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Transcript of GVSports Monthly Magazine
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
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