GV football left shocked after blowout loss against Ferris State
The Grand Valley State University football team hosted their biggest rival, Ferris State University, in a packed Lubbers Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 26. Despite the Lakers’ confidence going into the game, Ferris controlled all four quarters. GVSU fell to the Bulldogs 34-7, giving the Lakers their first loss of the season.
From the very beginning, many fans could feel the energy in the air– there was something off about this game. Students waited in line for hours just to get inside, the cheerleaders showed up late and even the players themselves had a delayed arrival.
This game being against Ferris only added to the chaotic atmosphere. If there was any question as to whether these schools truly despise each other, look no further than GVSU players gesturing that the Bulldogs stunk while running out of the tunnel. While funny in the moment, this overconfidence came to bite the Lakers later on.
Read more of Griffin Missant’s coverage on GVSU’s shocking defeat against Ferris State here.
GV cross country earns over 25 personal records at Joe Piane Notre Dame Invite
The Grand Valley State University’s men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational, which saw over 25 Lakers earn their personal bests.
Oct 4. marked the first time GVSU’s cross country teams have attended Notre Dame’s invitational in over a decade. The teams ran in four of the six races– the Women’s Blue 5k, the Men’s Blue 8k, the Women’s Open 5k and the Men’s Open
8k. The teams saw success in all four of these races. Of the nine total Lakers who ran in the Women’s Blue 5k, each of them finished with a personal record, with senior Abby Olson placing first for the women’s team. Olson finished with a time of 16:59.2, landing in forty-ninth place of 191 racers.
The Lakers saw similar success in the Men’s Blue 8k. The top five racers for GVSU all earned personal bests. Leading the pack was senior Caleb Futter who placed sevente
enth out of 166 runners. He finished the race with 22:58.6 as his new record.
Read more of Ethan Outman’s coverage of GVSU cross country’s success at the Notre Dame Invite here.
GV men’s DI hockey club sweeps Western Michigan in home, away games
The No. 21 ranked Grand Valley State University Division I men’s hockey club faced off against the Western Michigan University Stallions on Friday, Nov. 22 and Saturday, Nov. 23. The first game of the competition was away, in Stallion territory, and the second was at home.
Going into the doubleheader, the Lakers were fourth in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Great Lakes Six Conference, with an 8-4 record. However, the Lakers were on a two-game losing streak to local rivals Calvin (1-4) and Davenport (1-7). Undergoing the tough losses, the team also had five injuries within the two games– one being junior captain Carson Wood. With multiple injuries and half the season gone, the Lakers were luckily granted a bye week, due to facility issues at Ohio University. The time off gave the Lakers the ability to heal their injuries and regroup after their losses.
Coming off the losing streak and the bye week, third-year head coach Matthew Sekosan expressed that team members have been having conversations regarding positioning and strengths.
“We are on this teetering point of either going toward our successful route or going in the route no team wants to go,” said Sekosan. “The games where we’ve been the most successful (are) when we’re the loosest and having the most fun as a group.”
Read more on Tori Byrne’s coverage of GVSU’s men’s DI club hockey team here.
GV volleyball triumphs over Saginaw Valley, Lake Superior State in three set sweeps
Grand Valley State University’s volleyball team swept Lake Superior State University and Saginaw Valley State University 3-0 in both of their games this weekend.
On Friday, Sept. 27, the GVSU Lakers dominated against LSSU with a 3-0 sweep. They won their sets with scores of 25-19, 25-18 and 25-22. This win for the Lakers counted as their thirty-fifth consecutive victory over LSSU, with the record dating back to 2002.
With GVSU’s current dominant record and ranking, teams such as LSSU can easily be brushed off by the Lakers. However, the team’s head coach Jason Johnson feels that regardless of the opponent’s record, playing away games is essential to being a skilled team.
“No matter what the record of a team might be, travel is a great equalizer,” Johnson said. “You must go and play in someone else’s gym, and manage what their strengths are. We still have a lot to work on and get better at, so every match we play is another opportunity to do that.”
Read more of Arianna Westbrook’s coverage on the two sweeps by GVSU women’s volleyball here.
GV women’s wrestling debuts at home against Northern Michigan
In front of a packed crowd at the Fieldhouse Arena, the Grand Valley State University women’s wrestling team debuted their inaugural dual against Northern Michigan University, dominating their way to a win, 42-6.
Kicking things off for the Lakers was 160-pound junior Clarissa Agostini. She quickly scored her first points with a takedown over Sophia Bassino from NMU. Agostini maintained her early lead into the second period, where she scored four points from a takedown that resulted in her opponent being controlled on their back. Another quick takedown put Agostini up by 10 points, giving her the win by technical fall, 14-4.
Following GVSU scoring their first official points, 180-pound freshman Sabrina Nauss used her overpowering strength to quickly pin her opponent in only one minute and 40 seconds.
Off to a good start, 207-pound freshman Aaliyah Grandberry took the mat next for the Lakers. A strong first period put Grandberry up 7-0, but a quick pin by her opponent gave the Wildcats their only points of the duel. 103-pound junior Rayana Sahagun received an easy, automatic win for GVSU, as Northern Michigan then forfeited the match.
Read more of Brady Kemmerling’s coverage on the first home match for the new women’s wrestling program here.
