Carter named D2Football.com Offensive Player of the Year, two other Lakers honored

Martayveus Carter, the running back on the Grand Valley State football team, was named the D2Football.com Offensive Player of the Year. Carter also earned a spot as a First-Team All-American. Teammate senior defensive end Sydney Omameh earned a Second-Team All-American plaudit, and senior center Aaron Cox earned an honorable mention plaudit.

In his sophomore season, Carter was a finalist for the 2016 Harlon Hill Award, which is awarded to the top player at the Division II level. Carter rushed for a GVSU single-season record 1,908 yards and 20 touchdowns. He led all of Division II in rushing and ranked fourth among all NCAA football divisions. His 7.5 yards per carry also topped Division II, earning him a pick as consensus All-American. He also broke the GVSU record for most 100-yard rushing games with 10 and 200-yard rushing games with four. Carter ranks eighth in GVSU history with 2,797 career rushing yards, only 833 yards behind all-time leader James Berezik.

A key piece to Carter’s success was Cox on the offensive line. He helped an offense that averaged 485.5 yards per game, 220.5 rushing and 265.1 passing yards. Cox started every game for the Lakers’ offense that averaged 40.3 points per game.

A finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award for top defensive player in Division II, Omameh recorded 45 tackles, 13.5 for loss and 10.5 sacks during his senior season. Omameh was a staple in a GVSU defense that ranked among GLIAC and national leaders in almost every category.

As a team, GVSU ranked fifth in the final D2Football.com poll. The Lakers went undefeated in the regular season before losing in the Elite Eight to Ferris State.

GVSU softball ranked sixth in preseason poll

In the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Preseason Top-25 Poll, the Grand Valley State softball team ranks sixth before the 2017 season. The Lakers appeared in the program’s third all-time trip to the College World Series last season. GVSU finished 43-13 last season and won the Midwest Region. Head coach Dana Callihan is returning eight starters along with 6 other letter-winners.

All eight teams that advanced to the College World Series last season are ranked among the top-eight teams in the preseason. Defending champion North Alabama received all 16 first-place votes. Following North Alabama is Humboldt State, Armstrong State, West Texas A&M and Southern Arkansas to round out the top five. The closest GLIAC team to the Lakers is Wayne State at No. 10.

104 Lakers earn GLIAC All-Academic Honors

During the 2016 fall sports season, Grand Valley State student-athletes combined for 104 GLIAC All-American and All-Excellence honors. To be eligible, student-athletes needed to be an active member of the roster, not a freshman or first-year transfer and meet the minimum GPA requirements.

The All-Academic Team features student-athletes who carry a cumulative GPA between 3.0 and 3.49 through the 2016 fall semester. Student-athletes with a cumulative GPA above 3.5 are eligible for the All-Academic Excellence Team.

The men’s and women’s cross country teams combined for 37 student-athletes who received awards. The football team had 31 recipients, and 17 from the women’s soccer team. The women’s tennis team added nine recipients, and the women’s volleyball team added 10 more.