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Bulldog Bites

DeMartin, Miller Named Co-MVPs in Winning Season

Lucy DeMartin

Erin Miller

Francisco Valencia

         Senior guard Lucy DeMartin and sophomore guard Erin Miller were honored as the women’s basketball team’s 2003-04 Co-Most Valuable Player Award recipients for leading the Bulldogs to their second-ever NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament. The awards were presented at the program’s annual postseason banquet held April 25 at the Wheeler Pavilion in Big Rapids.
   DeMartin, who attained both first-team 2003-04 Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region and All-GLIAC North Division honors, concluded her career as the school’s all-time scoring leader with 1,721 points. She posted a school single-season record 567 points last season and received first-team 2003-04 Verizon Academic All-America College Division along with Division II Women’s Basketball Bulletin Honorable Mention All-America kudos. The 5-9 DeMartin was the Bulldogs’ leading scorer last season with 18.3 points per game. She finished her career as the school’s leader with 402 career made free throws and is listed among Ferris’ all-time top 10 performers in field goals, steals, assists, rebounds, blocked shots, three-point field goals, three-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage.
   Miller, the Bulldogs’ 2002-03 Rookie of the Year and GLIAC Freshman of the Year, reached double-figure scoring in 28 of her 31 contests in 2003-04 and ranked as the team’s second-leading scorer at 17 points per game. The 5-7 Miller, garnered both Verizon Academic All-District IV Third Team and GLIAC All-Academic Team recognition during the last season. She also earned first-team All-GLIAC North Division and second-team Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region honors.
   The squad’s Sixth Player and Most Improved Player Awards were both presented to senior forward/center Molly Potvin. The 5-10 Potvin posted personal career-highs in points (340), rebounds (213), assists (66) and steals (47) during the 2003-04 campaign. The two-time GLIAC All-Academic Team member also received the University’s Helen Bennett Award for outstanding female student-athlete.
   The Bulldogs, who concluded the year with a 21-10 overall record, compiled a second-place 14-4 GLIAC North Division mark and finished second in the league’s 2003-04 postseason tournament. The 2003-04 campaign, which was the program’s 30th anniversary season, marked the eighth consecutive year the Bulldogs have won 10 or more games, and was their second 20-win campaign in the last five seasons.

Men’s and Women’s Tennis Get to Sweet Sixteen
   Both the men’s and women’s tennis teams advanced to the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen last spring by claiming Great Lakes Regional championships at Ferris State’s Racquet and Fitness Center.
   The men’s team claimed its fifth consecutive regional championship by defeating conference rival Wayne State in the tournament’s title match. The Bulldogs advanced to the round of 16 for the eighth time in school history. The national bid was the men’s seventh-straight and 10th all-time.
   The women’s squad, which found itself in the midst its ninth consecutive and 14th all-time NCAA Division II Tournament appearance, reached the final round of 16 for the first time in three years and the fifth time overall by defeating fellow GLIAC member Michigan Tech in the regional finals. The win earned them their fourth regional crown in the last six seasons.
   In the quarterfinal round held at Sanlando Park in Alamonte Spring, Fla., the men’s season ended when it dropped a decision to Rollins (Fla.). The Bulldogs finished the year with an 18-9 overall record under second-year head coach Kevin Brandalik.
   The women’s team also missed making into the Elite Eight when it fell to Georgia’s unbeaten Armstrong Atlanta State, also at Sanlando Park. The lady Bulldogs concluded the year 18-8 overall under fourth-year head coach Dave Ramos.

Ferris Athletics and Lions Club Plan Holiday Classic
   Inaugural event to include four men’s basketball squads

   Ferris State’s Athletics Department and the Big Rapids chapter of the Lions Club International have announced plans to host the first-ever Lions Club Holiday Basketball Classic. The inaugural event is slated for Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 20-21, at Jim Wink Arena.
   The classic will feature four NCAA Division II men’s contests involving two schools each from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Great Lakes Valley Conference. In addition to the host Bulldogs, the field will include fellow GLIAC member Wayne State University, along with Southern Indiana and Indianapolis of the GLVC. WSU and Indianapolis will tangle in the tournament opener on Monday, Dec. 20, at 5:30 p.m., while the Bulldogs battle USI in the 7:30 p.m. nightcap. On Tuesday, Dec. 21, WSU and USI tip off at 5:30 p.m., with Ferris and Indianapolis squaring off in the 7:30 p.m. finale.
   “The Lions Club of Big Rapids and the Athletics department have created an outstanding partnership over the past few years,” said Athletics Director Tom Kirinovic. “This tournament is a continuation of that arrangement and will benefit many shareholders in the Big Rapids and surrounding community.”
   Local Lions Club members and the Athletics department will be selling tickets to area clubs for $2 apiece in blocks of 25. General admission tickets will also be available and can be obtained by calling the Athletics department at (231) 591-2860. Individual ticket prices are $5 per person per night or a family package of five tickets can be purchased for $20 per night.
   The Bulldogs claimed the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division championship with a 14-4 division mark under second-year Head Coach Bill Sall. The squad won only one league game the season before Sall arrived in 2001-02.
   With 10 league titles, Ferris State has won more GLIAC championships than any other member.

Women Golfers Tie for Second at National NCAA Tourney
   The Ferris State women’s golf team recorded the highest placing ever for a Bulldog women’s athletics team with their second-place tying performance at the 2004 NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships, which took place May 12-15 in Longwood, Fla.

Sophomore Casey McKinnon paced the Bulldogs at the NCAA-II national tournament, finishing strong with a two-over-par 74 on the final day.

   The Bulldogs, under fifth-year head coach Brad Bedortha, fired a team total 314 (+26) in final-round action at the par-72 The Legacy Club at Alaqua Lakes course for a four-round 1,264-stroke total (+112). Florida Southern tied Ferris after shooting 318 (+30) in the final round. Rollins (Fla.) defended its national title by leading from start to finish with a first-place 1,196 total (+44).
   The team headed into national fresh from winning its NCAA-II East Regional Tournament, which Ferris State hosted at Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids. The Bulldogs took the regional title with a three-round 963, which is the second-best 54-hole total in school history, besting top-seeded Grand Valley State University by two strokes.
   At the national tourney, sophomore Casey McKinnon led Ferris with a 311 total (81-77-79-74) to finish in a two-way tie for 10th place individually.
   Tying for 12th place was freshman Heidi Aittama, who compiled a four-round 312 total (76-78-78-80). Sophomore Elena Robles finished 21st place with 318 (74-78-80-86) while senior Ellie Saladin’s 328 (83-83-83-79) earned her a 32nd place tie. Junior Meredith Johnson claimed a tie for 42nd place by shooting 334 (85-85-83-81), which included a personal tourney-best round in the final 18 holes.
   “To finish second in the national from where started at the beginning of the season says a lot about the dedication of our players and the work they put into making themselves better to be able to compete at the highest level,” said Coach Brad Bedortha.
   In their fourth national tournament appearance, the Bulldogs bested their previous high of fourth place at the 1992 NCAA-II Championships. The team’s second-place tying effort also surpassed the third-place national tourney finish made by the 1998 Bulldog softball team.