Putting Youth to the Test (continued) nents, including knocking off #6 Hillsdale, and GVSU did not lose for almost two months. Just a week later, however, the Lakers started an unfortunate streak in which they alternated wins and losses in their next 11 games. Ultimately, the season was still a huge success, as Grand Valley State won at least 20 games and advanced to the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament for the fourth time in five years. The Lakers earned a spot in the GLIAC Final Four and set a few team records, including free throw percentage (.778) and three-pointers made (218). To achieve that same success this year, GVSU will look to Crawford, Van Tiflin, Padin, and Veach to lead the group of youthful sophomores and freshmen to postseason play. It seems as if that quartet is a good place to start. Crawford started all 30 games last year, averaging 9.3 points and shooting better than 45 percent from the field, while Van Tiflin was named to the All-GLIAC North Division Defensive Team with 48 steals and pulled down a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game. The team’s starting point guard since day one of last year, Padin broke team records for three-pointers made (73) and attempted (208) in a season, while dishing out 124 assists, which tied for the 10th highest total in a single-season in Laker history. Her sophomore backcourt mate,
Veach was named All-GLIAC North Division Second Team at the end of last season after averaging 13.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Both players were named to the Preseason All-GLIAC North Division Team, meaning two of the five players on that squad play their home games at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. Burgess has brought in quite a group of talented players during her time as Laker head coach, as she is in the midst of her third year at Grand Valley State. The 36 wins during her first two seasons are the most victories for a coach in their first two years in program history. Eleven of the 14 players on GVSU’s roster this year are freshmen or sophomores and with just one senior, the future looks awful bright for the Laker program. While Grand Valley State will play another demanding season of the 22-game GLIAC schedule, the Lakers know what to expect and hopefully have learned how to handle the difficult year ahead, which includes quite a tough stretch of 15 games in December and January. Burgess and her team of 14 players look prepared, focused, and ready to face the 2009-10 season and make it another record-breaking year. Emma Veach (Grand Haven, Mich.) was the second leading scorer for the Lakers during her freshman year.
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GVSPORTS Monthly Magazine • 11