Jan. 10, 2008

Bay City, Mich. - The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) announced the Fall 2007 winners of the inaugural GLIAC Commissioner's Awards for Academic and Athletic Excellence. The awards, sponsored by Meijer, Incorporated, will be presented after the Fall, Winter, and Spring athletic seasons to six male and six female student-athletes that excel both in the classroom and on the fields of play. The Awards were announced in conjunction with the release of the GLIAC Fall All-Academic Teams in which 585 student-athletes were honored for their efforts.

The six female student-athletes to receive the Fall 2007 GLIAC Commissioner's Awards are: Rachelle Malette of Wayne State University; Melissa Bartlett of Hillsdale College; Rebecca Heintzman of Mercyhurst College; Amy Palmgren of Michigan Technological University; Katy Tafler of Grand Valley State University; and Lynsey Warren of Ashland University.

The six male student-athletes to receive the Fall 2007 GLIAC Commissioner's Awards are: Vince Cashdollar of Ashland University; Nick Gurica of Hillsdale; Chris Hammer of Grand Valley State; Mark Nicolet of Hillsdale; Erik Schumacher of Ferris State University; and Jake Visser of Ferris State.

"These 12 student-athletes exemplify the NCAA Division II philosophy of balance between academics and athletics by excelling in both areas," stated GLIAC Commissioner Tom Brown. "Our conference, along with Meijer Incorporated, feel that it is important to recognize these hard working student-athletes for their outstanding performances in the classroom and on the field of play. The GLIAC would like to thank Meijer for their generous sponsorship of the 2007 Commissioner's Awards and for helping us acknowledge the exceptional accomplishments of this group."

Rachelle Malette, a junior cross country runner for the Wayne State, is a pharmacy major who holds a 3.51 GPA (4.0 scale). She has been named to the GLIAC All-Academic Team twice and has been a member of the WSU Athletic Director's Honor Roll. Malette earned 2007 All-American Honors with a fifth place finish at the NCAA Championships. She placed first at both the GLIAC and NCAA Division II Regional Championships this year, winning the races by 35 seconds and 20 seconds, respectively.