League Best Seven Ferris State Student-Athletes Tabbed As GLIAC Commissioner's Award Recipients

Big Rapids, Mich. - A conference best seven Ferris State University student-athletes have earned the prestigious distinction as Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Commissioner's Award recipients for the 2020-21 season as announced today by the league office.

The GLIAC Commissioner's Awards are typically presented after the fall, winter and spring athletic seasons to six female and six male student-athletes that excel both in the classroom and on the fields of play. However, due to COVID-19, this year all 36 honorees were announced at the same time.

The Bulldogs' seven recipients overall matched Ashland University for the most in the conference and came from seven different Ferris State squads.

Ferris State's honorees included three from traditional fall sports in football defensive back Alex Bock (Detroit/Catholic Central) along with women's soccer goalkeeper Taryn Meiste (Holland/Hamilton) and volleyball standout hitter Katie O'Connell (Evergreen Park, Ill./Chicago Mother McAuley).

Additionally, the Bulldogs had a winter award winner in track and field's Allyson Faulkner (Rockford), who claimed the distinction for the second-straight year.

Finally, FSU's three spring honorees consisted of softball outfielder Paige Kortz (Brooklyn/Napoleon) in addition to men's tennis standout Mathis Guerre (Aix en Provence, France) and men's golfer Thomas Hursey (Suttons Bay).

The GLIAC Commissioner's Awards are determined thru a nomination and voting process by the league's awards committee, which is made up of sports information directors from across the conference.

Below are biographical writeups on each of FSU's seven recipients:

ALEX BOCK
A three-time GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team honoree, Ferris State University's Alex Bock has helped the Bulldogs to back-to-back conference championships. A team leader for his work on and off the field, Bock has been a standout on special teams and a key reserve in the defensive backfield for one of the nation's top collegiate programs, which did not compete last fall due to COVID-19. He's a three-time D2 Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award recipient and has been highly active the program's community service initiatives. Bock was a member of the Bulldogs' 2018 squad that reached the D2 National Championship Game and has previously worked for FSU Athletics as a marketing and sales associate in the summer months. Over the past two seasons of action in 2018 and 2019, he's helped lead the Bulldogs to a 27-2 overall record.

TARYN MEISTE
The GLIAC Women's Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year, Meiste had an impressive season for the Bulldogs, leading FSU to the school's first-ever GLIAC Regular-Season Championship and the right to host the GLIAC Semifinals for the first time in program history. Meiste finished the year with a 7-1 overall record in goal and allowed only two goals on the year for a 0.22 goals against average with 21 saves. She pitched seven shutouts, which was the second-most in program history despite the shortened season, and owned a shutout streak of more than 500 minutes, which was the third-longest mark all-time at FSU. Meiste's play led the Bulldogs to a number 11 national ranking and a final 8-1-1 overall record this year. The Bulldogs allowed only two goals on the year.

KATIE O'CONNELL
A two-time All-American on the floor, Ferris State University's Katie O'Connell played in 14 matches this year and compiled a squad-high 182 kills with 223 digs to go with 27 total blocks and 10 aces. She averaged 3.57 kills and 4.37 digs per set for the Bulldogs, ranking among the league leaders in both categories. This season, O'Connell received All-GLIAC First Team recognition and was also named to the GLIAC All-Tournament Team as the Bulldogs reached the league semifinals. FSU finished the spring campaign with an 11-5 overall record. O'Connell garnered American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Academic All-America First Team laurels this spring.

ALLYSON FAULKNER
Ferris State University's Allyson Faulkner ranked among FSU's top women's track and field standouts this past year and has been highly-active in a number of campus organizations, including serving as the Student Government President for two terms. The three-time GLIAC All-Academic Team honoree has earned the GLIAC Commissioner's Award honor for the second-straight year and is a three-time D2 Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award recipient. A regular in the FSU lineup, she's held several major leadership roles on campus such as being the Vice President of the Ferris Forensics Team and treasurer of the Student Alumni Gold Club along with President of the Panhellenic Council. She was also previously nominated for the Bulldogs' prestigious Willie Bouyer Leadership Award and also has received a Newman Civic Fellowship for demonstrating an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country. The political science major has a near-perfect grade point average and has competed in a multitude of different events on the track in her collegiate career to date.

MATHIS GUERRE
Ferris State University's Mathis Guerre, who was chosen as the GLIAC Men's Tennis Player of the Year, led the Bulldogs to both the GLIAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships this season. The Bulldogs, who finished with a 15-1 overall record, claimed their fifth regular-season title in the last six tries and the program's fourth tournament crown in the last five opportunities this year. As the squad's number one player, Guerre posted a combined 21-6 overall singles and doubles record this year, including a 9-4 mark in singles action and a 12-2 doubles ledger. The four-year letterwinner went 6-1 in GLIAC regular-season doubles play and led FSU to the program's 24th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance. He was also tabbed as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Region Most Improved Senior Player for the campaign. 

THOMAS HURSEY
The GLIAC Men's Golf Player of the Year, Thomas Hursey led the Bulldogs to the 2021 GLIAC Championship and an NCAA Tournament berth this season. He placed tied for second overall in the GLIAC's stroke play portion of the championships and then led FSU to wins over Saginaw Valley State in the semifinals and rival Grand Valley State in the finals at the GLIAC Championships. He was the final golfer on the course and produced the deciding result in the win over GVSU. Hursey twice won medalist honors in tournament competition this spring, winning the Bill Blazer Memorial and the Cav Classic in Ohio in back-to-back events. In five tournaments this spring prior to the NCAA Championships, Hursey placed among the top six golfers all six times with four top-three performances, including the two first-place finishes. For his efforts, he was chosen as Ferris State's Dean Davenport "Bulldog of the Year" recipient as the school's top male student-athlete this year. 

PAIGE KORTZ
Ferris State University's Paige Kortz hit a squad-best .384 overall with a team-high 53 hits in 42 games played for the Bulldogs, who finished the year with 15 victories on the softball diamond. She also produced 22 RBI's and scored 22 times while drawing 12 walks. Overall, Kortz notched six doubles with a triple and four homers in addition leading the team with 20 stolen bases. Additionally, she had 11 extra-base hits. In the field, Kortz was the Bulldogs' everyday centerfielder and posted a .974 fielding percentage with 70 put-outs and four assists on the year. Kortz was named to the All-GLIAC First Team for the Bulldogs this year and she is a three-year letterwinner and starter in the FSU program. She was also chosen to this year's National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II All-Midwest Region squad and earned 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District IV First Team laurels.