The Vulcans return 18 starters this season including CDS second-team All-American Dan Jordan.  The senior offensive lineman anchors one of the most veteran lines in the nation.  Running the offense will be graduate student quarterback Josh Portis.  He set new school records last season with 3,421 yards and 36 touchdown passes.  The defense will be led by two-year starting junior linebacker Brett Diamond.

They start the season as they travel to GLIAC conference member, Saginaw Valley State.  The Cardinals won this battle last year and it will again set the tone of the season for both teams.  CUP then travels to PSAC East foes CW Post and East Stroudburg before their PSAC West schedule begins with Clarion and includes key contests with IUP and Edinboro.

D2 Sports Network predicts the CUP Vulcans will win the PSAC West race and the conference title game finishing the season with a record of 11-3 in the semifinals of the NCAA playoffs.

The Lakers lead the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings following the completion of the fall sports season.

In standings announced Wednesday, GVSU earned 380 points — well ahead of the nearest competitor. The Lakers are seeking their seventh consecutive Directors’ Cup trophy.

Minnesota-Duluth is second with 239 points, while Carson-Newman, Tenn., (231), California, Pa., (229) and West Texas A&M (216) round out the top five.

Grand Valley finished in the top 10 in four of the five championships it qualified for — women’s soccer, first; football and women’s cross country, second; and men’s cross country, fifth. They also finished 33rd in women’s volleyball.

–Courtesy HollandSentinal.com

The game didn’t exactly start the way GVSU head coach Chuck Martin envisioned. UMD’s Harlon Hill candidate, Isaac Odim, returned the opening kickoff 91 yards for a TD.

“I wanted the ball to start the game, but I wasn’t looking for Isaac Odim to run the kickoff back,” stated Martin.

Grand Valley State answered quickly with a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive of its own. Senior QB Brad Iciek hit junior WR Ryan Bass with a 23 yard TD pass at the 7:27 mark of the first quarter. Senior PK Justin Trumble added the PAT for a 7-7 tie.

“We moved the ball on our first drive and missed Blake Smolen, but it was nice to even the game at that point because we felt like we could move the ball offensively,” added Martin.

The Laker defense then picked off the first of four passes on UMD’s next possession. Junior DL Nick Lawrence tipped a pass that junior LB Justin Victor intercepted and returned 33 yards to the Bulldog three yard line. Senior RB P.T. Gates scored on a one yard run to give the Lakers a 14-7 lead.

Odim went back to work and returned the ensuing kickoff 54 yards to the GVSU 24 yard line. However, the Laker defense held and forced a 34 yard field goal by David Nadeau.

“We gave up 10 points in that first quarter all on kickoff coverage,” said Martin.

The Laker offense drove 69 yards in 14 plays on its next possession as Trumble kicked a 30 yard field goal to up the GVSU lead to 17-10 with 11:14 left in the second quarter.

The GVSU defense came with several big defensive stops in the second quarter and the Lakers held a 17-10 halftime lead.

“I felt great about the way our defense was playing in the first half and we probably should have been up by more than our 17-10 lead,” added Martin.

GVSU took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove inside Bulldog territory, but Trumble was short on a 41 yard field goal. The Laker defense was the story of the second half as Minnesota-Duluth was stopped twice on downs and three times on interceptions.

“Our defense made the plays when they were there to be made,” said Martin. “We kept stressing play the next play and in the end they made the final play.”

Minnesota Duluth drove inside the Laker 50 yard line, but GVSU’s Brad Howard picked off a Vogler pass and returned it 43 yards to the UMD 32 yard line. Iciek then hit sophomore WR Greg Gay with a 32 yards TD pass on the first play and Trumble added the PAT for a 24-10 Grand Valley State lead midway through the third quarter.

The Bulldogs then drove inside the Laker 20 yard line on its ensuing drive behind a couple of big plays from UMD receiver D.J. Winfield. However, Dominique Darden picked off a Vogler pass at the GVSU nine yard line and returned it to the Laker 22 yard line to thwart another drive.

The Laker defense held on a fourth and one play at the GVSU 22 yard line when Odim was tackled for no gain and senior safety Jake McGuckin effectively ended the game with a pick in end zone at the 6:25 mark of the fourth quarter. Odim came into the game averaging 145 yards per game, but was held to 67 yards on 18 carries.

Iciek completed 14-of-27 passes for 225 yards and two TDs, while also toting the ball six times for 27 yards. Bass hauled in a career-high seven receptions for a career-high 127 yards and a TD. Gay caught three passes for 70 yards and a TD. The Lakers rushed for 168 yards versus a UMD defense that came into the game allowing just 60.8 yards per game. Gates led the way via the ground with 86 yards on 13 carries, while Jimmy Berezik chipped in 53 yards on 18 carries. GVSU’s 168 rushing yards were the most the Bulldog defense yielded during the 2009 campaign.

Victor led the Laker defense with 12 tackles, including 10 solo, two tackles for loss (-4) and an interception. McGuckin added nine tackles and a pick, while sophomore DL Andre Thomas tallied eight tackles, a pass break up and a QB sack. The GVSU defense recorded six tackles for loss and two QB sacks.The Laker offense also held a 35:06 to 24:54 advantage in time of possession.

–Courtesy Grand Valley State Athletics

D2 Football Scoreboard

Playoff Quarter-finals

SR1: #22 California (PA) 57, #9 West Liberty 35

SR2: #10 Carson-Newman 24, #5 North Alabama 21

SR3: #3 Grand Valley State 24, #4 Minnesota-Duluth 10

SR4: #2 Northwest Missouri 21, #1 Central Washington 20

It’s the second year in a row that Northwest has avenged a season-opening loss against Abilene Christian by beating the Wildcats in the postseason. It was also a bittersweet win for the Bearcat seniors, who improved to 27-1 at Bearcat Stadium. The lone loss was to the Wildcats last season.

Council capped the opening drive of the game with an 8-yard touchdown run. He had three rushing scores on the day and hauled in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Blake Bolles in the fourth quarter. Council carried 17 times for 87 yards.

The Wildcats answered with a 29-yard field goal by Morgan Lineberry on their first possession and had third-and-goal from the 1 on their second. Quarterback Mitchell Gale tried to extend the football across the goal line on a sneak, but Northwest linebacker Willie Horn knocked the ball loose and the Bearcats recovered.

Northwest seized the momentum from that play and never gave it back. Two series later, Bolles broke a career-long 71-yard touchdown run that gave the Bearcats a 14-3 lead, which they took into halftime.

Wildcat running back Reggie Brown fumbled on the opening carry of the third quarter and Northwest recovered. Council scored from 1-yard out three plays later and the lead was 21-3. It was 35-3 before Abilene Christian tacked on a late score.

Abilene Christian entered Saturday’s game with the top run defense in the nation, but surrendered a season-high 168 yards to Northwest. It also allowed a season high for points. Northwest outgained Abilene Christian 397-288.

Both teams combined for seven turnovers. The Bearcats sacked Gale six times and recovered three Wildcat fumbles. Bolles threw a career-high three interceptions and lost another possession on a fumbled snap from center. He finished 15-of-20 for 229 yards and a touchdown in his first postseason start.

Northwest wide out Jake Soy caught seven passes for 141 yards – his seventh 100-yard effort this season. Edmund Gates caught eight passes for 102 yards for Abilene Christian.

–Courtesy Northwest Missouri State Athletics

Division II – Second Round

SCOREBOARD:

Super Regional 1

#9 West Liberty 84, Edinboro 63

#22 California (PA) 26, #17 Shippensburg 21

Super Regional 2

#5 North Alabama 41, #21 Arkansas Tech 28

#10 Carson-Newman 56, West Alabama 41

Super Regional 3

#3 Grand Valley State 44, #15 Hillsdale 27

#4 Minnesota-Duluth 42, #6 Nebraska-Kearney 7

Super Regional 4

#1 Central Washington 27, #12 Tarleton State 6

#2 Northwest Missouri State 35, #18 Abilene Christian 10

The Lady Statesmen pressured the West Texas A & M Lady Buffs right out of Texas, and the Elite Eight. The dominant defense of Delta State held their opponents to just 13 first half points, and the Lady Statesmen survived a late stampede by the Lady Buffs to claim a 55-47 victory and a trip to the National Semifinals.

With 4:12 left in the game, the Lady Statesmen (30-6) enjoyed a seemingly comfortable 45-30 lead. Just over three minutes later, West Texas (28-6) cut the lead to just four points at 49-45. The Lady Statesmen made four free throws in the final minute of the game and allowed just two more points to take the victory.

The Lady Statesmen were dominate early defensively, holding West Texas A & M to just 23.1-percent shooting in the first half. After jumping out to a 7-0 lead over the first three minutes of the half, the Lady Buffs rallied to cut the lead to four nearly ten minutes later.

Delta State took a 19-13 lead into the locker room at halftime behind the hot hand of Courtney Wilson, who made 2-of-4 shots from the field and 3-of-3 from the free throw line to lead the Lady Statesmen with seven points.

Freshman Veronica Walker led all scorers with 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. She also had four key blocks. Denesha Henderson added a career-high 12 points and five rebounds, while Wilson added nine points.

The Lady Statesmen shot 55.6-percent in the second half, increasing their shooting percentage to 46.8 for the game, while holding the Lady Buffs to a mere 25.4-percent, establishing a new NCAA postseason record for DSU.

FULL STORY

–Courtesy GoStatesmen.com

No. 14 Franklin Pierce Defeats No. 6 California (Pa), 88-73

Despite 30 points from senior guard Linsday Johnson the No. 6 Vulcans suffered an 88-73 loss to No. 14 Franklin Pierce University (N.H.) in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight on Tuesday at the Bill Greehey Arena.

The California University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team finished the season with a 29-5 overall record after making its fourth Elite Eight appearance in the last seven seasons.

Franklin Pierce‘s Johannah Leedham led the team with 30 points, shooting 9-of-13, while teammates Toby Martin and Jennifer Leedham finished with 16 a piece.

Vulcans’ Johnson scored a team-high 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the floor, including three-of-six from beyond the arc. She also collected six rebounds and two assists. The Ohio native moved into No. 10 place in school history with 1,263 points, surpassing former teammate Kim Nowakowski (2004-07). Johnson also finished her career as one of the most prolific three-point shooters in school history, ranking third all-time with 156 treys.

Franklin Pierce will face the winner of Delta State and West Texas A&M Wednesday.

–Courtesy Cal (PA) Athletics

Huge comeback earns Seawolves Final 4 berth

All-America center Rebecca Kielpinski delivered 14 points and 13 rebounds and Alaska Anchorage held Clayton State without a field goal for the final eight minutes Tuesday to earn a 66-59 win in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championships.

Ruby Williams and Tamar Gruwell added 11 points apiece for 2nd-ranked UAA (31-3), which advances to its second consecutive national semifinal appearance. The Seawolves will face 4th-ranked Minnesota State (30-2) in that game Wednesday. Clayton State (26-7), the winner of the Southeast Region, was led by 12 points from reserve forward Nikkisha Pritchett.

The Seawolves started the game on a roll, scoring the first 12 points before CSU called a timeout. But that break got the Lakers rolling as the Atlanta-based squad turned up its full-court pressure and drained three straight three-pointers to make UAA’s lead evaporate in less than two minutes. CSU continued to thrive from its pressure throughout the half, forcing 17 UAA turnovers and taking a 39-30 lead into the locker room – the Seawolves’ largest halftime deficit of the season.

The Lakers maintained their lead at around seven to 11 points throughout the first 12 minutes of the second half, but UAA – the nation’s leading defensive club – would bounce back after falling behind 56-43 at the 8:35 mark. Freshman forward Hanna Johansson started the decisive 23-3 surge with an inside bucket, and Williams followed with a layup a minute later. From there, Gruwell – scoreless to that point in the game – took over on the offensive end, draining three three-pointers in a two-and-half-minute span. Her final swish tied it 57-57 at the 5-minute mark, and Clayton State could not regain control.

FULL STORY

–Courtesy Alaska-Anchorage Athletics

Minnesota Mankato Moves On To Semi-finals

The No. 4 Minnesota State Mavericks kept their NCAA Championship aspirations alive as they defeated the Michigan Tech Huskies 61-53 in their first ever Elite Eight game. The win brings MSU’s record to 30-2, while Michigan Tech ends its season with a 27-7 record.

The first half began with Michigan Tech jumping out to an early 14-8 lead with 13:19 left in the half. The Huskies shot 4-of-4 from three point land during that stretch. The Mavericks and Huskies would remain close the rest of the way, exchanging the lead four times, with Michigan Tech finishing the half with a 31-30 lead. The Huskies finished the half shooting 6-of-7 from beyond the three point line. Senior guard Jo Noreen led all scorers with 12 points, while shooting 4-of-5 from the field. Senior forward Alex Andrews posted a team-high six rebounds, along with four points.

Scoring was at a premium early on in the second as Michigan Tech held a two-point lead at 36-34 with 14:00 left in the half. The Mavericks would then begin a 15-5 run, behind seven points from junior guard Tiffany Moe, to take a 49-41 lead with 8:31 left in regulation. MSU would then extend its lead to 11, at 56-45, behind a three point shot from sophomore guard Andrea Walsh with 4:21 left in the game. The Mavericks would not look back as they closed out the game with a 61-53 win. Noreen paced the Mavericks with 20 points, along with six rebounds and five steals. Moe added 11 points, eight rebounds and a career-high five steals. Moe and Noreen combined for 10 of MSU’s 12 steals. Andrews recorded her 12th career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Minnesota State will take on the winner of the Alaska-Anchorage in the NCAA Final Four Wednesday.

FULL STORY

–Courtesy Minnesota State Mankato Athletics