Although the sports world has been put on hold, the pride of Ferris athletes and fans has not stopped.
The 2019-20 Ferris athletics teams had some of their best moments yet and made history in the seasons played. For starters, the Ferris football team made another impressive run into the postseason. The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 12-1 overall record as they fought through the playoffs and made it to the national semifinals. It was the second consecutive conference championship and the longest streak in the country, with the fourth straight trip for the Bulldogs to advance past the national quarterfinals.
This year, the Bulldogs hosted the semifinal game at Top Taggart Field — the most recent game ever played on that gridiron. This season saw many standout players honored, such as senior defensive end Austin Edwards who competed in the East-West Shrine Bowl this past January. Not only did Edwards play in the All-Star Weekend, he also became the first ever recipient for the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year award and was the first defensive player since 2005 to win the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Player of the Year Award.
While football shined brightly in the fall, it didn’t overshadow the success of the Ferris women’s volleyball team. Bulldogs volleyball collected 25 wins on their season as they battled all the way to the NCAA regional quarterfinals game. This year marked the sixth consecutive GLIAC regular season and tournament championships.
Ferris also honored senior runner Katie Etelamaki as she earned cross-country All-American honors for the second straight year and was selected to take part in the NCAA Cross Country National Championship.
As fall sports reached postseason action, the Ferris men’s and women’s basketball teams were getting ready to kick off their seasons. The men’s basketball team got off to a hot start with 11 wins as they swept the floor at the Division II Tip-Off Classic.
The women’s basketball team also had an impressive season, fighting from the first game all the way into a Division II Midwest Regional Tournament berth. This was the first time in Ferris’s history that both men’s and women’s basketball teams advanced into the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Women’s basketball were announced as the fifth seed and the men held the seventh seed; however, both teams saw their seasons end early before they could tip off the tournament action.
The success the Bulldogs earned this year extended from their teams to the Bulldog family nationwide. It helped spark a unique run for championships for this year in Ferris sports. Seasons
come and go, especially with the unfortunate end to this year’s sports, leaving Bulldog Nation with memories to last a lifetime and a hunger to get ready and go back to work next season.