Grand Valley State junior Gina Patterson has been honored as a 2017 GLIAC Commissioners Award honoree after turning in an outstanding cross country campaign. Patterson  concluded her junior season by being named  USTFCCCA All-American for the second time in her career after she placed 39th at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championship with a time of 21:42.9. Out of the six races that Patterson raced in during the 2017 season she placed in the top-12 five times, four of which were top-10 finishes. Patterson placed first at the GLIAC Championships with a time of 21:47.3 and a seventh place finish during the NCAA Division II Midwest Region Cross Country Championships after she posted a time of 21:50.1. 

During her junior year, Patterson added more to her cross country resume after she was named the GLIAC Women’s Runner of the Year. Patterson also earned USTFCCCA All-Region and All-GLIAC First Team honors for the second time in her career. 

In the classroom, Patterson worked through her coursework as an Exercise Science major and carried a 3.80 GPA during the 2017 Fall semester, along with a 3.826 cumulative GPA. The Laker junior also earned USTFCCA All-Academic honors in 2015, as well as being named to the GLIAC’s  All-Academic Excellence Team in 2016 and 2017.