Courtesy of Nick Kapatos, Grand Valley State Sports Information Graduate Assistant
ALLENDALE, Mich. – Grand Valley State women's lacrosse head coach Alicia Groveston has been named the 2015 Division II North Region Coach of the Year by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) on Monday.
Groveston, who completed her fourth season as head coach of the Lakers, guided the team to its best finish in program history. GVSU concluded the 2015 season with an overall record of 15-4 and a record of 7-0 against GLIAC opponents as the team completed their third consecutive sweep of the conference regular season and tournament crowns.
Grand Valley State also picked up their first wins against ranked opponents, upsetting #18 Indiana (Pa.) 14-12 on the road in March and #12 Regis 19-8 at GVSU Lacrosse/Track & Field Stadium in April. The wins helped GVSU to their highest in-season ranking (No. 13) and end of the year ranking (No. 14) in the IWLCA coaches polls. Grand Valley also found themselves in the NCAA Regional Rankings – which are used to determine the four teams from each region to appear in the NCAA Division II Tournament – for the first time, placing sixth in the final two rankings.
Under Groveston's watch in 2015, Grand Valley State ranked in the top five nationally in scoring offense (3rd, 15.68 goals per game), draw controls per game (4th, 15.58) and scoring margin (5th, 8.37). The Lakers also topped the GLIAC in goals scored (298), ground balls (400), caused turnovers (212), and goals against average (7.32).
A three-time GLIAC Coach of the Year, Groveston saw two of her players earn All-America plaudits in 2015. Alyssa Neumen and Erika Neumen became the first All-Americans in GVSU lacrosse history. Alyssa was named a Third Team All-American by the IWLCA, while Erika received Third Team honors by the IWLCA and Synapse Sports.
For the complete list of IWLCA Coach of the Year winners from all Divisions, click here.
