BAY CITY, Mich.--Grand Valley State Univeristy women's soccer player Natalja Stanski (Tecumseh, Ont./St. Anne) and Grand Valley State State football player Alex Gilde (McBain, Mich.) were awarded the NCAA Elite 88 award, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 88 championships.

Stanski was honored with the Elite 88 awardat the NCAA Division II women's soccer Championship banquet Wednesday, Dec. 2 in Tampa, Fla. The senior defender is a Biomedical Science major with a GPA of a 4.0 (4.0 scale). She was named the ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic "All-American of the Year," while garnering College Division Academic All-American First Team, Second Team All-GLIAC, First Team All-Midwest Region, and Daktronics, Inc. All-America First Team honrs this season. Stanski earned 2008 GLIAC "Defensive Player of the Year" laurels and was also a GLIAC Commissioner’s Award honoree last year. Stanski finished her GVSU career by leading the Lakers to the Division II Championship and an a record of 84-4-6 (.926), becoming the most successful senior class in the program’s history.

During the NCAA Division-II Football Championship game on Saturday, Dec. 12 in Florence, Alabama, it was announced that Grand Valley State's Alex Gilde was the recipient of the NCAA Elite 88 award. The senior defensive lineman is a Biomedical Science major with a GPA of a 3.937 (4.0 scale). In the 2009 season Gilde totaled 29 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks, while blocking two kicks, forcing a fumble, and recovering a fumble for the Lakers. He blocked five kicks during his career and tallied 73 total tackles, while being named a First Team All-GLIAC selection this year and a Second Team ESPN The Magazine All-American. He has been a member of the Dean’s List all seven semesters at GVSU, a three-time member of the Academic All-GLIAC Team, a 2008 GLIAC Commissioner’s Award honoree, and is one of only six Grand Valley State students admitted into the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.