Courtesy of Grand Valley State University Athletics
ALLENDALE, Mich. -- Keri Becker assumes her new role as the Director of Athletics at Grand Valley State today. While today is her first official day in her new position, Becker is not new to GVSU, having served as associate athletic director for the past five years.
"I'm extemely grateful and excited for the opportunity to lead GVSU athletics into the future," said Becker. "As I've mentioned before, I believe our best resource is the people we have here at GVSU and I look forward to working hard with everyone else to keep the Lakers strong and striving for continued competitive success."
As Associate Athletic Director, Becker served as sport supervisor and oversees all aspects of the GVSU football, volleyball, softball, women's golf, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, and women's lacrosse teams, as well as the Laker cheerleading group.
In addition to sport supervision, Becker was responsible for cross campus collaborations, overseeing the financial aid aspect of NCAA compliance, completion of all required institutional reports, fundraising efforts, and assisting with game operations. She was also the Administrative Liaison for Grand Valley State's Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and is the Chair of the Boand & Rowe Endowment for Advancement of Women in Sport/Physical Activity Committee.
Becker has been on a number of Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) committees and has served as Tournament Director for eight GLIAC Championships, three NCAA Midwest Regional Championships, and a pair of NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.
Prior to her time at Grand Valley State, Becker spent 15 years at Ferris State University in Big Rapids. She served in a number of roles at FSU, including the head softball coach from 1996 to 2011, compiling a record of 433-276 in her 14 seasons. Becker led the Bulldogs to the Division II College World Series in 1998, 1999 and 2008, while also winning three conference championships. She was a three-time GLIAC Coach of the Year.
Along with her coaching duties at Ferris State, Becker was also the Compliance Coordinator for 12 years, spent three years as the Senior Woman Administrator, and briefly served as the Interim Athletic Director. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Saginaw Valley State University in August 1995 before earning a Master of Business Administration degree from Ferris State in 2009.
Becker takes over arguably the top Division II athletics programs in the country. Grand Valley State has won the Learfield Sports/NACDA Directors' Cup (the Division II All-Sports Trophy) a record 10 times and has finished in either first or second place in the Directors' Cup standings for 14 consecutive years. GVSU has also won 17 straight GLIAC Presidents' Cup titles as the top athletic program in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and a record 22 such titles all-time.
Since 2002, Grand Valley State has won 19 team NCAA Division II National Championships in the sports of football, volleyball, women's basketball, soccer, women's cross country, women's indoor track and field, and women's outdoor track and field. GVSU has also captured 55 individual NCAA Division II National Championships in its athletic history, won by 36 different individuals. 52 of those individual titles have come since 2001.