Permanent link for Athlete Spotlight: Bri Wisti on April 19, 2021

Bri Wisti is a senior at Grand Valley studying Clinical Exercise Science.  Bri is from Cleveland, Tennessee, and is aspiring to be a Physician Assistant. After college, Bri will be studying for a Masters of Physician Assistant Studies program at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.  As a Physician Assistant, she will use a biopsychosocial model of medicine to promote exercise as a means of healing and bridge the gap in healthcare for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  She is also a part of the Strength Club where she is the President and competes in powerlifting. Teammate and Vice President Molly Burch said that "Bri Wisti has had a tremendous influence on the Strength Club team here at GV. She is someone who leads by example in all aspects of her life. Bri is one of the most selfless people I have ever met. She puts everyone else's needs before her own and is always trying to help others succeed. Her heart and compassion for people is so evident in everything she does. Bri has had such a huge impact on this team and will be so deeply missed next year." 

How did you become a part of the Strength Club at GVSU?

"I first learned about the Strength Club at Campus Life Night my freshman year, but I didn't actually end up joining until my Sophomore year when one of my friends and I decided to join together.  After about a year and a half in the club, I decided to run for a leadership position and I was elected President about a year ago."

What do you enjoy most about the GVSU Strength Club?

"The thing that I enjoy most about the Strength Club is the relationships that I have built with the other members of my team.  We are a group of individuals who share very similar goals both lifting and in life, and it's nice to have people around that can help you whether it be programming or technique or nutrition and just life in general."

What is your favorite part about competing?

"I have a couple of favorite parts about competing.  The first is just being about to represent Grand Valley and my school which has obviously been very difficult with COVID since we're not allowed to have in-person competitions. But another thing that I love about competing is just the community.  I'm a powerlifter and the powerlifting community is incredible.  Everyone, although it's an individual sport everyone just wants everybody else to succeed.  We know the work that everyone has put in to get to that level and so everybody's cheering everybody on and kind of helping each other out and so really that sense of community and the powerlifting community is awesome."

Categories: Athlete Feature Coed Sports Strength
Posted on Permanent link for Athlete Spotlight: Bri Wisti on April 19, 2021.

Permanent link for Athlete Spotlight: Emily Dascenzo on March 19, 2021

Emily Dascenzo is a sixth year here at GVSU studying health and physical education.  Teammates call Emily by her nickname, Scoobs. Emily is from Howell, Michigan, and is very well respected by her teammates.  Teammates say "Emily will be the first one to correct you in a positive way and it really increases the team's skill level and we work better on the field with her".  Scoobs leads her team with enthusiasm on and off the field! 

How did you become a part of the GVSU Women's Rugby Team?

I became a part of the women's rugby team here at Grand Valley because at the time I wasn't doing anything on campus, but I had a friend who was a part of the team and she was always with the rugby team.  So I needed to know what that was about. So I went to one practice and I did not stop."

What is the best part about competing?

"The best part about competing at least with rugby is that while you're on the field you're tackling each other and you're hitting each other as hard as possible but as soon as that last whistle blows you're walking up to everyone saying like "Yo nice hit or can't wait to see you after the game" and you meet up and you have pizza and it's a lot of fun.  So that's kind of the fun part about competing at least with rugby.  But I also just really like to be competitive and trying my best."

Do you have a pre-competition routine?

Personally, before a game, my pregame routine is bumpin' "Broadway" in my car and I sing as loud as I can and I scream it out, and then once we get there, we warm up, and then we have a cheer called kemosabe.  And that's my favorite part is kemosabe."

What will you miss most about being on the GVSU Women's Rugby Team?

"I've been on the team for about five years and seeing the talent that comes and goes which is crazy because most of the people who join the team don't even know how to play rugby and then by the end of their four years, they're able to play a full game of rugby.  I think that's going to be what I'm going to miss the most is just seeing people coming in and out and learning the game as they go."

Categories: Athlete Feature Women's Rugby Women's Sports
Posted on Permanent link for Athlete Spotlight: Emily Dascenzo on March 19, 2021.

Permanent link for Athlete Spotlight: Dominic Stankiewicz on March 5, 2021

Dominic Stankiewicz is a junior here at GVSU from Dearborn Heights, Michigan.  Dominic is studying film and photography and plays for the Club Roller Hockey team as a goalie.  He is also a part of another club, the Club Ice Hockey team.  

What do you enjoy most about the Roller Hockey Club?

"I enjoy the tight-knit community that we have for being such a small team."

What is the best part about competing?

"The best part about playing is the competition that we play. We play a ton of big-name schools such as Michigan State, Ohio State, Michigan Tech.  They're all pretty good teams so beating them and moving on to national championships is probably the best part about competing in our league and club."

Do you have a pre-competition routine?

"Usually before a competition or a game I'm eating pasta.  It's always the pregame meal and then once I get to the rink, we're usually working out as a team stretching, doing hand warm-ups. Just to stay warm before the game."

What is your proudest moment in being a part of the Roller Hockey team?

"The proudest moment of my first season was beating Michigan State division one.  We were the underdogs going into both games, actually, when we played them we ended up coming out on top.  So overall it was a great win for the team."

Categories: Athlete Feature Men's Sports Roller Hockey
Posted on Permanent link for Athlete Spotlight: Dominic Stankiewicz on March 5, 2021.

Permanent link for Athlete Spotlight: Mackenzie Biediger on February 19, 2021

Mackenzie Biediger is a Junior studying social studies education.  Mackenzie, or Mack, is from Wolverine Lake, MI where she was a part of the equestrian team.  Now, Mack leads the GVSU Stock Team as a captain and focuses heavily on the inclusion of all teammates.  Fellow teammate and co-captain Gabi Smith says "Mack is very on top of things as her first year as captain.  Even though we cannot compete, she has kept the team very engaged in weekly zoom meetings and has encouraged participation in fundraising and club sport events. This year has been tough and Mack has been a great leader!" 

What will you miss most about the GVSU Stock Team Equestrian Club?

"How friendly and welcoming everyone is and how many friends I've made over the past three and going to be four years and how exciting and new all of our competitions always are".

Do you have a pre-competition routine?

"My pre-competition routine is something I have two pairs of lucky socks that I wear and a lucky necklace and I always hum a little song to myself while I'm competing to make sure I'm in the right headspace".

What is the best part about competing?

"You always get a different experience and nothing's ever the same. It's always changing so it's always exciting and new and your teammates are always super supportive and it's a really fun day to have with everyone".

What is your favorite memory of being on the GVSU Stock Team Equestrian Club?

"When I won my first class my sophomore year and it happened to be on my dad's birthday and he had driven out to watch me".

How did you become a part of the GVSU Stock Team Equestrian Club?

"I became a part after being on my high school team for four years and I was looking for a way to continue riding and competing.  So I found the team after Campus Life night and then I joined". 

Categories: Athlete Feature Coed Sports Equestrian
Posted on Permanent link for Athlete Spotlight: Mackenzie Biediger on February 19, 2021.