Lowell High School graduates compete at GRCC

Jacob Wosinski

Mackenzie North

Sophomore Jacob Wosinski finished his second season playing baseball for the GRCC Raiders. Wosinski played in 11 games recording 80 strikeouts, 53 innings, and 4.62 ERA. At the conclusion of the season, Wosinski was named 2nd team All-Western Conference. In addition to excelling on the field, Wosinski excelled in the classroom where he was named Academic All-Western Conference. Wosinski has committed to play baseball at the University of Akron.

Freshman Mackenzie North finished her first season playing softball for the GRCC Raiders. North placed in 18 games making 17 starts this season. During those games, North recorded 15 hits, 5 rbi, 2 doubles, 1 triple and 1 home run, while recording a .300 batting percentage.

Student-Athletes interested in competing for one of GRCC’s 8 athletic teams should fill out a recruiting questionnaire at www.grccraiders.com

Greenville High School graduates compete at GRCC

Mackenzie Larsen

Calvin Syrjala

Sophomore Calvin Syrjala competed in his second season for the GRCC Raiders baseball team. This season Syrjala started in 42 of the Raiders 43 games, while batting .328 with 41 hits, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 6 home runs and 35 rbi’s. Syrjala was named 2nd team all conference and was also named NJCAA Region XII DII Golden Glove team. In addition to excelling on the field, Syrjala was named academic All-MCCAA and academic All-Conference. Calvin has committed to continue his academic and athletic career at Concordia University.

Sophomore Mackenzie Larsen competed in her second season for the GRCC Raiders baseball team. Larsen played in 38 games, making 37 starts. Recorded a .907 fielding %. Larsen also recorded a 2.06 batting percentage, recording 21 hits, and 3 doubles.

Student-Athletes interested in competing for one of GRCC’s 8 athletic teams should fill out a recruiting questionnaire at www.grccraiders.com

Grandville High School graduate competes for GRCC

Brady Paganelli

Sophomore Brady Paganelli competed in his second season for the GRCC Raiders Baseball team. Paganelli played and started in 42 games for the Raiders. Paganelli recorded a .328 batting percentage, while recording 43 hits, 5 doubles and 3 triples. Brady was named Honorable Mention all-conference at the conclusion of his sophomore season. In addition to excelling on the field, Paganelli was named NJCAA 2nd Team All-Academic, and academic All-Conference and academic All-MCCAA.

Student-Athletes interested in competing for one of GRCC’s 8 athletic teams should fill out a recruiting questionnaire at www.grccraiders.com

Thornapple Kellogg graduates compete at GRCC

Dakota Phillips

Samantha White

Freshman Samantha White competed in her first season for the GRCC Raiders volleyball team this past fall.  White helped lead the Raiders to a Conference, State and Region XII Championship, as well as a trip to the NJCAA DII National Championships. The GRCC Raiders finished 6th place overall at the tournament, which is tied for the programs second highest finish at the national championships and an overall finish of 31-8.

Freshman Dakota Phillips competed in his first season for the GRCC Raiders baseball team. Phillips started in 30 games for the Raiders this year, recording 16 RBI’s, 4 doubles, 2 triples and 3 home runs, paired with a .280 batting average. Phillips helped the Raiders to a 4th place finish in the MCCAA Western Conference

Student-Athletes interested in competing for one of GRCC’s 8 athletic teams should fill out a recruiting questionnaire at www.grccraiders.com

Belding graduates compete at GRCC

Dylan McMaster

Hallee Breimayer

Dylan McMaster competed in his sophomore season for the GRCC Raiders basketball team. This season Dylan competed in 23 games and made 15 starts.

Sophomore Hallee Breimayer competed in her second season for the GRCC Raiders basketball team. This season Hallee was the starting point guard, who played and started in all 31 games, lead the team in scoring (13.5/game), three pointers made (63) assists (149) and steals (69). The 149 assists ranked her third in the MCCAA. A highlight of Breimayer’s career was hitting a three pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining, lifting her Raiders to a 60-59 victory over the Jackson Jets to keep their season alive and advancing them to the post-season NJCAA District tournament that was hosted at GRCC.

Student-Athletes interested in competing for one of GRCC’s 8 athletic teams should fill out a recruiting questionnaire at www.grccraiders.com

Sparta High School graduates compete at GRCC

A.J. Klein

Garrett Cheslek

Jordan Ball

The Sparta trio Jordan Ball, AJ Klein, and Garrett Cheslek all competed in their first season for the GRCC Raiders Baseball team. Jordan Ball made 36 starts this season recording a .312 batting average. A.J. Klein played in 10 games, 7 innings and recorded a 9.13 ERA. Pitcher Garrett Cheslek played in 11 games, 4 innings and recorded a 5.77 ERA. In addition to helping the Raiders excel on the field, Garrett Cheslek was named Academic All-Conference.

Freshman duo Madison Marble and Kate Stearns competed in their first

Madison Marble

Kate Stearns

season for the GRCC Raiders softball team. This season Stearns played and started in 34 games for the Raiders, while recording a .259 batting average, hitting 7 doubles, 1 triple,  9 rbi. Marble played in all 41 games this season and made 39 starts for the Raiders this season while recording a .313 batting average, hitting 7 doubles and 7 homerooms, 34 RBI, and recording a .557 slug %. At the conclusion of the season, Marble was named Honorable Mention All-Conference. In addition to excelling on the field, both Marble and Stearns picked up academic accolades. Marble was named Academic All-Conference and Stearns was named academic All-MCCAA and academic All-Conference.

Student-Athletes interested in competing for one of GRCC’s 8 athletic teams should fill out a recruiting questionnaire at www.grccraiders.com

 

 

East Kentwood graduates compete at GRCC

Cam Spicer

D’Avery Moore

Sammie Ryans

The East Kentwood Trio of Sammie Ryans, D’Avery Moore, and Cam Spicer competed this past season for the GRCC Raiders basketball team. The trio helped the Raiders to their first outright conference championship since 2001, and a Region runner-up finish. Sammie Ryans had a breakout season. Ryans was named a 3rd team NJCAA All-American, 1st team All-Conference, All-Region and All-MCCAA. He was the top scorer in the MCCAA, recording 612 points in 31 games. He was second in 3 pointers (106) and averaged 19.1 points per game. Ryans recently signed a national letter of intent to continue his career at Aquinas College. In addition to excelling on the court, Ryans excelled in the classroom as he was named Academic All-Conference and Academic All-MCCAA. Moore played in 27 games this season, averaging 7.7 points per game, Spicer played in 32 games this season, recording 8.6 points per game and 3.8 assists per game.

Tyler Visser

Tayler Goorhouse

Tayler Goorhouse and Tyler Visser competed in their first seasons for the GRCC Raiders softball and baseball teams.

Student-Athletes interested in competing for one of GRCC’s 8 athletic teams should fill out a recruiting questionnaire at www.grccraiders.com

Northview High School graduates compete at GRCC

Alec Lockwood

Joshua Greiffendorf

Sophomores Joshua Greiffendorf and Alec Lockwood finished their second season competing for the GRCC Raiders baseball team. Greiffendorf played in 13 games recording a 4.45 era while pitching in 11 innings. Lockwood had 40 starts this season batting .259 with 30 hits, 8 doubles, 1 triple and 1 homeroom.

In addition to excelling on the field, Lockwood and Greiffendorf excelled in the classroom as they were both named academic All-Conference.

Freshman Ryleigh Kasianowicz finished her first season competing for the GRCC Raiders softball team. Kasianowicz started in 32 of 34 games while recording a .957 fielding percentage.

Nicholas Ward

Ryleigh Kasianowicz

Sophomore Nicholas Ward finished his second season competing for the GRCC Raiders golf team. Ward was named All-MCCAA and All-Region after helping lead the Raiders to a Conference, State and Regional Championship. The Raiders competed in the NJCAA Division II National Championship, where they finished 14th overall.

Student-Athletes interested in competing for one of GRCC’s 8 athletic teams      should fill out a recruiting questionnaire at www.grccraiders.com

Forest Hills graduates compete for GRCC

Ike Kanu

Trystan Thayer

Sophomore Trystan Thayer, Forest Hills Central graduate, competed in his second season of Cross Country for the Raiders. Thayer was named NJCAA DI All-Region and All-MCCAA. Thayer ran his career best time this season at the LCC Invite where he finished with a time of 25:56, which is the second best 8K time in Raider history.Thayer competed in the NJCAA DI National Championships this past fall and placed 51st overall recording a time of 27:42. In addition to excelling on the course this season, Thayer excelled in the classroom. He was named a 2nd team NJCAA All-Academic, academic All-MCCAA and academic All-Conference. Trystan his committed to continue his academic and athletic career at Wayne State University.

Freshman Ike Kanu, Forest Hills Central graduate, competed in his first season for the GRCC Raiders basketball team. Kanu played and started in 32 games this season. He played in 1,003 minutes averaging 11.7 points per game and 11.6 rebounds per game. Ike helped the Raiders to their first outright conference championship since 2005, and a Region runner-up finish. Ike was named 2nd team all-conference, western conference all-defensive team and western conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Jared Bujdos

Mike Gumbko

Sophomore Mike Gumbko and Freshman Jared Bujdos, both Forest Hills Northern graduates, competed for the GRCC Raiders baseball team. Gumbko played in 9 games, making 6 starts batting .313 with 5 hits and 1 double, 1 triple and 5 RBI’s. Bujdos finished the season playing and starting in 35 games batting .269 with 25 hits and 15 RBI. In addition to excelling on the field Gumbko excelled in the classroom earning NJCAA 3rd team academic honors, academic All-MCCAA and academic All-Conference honors.

Student-Athletes interested in competing for one of GRCC’s 8 athletic teams should fill out a recruiting questionnaire at www.grccraiders.com

Hudsonville High School graduates compete for GRCC

Josh Avink

Kendall Griffioen

Freshman Kendall Griffioen competed in her first season for the GRCC Raiders basketball team. Griffioen played in 29 of the Raiders 31 games this season and a total of 443 minutes. Griffioen helped the Raiders qualify for the postseason NJCAA Regional Tournament and an overall record of 19-12.

Freshman Josh Avink and Freshman Dylan Schut competed for the GRCC Raiders baseball team this past fall. Avink finished the 2019 season recording a 4.96 ERA in 24 innings and throwing 18 strikeouts. Schut finished the season recording 9.00 ERA in 7 innings and throwing 7 strikeouts. Avink and Shut helped the Raiders to a 4th place finish in the MCCAA Western Conference. In addition to excelling on the field, freshman Josh Avink was named academic All-Conference and academic All-MCCAA.

Student-Athletes interested in competing for one of GRCC’s 8 athletic teams should fill out a recruiting questionnaire at www.grccraiders.com

Rockford High School graduates compete for GRCC

Kendra DeJonge

Mykayla Vallad

Freshman Mykayla Vallad and Sophomore Kendra DeJonge for the Raider volleyball team this past fall. DeJonge finished 1st on the team in kills (509), Digs (428) and service aces (52). Vallad was 7th on the team in service aces with 24. Vallad and DeJonge helped lead the Raiders to a Conference, State and Region XII Championship, as well as a trip to the NJCAA DII National Championships. The GRCC Raiders finished 6th place overall at the tournament, which is tied for the programs second highest finish at the national championships. At the conclusion of the season DeJonge was named 1st team All-Conference, Conference Player of The Year, All-MCCAA, All-Region, NJCAA 1st team All-American, AVCA 3rd Team All-American, NJCAA Region XII All-Tournament team MVP and NJCAA Nationals All-Tournament Team. In addition to excelling on the volleyball court, DeJonge was named academic All-MCCAA and Academic All-Conference. DeJonge recently signed an LOI to play volleyball at Davenport University.

Grant Erbes

Joel Wilson

Hannah Jefferis

Freshman Joel Wilson and Hannah Jefferis competed this past fall for the GRCC Cross Country team. Hannah Jefferis was named All-Region, All-MCCAA and MCCAA All-Freshman team. Jefferis placed herself in the GRCC record books as a top ten runner, finishing with a time of 20:09.

Both Wilson and Jefferis competed in the NJCAA DI National Championships. Wilson finished with a time of 30:38. Jefferis finished with a time of 21:16 at the National Championships.

Rockford graduate Grant Erbes competed this past spring for the GRCC Raiders baseball team. Erbes helped the Raiders to a 4th place finish in the MCCAA Western Conference.

Student-Athletes interested in competing for one of GRCC’s 8 athletic teams should fill out a recruiting questionnaire at http://www.grccraiders.com

GRCC In the News, 7-24-19

Ionia High School Athletic Hall of Fame announces Class of 2019

July 23, 2019; MLive

The Ionia High School Athletic Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019 has been announced, and there are athletes ranging from nearly 70 years into the past who will be honored.

… Riley Swinehart (1962)

Swinehart was a four-year gymnast and baseball player, and he played varsity football for one season. He was state champion in the trampoline in 1961 and a member of the 1962 West Central Conference baseball championship team. Swinehart played football, baseball and was a diver at Grand Rapids Community college, and he set a GRCC school record with a .443 batting average. Swinehart attended Central Michigan, where he earned All NAIA honors in gymnastics. He coached numerous sports in high school as well as several years as a football coach at Grand Valley State University.

Jenison High School graduates competing at GRCC

Carter Chylek

John Huistra

Jenna Smaby

Sophomore Jenna Smaby competed in her second season season for the Raiders this past fall. Smaby helped lead the Raiders to a Conference, State and Region XII Championship, as well as a trip to the NJCAA DII National Championships. The GRCC Raiders finished 6th place overall at the tournament, which is tied for the programs second highest finish at the national championships.

Sophomore John Huistra and Freshman Carter Chylek competed this past spring for the GRCC Raiders. Huistra and Chylek helped the Raiders to a 4th place finish in the MCCAA Western Conference. In addition to excelling on the field, freshman Carter Chylek was named Academic All-Conference.

Student-Athletes interested in competing for one of GRCC’s 8 athletic teams should fill out a recruiting questionnaire at www.grccraiders.com

 

GRCC In the News, 7-22-19

Change Ups: $40,000 grant makes meal deliveries possible

July 19, 2019; Grand Rapids Business Journal

… FOUNDATIONS

Larry Murphy retired as chairman of the Grand Rapids Community College Foundation board of directors, and GRCC alumnus James V. Buzzitta was elected the new chairman after serving as vice chairman. Kristine Babcock was elected vice chairperson and Doug Klein and Nancy Ayres continue as the board’s treasurer and secretary, respectively.

New York Jets will host AAF TE Nick Truesdell for the second time next week

July 19, 2019; nfldraftdiamonds.com

We are learning that Nick Truesdell, the huge target from the Salt Lake City Stallions will be headed to New York for his second visit with the New York Jets early next week. Truesdell worked out for the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in April and killed his workout for both teams.

… Nick has an amazing story. He was signed by the Colorado Ice as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He played college football at the University of Cincinnati before transferring to Grand Rapids Community College.

Ionia announces athletic Hall of Fame class

July 19, 2019; Ionia Sentinel-Standard

The Ionia Athletic Hall of Fame committee announced the members of the 2019 Class that will be inducted into the Ionia Athletic Hall of Fame.

… (Riley) Swinehart was a four-year gymnast and baseball player for the Bulldogs, as well as varsity football for one year. He was state champion in the trampoline in 1961 and member of 1962 West Central Conference baseball championship team in 1962. He played football, was a diver on the swim team and baseball at Grand Rapids Community college. At GRCC, he set a school record with a .443 batting average. Attended Central Michigan where he earned All NAIA honors in gymnastics. He coached numerous sports in high school as well as several years as football coach at Grand Valley State University.

GRCC In the News, 6-19-19

John Bos all-star games honor OK conference baseball and softball players

June 18, 2019; FOX 17

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — All-conference baseball and softball players from the OK Conference got a final chance play a high school game and represent their league Tuesday night at Cornerstone University.

Plan failed? Draw up a new one

June 18, 2019; schoolnewsnetwork.org

Two years ago, Chris Hribek will tell you, his high school career was a disaster with failing grades, attendance issues and a big attitude problem.

… Thanks to some tough love by teachers at the Career Academy and a new attitude toward school, Chris got his diploma this spring. Now he’s thinking about going to Grand Rapids Community College to learn welding.

Hausserman named Sentinel-Standard Boys’ Golfer of the Year

June 18, 2019; Ionia Sentinel-Standard

IONIA — Consistency.

… (Tyler) Hausserman was referring to Egypt Valley Country Club, where he’ll play as a member of golf team at Grand Rapids Community College.