April 2011

Softball and Baseball Eager to Play at Home | Women’s Tennis Improves to 27-0

LAUREN BURESHNATIONAL CHAMPION

IN THE SHOT PUT

JERRY BALTESHEAD COACH

MONICA KINNEYNATIONAL CHAMPIONIN THE MILE & 5,000 M

2011 NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD

SATURDAY

April 16Noonat Lubbers Stadium

Tickets are just $3at the gate

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Tim Nott

MANAGING EDITOR

Doug Lipinski

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Doug Witte

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Charlie Read

STAFF WRITERS

DJ Foster

Kelsey Deacon

CONTRIBUTORS

Janine FreemanAdam IngrahamSandra Jennings

Sharon KowalczykKyle Schwerin

GV Sports MarketingGVSU Sports Information

GV Sports Monthly Magazine is a

magazine that focuses on athletics at

Grand Valley State University. Copies

of the magazine are free to the com-

munity and located on news stands in

the greater Grand Rapids area. Copies

of the magazine are also distributed in

Allendale by the Advance Newspaper.

GV Sports Monthly Magazine

GVSU, 192 Fieldhouse

• 1

IN THIS ISSUE

FREE MONTHLY MAGAZINE

Volume 2Number 9

PRINTER

Jenison Printing

IN THE SPOTLIGHTwith Olivia Kohler

NEWS IN BRIEF

What are the odds?

Question and Answerwith Doug Witte

The Green Zone

PLAYER PROFILESBrad Howard & Kayleigh Bertram

CALENDARFeatured events for April

SANDRA’S SNAPSHOT

4

6

11

13

15

16

16

12 SOFTBALL

GVSU looks forward to

playing their first home

games.

11 LACROSSE

The countdown begins

for the new program.

5 BASEBALL

P Joe Jablonski becomes

the career leader for wins.

3 WOMEN’S TENNIS

Lakers improve their perfect

record to 27-0.

NATIONAL CHAMPS pg. 8

women’s track & field

Jerry Baltes takes the program to another title in 2010-11.

Kelsey Deacon staff writer

7

6

GVSU will be host to theNCAA Division II Women’sGolf National Championshipson May 11-14.Photo courtesy The Meadows

Women’s Tennis Improves to

27-0 on the Seasonby Tim Notteditor in chief

The 14th-ranked Grand Valley

State women’s tennis team en-

tered the 2010-11 season with

high hopes after a 2009-10 campaign

that saw them advance to the round of

16 for the first time in school history.

However, few would have imagined

the Lakers entering the month of April

in 2011 with a perfect 27-0 record.

Grand Valley State is ranked first in

the latest ITA Midwest Regional rank-

ings and are in position to host a first-

round section May 6-7.

GVSU claimed the 2010

GLIAC regular season and tourna-

ment titles in impressive fashion. The

Lakers’ GLIAC crown was their first

since 1980 and the tournament title

was the first in school history. Grand

Valley State then faced a challenging

2011 spring season. The Lakers de-

feated four regional teams in February

and embarked on a March schedule

that was highlighted with a 4-3 win

over Division I foe Presbyterian and a

6-3 win over regionally-ranked Rock-

hurst.

“We were obviously pleased

with our GLIAC regular season and

tournament titles,” said head coach

John Black. “We accomplished our

fall goals, but we now

must concentrate on

our preparation for the

NCAA Midwest Re-

gionals,” said Black.

GVSU boasts

a solid lineup from top

to bottom that allows Black to play

several combinations. Junior Tara

Hayes has played No. 1 singles for the

most part, recording a 9-12 record,

while freshman Niki Shipman holds a

15-3 record at No. 2 singles. Senior

Chelsea Johnston is 17-1 at No. 3 sin-

gles, followed by a tandem at No. 4

and No. 5 singles. Freshman Lexi Rice

is 9-0 at No. 4 and 6-1 at No. 5, while

senior Darylann Trout is 11-1 at No. 4

and 10-0 at five. Four Lakers have

combined to post a 21-1 mark at No.

6 singles, including Allison Fecko (6-

1), Anne Marie Morin (6-0), Katelyn

Schaffer (5-0) and Jackie Shipman (4-

0).

The No. 1 doubles tandem of

Chelsea Johnston and Darylann Trout

are ranked second regionally and 12th

nationally. Johnston and Trout are 26-

8 overall and 21-6 in dual-meet action

at No. 1 doubles. Alyssa Lucas and

Katelyn Schaffer are ranked ninth re-

gionally and hold a 24-5 overall mark

(21-4 No. 2 dual). Freshmen Lexi Rice

and Niki Shipman are 21-2 overall and

17-1 at No. 3 singles in dual-meet

play.

GVSU is 148-34 overall in

singles action and 84-17 in doubles

play.

The Grand Valley State men’s

tennis team heads into April with a 10-

9 overall mark, including a 4-1

GLIAC record. GVSU started the year

2-8, but regrouped to win eight

straight matches. The Lakers will

spend the month of April on road with

four GLIAC matches and then a trip to

the GLIAC Tournament Arpil 15-17.

Junior Marc Roesslein is 8-13

at No. 1 singles, while senior Philipp

Claus is 18-9 at No. 2 singles. Fresh-

man Andrew Darrell has compiled a

mark of 16-9 at No. 3 singles, while

junior Benny Delgado-Rochas is 10-5

at No. 4 singles. Freshman Bryan

Hodges is 15-7 between No. 4 and 5

singles, while junior Josh Kazdan is

14-12 between No. 5 and 6 singles.

Freshman Troy Keating is 7-3 at No.

6 singles.

• 3

“We accomplished our fall goals,

but we now must concentrate on our

preparation for the NCAA Midwest

Regionals ” -John Black

• 4

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

THE SCHEDULE

Our off-season workouts begin about a week or

two after we return from Christmas break. A

strength coach is present at all workouts and

coaches are at all practices once the spring season

starts. We do mostly weightlifting, jump training,

and sprinting and only two hours of volleyball per

week up until spring break. After we return from

spring break our spring season starts and we get

back to two-hour team practices like in the fall, and

play in one-day tournaments on the weekends.

HITTING THE WEIGHTS

We have workouts everyday! As I mentioned

above, we are in the weight room a lot more before

spring break than after and that usually consists of

being in there three days per week leaving the other

two days for sprinting and jumping workouts.

Everything we do is as a team.

TIME TO GET INVOLVED

Definitely! I coach at Michigan Volleyball Club

and work in the athletic offices during the off-sea-

son. Also, our team as a whole takes the extra time

we now have to go to a school and read to young

children.

INTERACTING WITH COACHES

I have a great relationship with my coaches, so I

visit them a lot. It is very important to keep com-

munication with coaches open, especially during

the off-season. This is the time when things are

changing and new roles are being assigned, so in-

teraction with the coaching staff is a must.

RECRUITING

My teammates and myself often go to lunch with

recruits and then have a conversation with them af-

terwards to answer any questions they may have.

When a recruit is on an official visit, they will stay

at my apartment with my roommates and me so we

can get to know them better.OliviaKohler

Volleyball Student-Athlete

5things to knowabout being astudent-athletein the off-season

with

• 5

April Becomes a Key Month for

the Baseball Team’s Successby Tim Notteditor in chief

Fall sports in the midwest gen-

erally have decent weather for

most of their season, while

winter sports compete inside and

never have to worry about if they can

practice or play. Midwest spring

sports practice inside for a couple of

months before heading south to warm

weather for a week of competition.

Following that week of warm

weather those same teams try to

dodge rain drops and snow flakes for

another couple of weeks until the

month of April. The nationally-

ranked Grand Valley State baseball

team has 50 games on the schedule

for the 2011 season, 24 of which will

come in the month of April. Head

coach Steve Lyon, GVSU’s all-time

winningest baseball coach, knows the

month of April is when his baseball

team must play championship caliber

baseball in order to keep the thoughts

of postseason play alive.

“We have such a short period

of time in which we can actually play

games it is hard to get into that

groove that you like to be in when it

comes to baseball,” said Lyon. “We

have 50 percent of our entire season

in one month and we are on pins and

needles every day that you even have

a chance of rain. However, we know

that going in and you just have to deal

with the fact that spring baseball in

the midwest will be played in in-

clement weather,” added Lyon.

The Lakers, who enter the

month of April 15-2 overall and 4-0

in GLIAC action, hold a national

ranking of No. 4 in the latest National

Collegiate Baseball Writers Associa-

tion poll. GVSU opened the league

portion of its schedule with a four-

game sweep at Lake Erie College and

will stay on the road with four games

at Ashland the first weekend of April.

Grand Valley State will play its home

opener on Tuesday, April 5 at 2 p.m.

versus Hillsdale College. The Lakers

will then play the West Michigan

Whitecaps in an exhibition game

Wednesday, April 6 at Fifth Third

Ballpark beginning at

6:00 p.m. GVSU will

then host Saginaw

Valley State in a four-

game series Saturday

(April 9) and Sunday (April 10) at the

Laker Baseball Field. Saturday’s

twinbill will begin at 1 p.m., while

Sunday’s two-game set will begin at

12 noon.

Grand Valley State will play

eight games in six days on the road

beginning April 12 with a twinbill at

Hillsdale. The following day GVSU

will be at Northwood for a double-

header, followed by a four-game se-

ries at Tiffin on April 16 and 17. The

Lakers will return home for a four-

game series versus Findlay Friday,

April 22 and Saturday, April 23.

GVSU will close out the home por-

tion of its schedule the first week of

May. The Lakers will host North-

wood Wednesday, May 4 at 2 p.m.,

followed by the final regular season

series of the year versus Ohio Do-

minican Saturday, May 7 and Sunday,

May 8.

Grand Valley State has been

impressive on its home turf under

Lyon, recording a record of 174-42-1

in his 12 years at the helm. GVSU

was 20-1-1 on its home turf in 2003,

followed by a 15-2 record in 2004, a

10-3 mark in 2005, 19-2 in 2006, 14-

3 in 2007 and 13-4 in 2008.

“We have been a really good

team at home during my tenure and

we hope to continue that trend in this

season,” said Lyon. “We feel that our

team is set up to have success on our

field and we always have great sup-

port from our fans and students.”

Early season highlights:

Grand Valley State entered

the 2011 season with the fourth-best

winning percentage in DII baseball

the last 10 years (411-149-

1/.733)...Grand Valley State is one of

two teams (GVSU/Tampa) that have

appeared in the NCAA DII postsea-

son tournament the last nine

years...The Lakers’ pitching staff has

a team earned run average of 2.55, al-

lowing just 38 earned runs in 134.0

innings. In addition, GVSU’s pitchers

have 110 strikeouts and just 44

walks...Opponents are hitting just

.226 in 499 at bats...GVSU batters

have walked 73 times and struckout

82 times...In addition, the Lakers

have been hit by a pitch 32 times in

17 games...Senior RHP Joe Jablonski

became the Lakers’ all-time leader in

pitching wins with 22 (22-6). Jablon-

ski improved his record to 3-0 on the

year as he yielded just three hits and

one run in six innings of work in

game one at Lake Erie College...Ju-

nior RHP Kyle Schepel is 3-0 with a

0.75 ERA in 24.0 innings...Schepel

has 23 strikeouts and opponents are

hitting just .146...Offensively, the

Lakers are hitting .306 and averaging

9.46 runs per game...GVSU has 24

doubles, 11 home runs and seven

triples.

Senior P Joe Jablonskibecame the schoolleader for career winsin March.

Cody Grice leads theteam with a .377 bat-ting average in 2011.

“We have such a short period of time in which we

can actually play games it is hard to get into that

groove that you need to be in when it comes to

baseball” -Steve Lyon

• 6

N E W S I N B R I E F

Twitter

Want instant access to all the headlines from

gvsulakers.com? Follow us on twitter @gvsu-

lakers or www.twitter.com/gvsulakers

Wenglinski Nominated for National Award

Jenna Wenglinski has helped the Lakers claim

back-to-back national championships in 2009

and 2010 and now is nominated for DII ath-

lete of the year for soccer. A press conference

will be held on June 27, 2011 in New York to

announce and present the Division II Athlete

of the Year.

Baseball and Softball TV Games

The first-ever televised baseball and softball

games will be played this spring. Comcast

will air games on April 16 and 22 on channel

900 or 901. On April 16, the softball team will

face Wayne State twice at 1:00 and 3:00 pm

on TV. On April 22, the baseball team will

take on Findlay at 1:00 pm in a conference

doubleheader (Second game scheduled for

4:00 pm). The games will also be webcast on

gvsulakers.com.

Spring Game to be Webcast

The Spring Football Game will be webcast on

gvsulakers.com in the media center. The game

begins at noon on Apr. 16.

Stelfox and Taylor Named All-Americans

Alex Stelfox and Briauna Taylor were named

to the State Farm Coaches' Division II All-

America Team on Tuesday (Mar. 22), in a re-

lease sent out by the Women's Basketball

Coaches Association (WBCA). Both girls

earned honorable mention selection and were

2 of just 40 players in all of Division II that

garnered All-American status from the State

Farm Coaches’ vote.

GVSU Lakers YouTube Channel

If you want to watch video on your mobile

phone, you can find the same videos available

on gvsulakers.com in the media center on our

YouTube channel. You can find it at

youtube.com/gvsulakers.

a trIPLe PLaYThe Lakers turned an improbable 6-4-1-6-2-6-5

triple play during a 5-3 win against

Mansfield on Mar. 8.

The odds of turning a triple play

in any given inning ...

10,000 to 1

InsIde the Park

home runPaul Young hit a game-tying inside the park

home run to force extra innings against

West Chester on Mar. 8. The Lakers went on

to win the game 3-2.

The odds of hitting an inside

the park home run ...

.006%

• 7

-Q-

Tell us about your background and how

you ended up at Grand Valley State?

-A-I went to college at Cornerstone University in

Grand Rapids and earned a degree in Sports Man-

agement. In order to graduate, an internship was

required so I was looking for a school to get some

experience. The athletic director at Cornerstone at

the time, Bob Fortosis, knew Tim Selgo and helped

me with a good reference to give me a start in ath-

letics. So I started my internship in the summer of

2002. I ended up continuing to work in the sports

information department for the fall as a student

worker. I also worked with the football team as a

video assistant. I did that for about two years and

eventually became a graduate assistant in sports

information doing some design work. I completed

my masters at GVSU in 2007 and then I was for-

tunate enough to have a full-time position created

for me. I started in 2002 as an unpaid intern and I

think I was hired in 2007 when they realized they

couldn’t get rid of me.

-Q-

As the Web and Graphic Designer, what

are your main responsibilities?

-A-My main responsibility is to update and grow the

athletics website, which also includes social media.

Another part of the design aspect is to create print

materials like schedule cards, brochures, posters,

and postcards. I also work with the sports informa-

tion department in putting together media guides

and handling photo requests. I handle most licens-

ing issues and logo requests for the athletic logos.

Another part of my job is to be the athletic depart-

ment photographer.

-Q-

What are some of the ways GVSU Athlet-

ics uses social media and why?

-A-We have been using social media quite a bit more

in the past year. We started with Twitter and Face-

book a couple years ago and recently started a

YouTube channel as well. We have all of our news

headlines published to Twitter. We use facebook to

try to communicate highlights or special promo-

tions that are happening. We started a YouTube

channel to give fans another way to access some

of the videos that we put on our athletics website.

The biggest challenge here at Grand Valley is de-

ciding what to put on facebook. Since our student-

athletes and coaches accomplish so much, it’s hard

to choose what to highlight sometimes.

-Q-

What do you enjoy most about your job?

-A-I love sports. Everyone here puts in a lot of extra

hours during the school year. I’m not sure anyone

would do it if they didn’t love the representing the

university and being a part of the athletic depart-

ment. The job is a challege too, so it never gets bor-

ing because there’s always something more that

can be done. It’s also beneficial to work with some

great people, that always makes the job seem a lit-

tle more fun.

-Q-

What have been some of the highlights

during your time at GVSU?

-A-I worked with the football team in 2002 and 2003

when they won the first two national champi-

onships. That was a highlight because of the cham-

pionships, but also because I got to see first-hand

how much time and effort coaches, players, and

support staff put in to create a winning program.

In the sports information office, we’ve won a few

national awards for our media guides. Tim Nott and

DJ Foster do most of the writing and layout and I

usually handle the design and photos. Even though

it’s not our main goal to win publications contests,

it’s still always fun to be recognized.

Doug Wit teAthlet ic Web

and Graphic Designer

QuestIon & ansWer

• 8

The Grand Valley State women’s

track and field team earned the #1

national ranking the entire 2010-

11 indoor season and at the national

meet, they proved why they were the #1

team in division II. GVSU claimed the

program’s first NCAA DII Indoor Track

& Field title as they recorded an impres-

sive team score of 83 points at the na-

tional meet. Grand Valley State notched

32 points over second place Lincoln

(Mo.) and won three individual titles,

along with 16 All-American honors. The

Lakers brought 18 student-athletes to the

national meet and 13 of those student-

athletes recorded points, which was the

most by any team.

GVSU started the meet strong as

they qualified three student-athletes in

the mile and one in the 800-meter run.

The Lakers earned 12 points in the

weight throw, 11 in the pole vault and six

points in the distance medley relay, to

give them a first place finish of 29 points

after day one. Head coach Jerry Baltes

was proud with his team’s performance

on the first day and knew it would put

them in a great position to claim the title

on day two.

“We had a great day one at the

championships and knew if we could get

off to a good start with the mile finals

and shot put at the beginning of day two,

it would set us up well for the rest of the

meet,” commented Baltes.

The Lakers return for the final

day of competition and did just what

coach asked for. GVSU earned an indi-

vidual title in the mile and shot put, to

give the Lakers a boost to the national

title. “I knew we were in a great spot for

the rest of the meet as we started off with

18 points in the mile and then earned the

top-two spots in the shot put,” Baltes

said. “From there we just needed to focus

on competing well and finishing out the

meet as positively as possible.”

GVSU did just that and earned

Baltes his second national title this year,

as the women’s cross country team

claimed the national championship title

during the fall season in dominating

fashion.

Many of the student-athletes

used their experience from the fall sea-

son to earn another national title. One of

those student-athletes was junior Monica

Kinney. Kinney lead the

way for GVSU as she

earned three All-Ameri-

can honors, two individ-

ual titles and notched 21.5

points. Kinney earned a

national title in the mile

run (4:44.41) and 5,000-meter run

(16:28.02). The junior also ran the an-

chor spot in the distance medley relay

along with Julia Nowak, Kayla Vallar

and Madie Rodts to claim a third place

finish (11:47.40). In the mile and 5,000,

Kinney was up against the returning

champion in both races, but found a way

to upset the #1 seeds.

Baltes was proud of the junior

for her determination and hard work

throughout the year and at the national

meet. “Monica did a great job for the

team, especially going into the meet as

we asked her to do a huge thing for the

team in competing in three events,”

Baltes said. “We asked her to anchor the

DMR and simply score as many points

as possible. We knew winning her indi-

vidual events would be hard since the de-

fending champions were back from last

season. So asking Monica to run in the

DMR race would have potentially taken

away from her chances to win an indi-

vidual title in the mile and that was a

huge sacrifice she was willing to make

for the team. Her performance was sim-

ply outstanding.”

The Lakers also earned points

from Eileen Creutz (4th-4:59.38) and

Rebecca Winchester (6th-5:01.74) in the

mile, to record a total of 18 points.

GVSU earned points from junior

Chanelle Chaldwell as well as she

crossed the finish line second in the 800-

meter run (2:11.30) to earn All-American

status.

In the field events, Grand Valley

State recorded a total of 41 points and of

those points, 30 were recorded in the

throwing events. “Our throws crew did

an outstanding job at the champi-

onships,” stated Baltes. “Every athlete

that competed at the meet scored for the

team and that is a huge tribute to coach

Cory Young. He prepared them physi-

cally and mentally to be ready to com-

pete at a very high level.”

Coach Young earned his first in-

dividual title as a coach, as junior Lauren

Buresh claimed the top-spot in the shot

put. Buresh notched a throw of

52’10.25”, while teammate Sam Lock-

hart followed in second (51’6.5”). Young

could not be more pleased of his student-

athletes and the success they had at the

meet.

“I am extremely proud of our

athletes as they have worked very hard

the whole year,” said Young. “We have a

2011 Indoor All-Americans*National Champion

Liz MurphyWeight Throw

Sam LockhartWeight Throw • Shot Put

Jamie SmithWeight Throw

Lauren BureshShot Put*

Jocelyn KuksaPole Vault

Kristen HixsonPole Vault

Julia NowakDMR

Kayla VallarDMR

Madie RodtsDMR

Monica KinneyDMR • Mile* • 5,000-meter*

Eileen CreutzMile

Rebecca WinchesterMile

Chanelle Caldwell800-meter

“I am so proud and happy for our student-

athletes and assistant coaches who have

worked so hard over the course of the

year and prior years, they deserve these

championships. ” -Jerry Baltes

Monica Kinney won two individual titles at the 2011 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championships.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

• 9

great group of student-athletes that ded-

icate themselves to training and being

great competitors. I have been at GVSU

for five years now and this was the first

time that every thrower that competed

earned an All-American spot.”

During the shot put competition,

Buresh and Lockhart broke the school

record twice, while Buresh earned the

title on her last throw.

“I told Lauren that she needed to

set the tone for the meet in the first flight

and she came out and threw a personal

record,” Young explained. “Sam contin-

ued the trend in the second flight and

when these two are both throwing ex-

tremely well, it tends to intimidate the

other girls in the field. Lauren ended up

on top, but you have two girls that thrive

on seeing each other do well and I am

very fortunate to have coached the two

best female shot putters in the country.”

Lockhart recorded a total of 13

points at the national meet as she also

competed in the weight throw. She fin-

ished fourth (63’0”), while Liz Murphy

was the top-finisher for the Lakers in

third (63’1.25”) and Jamie Smith eighth

(59’9.75”). In the pole vault, GVSU

claimed 11 points and were lead by jun-

ior Jocelyn Kuksa. Kuksa placed third,

followed by GLIAC Freshman Field

Athlete of the Year, Kristen Hixson in

fourth. Kuksa and Hixson both recorded

a vault of 12’10.75” to earn All-America

honors.

Grand Valley State will now deal

with the high expectations as they will

compete for the program’s third national

title during the outdoor season. Baltes is

happy with the success of the program

this year, but will continue to coach his

team the same way he did before. “I am

so proud and happy for our student-ath-

letes and assistant coaches who have

worked so hard over the course of the

year and prior years, they deserve these

championships,” commented Baltes.

“This team needs to simply keep doing

what we have been doing, work hard

everyday, stay focused and prepare men-

tally and physically to get the job done

when the opportunity presents itself.”

Even though Baltes has guided

the Lakers to their first national champi-

onships this year, success is nothing new

to this program. During Baltes’ 12 year

tenure, the women’s cross country team

has won 10 straight Midwest Regional

and GLIAC titles, while the indoor

women’s team has claimed 12 consecu-

tive GLIAC titles and 11 straight outdoor

GLIAC championships. And the success

doesn’t stop there, as the men’s cross

country team finished third at the na-

tional race in 2010 and has notched nine

straight Midwest Regional and GLIAC

titles. The men’s indoor track and field

team has claimed 11 GLIAC titles in 12-

years, while the outdoor team has

claimed six since 1999.

With the success of the women’s

and men’s program, Baltes does not let

his student-athletes center the attention

on the streaks or the number of titles

won. “We try not focus on the streaks or

the titles, but simply to stay focused on

the process. For us coaches that means

starting with recruiting the right student-

athletes to the program and then helping

them every step of the way in reaching

their fullest potential as a student and a

GVSU athlete,” said Baltes. “If we do a

great job everyday of helping our stu-

dent-athletes move forward, the results

will take care of themselves at the end of

the day and/or season.”

Baltes has been honored for his

achievements with numerous awards, but

credits his success at Grand Valley State

to the university, coaches, alumni and the

work ethic of the student-athletes.

“GVSU is the total package that

attracts great student-athletes along with

the Laker Turf Building and the commit-

ted adminstration that cares for all of our

sports and student-athletes,” Baltes com-

mented. “My coaching staff has the abil-

ity to get talented student-athletes to buy

into our system of working hard and fo-

cusing on simply getting better. We have

had many great alumni over the years

that have helped us progress to this point

and we have been blessed with many

selfless student-athletes who have sacri-

ficed over the years to help build our pro-

gram into what it is today.”

Head coach Jerry Baltes won his secondNational Championship in 2010-11.

• 11

Small classes. Big thinkers. Raise your hand if you prefer personal

attention. At Grand Valley, we keep class sizes small to provide students

with individual instruction from the highly quali�ed faculty who teach

all of our classes. It’s just one of the reasons U.S. News & World Report

has named us one of the “Best in the Midwest” three years in a row.

gvsu.edu/GRAND | (616) 331-2025

On a scale.

The Countdown Begins

for GVSU Lacrosseby Doug Witteexecutive editor

The countdown has begun and

it is officially just under one

year from the first draw for

GVSU women's lacrosse in Allen-

dale, Mich. Grand Valley State Laker

Athletics announced the addition of

women's lacrosse as the school's 20th

varsity sport on Sept. 15, 2009.

GVSU hired head coach Ali-

cia Groveston and assistant Erika

Walker in 2010 with the mission of

fielding a team for the newest varisty

sport. On Aug. 18, 2010, Groveston

announced the first signing class for

the upstart program. The class con-

sisted of 20 student-athletes (19 from

the State of Michigan and one from

Ohio). After annoucing the incoming

class, Groveston said, "We were able

to bring in some outstanding players

and it says a lot about the mental

makeup of our young ladies knowing

that the 2010-2011 year will be dedi-

cated to nothing but practice."

Preparing for the first varsity

lacrosse game ever to

be played on GVSU’s

campus is no simple

task. The team has

spent the entire 2010-

11 academic year prac-

ticing to be ready for

the first season of intercollegiate

competition in the spring of 2012. No

one can question the commitment of

the coaching staff and the girls on the

roster as they grind through a full sea-

son of practice in an effort to be com-

pletely prepared for competition on

the field.

"We're very excited to host

Lindenwood in just under a year,"

Groveston said. "The team has been

practicing very hard all winter and we

can't wait to get on our home field

next spring to compete in front of our

fellow Lakers."

While the Lakers will be

breaking in their uniforms for the first

home game, they will also be break-

ing in a new field. GVSU will be

adding a new multi-pupose facility

next to the current soccer field that

will serve as a home location for both

outdoor track & field and lacrosse.

The Lakers will face Linden-

wood University in the first home

varsity lacrosse game on March 16,

2012.

“The team has been practicing very

hard all winter and we can’t wait to

get on our home field next spring

to compete in front of our fellow

Lakers. ” -Alicia Groveston

2011season page

1 of 1FIRST DRAW LOGO OPTIONS

The lacrosse team isnow less than one yearfrom its inaugural homegame.

To see the countdown,visit gvsulakers.comand click on lacrosse.

• 12

Lakers Hope to Take Advantage

of Their Home Field in Aprilby DJ Foster

staff writer

After opening the 2011 season

with 11 games in Florida in

early March and playing a tour-

nament and a few doubleheaders in Ohio

near the end of the month, the Grand Val-

ley State softball team returns back to

Michigan in April. But the Lakers will be

able to enjoy an extended stay in the

state, as GVSU is not scheduled to play

another game outside of Michigan for the

rest of the year.

Generally, most teams play their

best in front of home fans on the field it

practices on every day and after not deal-

ing with a bus ride and a stay in a hotel

the night before. Grand Valley State is no

different, as the Lakers went 11-1, 11-1,

and 15-3 at home in 2007, 2008, and

2009, respectively. It is true that GVSU

was just 7-7 in home games last season,

but this year’s team looks to be built dif-

ferently and hopes to revert to the trend

of the previous three years.

The GLIAC’s top hitting team

last season with a .317 batting average,

Grand Valley State picked up right where

it left off with an 8-3 start at the NTC

Spring Games in Clermont, Fla. In the

only guaranteed game action in March

due to the normal Michigan weather just

three months into the new year, GVSU

hit .348 in 11 games, hitting 10 homers

and 22 doubles. Playing a quality sched-

ule that featured five games against

teams ranked in the NFCA Preseason

Top-25, the Lakers continued to get bet-

ter as the week went along, winning six

of their last seven contests.

Grand Valley State even outdid

itself the following week, as the Lakers

dominated Olivet in a non-league twin-

bill before winning all four contests at

the Blue Knight Invitational in Urbana,

Ohio. Against Olivet, GVSU scored the

most runs in a doubleheader since Mar.

28, 1999 when that Laker squad pushed

37 runs across the plate in a double-

header at St. Mary’s.

The 2011 team fell four runs shy

of that performance, but Grand Valley

State still scored 33 runs on 34 hits in

wins of 17-5 and 16-2 against the

Comets. GVSU smashed six home runs

in the doubleheader, two apiece from

sophomore slugger Katie Martin and

freshman third baseman Miranda Cleary.

At the Blue Knight Invitational,

the Lakers were able to easily take care

of Notre Dame College (Ohio) by a 10-0

score and also squeak out victories over

Malone (7-5), Urbana (7-5), and Notre

Dame College (Ohio) (6-5) to capture the

tournament title for the second straight

year. Both Martin (pitcher) and Cleary

(third base) were named to the all-tour-

nament team and they were joined by

freshman Tonya Calkins (first base) and

sophomore Nellie Kosola (outfield), who

smashed a two-run walk-off homer in the

7-5 win over Urbana.

Martin was named the tourna-

ment’s most valuable player, which was

already the second early season award

she had received. After a terrific opening

week to the season, she was honored as

the GLIAC Player of the Week, marking

the second straight season she was

named as the league’s top player in the

first week of the year.

Her performances against Olivet

and at the Blue Knight Invitational were

even more impressive than her opening

week’s statistics. Martin hit an astonish-

ing .636 with five homers and 16 RBI,

pushing her season totals after just 17

contests to video-game like numbers: a

.579 batting average, 24 runs, 33 hits,

seven doubles, 11 homers, and 34 RBI,

all of which lead the entire GLIAC. Her

slugging percentage of 1.316 means she

is averaging a single every time she

comes up to the plate.

For Martin to pick up those 34

runs batted in (the next highest total in

the league is 15), somebody

has to be scoring those runs.

That task falls on Kosola and

sophomore second baseman

Kayleigh Bertram, the two

players batting in front of Martin at the

beginning of the season. Both players

have scored 20 runs apiece, while soph-

omore left fielder Jackie Teutsch isn’t far

behind with 14 runs scored.

In the early part of the year,

GVSU has been far more than just Mar-

tin. Teutsch (.438 batting average), soph-

omore Emily Jones (.429), and Bertram

(.404) have all started at least 15 games

and sit above the very impressive .400

mark. Jones hit the ball very well down

in Florida and has tallied three homers

and 14 RBI, both of which are better per-

sonal figures than last season. Cleary hit

a homer in four straight games from Mar.

17-19 and is second on the squad with 15

runs batted in. Couple those with

Bertram’s two blasts and the Lakers have

four strong home run threats.

Jones, Kosola, and Martin all

have totaled at least one double, triple,

and homer this season, as Kosola’s three

triples are the most in the GLIAC. Add

in junior infielder/outfielder Maggie

Kerrigan (.324 average), junior catcher

Carli Raisutis (one error in 64 chances,

three runners caught stealing), freshman

Tonya Calkins (16 starts at first base,

eight RBI) and newcomers Briauna (.462

in six games) and Brittany Taylor (four

runs in six contests) and this team has the

making of potentially a very good team.

Usually offenses tend to struggle

at some point during the season and that

is when head coach Doug Woods will

turn to his pitching staff to win games.

Martin (4-1, 1.77 ERA), sophomore

Hannah Santora (5-1, 2.33 ERA, 34

strikeouts), and junior Andrea Nicholson

(5-1, 2.36 ERA, nearly 4-to-1 strikeout-

to-walk ratio) look very capable of keep-

ing opponents off of the scoreboard.

Grand Valley State is scheduled

to play 13 league doubleheaders in April,

with eight of those being played in Al-

lendale. That includes a stretch of six

straight twinbills from April 9-20 against

Lake Superior State (twice), Tiffin,

Wayne State, Findlay, and Hillsdale.

The Lakers’ original 2011 home

opener against Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) on

Mar. 22 was cancelled due to inclement

weather, leaving GVSU’s new home

opener to be a four-game set against

Northwood in consecutive twinbills on

April 2nd and 3rd.

Katie Martin is one of four GVSU players to start morethan 15 games with a batting average over .400

Offensively Outstanding

As of Mar. 21, Grand Valley State

was far and away the top hitting team

in the GLIAC, as the Lakers began the

year with a 14-3 record. Here is a look

at some of their impressive stats:

• League-best .373 batting average

(next highest is Findlay at .318)

• GLIAC-high 131 runs (Findlay is

second, again, with 92 runs scored)

• 23 home runs (more than twice as

many as second-place Saginaw Valley

State’s 10 roundtrippers)

• Conference-high 185 base hits

• Sophomore Katie Martin leads the

league in batting average, hits, runs,

RBI, doubles, homers, total bases,

on-base percentage, and slugging

percentage

• Martin’s 11 home runs are the most

in the conference, while Lake Erie’s

Brittany Sostre is second with five.

GVSU freshman Miranda Cleary is

third on the list with four homers

• Four games of 10 or more runs in

season’s opening two weeks (only

seven games of 10+ runs last season)

• 33 runs scored in doubleheader at

Olivet on Mar. 17 are the most runs

GVSU has scored in a doubleheader

since March 28, 1999

• To show that the team is more than

just offense, the Laker pitching staff

has tossed four shutouts and ranks

fourth in the league with a 2.40 ERA

GVSU leads the conference in

batting average, runs scored,

base hits, and home runs.

Great criminal justice pro-gram and a great footballprogram.

• 13

PLAYER PROFILESWhy did you choose

to become a Laker?

Do you prefer spring

or fall?

Who is your favorite

pro from a different

sport?

Do you have any

pregame rituals?KAYLEIGH

BERTRAMB R A D

HOWARDyear

SOPHOMOREmajor

HEALTH PROFESSIONS

hometown

LOCKPORT, ILsport

SOFTBALL

year

J U N I O Rmajor

CRIMINAL JUSTICEhometown

SOUTH BEND, INsport

F O O T B A L L

FAVORITE...

Food

Movie

Song

Sports Team

I loved the campus and thecoaching staff. I also loved

how being a student came be-fore being an athlete.

Where do you see

yourself in 5 years?

Spring, that’s when softball starts

Joe Crede, MLB

I do one-hop drills with a team-mate to make sure I stay on the

ball when I’m fielding.

In graduate school. I plan ongoing into physical therapy.

Fall, because it is footballseason.

Paul Pierce, NBA

I go out an hour and a halfbefore the game to get a feelfor the field and stretch.

I see myself down southusing my degree to work incorrections.

Steak and salad

The Replacements

The Remedyby Jason Mraz

Chicago White Sox

Chicken

Friday

Solo Duoby Kid Cudi

GVSU Lakers

• 15

I want to come out better than lastyear, with a better approach.

I feel bad for my good friend CamBradfield, who is trying to get

signed by a team.

A team that’s hungry to winanother national championship.

The team looking goodand ready to play some

football in the fall.

Should be the time we’regetting better on the fieldand getting ready for the

Spring Game

Finish the sentence

April ...

Describe an April Fool’s

joke that has been

played on you

Thoughts on the NFL

lockout?

Who is your favorite

MLB team?

What do you want to see

at the Spring Football

Game on Apr. 16?

Jovonne Augustus

Football/BasketballGrand Rapids, Mich.

APRIL

Detroit Tigers

Travis Shooks

Men’s GolfGrand Rapids, Mich.

It’s a mess. I think the

season will be lost unless it

goes to court.

ChicagoWhite Sox

Is a great month to

play golf and get

outside.

Yankees

Dan Glynn

Equipment Manager - FBGrand Rapids, Mich.

Sue Conner

Game and Event OperationsLivonia, Mich.

My uncle put saran wrap overthe toilet so when I went to the

bathroom,I had little bit of a mess.

A buddy put plastic wrap on the toiletseat. I didn’t notice and you can figure

out what happened next.

When the school paper hada fake story about someonein school having a perfect

bracket.

The Phillies

Nothing that hasworked!

Sunshine andcompetitive

football

It’s a bunch of people who makea lot of money, arguing about

making more money.

It stinks because I am aboutto graduate and would liketo work for an NFL team.

‘Bout time you gothere, time forspring ball.

will bring more wins

and good weather

to the lakers

• 16

SANDRA’S SNAPSHOT

“Cold Warmth”Sandra Jennings is an Administrative Assistant in the athletic department.

APRIL CALENDAR

sOFTBall vs. WaYNe sTaTe

Double Header at 1:00/3:00 pm

at the GVSU Softball Field

APRIL

16

APRIL

22

APRIL

20

APRIL

9

BaseBall vs. FINDlaY

Double Header at 1:00/4:00 pm

at the GVSU Baseball Field

FOOTBall sPRING GaMe

The football team will scrimmage

at noon at Lubbers Stadium.

sOFTBall vs. HIllsDale

Double Header at 3:30/5:30 pm

at the GVSU Softball Field

TeNNIs vs. COe

The men’s and women’s tennis

teams will host Coe at the GVSU

Tennis Courts.

APRIL

22

Composite Home schedule

Date sport/Opponent Time

4/2 Softball vs. Northwood 1 pm

4/2 Softball vs. Northwood 3 pm

4/3 Softball vs. Northwood 12 pm

4/3 Softball vs. Northwood 2 pm

4/5 Baseball vs. Hillsdale 2 pm

4/5 Baseball vs. Hillsdale 5 pm

4/9 Baseball vs. SVSU 1 pm

4/9 Baseball vs. SVSU 4 pm

4/9 Softball vs. LSSU 2 pm

4/9 Softball vs. LSSU 4 pm

4/10 Baseball vs. SVSU 12 pm

4/10 Baseball vs. SVSU 3 pm

4/10 Softball vs. LSSU 12 pm

4/10 Softball vs. LSSU 2 pm

4/15 Softball vs. Tiffin 3:30 pm

4/15 Softball vs. Tiffin 5:30 pm

4/16 Football Spring Game 12 pm

4/16 Softball vs. Wayne State 1 pm

4/16 Softball vs. Wayne State 3 pm

4/17 Softball vs. Findlay 12 pm

4/17 Softball vs. Findlay 2 pm

4/20 Softball vs. Hillsdale 3:30 pm

4/20 Softball vs. Hillsdale 5:30 pm

4/22 Baseball vs. Findlay 1 pm

4/22 Baseball vs. Findlay 4 pm

4/22 Men’s Tennis vs. Coe TBA

4/22 Women’s Tennis vs. Coe TBA

4/23 Baseball vs. Findlay 12 pm

4/23 Baseball vs. Findlay 3 pm

For tickets call(616) 331-3200

BaseBall vs. sVsU

Double Header at 1:00/4:00 pm

at the GVSU Baseball Field

TV: Comcast 900/901Watch Online: Watch Online:

TV: Comcast 900/901Watch Online:

SEASON TICKETS GO ON SALE MAY 2

2011 GVSU

LAKERFOOTBALL