Four GVSU student-athletes earn Fall GLIAC Commissioner’s Award

The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference revealed the recipients of the Fall 2016 GLIAC Commissioner’s Awards with Grand Valley State athletes taking home four of the possible 12 spots.

Two GVSU cross country athletes, Chris May and Kendra Foley, and two women’s soccer players, Clare Carlson and Gabriella Mencotti, were all selected for their performance on the field and in the classroom. May and Carlson are two-time recipients of the award, while Foley and Mencotti won the award for the first time in their collegiate careers.

May finished his senior season earning a USTFCCCA All-American honor with a 10th place finish at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. He finished inside of the top 10 in every event he competed in during the 2016 season. May held a 3.70 GPA in biomedical science.

Alongside May on the women’s side, Foley completed her senior season with her second individual national title in 2016. She helped GVSU capture its fifth team national championship and was named the 2016 GLIAC Athlete of the Year. She is also a nominee for the Honda DII Women’s Athlete of the Year. Foley held a 3.50 GPA in communications.

As part of a senior class that reached four consecutive national championships and won three, Carlson won her second Commissioners Award in her career. She was a two-time GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. She was also an NSCAA Scholar All-American and CoSIDA Academic All-American the past two seasons. Carlson held a 3.94 GPA while majoring in biomedical sciences.

In her junior campaign, Mencotti led the nation in scoring with 29 goals and 71 points. Her performance in the classroom as an accounting major earned her a multitude of awards. She was named the D2CCA Player of the Year, a CoSIDA Academic All-American, an NSCAA Scholar All-American and the NSCAA Scholar Player of the Year.

Former defensive end Alton Voss featured in SI.com story

In a story about possible 2017 NFL draft prospects on SI.com, former Grand Valley State football player Alton Voss was one of four athletes featured in a section called “The Longshots.” The section featured athletes who took unique paths to become NFL draft prospects.

After starting his collegiate career as a quarterback at Southern Florida, Voss picked the game back up after spending a two-year stint in rehabilitation for drug addiction. GVSU gave Voss a second chance at collegiate football, and he made the most of the opportunity.

In his four years in a Lakers uniform, Voss appeared in the NCAA DII Playoffs three times, including two trips to the semifinals. Voss was an integral piece of the defensive line of the 2016 team that won the GLIAC. He recorded 67 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in his senior season while receiving All-GLIAC honors.

Voss will likely be a late draft pick or a free agent that is invited to earn a roster spot at training camp for teams willing to give him a tryout. In the meantime, Voss works as a public speaker.