Soccer season closes with loss to Grand Valley
The Bulldogs’ season was brought to an end by the hands of rival Grand Valley State, as they dropped the first game of the GLIAC Tournament to the Lakers, 4-0.
Despite the disappointing loss, the Bulldogs can revel in the fact that this year marked the fifth consecutive year that they qualified for the tournament, which is the longest stretch in school history. While seniors Leanne Boehm, Taylor DiCiccio, Riley Wood and Stephanie Garland have played their final games for Ferris State, they can take pride in the fact that they helped to establish this streak.
Now the Bulldogs will face a long offseason before they will next see game action. However, if the Dawgs can carry the momentum that they built through a winning streak towards the end of the season into their offseason workouts, it may translate to continued success.
Bulldogs have success off the field
While the Bulldogs have found ample success on the football field and volleyball court, they are also shining in the classroom.
Several students have shown precisely why the word student precedes athlete in the phrase student-athlete.
Junior quarterback Jason Vander Laan, junior guard Cody Dingeldey and junior defensive end Justin Zimmer have all qualified for a spot on the academic all-district team. Also appearing on the list in a different sport is junior libero Danielle Dowd of the volleyball team.
In order to be granted the academic all-district accolade, one must both excel in their sport of choice, and maintain a 3.30 GPA while also being nominated by the sports information director. While these athletes are performing well in their sport, they’re also getting it done in the classroom and representing their university well.
Dawgs run in the GLIAC championships
This past week, the Ferris State cross country teams represented the university in the GLIAC Championships Meet which was held in Tiffin, Ohio. The Bulldogs finished in the middle of the pack, as the men took home seventh place while the women claimed eighth. The runners of Grand Valley State ended the day on top as both their men and women’s squad took home first place.
Senior Andrew Harper led the pack of Dawgs, and was awarded second team all-GLIAC honors for his finish within the top 20 participants.
Now both the men and women’s teams are looking ahead to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championships that will take place on Nov. 22 in Evansville, Indiana. If the Bulldogs can finish in the top four slots, they will then advance to the national championships on Dec. 6 in Louisville Kentucky.
Basketball dominates Calvin at home
After a close loss on the road to Division I opponent Oakland University, the men’s basketball team claimed an exhibition victory at home against in-state competitor Calvin College, 92-58.
Ferris State caught fire early, as they raced to a 56-19 lead at halftime, shooting for 59.5% from the floor in the initial stanza. Taking advantage of the big lead, 15 different Bulldogs saw minutes on the floor as they cruised to a decisive victory.
The Dawgs will hope to carry this momentum into the regular season, which will tip-off on Nov. 15 in Quincy, Illinois within the walls of the Pepsi Arena. This first action will be the start of the Microtel GLVC/GLIAC Challenge, in which the Bulldogs will square off against the hosting Quincy Hawks, followed by another game the next day against Missouri-St. Louis.