GVSports Monthly Magazine

TRACK AND FIELD TEAMS CLAIM GLIAC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

MARCH 2012

2011 PLAYER OF THE YEAR KATIE MARTIN HIGHLIGHTS THE POWERFUL LINEUP RETURNING FOR THE LAKERS

SPRING PREVIEW

CONTENTS

Volume 3, Issue 5

February Issue

11

Q&A

6 6

News in Brief 5 Things To Know ...

7

Player Profiles

9

The Green Zone

14

The Grid

15

Sandra’s Snapshot

Volume 3, Issue 8 Tim Nott Doug Lipinski Doug Witte Courtney Zudweg DJ Foster Amanda Murphy Kyle Schwerin CONTRIBUTORS Jessica Beswick Janine Warfield Sandra Jennings Sharon Kowalczyk GVSU Sports Information

EDITOR IN CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR EXECUTIVE EDITOR ADVERTISING DIRECTOR STAFF WRITERS

Returning to the Diamond

Softball

The GVSU softball team returns after a deep postseason run in 2011.

by DJ Foster - staff writer

5

2

12

8

Track & Field

Baseball

Lacrosse

by Kyle Schwerin

by Tim Nott

by Amanda Murphy

GV Sports Monthly Magazine is a magazine that focuses on athletics at Grand Valley State University.

Copies of the magazine are free to the community and located on news stands in the greater Grand Rapids area. Copies of the magazine are also distributed in Allendale by the Advance Newspaper.

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GV Sports Monthly Magazine GVSU, Fieldhouse

QUESTION & ANSWER

ELIZA MACDONALD Assistant Athletic Trainer -QTell us a lile about yourself and your position at Grand Valley.

-AI did my undergraduate and graduate work at GV. I got my Bachelors in Athletic Training and a Masters of Public Administration with a Health Care Emphasis. Upon graduation I was the Head Athletic Trainer at Forest Hills Northern High School for about a year.

I missed the college seing and Grand Valley so then I had the opportunity to come back in 2009 to be the Assistant Athletic Trainer. Since then I have been the athletic trainer for the cross

GVSU has added a Track & Field/Lacrosse facility on the south end of campus. The complex will open this spring.

country and track and field teams. I supervise athletic training students and one Graduate Assistant. In the morning I have more administrative responsibilities such as medical documentation, and then in the afternoon I have practice coverage. Additionally, I sometimes teach PED 217 Introduction to Athletic Training or MOV 102 First Aid and CPR. -QWhat is your background and how did you end up at GVSU? -AI’m originally from Iron Mountain, MI. When I was looking for colleges I wanted to go somewhere where I still had family nearby but far enough away to meet new people. I did a campus visit once and fell in love with Grand Valley. I loved how it had the small town feel but the big city was just a quick hop, skip and a jump away. It’s the best of both worlds.

-QWhat is it like being the trainer for so many student athletes with the track and field and cross country programs?

-AIt’s definitely a challenge. There is an average of 175-180 athletes to start off the year. The great thing is that every day is different and you never know what the day will bring. Additionally, the opportunity to interact with so many student athletes is rewarding.

-QWhat is the best part of your job?

-ASeeing an athlete return to their preinjury level of competition or beer. It is so rewarding to see the success of the hard work the athlete and you do.

Along with helping them learn how to help prevent and treat injuries themselves for when they get done with college they will know how to help themselves.

-QMost difficult part?

-AMy son Mason is now 5 months old and it took a bit to find a schedule. The key is enjoying every moment with him when I am home. On long days of track meets my husband Adam will bring him to the meets so I get to see him a bit. The most important part I think is leaving work at work.

-QWhat do you enjoy doing outside of your job?

-AI enjoy being with my family and friends.

I love being active outside. I enjoy camping, hanging out at the beach, hiking, and playing some basketball to name a couple items.

GVSports Monthly Magazine • 2

“Best in the Midwest.”

– The Princeton Review

AT THE TOP OF OUR CLASS. Grand Valley State University is leading the way with innovative and professionally relevant academic programs, real-world research and internship opportunities, and outstanding campus facilities.

Plus, our students benefit from personalized instruction made possible by small class sizes and dedicated professors who love to teach. It’s all part of our liberal education foundation that provides a great return on investment for our students and makes Grand Valley a top choice in the Midwest and beyond. gvsu.edu/GRAND | (800) 748-0246

GVSports Monthly Magazine • 3

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TRACK & FIELD TEAMS DOMINATE GLIACs

TRACK AND FIELD

By: Kyle Schwerin - via GVSULakers.com Men’s Story

T

he 12th-ranked Grand Valley State men's track and field squad won their 12th GLIAC indoor track and field championship in the last 13 years on Saturday (Feb. 25), collecting 150.50 team points to take the crown.

Head coach Jerry Baltes was named co-GLIAC Men's Track & Field Coach of the Year as his team outdistanced second-place Ashland (120) by 30.50 points.

Senior Xavier Parnell finished fourth in the finals of the 60 meter dash with a time of 6.97 seconds in a race that was about as close as you can get. The top five finishers in the finals were all within five-hundredths of a second of each other.

In the 200 meter dash finals, sophomore Nathaniel Hammersmith garnered a fifth-place finish with a time of 22.38 seconds. Fellow sophomore Logan Hoffman finished sixth in the 400 meter dash finals with a time of 49.64 seconds.

In the 800 meter final, sophomore Jeremy Wilk came home seventh with a time of 1:56.68 to earn points for the Lakers while two other GVSU student-athletes finished in the top 10. Sophomore Eric Phillips was ninth (1:57.04) while junior Scott McKeel finished 10th (1:57.28).

Senior Jeff Nordquist notched a second-place finish in the mile run with a time of 4:12.87, an NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark. Sophomore Bryce Pulley wasn't far behind, finishing fifth in the event with a time of 4:15.75.

The Lakers dominated the 3,000 meter event, placing four runners in the top five. Senior Anthony Witt took home the title in the event with a time of 8:24.52, while fellow senior Ryan Toth came home third in a time of 8:27.00. Just behind him were sophomore Alan Peterson (8:30.93) and junior Jake Isaacson (8:34.23) in fourth and fifth, respectively.

In the 60 meter hurdle finals, seniors Ryan Brown (8.38) and Rick Kwasnik (8.43) finished fifth and seventh.

The 4x400 meter relay team of Hammersmith, Parnell, Hoffman and sophomore Mohamed Mohamed finished in third with a provisional qualifying time of 3:19.01.

In the field events, freshman Trent Chappell hit a provisional qualifying

mark after clearing a height of 2.04 meters (6'8.25") in the high jump to finish third.

The Lakers then wrapped up big points in the pole vault, placing three student-athletes in the top six. Sophomore Bret Myers recorded a provisional mark after clearing a height of 4.94 meters (16'2.5") to finish second, while junior Raphael Gelo finished third with a height of 4.79 meters (15'8.5") with a provisional mark of his own. Senior Travis Fisher finished sixth in the event with a height of 4.49 meters (14'8.75").

Sophomore Steven Reives finished fifth in the triple jump with a distance of 13.83 meters (45'4.5") after he finished fifth in the men's heptathlon earlier in the day, just barely missing a provisional qualifying mark with a point total of 4,568.

Senior Daniel Vanek finished second in the men's shot put with an automatic qualifying mark of 18.59 meters (61'0"), while junior Donny Stiffler finished fourth in the event with a throw of 17.10 meters (56'1.25"), a provisional mark.

The Lakers finished the meet with 150.50 points while second-place Ashland had 120 points. In third was Findlay (108), followed by Tiffin (83.50) in fourth and Hillsdale (53) rounding out the top five. Lake Superior State (45), Lake Erie (35.50), Northwood (33), Saginaw Valley State (29) and Ohio Dominican (5.50) rounded out the field.

GVSU will now have a week off before traveling to the NCAA Division II National Championships in Mankato, Minn. on March 9th and 10th.

Head Coach Jerry Baltes

Women’s Story

T

he top-ranked Grand Valley State women's track and field team continued their dominance of the GLIAC circuit on Saturday (Feb. 25), winning their 13th straight GLIAC Indoor Track & Field Championship.

Head coach Jerry Baltes was named the GLIAC Women's Coach of the Year following the meet, the fourth straight year he has earned the honor and the 12th time out of the last 13 years.

Freshman Brittney Banister took home the conference crown in the 60 meter dash finals, hitting a provisional qualifying mark of 7.65 seconds. She followed that up with a second-place finish in the 200 meter dash, hitting another provisional mark with a time of 24.95 seconds.

Two other Lakers placed in the 60 meter dash as sophomore Brittney Jackson finished fourth with a time of 7.78 seconds, while freshman Carly Scott was eighth with a time of 7.86 seconds. Scott also finished seventh in the 200 meter dash with a time of 25.95 seconds. Sophomore Autumn Lantz also earned a point for the Lakers, finishing eighth in the event with a time of 26.48 seconds.

In the 400 meter dash, the Lakers placed three student-athletes in the top eight. Sophomore Leiah Hess finished second with a time of 57.27 seconds, a provisional qualifying mark. Sophomore Andrea Kober (59.80) and freshman Allison Clark (59.99) finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

GVSU got two provisional qualifying marks in the 800 meter event as senior Chanelle Caldwell finished second with a time of 2:11.28 and senior Karie McDonald came across fourth with a time of 2:13.18. Sophomore Lisa Galasso also earned a point in the event, finishing eighth with a time of 2:16.43, just over a tenth of a second away from a provisional mark.

The Lakers placed four runners in the top six of the mile run to rack up big points in the team standings. Junior Ashley Botham finished third with a time of 5:04.31 and was followed consecutively by freshman Hannah Osborn (5:05.55), freshman Jordan Chester (5:06.22) and sophomore Madie Rodts (5:07.11).

GVSU had another huge showing in the 3,000 meter run, placing four student-athletes in the top seven. Senior Betsy Graney won the individual title in the event with a time of 9:33.66. Senior Rachel Patterson finished third with a time of

9:45.34, while junior Julia Nowak was fourth with a time of 9:57.48. Sophomore Kelcie Severson came home seventh, crossing the line in a time of 10:14.46.

In the 60 meter hurdles, sophomore Kalena Franklin finished second with a provisional qualifying mark of 8.48 seconds, while senior Jade Hull came across sixth with a provisional mark of her own at 8.83 seconds.

The 4x400 meter relay team of Caldwell, Banister, Franklin and Hess set a GLIAC Indoor Championship meet record of 3:50.27 to take the title and notch a provisional qualifying mark.

In the field events, sophomore Alisha Weaver notched a fourth-place finish after clearing a height of 1.64 meters (5'4.5"), while freshman Jordyn Kiser was seventh in the event with a height of 1.59 meters (5'2.5").

In what had been the theme all season, the Lakers dominated the shot put event. Junior Sam Lockhart hit her second automatic qualifying mark of the meet with a toss of 16.60 meters (54'5.5") to take the individual crown. Senior Lauren Buresh made it a 1-2 finish with a toss of 15.48 meters (50'9.5") to earn an automatic qualifying mark of her own.

GVSU was uncontested in the final standings, finishing with 203.75 team points. Ashland was second with 91 points, followed by Findlay (63.75), Hillsdale (59.50) and Saginaw Valley State (54.50) to round out the top five. The remainder of the standings went Tiffin (53.75), Northern Michigan (43.75), Lake Superior State (36), Ferris State (32), Northwood (20) and Lake Erie (5).

The Lakers will travel to the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships in Mankato, Minn. where they will look to defend their national title on March 9-10.

GVSports Monthly Magazine • 5

T

NEWS IN BRIEF

PMS COLORS WHITE BLACK

E

Click Here to Get the St. Patrick’s Day Shirt Louie’s Locker Room will be selling the limited edition green t-shirt for St. Patrick’s Day. The shirt is available now. You can purchase the $13 shirt online at louieslockerroom.com or by visiting the University Bookstore location on the Allendale campus. Get the shirt soon, it will only be available for a limited time.

Football Spring Game in Grand Rapids The 2012 GVSU Spring Game will be played in Grand Rapids, due to the construction at Lubbers Stadium. The Lakers will play the annual game at Houseman Field on April 14 at 6:00 pm. Tickets will be available at the gate.

Adidas Spring Clear Out Sale The annual Adidas Spring Clear Out Sale will be held April 9, 2012 in the Fieldhouse. All the great Adidas items you’ve seen throughout the year at Louie’s Locker Room at great prices to clear out room for next year’s items. Follow gvsulakers.com for more information.

Football Season Tickets Current football season ticket holders can renew their tickets until March 31st. Those interested in being new season ticket holders for the 2012 Laker Football season can begin purchasing on April 6th. Many great seats will be available with stadium renovations to create a brand new stadium for the 2012 season. Call 331-3200 for season tickets.

Football Chair Back Seats The new Lubbers Stadium offers chair back seats in select sections. With the overwhelmingly positive response to these new seats, GVSU Athletics has expanded the chair back seating to sections 103 and 106. Call 331-3200 for your chance to watch the 2012 Laker football team from chair back seats.

5

Coming off a 41-16 season and returning all student athletes ...

Team dynamics are different each year no matter what the circumstances. The fact that we are returning everybody (and even added a couple new faces) let us pick up a little quicker where we left off last season. Our success last year gave our players a lot of confidence coming into this year and also a desire to achieve certain goals.

We learned a lot about ourselves last year as a team and we will use what we learned going forward.

Being an Assistant Softball Coach

Maintaining focus through the winter ...

That is probably something that northern teams have to deal with more so than southern teams. Some days are better than others. Not only are we indoors during these months, but we have to practice only while many other teams are actually playing games. If we are able, we try to scrimmage another local school to add a level of competition and see where we are. We are fortunate with the Kelly Family Sports Center that we have that capability. There is usually a countdown of the number of days until we leave for Florida. That seems to keep everybody working toward the same goals and the fact that the indoor practices will not last forever.

T HINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

with Dana Callihan Ass istant Softball Coach

Recruiting ...

Recruiting is always a challenge. We have to evaluate and make a decision about prospective student-athletes at a younger age than ever before. As an assistant coach, I help with identifying and evaluating prospects. So much goes into it, from a skill set to personality traits to academics. The final decision is up to Coach Woods but we really work together to get the best student-athletes we can find to fit into our program here.

Theupcoming season ...

We are very excited about our upcoming season. We made it to NCAA post-season play last year and the players are very determined to get there again. As coaches, we keep pushing them to improve each day and not to rely on what we did last year.

Our opponents know what we did last year and they will come out ready for us. Our conference will be tough again this year and we will face some good teams during our non-conference schedule as well. We are looking forward to the challenge.

Experience of being a player and assistant coach for Doug Woods ...

My junior and senior years as a player were Coach Woods’ first 2 years as a coach.

My former teammates joke with him that we taught him everything he knows. When I came back as a coach nine years after finishing my playing career at GVSU, our relationship was obviously different. When I first started coaching here, I was more confident as an assistant in making suggestions than I would have been had I started coaching right out of college. I think that time away helped us develop as a staff quicker instead of still in a coach/player relationship.

GVSports Monthly Magazine • 6

PLAYER PROFILES My parents both went here and I The winning tradition and the Why did you choose to grew up going to GVSU footgreat eduction. become a Laker? ball games. I’ve know I wanted to be a Laker since I was a kid.

Who has had the My dad. biggest impact on your My parents for all their love and support. sports career?

Going 52-5 last season and advancing to the D2 World Series

STEVE

A NDERSON year

SENIOR

Miguel Cabrera

sport

Baseball

Nastia Liukin

Tuna Pasta

The Lion King Stereo Hearts

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K A R E N

VERBRUGGE year

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FAVORITE...

Sport Management

Northville, Mich.

Favorite Pro Athlete?

Going to the national meet last year with such an amazing team.

Good question. I should What are you planning Working in the creative departon doing in 5 years? probably figure that out. ment at an advertising agency.

major

hometown

Most memorable moment at GVSU?

Advertising

Food Movie

Crazy, Stupid Love

Ada, Mich.

Song

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Fettuccini Alfredo

Detroit Tigers

GVSports Monthly Magazine • 7

hometown

Diving

BASEBALL after record wins in 2011, baseball ready for 2012 season By: Tim Nott - editor in chief

T

he Grand Valle Sate Laker baseball team is looking forward to 2012 after completing an incredible 2011 campaign in which GVSU advanced to its fifth Division II College World Series in the last nine years. The Lakers finished the season 52-5 overall, a school record for victories. In addition, the Lakers tallied a 34-1 mark in GLIAC play, the most GLIAC wins in a single-season in conference history.

“We lost some key players from our lineup that made a significant impact in 2011, but we also feel like we return a solid nucleus of players that will be counted upon to play key roles in 2012,” said head coach Steve Lyon.

GVSU returns several key performers from its record-setting pitching staff in 2012.

Senior All-American Kyle Schepel, who was 11-0 with a 2.57 ERA and 66 strikeouts as a junior returns, as senior Ryan Garman, an ABCA Preseason All-American after posting a 9-1 record with a team-leading 1.90 ERA in 2011. Garman also threw the seventh no-hitter in school history against Ashland during the season. Senior Kyle Baker, a transfer from North Dakota and junior Anthony Campanella will round out a rotation of four starters on the hill.

Grand Valley State will have a lot of experience coming out of the bullpen, highlighted by a trio of seniors. Cory Rademacher, a 2010 All-GLIAC performer who was 3-1 with a 1.69

BASEBALL HOME SCHEDULE Mar. 24 Lake Erie 1 pm Mar. 25 Lake Erie 12 pm Mar. 31 Ashland 1 pm Apr. 1 Ashland 12 pm Apr. 10 Hillsdale 2 pm Apr. 11 Northwood 2 pm Apr. 14 Tiffin 1 pm Apr. 15 Tiffin 12 pm Apr. 28 Wayne State 1 pm Apr. 29 Wayne State 12 pm *Times subject to change due to weather

Click here for the full schedule

ERA in 2011, has worked as a starter and out of the bullpen during his career. Chris Whitney was 5-0 with a 3.22 ERA in 50.1 innings of work a year ago, while Jacob Cox appeared in 17 games out of the bullpen, recording 17 strikeouts. In addition, senior Brett Gwaltney was 1-0 in 8.2 innings and junior Cody Westerhuis tallied a 4-0 mark as a spot starter with 25.1 innings of work.

Closing games out will be junior Brad Zambron, who posted a school record 10 saves in 2011 with a 1.95 ERA. He struck out 38 batters while walking only two on the year and holding hitters to a .189 average.

“We really feel that our pitching staff will be the strength of the team as we have a number of arms with a great deal of experience,” said Lyon.

GVSU will have mix is experience and newcomers playing the field. Senior LF Steve Anderson and senior catchers Jared Cowan and Zach Laupp have been four-year regulars in the lineup for the Lakers, while junior RF Chris Rudenga and sophomore 1B Giancarlo Brugnoni have been key contributors.

Anderson, a preseason All-American who was a First Team All-Midwest Region honoree and a Tino Martinez Award Semifinalist in 2011, is the top returning player in nearly every offensive category for GVSU. Anderson hit .397 with 15 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 64 RBI and a .625 slugging percentage as a junior. His 64 runs batted in was the second highest single-season total in school history and he begins 2012 within striking distance of the career records in both RBI and total bases at GVSU. Cowan is a .338 career hitter with 74 career hits and 46 RBIs, while Laupp is a career .306 hitter. Rudenga missed a large portion of the 2011 campaign due to inGVSports Monthly Magazine • 8

The Lakers won the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament in 2011 and ended the year with a 52-5 record

juries, but hit .338 with 48 hits as a freshman in 2010. Brugnoni hit .349 in 2011 with 32 RBIs and 37 runs scored as a redshirt freshman. Seniors Derrik Strzalkowski and Blake Batteast will see action in multiple roles in 2012.

GVSU will rely on six newcomers in 2012 to play key roles in the middle of the defense. Redshirt freshman Kevin Zak will open the season at SS, while Ball State transfer Stephen Claypool will open at 2B. Claypool hit .318 with 63 hits as a freshman for BSU. Freshmen infielders Lance Buitendyk and Mitchell Kozlowski will also play key roles on the infield, while fellow freshmen Mike Nadratowski and Jamie Potts will see a significant amount of playing time in the outfield. Junior Chris Ripple could also see time in the outfield as well as a designated hitter.

“We have key players in field positions with a lot of experience that will have to surround some players that will be playing college baseball for the first time,” added Lyon. “We need to build our chemistry among our returnees and newcomers as the season progresses.”

Head coach Steve Lyon returns for his 14th season at the helm of the Lakers. Lyon is 509-189-2 (.729) at GVSU with a career mark of 622-290-3 (.681). The Lakers are 289-1012 (.740) in GLIAC play under Lyon. He was named both the GLIAC and Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2011.

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SOFTBALL MARTIN AND CLEARY HEADLINE POWERFUL LAKER OFFENSE IN 2012 By: DJ Foster - staff writer

T

here is a saying in baseball, popularized by an old sports commercial, where a few players explain that “Chicks dig the long ball”. The Grand Valley State softball team certainly enjoys hitting the long ball, as referenced by the team’s historic offensive season in 2011.

GVSU led all of Division II with 76 home runs, while also ranking as the top team in the country in batting average (.366), slugging percentage (.579), and total bases (962). The Lakers’ 76 roundtrippers are not only a new GLIAC record, but their total shatters the previous school mark. In 2007, Grand Valley State knocked 43 homers, while last year’s team hit its 44th dinger on April 9th - in just its 28th game of the season.

What does that mean for this year’s team?

GVSU head coach Doug Woods, in his 22nd season at the helm of the Laker program, did not lose a single player from last year’s team to graduation and should have another terrific offensive squad.

Grand Valley State’s outstanding power duo of junior Katie Martin (2011 Daktronics National Player of the Year) and sophomore Miranda Cleary (GLIAC Freshman of the Year) combined to smash 39 homers. That total by Martin (20) and Cleary (19) outnumbered 10 of the other 11 GLIAC teams last season.

Martin, voted a First Team All-American by both Daktronics and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) hit .468 (second alltime in school history) with 20 home runs and 65 RBI, while notching a school-record 87 hits. Her 20 homers were one off the all-time record at GVSU, while her 65 runs batted in are third-most in a single season - and she was still that productive despite being walked 30 times last season.

The ‘Robin’ to Martin’s ‘Batman’ was Cleary, the power-hitting third baseman that was named the league’s top rookie. She hit .351 with 19 home runs (fourth-most in school history) and 52 RBI, the sixth-highest figure ever at Grand Valley State. Her tremendous freshman campaign earned Cleary Second Team Daktronics All-Midwest Region honors.

Sophomore shortstop Briauna Taylor was

In 2011, the Lakers led NCAA Division II in home runs.

a Daktronics Honorable Mention All-American after hitting .421 with 59 hits, 37 runs, six homers, and 35 RBI. The only player not back from last year’s team is her twin sister, Brittany, who suffered a torn ACL midway through the Lakers’ basketball season and will also be out for the softball season. In 2011, Brittany, an outfielder, hit .400 with 50 hits, 41 runs, seven homers, and 34 RBI. The power numbers last season were remarkable, as 10 different Lakers hit one out of the park and seven players smacked six or more bombs. In addition to Martin, Cleary, and the Taylor twins, second baseman Kayleigh Bertram added seven homers, while first baseman Tonya Calkins and outfielder Emily Jones each hit six apiece.

Another important piece of the Laker puzzle is a player who did not hit a single homer last season - the team’s top pitcher, senior Andrea Nicholson. Last year, she owned a 20-8 record with a 2.81 ERA and tossed 18 complete games. A Daktronics Midwest Region Second Team selection, Nicholson ranked third in the GLIAC with 20 victories, and seventh in innings pitched (171.2) and strikeouts (115). She notched wins in two of the team’s three victories in the Midwest Regional 1 Tournament, including a three-hit shutout against Quincy.

While Nicholson wasn’t a part of the team’s conference-best 402 runs scored (no other team even reached the 300-run plateau), she was a key component, along with Martin and junior Hannah Santora, to allowing 212 runs, the fourthGVSports Monthly Magazine • 11

lowest total in the league last year.

GVSU went 41-16 last season with a 23-9 record in GLIAC play. The 41 wins are seventhmost in school history, while the 23 conference victories are the most by a Laker team. A return trip to the NCAA Tournament was the first such berth for the team since 2007, as GVSU fell in the best-of-three regional finals against Saginaw Valley State.

Expectations are high for the offensivelyfueled Lakers, as Grand Valley State was chosen to win the GLIAC North Division title, in voting conducted by the league’s coaches. GVSU will have to deal with the likes of Saginaw Valley State, Tiffin, and Ashland, but if the Lakers’ dynamic offense picks up where it left off last season, there is no reason those home run totals - and wins shouldn’t keep piling up.

SOFTBALL HOME SCHEDULE Mar. 13 St. Joseph’s 3/5 pm Mar. 20 Rochester 3/5 pm Mar. 31 Ferris State 1/3 pm Apr. 1 Ferris State 12/2 pm Apr. 4 Hillsdale 3/5 pm Apr. 6 Saginaw Valley 3/5 pm Apr. 7 Saginaw Valley 1/3 pm Apr. 13 Ohio Dominican 3/5 pm Apr. 14 Ashland 1/3 pm Apr. 15 Lake Erie 12/2 pm *Times subject to change due to weather

Click here for the full schedule

LACROSSE 2012 Lacrosse Team

LACROSSE BEGINS INAUGURAL SEASON

I

t is here. Two years in the making and the firstever Grand Valley State women’s lacrosse season is upon us.

The Lakers begin their first season as a varsity sport on Saturday, March 3 at Pfeiffer University and have three more games on the road before coming back to Allendale for their home opener on March 16 against Lindenwood.

Leading GVSU is head coach Alicia Groveston and assistant coach Erika Walker as well as captains junior Allyson Fritts and sophomores Lexi O’Connor and Sarah Lowe.

“We look to our captains to be the leaders in their respective areas of play. They are talented and extremely dedicated to making this team a success,” said Groveston. “We will be starting seven true freshmen, four redshirt freshmen and one junior; being so young we anticipate that there will be rough patches. However, so far this year our team has showed a lot of character and fortitude when presented with challenges.”

With a blank slate to work with, building the foundation of a new program entails combining the pre-existing standards GVSU has for its student-athletes, and the experience and values the coaching staff brings.

“Our number one goal right now is to learn from everything we do on the field,” said Groveston. “We are lacking game experience so every opportunity on the field is a chance for us to learn something about ourselves and grow together.”

Although all of the players have been practicing with off-season scrimmages and exhibition games, four of the 24-women roster have collegiate experience at the club level. Juniors MacKenzie

By: Amanda Murphy - staff writer

Grzeskowiak and Fritts, and seniors Sam Szegedi and Trisha Blake all earned a spot on the varsity roster from the GVSU Club team and are expected to provide some guidance to the underclassmen on the roster.

At the attack position, Victoria Devine, Marissa Mushna, Zoe Stiemann and Ashley Stoltenberg will be counted on to find the back of the net for the Lakers.

Playing in the midfield will be Korinne Culley, Ali Dixon, Meagan Emery, Fritts, Brooke Ingraham, Niki Jacobs, Rachel Leibovitz, Sarah Lowe, Jordan Luberto, Alyssa Neumen, Anna Servo, Kelsei Streeter and Szegedi. The midfielders are an integral part in creating scoring opportunities while also dropping back to defend their own net.

Protecting the Lakers’ side of the field will be Blake, Grzeskowiak, Ashley Mushna, Lexi O’Connor and Brianna Shefferly, while goalkeepers Audrey Kobe and Kelsey LaValley will be the last line of defense for GVSU. “With the group of student-athletes we have, I believe we will be a very atypical first-year program,” said Groveston. “A goal we committed to at the start of the year was to be a .500 team or better. After the fall and start of the spring we have had I know we can do that. Everything we accomplish this year is another brick we can add to the foundation we have created here at GVSU.” Opening up the season on the road, GVSU gets right into action with four games in seven days beginning with Pfeiffer (March 3), who was selected to finish second in the Carolina Conference coaches’ poll. The Lakers then head to Converse GVSports Monthly Magazine • 12

(March 5), Lenoir-Rhyne (March 7) and close out the trip at Queens (N.C.) on March 9 to conclude their Spring Break trip.

Grand Valley State opens the home portion of its schedule at the brand new Laker Track and Lacrosse Stadium against Lindenwood on March 16 at 4 p.m. The Lakers take to their home turf for the next three games as GVSU hosts Urbana (March 18), Tiffin (March 24) and in-state opponent Olivet (March 25).

The Lakers have two more games to conclude the home schedule against Indiana Tech on April 11 before hosting Notre Dame College on April 14.

“I am so excited to get this season underway. This team has worked for a long time to get to this point and they know that whatever they do from here on out is a first and opportunity for greatness,” said Groveston. “I know that no matter what happens, this team will only get better and continue to grow as a team both on and off the field.”

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