GVSU soccer drops final regular-season game

It’s been a long journey for the No. 3 Grand Valley State soccer team this season.

After dropping their first two games of the season, the Lakers rebounded around their youthful roster to win 15 straight contests, 13 of those wins being shutouts. 

However, the Lakers (15-3, 9-0 GLIAC) dropped their final regular-season contest against Ferris State (11-7, 6-3 GLIAC) by a score of 1-0 Friday, Oct. 27, thus ending their streak of victories.

Earlier in the season, the Lakers defeated the Bulldogs 1-0 in Allendale Sunday, Oct. 1. This time on the road, the Lakers were unable to find themselves on the scoreboard against a stingy FSU defense.

The Lakers posted 26 shots, doubling the 13 total shots FSU took. The biggest issue for the Lakers has been their inability to capitalize on their offensive opportunities, which has been a major point of emphasis in practice throughout the entire season.

Luckily for the Lakers, the game was counted as non-conference to keep their undefeated GLIAC record alive. With the perfect GLIAC record, the Lakers earned the top seed in the GLIAC Tournament, which opens up against No. 8-seed Michigan Technological University in Allendale Tuesday, Oct. 31. The game will be available live on ESPN3.

GVSU men’s swimmer earns GLIAC weekly nod

After a successful weekend against Calvin College and Hillsdale College Friday, Oct. 20, and Lewis University Saturday, Oct. 21, Grand Valley State men’s swimming and diving sophomore Ahmed Nabih was rewarded for his skills in the pool with the GLIAC Male Athlete of the Week honors.

During the weekend, Nabih finished first in the 200-meter individual medley (all four strokes) with a time of 1:53.77 and first in the 200-meter breaststroke with a time of 2:02.91 during the Lakers’ 189-53 victory over Lewis. His time in the breaststroke is currently second overall in all of NCAA Division II so far this season, while his 200-meter individual medley time is ranked 10th.

Against Calvin, Nabih continued his dominance in the pool, finishing first in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:44.69 and first again in the 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 56.75. 

Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will next face off against Northern Michigan University at the GVSU Fieldhouse pool Saturday, Nov. 4, at 1 p.m.

GVSU women’s tennis players earn GLIAC honors

It’s already been a strong season for the Grand Valley State women’s tennis team, which is finishing the fall season with an undefeated 9-0 record and its second GLIAC Tournament title in the program’s history.

Those accolades haven’t stopped there, as the 2017 GLIAC Women’s Tennis Awards honored five Laker student athletes and awarded GVSU head coach John Black with the GLIAC Coach of the Year award. 

Junior Madison Ballard was selected to the All-GLIAC First Team after posting a 5-4 record in the No. 1 singles position. 

Receiving nods on the All-GLIAC Second Team were seniors Aimee Moccia, Alexa Sweeney and Abby Perkins. Junior Livia Christman was named to the All-GLIAC honorable mention. 

In his 16th season as the Lakers’ head coach, this is Black’s third time being named GLIAC Coach of the Year, after leading the Lakers to a 10-0 record and the program’s third GLIAC regular-season title since 2010.