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BAY CITY, Mich. — The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) announces the recipients of the Fall 2013 Meijer Commissioner’s Awards. The awards, sponsored by Meijer, Incorporated, are presented after the Fall, Winter, and Spring athletic seasons to six female and six male student-athletes that excel both in the classroom and on the fields of play. All grade point averages are based on a 4.0 scale.
The six female student-athletes to receive the Fall 2013 Meijer Commissioner’s Awards are: Samantha Johnson of Ferris State University; Jessica Janecke, Courtney Brewis and Tayler Ward of Grand Valley State University; Darina Berkova of Northwood University, and Danielle Taflinger of the University of Findlay.
The six male student-athletes to receive the Fall 2013 Meijer Commissioner’s Awards are: Jason Vander Laan and ; Justin Zimmer of Ferris State University; Spencer Pageau and Alan Peterson of Grand Valley State University; Mark Miller of Ohio Dominican University; and Chet Privett of Wayne State University.
“It is with great pleasure that I offer
congratulations on behalf of the GLIAC to our 12 award
winners,” stated GLIAC Commissioner Dell Robinson. “The
accomplishments of the 12 student-athletes is a shining example of
the future leaders and individuals who serve as change agents on
our campuses. I would like thank Meijer for their continued support
that allows the GLIAC to honor our top student-athletes.”
The following are biographies of the Fall 2013 GLIAC
Commissioner’s Awards recipients:
Ferris State University senior cross country
runner Samantha Johnson (Troy, Mich.) was chosen
as 2013 USTFCCCA Midwest Region “Runner of the Year”
and 2013 GLIAC Cross Country “Athlete of the
Year.” She has been an all-conference pick multiple
times, and a multiple-time GLIAC All-Academic Team selection. This
season, Johnson has won three races including GLIAC and NCAA
Midwest Regional titles, while winning the University of
Wisconsin-Parkside Invitational. She also
qualified for the NCAA Division II Championship. The senior led
Ferris State to be ranked as one of the regions top 10 squads
throughout her collegiate career and ranked nationally
multiple times. The four-year letterwinner is regarded as one of
the nation’s top distance and country performers. Johnson has
a 3.53 grade point and is majoring in pharmacy
Grand Valley State University sophomore cross country runner Jessica Janecke (Scales Mound, Ill./Wahlert Catholic) won the non-Division I portion of the Spartan Invitational, came in second at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championship, and finished third at the GLIAC Championship this season. She was 2012 USTFCCCA All-American and All-Academic, while in 2012 Janecke was part of the GLIAC Championship team , the Midwest Region Championship team, and the Division II National Championship team. In 2012 Janecke won the Michigan Intercollegiate Championship. Janecke has a 3.81 grade point as a biomedical science major.
Courtney Brewis (Dearborn, Mich,/Divine
Child), a senior cross country runner at Grand Valley
State University was an 2013 USTFCCCA All-Midwest Region
award winner, while being first team All-GLIAC. Brewis
finished second in 2013 Spartan Invitational, while finishing fifth
overall at the GLIAC Championship. She help lead Grand Valley State
to wins in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championship, and
also the GLIAC Championship. The senior was a 2012 USTFCCCA
All-Midwest Region award winner while also being an
USTFCCCA All-Academic selection. In her four years, her
team is a four-time GLIAC Champion. Working toward a
degree in physical therapy, Brewis has earned a 3.91 grade point
average.
Grand Valley State University senior soccer defender Tayler Ward (Grand Blanc, Mich,/Grand Blanc) has earned the All-GLIAC First team and was a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection in 2013. She has helped Grand Valley State match the longest shutout streak in NCAA Division II history (13 matches). Over her career Ward has appeared in 95 games, which ranks her ninth all-time in GVSU history while attaining a 82-4-10 record and is a part of 73 shut outs during her career. She is the 2010 GLIAC “Freshman of the Year” recipient and is part of the 2012 ALL-GLIAC Second Team. Ward has maintained a 3.71 grade point average majoring in exercise science.
Northwood University senior
women’s tennis player Darina Berkova
(Ceske Budejovic, Czech Republic)
posted a 23-5 overall record in 2013 from the top singles and
doubles positions, which included a 13-0 mark at 
number one singles. Berkova did not drop a set in singles in all
of 2013, winning all 26 contests. She was named 2013 GLIAC
“Player of the Year” along with First Team All-GLIAC.
The Northwood senior was also GLIAC “Player of the
Year” in 2009, and is a three-time GLIAC All-Academic
Excellence honoree, and four-time First Team All-GLIAC honoree. For
her career Berkova has won four GLIAC Team Championships and GLIAC
Tournament Championships, while amassing a 133-24 individual
record, and 32-0 in her career in GLIAC 
singles play. Berkova posted a 3.61 grade point
average in international business.
University of Findlay senior volleyball middle blocker Danielle Taflinger (Lima, Ohio/Central Catholic) earned first team All-GLIAC and All-Region in 2013. She led the conference in hitting percentage (.344). She was 2012 first team All-GLIAC and first Team All-Region, while also being name honorable mention All-American. Taflinger is a two-time Academic All-Excellence, and a one time Academic All-GLIAC. Taflinger has an overall grade point average of 3.75 and is majoring in education.
Ferris State University redshirt
sophomore quarterback Jason Vander Laan (Frankfort,
Ill./Chicago Christian) was a 2013 Harlon Hill Division II
Player of the year finalist, and broke the NCAA Division II
All-Time single season record for rushing yards by a
quarterback with 1,607 yards. He also led the Bulldogs to eight
conference wins in 2013 for the first time since 1996, while also
being ranked in the regions top 10 in the final polls. Vander Laan
earned All-GLIAC Honorable Mention in 2012 and 
is a two time GLIAC All-Academic Honoree, while being
All-Academic in 2013. Vander Laan is majoring in applied science
holding a 3.76 grade point average.
Justin Zimmer (Greenville,
Mich.), a sophomore defensive end from Ferris State
University, helped lead his team to an 8-3 overall record,
8-2 record in league play. A 2013 Capital One Academic 
All-District IV First Team led the team on and off the
field, earning NCAA Division II National Player of the Week
in week three. He help lead the conference in rushing
defense, while starting all 11 games in 2013. A GLIAC All-Academic
Excellence honoree, Zimmer is currently holding a 3.87 grade point
average and majoring in business management marketing.
Grand Valley State University sophomore
cross country runner Spencer Pageau (Jackson, Mich./Lumen
Christi) was First Team All-GLIAC in 2013, along
with helping the Lakers become NCAA Division II Midwest Region and
GLIAC Champions, while finishing seventh at the 
GLIAC championship. A 2012 USTFCCCA All-Midwest Region and
All-Academic Honoree, Pageau also helped the Lakers to a 2012
Championship Pageau has maintained a 3.91 grade point average and
majoring in biomedical sciences/pre-med.
Grand Valley State University junior
cross country runner Alan Peterson (Ironwood, Mich. /Luther
Wright), finished second at the NCAA Division II
Midwest Regional Championship, and fourth at the GLIAC 
Championship. He garnered USTFCCCA All-Midwest Region and First
Team All-GLIAC awards in 2013, while helping lead the Lakers to the
NCAA Division II Midwest Region and GLIAC Championships. In 2012 He
was USTFCCCA All-Midwest Region and All-Academic honoree along with
being a 2011 GLIAC All-Academic honoree. Peterson posted a 3.70
grade point average in exercise science.
Mark Miller (Cincinnati,
Ohio/Elder), a junior quarterback from Ohio Dominican
University, helped lead the Panthers to 10-0 GLIAC record. The team
captain led the Ohio Dominican to their first GLIAC
Championship, a top 10 ranking, and thier first Division II
playoff bid. Miller, a three-time GLIAC Academic Excellence honoree
has been on the Dean’s list every semester at Ohio Dominican.
He is active in the football team’s community outreach
programs, along with visiting the local VA Hospital. He also
participates in reading to school 
students through the Second & Seven Foundation, all while
accumulating over 100 hours of community service.
Miller is a early childhood education major and boasts a 3.76 grade
point average.
Wayne State University senior fullback
Chet Privett (Sterling Heights, Mich./Warren De La
Salle) was a semifinalist for the 2013 National Football
Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Award as well as the 2013
William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes the best football
scholar-
athletes in the nation. The senior fullback was named to
Don Hansen’s Super Region Three Second Team, while also being
named to the All-GLIAC Honorable Mention team. He has also been
named to is fourth GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team, and is
working towards a degree in health science and physical therapy,
Privette has maintained a 3.67 grade point average.