GVSU soccer earns No. 1 seed in 2017 NCAA Tournament

After an incredibly successful season and adding their 11th-straight GLIAC Tournament Championship under their belt, the Grand Valley State women’s soccer team can add one more notch to that belt as they enter the postseason.

On Monday, Nov. 6, the Lakers (18-3-0, 9-0-0 GLIAC) were selected as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The top seed gives the team a first-round bye and the ability to host the first two matches of the tournament. This season marks the 15th consecutive year the Lakers have reached the NCAA Tournament and the 12th-straight season they’ve had home-field advantage for the first tournament match.

With the bye, the Lakers forgo a contest Friday, Nov. 10, and will face the winner of the No. 4 McKendree University and No. 5 Ohio Dominican University matchup Sunday, Nov. 12, at 1 p.m. at the GVSU soccer field. The game will be the final home game of the season for the Lakers.

GVSU club sailing hosts 2017 Emma Biagioni Regatta

The Grand Valley State club sailing team co-hosted the first Emma Biagioni Regatta with Hope College Saturday, Nov. 4, and Sunday, Nov. 5, at Macatawa Bay Junior Association in Holland, Michigan.

GVSU competed against eight other schools on boats called 420s, including Hope College, Ohio State, Western Michigan University, Marquette University, University of Chicago, Michigan State, University of Toledo and University of Michigan.

The Lakers had two separate teams competing in the regatta. GVSU Team One placed first overall during the weekend with a score total of 21. Leading the way was senior Elliot Lee and junior Antoinette Martin, who placed second in the “A” Division with a score of 15, while freshman Liam Walz and senior Nick Smart placed first in the “B” Division with a score of 6 to round out the team’s first-place finish.

The club’s other team, GVSU Team Two, also experienced success, placing in third overall during the regatta. The boat of sophomore Joseph Kurta and junior Jared Smith placed seventh in the “A” Division, while junior Nichole Kievit and sophomore Ryan Higgins placed second in the “B” Division, earning a team total of 40.

The second-place team was the University of Toledo, which sat 14 points behind GVSU Team One.

The sailing team will head over to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, to compete in the 2017 Fall Championships Saturday, Nov. 11, and Sunday, Nov. 12. 

GVSU basketball radio show to return

With the fall sports seasons fading to an end, in come the Grand Valley State men’s and women’s basketball programs as their regular season debuts commence Friday, Nov. 10. 

The programs aren’t the only thing returning to action, as the GVSU Basketball Radio Show will return to 96.1 FM, which started up again Monday, Nov. 6, live from Jet’s Pizza in Allendale. 

The hour-long GVSU Basketball Insider with men’s basketball coach Ric Wesley will air from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. before the GVSU Women’s Basketball Weekly Report with Mike William, which will be taped live from 7 p.m. through 7:30 p.m. The show will be aired the next morning at 9 a.m. on 1230 AM.

Hosted by newly hired GVSU Director of Athletic Communication and Broadcasting Jake Levy and ESPN Radio’s Jeremy Bolker, the show will break down previous games, highlight key student-athlete performances and give insight into upcoming matchups.