Sept. 17, 2002

Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley opens up their racing season with a home meet hosted at Rolling Hills Golf Course in Hudsonville on Friday (Sept. 20) at 6:00 pm. The Laker women begin the 2002 season ranked #4 in the nation while the men are #14 in NCAA DII. In the Great Lakes regional rankings, the GVSU women top the list while the men rank #4. GVSU will host the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on the same course on November, 9.

The Laker women finished fifth in the country last year while the men placed third at the NCAA Regional meet. Both teams look to open the 2002 season on a positive note.

"This is an opportunity to get a good feel for the NCAA Regional course. In addition, we well be able to get a gauge on where our fitness stands," head coach Jerry Baltes said.

The women will be led by 2001 All-Americans Natalie Ewing and Shannon Antvelink, who finished 22nd and 23rd respectively, at NCAA Nationals a year ago. The Lakers will also look for Mandi Long, Krista O'Dell, Jeannette Seckinger, and Kara Egan to push up to the front. The chase pack should include Steph Sliwinski, Leanne Budde, Julie Martin, and Rebecca Winters.

The men have a number of athletes expected to contribute including fifth year seniors, Ben Watson, Dave Ross, Dave Vandermeer, and Kevin Blacquiere. A number of Laker runners have been battling sickness and injuries, but should have plenty of time to get on track.

Overall, Baltes is very excited about what the future holds for the 2002 Lakers.

"The women are well ahead of where they were last year," stated Baltes. "And once the men get healthy we feel like we have a great group of guys who can compete with the top teams in the country. Right now we are really focusing on what is important which is conference, regional, and national competition."

2002 DII National Rankings

2002 DII Regional Rankings