Grand Valley's men's track and field team won the NCAA Division II
Indoor Track and Field National Championship for the first time in the
program's history.
Image credit - Courtesy
Lakers bring home national titles in track and field, diving
Mar 14, 2022
Grand Valley student athletes brought home four national championships over the weekend, while the women’s basketball team will play for an NCAA regional championship on March 14.
For the first time in the program’s history, the men’s track and field team won the NCAA Division II National Indoor Track and Field Championship on March 12 in Pittsburg, Kansas. The men took first place with 66 points over second-place Ashland’s 49 points.
First-year student athlete Brandon Miller won the men’s 200-meter with a personal-best time of 21.02 seconds, giving the Lakers a boost toward the national title.
“We came out, and we competed in every single spot," said head coach Jerry Baltes. "We had some things that didn't go our way, but our guys came out and competed.”
In women’s competition, Judith Essemiah won the weight throw with a distance of 20.45 meters. It’s her second national championship in two seasons after winning the hammer throw at the 2021 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
The women’s track and field team took second at the national meet with 51 points, trailing first-place Minnesota State’s 58 points.
Gracyn Segard won her second 1-meter board national championship this
weekend. It was the third national title for her in two seasons.
Image credit - Courtesy
Swimming & Diving
Diver Gracyn Segard took first in women’s 1-meter diving at the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving National Championships on March 13 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The win gives Segard back-to-back national titles on the 1-meter board and her third national title in two years. She also finished fourth in women’s 3-meter diving at the national meet.
The men’s team finished 10th overall with 144 points while the women’s team finished 21st with 45 points.
Basketball
The No. 6 women’s basketball team will play Walsh in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championship at 7 p.m. March 14 in Ashland, Ohio.
The Lakers will make their second appearance in the regional finals in four years and the third time in seven seasons under coach Mike Williams. A win over Walsh earns Grand Valley its fourth trip to the Elite Eight in the program’s history.
Grand Valley beat Wayne State, 72-46, in the tournament’s opening round and followed it with a 74-69 win over Drury in the second round.
The regional final game will be broadcast on The Ticket West Michigan, theticketmi.com (106.1 FM, 1340 AM).
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