SL's Aurich honored again
Tue, Nov 10, 2009 
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Spring Lake's Robbie Aurich was recently named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference's 2009 Defensive Player of the Year.
Aurich leads his Minnesota-Duluth team with 79 total tackles, including a team-high 45 solo stops and eight tackles for a loss.
Aurich, a junior linebacker, also has two interceptions and led his team in tackles in 13 of its past 15 games dating back to last year.
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The Bulldogs have surrendered just 12 points per game this fall and have held opponents to 246.5 yards per contest. Both stats lead the NSIC.
Aurich's teammate, junior running back Isaac Odim, was named the league's Offensive Player of the Year.
Minnesota-Duluth is currently ranked 3 in the NCAA Division II and received a No. 1 seed in the Super Region 3 and a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Bulldogs will face the winner of Saturday's Saginaw Valley State vs. University of Nebraska Kearny contest in the second round. A possible rematch with No. 4-ranked Grand Valley State University looms the following week.
SUPPORT YOUR KING
Michigan State University is holding a promotion called "Support Your Hometown Volleyball Athlete."
On Saturday, that athlete will be Spring Lake graduate Vanessa King, the Spartans' senior middle block. The Spartans play host to Big Ten Conference foe Purdue at 6:30 p.m. at Jenison Field House in East Lansing.
Fans who bring this article to the match will be admitted for free.
After a pair of impressive sweeps against Iowa and Wisconsin on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31, the Spartans have hit a rough patch, as they suffered conference losses on the road to Northwestern and Illinois. MSU is currently 16-10 overall and 4-10 in the Big Ten Conference.
King, a returning All-Big Ten first-team selection, has tallied 140 kills and a team-best 89 blocks in 82 games played this season. Her average of 1.09 blocks per game currently ranks her seventh in the Big Ten.
BORNS LEADS GVSU TO REGIONAL TITLE
Grand Valley State's women's cross country team continued its dominance in the Midwest Region, as the Lakers won their ninth-straight regional championship on Saturday in Kenosha, Wis.
A key part to the title was Grand Haven graduate Leah Borns, who finished the 6K course 15th overall in a time of 23 minutes, 09 seconds.
GVSU scored 26 points, well ahead of runner-up Southern Indiana, who scored 76. Ferris State, which features Spring Lake graduate Megan Josey, placed third with 103.
The top three teams advance to the NCAA Division 2 National Championships, which will be held on Nov. 21 in Evansville, Ind.
Josey clocked in with a time of 23:42.7, which was good for 31st overall. Her Bulldogs' teammate, junior Tina Muir, was the regional champion, as she finished in 21:33.2.
LEE EARNS ACADEMIC HONOR AT ALBION
Albion College senior defensive back Jacob Lee has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV College Division football first- team in voting by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
With his selection to the Academic all-District first team, Lee's name will be placed on the ballot for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America consideration.
Lee, a Spring Lake graduate, has wrapped up a team-high 56 tackles (43 solo and 26 assists) this season. He secured his second interception of the season on Saturday, helping lead the Britons (3-6 overall) to a 34-14 victory over Kalamazoo College in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Assocation action. Albion closes its season on Saturday at home against Alma College.
Lee is a double-major in Spanish and Economics & Management at Albion and also recently completed a study abroad program in Chile during the 2009 spring semester. He has accepted a job offer from PricewaterhouseCoopers in Detroit and will start a full-time auditing position in fall 2010.
"Achieving recognition on an Academic all-District team has always been one of my goals because academics are the second-highest priority in my life behind my family," Lee said. "The award is a testament to the consistent hard work I put into my academic endeavors, but I could not have achieved success without the support and guidance of my family."
