Junior Taryn Chapko earned a third-place finish at the 2023 Indoor National Championships in the 800m with a time of 2:07.27. In addition, Chapko was a part of the 2023 National winning DMR squad, who broke three records within one event. The DMR squad finished with a time of 11:12.47, breaking the meet record, Virginia Beach facility record and the Division II All-Time Record. This DMR squad now ranks first in the Nation for Division II, in addition holds the fastest women’s DMR record at Grand Valley State. At the 2023 GLIAC Championships, Chapko took home first place in the women’s 800m with a time of 2:08.68 helping Grand Valley State earn their 24th consecutive team title. Taryn Chapko ended the 2023 indoor season ranking first in the Division II Midwest Region and third in the Nation (Division II) in the women’s 800m. Chapko earned NCAA All-Region and First-Team All-American honors for her accomplishments this season. In the classroom, Taryn Chapko received GLIAC Academic Excellence after earning a cumulative GPA of 3.9 this semester.

Wayne State senior swimmer Jordan Fox was a five-time All-American this season, including four First Team certificates, and scored a total of 58.5 points, which would have placed 18th in the team standings. Those five All-American honors came in the 1000 free (second place), 500 free (second), 1650 free (third), 800 free relay (seventh), and 400 free relay (12th). A 2021-22 recipient of this award, Fox was named a CSC Third Team Academic All-American this winter and earned seven All-GLIAC nods, including a pair of league titles in the 1000 free and 800 free relay. The Australia native also garnered GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team recognition for the third straight season.

Junior Natalie Graber finished third at the 2023 Indoor NCAA National Championships in Virginia Beach, Va. with a new personal-best time of 9:09.42 in the 3000m, ranking her fourth on the National List (Division II). In addition, Graber was a part of the DMR squad who took home the 2023 National Title breaking three records at this years’ Nationals, including the Division II All-Time record, facility record, and meet record. This DMR squad now ranks first in the Nation for Division II and holds the fastest women’s DMR record at Grand Valley State. Graber placed first in the women’s 3000m at the 2023 Indoor GLIAC Championships with a new GLIAC track record of 9:24.57, earning her the honor of GLIAC Track Athlete of the Year. Graber closed out her 2023 indoor season earning USTFCCCA Women’s Track Athlete of the Year in the Midwest Region, NCAA All-Region and First-Team All-American honors. In the classroom, Natalie Graber received GLIAC Academic Excellence after earning a cumulative GPA of 3.9 this semester.

Alyssa Nelson adds another milestone to her extremely impressive resume, earning her second consecutive Commissioner’s Award. The senior from New Berlin, Wis. wrapped up her final season as a Ranger with a 3.868 GPA, while leading the GLIAC in field goals (213), three point percentage (41.2), three pointers (75), and three pointers per game (2.67). Nelson has also received First Team All-GLIAC honors this season, as well as D2CCA First Team All-Midwest Region recognition. Nelson finished her career as the Parkside all-time scoring leader with 2,162 points. She also finished in second place for all-time scoring in GLIAC play with 1,542 points. Nelson was a 2x GLIAC preseason player of the year (’21, ’22), 2022 GLIAC Player of the Year, 2022 WBCA Honorable mention All-American, 2022 GLIAC commissioner’s award winner, 12x GLIAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, 3x First Team All-GLIAC player, 2020 GLIAC All-Defensive team.

Wayne State junior diver Mikaela Senkus is the league’s best at her craft. She was named GLIAC Diver of the Year after winning both the one-meter and three-meter dives at the conference championships. She then went on to earn a pair of First Team All-American honors by placing second in both events at the NCAA Championships. The junior racked up a total of 34 points by herself, which would have placed 22nd in the team standings. Not to mention she was a CSC First Team Academic All-American, member of the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team for the second straight season and six-time GLIAC Diver of the Week honoree in 2022-23.

Kaitlyn Zarycki ranked eighth in points per game for the entire country, scoring at 21.3 clip. In addition, she averaged 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 91.5 percent from the charity stripe. Zarycki led the league in free throw percentage (90.8%), steals per game (2.4), and finished the season fourth in total points despite missing four games with a hand injury. Highlights from her immaculate regular season included breaking the single-game scoring record, totaling 44 points on Senior Day over Davenport University and ending the season with 50 consecutive made free throws. The Niles, Michigan native collected individual awards throughout the season that include the 2022-23 NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners Association Third-Team All-America, College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Third-Team, NCAA D2CCA Midwest Region Player of the Year, GLIAC Player of the Year (was freshman of the year in 2019-20), First-Team All-GLIAC (third time), GLIAC All-Defensive Team (third time), and GLIAC Academic Excellence honors. Zarycki finishes her career at SVSU with 1,727 points, putting her fourth in the Cardinal record books. 

Wayne State senior swimmer Luka Cvetko tallied five All-American honors this season, including a pair of First Team certificates in the 400 medley relay (eighth place) and 200 free relay (eighth). The three other distinctions came as part of the 400 free relay (11th), 800 free relay (16th) and 50 free (16th). The Croatia native did some damage at the GLIAC Championships as well with two All-GLIAC performances, second in the 50 free and third in the 400 free relay. Cvetko was named a CSC Second Team Academic All-American as well as a member of the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team for the third consecutive season. This is the second consecutive year Cvetko has earned a GLIAC Commissioner’s Award.

Grand Valley State senior Wrigley Fields turned in a stellar senior season for the Lakers in the pool en route to earning the GLIAC Commissioner’s Award. Fields earned NCAA Division II All-America honors on the 1 and 3-meter diving board, while also claiming the GLIAC Championship on the 1-meter board and a second-place finish on the 3-meter board. Fields earned GLIAC Academic Excellence honors for the third consecutive year and was nominated for the CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. Wrigley concluded his career as a six-time All-American and never finished lower than fifth at the GLIAC Championships.

Senior Myles Kerner finished out his 2022-2023 Indoor Track and Field season as men’s shot put National Champion after throwing a new personal-best and facility record breaking distance of 19.71m at the 2023 NCAA National Championships in Virginia Beach, Va. This season, Kerner earned first place at the 2023 GLIAC Championships with a new GLIAC record throw of 19.56m, earning him the honor of GLIAC Athlete of the Meet. In addition, Myles Kerner was recently named the USTFCCCA 2023 Men’s Field Athlete of the Year in the Midwest Region while also earning NCAA All-Region and First-Team All-American honors for his accomplishments this season. Kerner ended the 2022-2023 indoor season ranked first in the Nation (Division II) in the men’s shot put and currently holds three records at Grand Valley State, broken this season. In the classroom, Myles Kerner received GLIAC Academic Excellence after earning a cumulative GPA of 3.7 this semester.

Wayne State swimmer Stewart Nowinski was a two-time All-American, including a first-team nod in the 200 free relay that placed eighth and an Honorable Mention distinction in the 200 medley relay (12th place). At the GLIAC Championships, he was named All-GLIAC for both the 200 medley relay (third) and 400 free relay (third). The redshirt senior was featured on the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team for the fourth straight season and named a CSC Second Team Academic All-American.  This is the second consecutive year Nowinski has earned a GLIAC Commissioner’s Award.  He was as an eight-time All-American in his career and won four GLIAC titles.

Ferris State University senior standout Brandon Wirth has been a key contributor for the Bulldogs' men's cross country along with track and field programs for the past four seasons. A team leader and captain, Wirth finished as the individual winner this year at the season-opening Ray Helsing Bulldog Cross Country Invitational, clocking 26:53.9 on the 8K course while earning GLIAC Athlete of the Week honors. He also competed in the NCAA D2 Midwest Regional Championships and claimed GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team honors for the third year in a row both in cross country along with track and field. Along with his success as a student-athlete, Wirth has also been highly-active in various campus and community initiatives, including working as part of FSU's gameday operations and athletics communications staffs along with serving as a broadcaster for both FSU and local high school sporting events. He started his own sports podcast and has served as a writer and editor for the Ferris State Torch student newspaper. In addition, he's been active in FSU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has served as the president of FSU's Bulldog Radio student organization along with being the social media manager for the Sports Careers Club at Ferris State. 

A 2023 two-time All-American after finishing 13th in the 1650 Freestyle and 14th in the 1000 Freestyle at the NCAA Championships, Ondrej Zach was a staple in his senior season for the Northern Michigan Wildcats swim and dive squad. Along with his All-American achievements, Zach earned a sixth-place finish in the 1000 Freestyle at the GLIAC Championships. He also claimed second in the CSCAA Open Water National Championships in December of 2022. During his time at Northern, the native of Rudolfov, Czech Republic has been a repeat honoree on the GLIAC All-Academic teams and an All-American in each season since 2019-20. The highlight of Zach’s career came at the NCAA Championships in 2022 when he swam to a national championship in the 1650 Freestyle with a time of 15:09.55. He holds the NMU PEIF pool and school record in the 1000 Freestyle, holds the school record in the 1650 Freestyle, and holds the NMU PEIF pool record in the 500 Freestyle.