Oct. 24, 2003

Grand Valley State's men's and women's cross country teams will be competing at the GLIAC Championships on Saturday, Oct. 25 in Big Rapids, Mich. The Laker women are currently ranked #3 in the nation and #1 in the Great Lakes Region. The men are ranked #12 in the nation and #3 in the Great Lakes Region.

On the men's side, Mark Terpstra and Jeff Vyain have led the Lakers all season long and will look to them for leadership tomorrow.

"This will be a great team battle between Wayne State, Hillsdale, and our men," said head coach Jerry Baltes. "We feel if we come and compete to our potential, we will have a shot at defending our title from last year."

"However, for this to happen, we will have to have some of our sophomores really step up their racing," added Baltes.

On the women's side, Natalie Ewing and Krista O'Dell have been dominating for the Lakers.

"The women will see their competition from Northern Michigan, who is #4 in the nation," said Baltes. "We feel if we can get out and compete, we will also have a very good chance at defending their GLIAC title from last year."