATHERINE VASILE

The GVSU Swimming & Diving teams signed 11 incoming freshman halfway through their 2019-2020 year with just 11 meets left until they begin the GLIAC competitions. With a 16-1 win-loss record this year, head coach Andy Boyce is thrilled to have new swimmers ready to join the team and has a great outlook on the remainder of their current season.

On the mens swim and dive team, three new recruits will be joining in August: Eric Heiber, Mathew Lane and Tanner Sharp. On the women’s, the eight new signees will be Lindsay Boals, Rebecca Galovich, Veronica Lantz, Alysa Wager and Kristina Winier on the swim team, and Jessica McEachern, Audrey Seemann and Carissa Wooley on the dive team.

“We have a good freshman class coming in and we’re exited to see what they can do once they get on campus in August,

and we’re still working, hoping we can get a few more, but it’s going to be a good freshman group for sure,” Boyce said.

One of the most important factors that contributes to the success of the swim and dive teams is the team building that occurs at the beginning of the season for the GVSU swimmers. Having a strong bond with teammates and coaches is a sure-fire way to be the best that they could be and make their practices and meets fun.

“We have people from all over the country, all over the world, on our team, so it is very important to get to know each other and rely on your teammates,” Boyce said.

From delivering cookies to planning trips during the first week of classes, Boyce said that the older swimmers and divers make the most welcoming impression they can on the new recruits, including cookouts and team building exercises that go on for the first few weeks of practice. The focus is not only to make friends and build a fantastic team every

year, but to build a team that can win every meet together and take home championship titles at the end of the season.

“We want to be the best student athletes we can be,” Boyce said. “We want both teams to be scholar all-American. We have a really strong focus on the conference championships, so were hoping to be able to bring a conference title home again this year.”

The women’s team has brought two out of the last three titles back, and the men have won five in a row, leaving a pretty outstanding record for the future swimmers and divers to live up to, but with the right coaching and teamwork, Boyce consistently achieves these goals with new students every year. The new signees will be acquainted with their teammates in no time and will have yet another successful year for GVSU. LOG ON TO: www.lanthorn.com FOR THE FULL ARTICLE

JANUARY 6, 2020 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS

A11 | SPORTS

M. BASKETBALL

GVSU basketball bounces back from Ferris loss with key GLIAC win over LSSU

BY KELLEN VOSS SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

After losing to the No. 8 Ferris State Bulldogs two days prior, the No. 17 Grand Valley State men’s basketball team bounced back to get a win on Saturday, Jan. 4, as GVSU defeated the Lakers of Lake Superior State University, 67-65. With the win, the Lakers keep their first place position in the GLIAC south, with an 11-2 overall record and a 4-1 record in conference.

Junior guard Isaac Gassman had a career game for GVSU, as with Lake Superior State streaking after hitting a few key threes, the Illinois State transfer answered that run with the biggest shot of the game, hitting a dagger three from the left win to give GVSU a commanding 66-61 lead.

The visiting team was in a 2-3 zone for the majority of the night, but they were no match for Gassman, who was able to slither his way through the cracks of the zone for more than a few open buckets on his way to a season-high 25 points.

“We haven’t seen zones very often this year, but I know they left the middle open a couple of times,” Gassman said. “That

got me going with a few floaters, and I know that last shot just felt like right place, right time.”

Gassman wasn’t the only junior to have a huge impact on the game, as starting center Christian Negron had 14 points, making all six of his field goals while also corralling four blocks and forcing the steal in the closing seconds that sealed the win for the Lakers.

While he only amassed two assists in the ball game, Negron, a transfer from Loyola-Chicago, just took what the defense gave him and didn’t panic in the high-pressure zone.

“We have great shooters, so I just try to find them as much as I can,” Negron said.

“I just try to make that triangle read, and if they double (when I’m driving), I use a couple pivots and one guy will be open.”

GVSU coach Ric Wesley was also complementary of his big man’s passing, remarking on how key it is to get a few assists from every spot on the floor in every game.

“Christian (Negron) has been a good passer for us all year,” Wesley said. “As a big guy, he doesn’t always get 10 assists, but almost every game he gets two or

three assists, and a lot of times you get big guys who never get assists, so he’s done a consistent job of handling the ball for us all year.”

Senior point guard Jeremiah Ferguson has been working his way back this week, coming off the bench for the Lakers in both of this week’s game. Wesley felt that Ferguson felt more comfortable in this game, as in recovery from his leg injury, Ferguson racked up 11 points and six assists in 26 minutes. “(Ferguson is) still trying to find his way, and we as a team are still trying to find our way a little bit,” Wesley said. “He’s a big part of what we do, and he was out for a long time. I thought Ferg made some big shots and had some nice finds, passing to Ike (Gassman) on his big shot and making a couple other nice passes. I thought his playmaking was key for us, he’s not all the way back yet, but the more good players we have, the better we’re going to be.”

GVSU will look to build on this win in the coming week, as they travel to Ohio to take on Ashland on Thursday, Jan. 9, before heading to Detroit to take on Wayne State two days later.

BRING IT AROUND TOWN: Taking it to the net, point guard Jeremiah Ferguson (No. 11) moves around a defender. GVL | KATHERINE VASILE

SLAMMING IT HOME: Surrounded by defenders, junior forward Christian Negron (No. 11) hangs victoriously from the rim. The Lakers are bouncing back after their loss to Ferris. COURTESY | GVSULAKERS.COM

JANUARY 6, 2020 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS

A12 | SPORTS W. BASKETBALL

GVSU Women’s Basketball continues to dominate during their undefeated season against LSSU

BY ROSEMARY BOOHER, RBOOHER@LANTHORN.COM

The No. 3 ranked Grand Valley State women’s basketball team continued their undefeated reign on the court this weekend as they faced off against Lake Superior State. This conference matchup pushes GVSU’s overall record to 13-0 and their conference record being 5-0.

The Lakers had their first home game after coming back from winter break Saturday Jan. 4. GVSU was able to quickly shake off any rust in their play and take the win 57-39, this being the first game of the season where they scored less than 72 points.

“We didn’t adjust well,” said GVSU coach Mike Williams. “Lake Superior State did a good job shutting our gaps, taking our shooters away, and they took our lines of penetration.”

Senior Cassidy Boensh came out hot this game and recorded a double-double.

She scored 29 points and 13 rebounds while also getting three steals, three assists, as well as five blocks.

“This year, I think that she’s become a little stronger and more aggressive, she’s been scoring at a high clip and rebound-

ing well too,” Williams said. “She has been doing well defensively and has been a player that we can lean on.”

The first quarter started with GVSU gaining an early lead 17-5, but ended up being outshot in the second. LSSU started to heat up in the second quarter and was almost able to bridge the gap between the two teams, ending the half at 33-25.

During the third quarter, GVSU’s defense was able to hold LSSU allowing them to only score three points. GVSU finished off the visiting team during the final quarter with the score of 57-39.

Williams attributes their success of not only this game but the entire season to three things.

“I think number one would be by taking each game one at a time and not looking past anything,” Williams said.

“Two, they’ve been preparing for this moment over the summer and preseason, they’ve been ready for this moment.

9 they want 4 Three, they’re very coachable, to do well and they want to see which opportunity is best in order to win.”

GVSU shot a season-high percentage during this game 14-16 (87.5%), 3 and they also held LSSU back in a number of categories. GVSU had the advantage 4 (43-29), 9 in blocks (10-2), rebounds and

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COURTESY | MARAUDERSPORTS.COM Central State University player during a Nov. 27 game.Easy Rated:

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