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BAY CITY, Mich. — Former Grand Valley State University football player Alex Gilde (McBain, Mich.), and former Michigan Technological University women’s basketball player Katie Wysocky (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) were named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s (GLIAC) 2009-10 male and female “Scholar-Athletes of the Year,” respectively, as voted by the league’s faculty athletics representatives.

    Alex Gilde posted a 3.94 grade point average (4.0 scale) while majoring in biomedical science with a chemistry minor.  He has been a member of the Dean’s List all eight semesters at Grand Valley State and is a three-time member of the Academic All-GLIAC Team. In addition, Gilde is a two-time recipient of the  GLIAC Commissioner’s Award and most recently was awarded the 2010 GLIAC Post-Graduate Scholarship. Alex was one of only six GVSU students admitted into the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine this past year. Gilde, who was a 2009 First Team All-GLIAC honoree, earned Second Team ESPN The Magazine All-American plaudits and was honored with the NCAA Elite 88 Award for earning the highest grade point average among student-athletes competing in the D-II football championship.

    Gilde was a key contributor in the Lakers’ push to the 2009 NCAA D-II Football Championship game. He tallied 29 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks, while blocking two kicks, forcing a fumble and recovering a fumble during the 2009 campaign.  Grand Valley State was 49-4 during Gilde’s career with a National Championship and four GLIAC titles.

    Katie Wysocky, who boasted a 3.90 GPA (4.0 scale) in business administration, has earned two GLIAC Commissioner’s Awards. She was the first player in school history to earn All-American First Team honors. The six-foot forward posted 25 double-doubles this past season while averaging 17.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per contest. She was named ESPN the Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team, Daktronics Midwest Region “Player of the Year” and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference “Player of the Year” in 2009-10.

    Wysocky finished her career as the school record holder for points in a season (609) and career (1,943) as well as rebounds in a season (384) and career (1,231).  She led the Huskies to the GLIAC, GLIAC Tournament and NCAA Midwest Region titles this past season, helping MTU earn its second-straight berth in the Division II Elite Eight.

    Both Gilde and Wysocky are now in the running for the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (CCA)  Regional “Scholar-Athlete of the Year,” awards presented by Disney’s Wide World of Sports.

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