Three Bulldog athletic teams extend their 2018 seasons
Bulldog soccer forward Mackenzie Dawes took the field in the first round of NCAA Division II tournament play on Nov. 8.
Ferris State University’s men’s women’s soccer and volleyball teams also ended Fall 2018 in the postseason.
Soccer and volleyball both advanced to NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen play, where Soccer fell to Grand Valley State University. Volleyball entered the Elite Eight before falling to Rockhurst.
For the soccer squad, the Nov. 16 loss ended a record-breaking year in which the team compiled a school-best 17-4-3 overall record, finished second in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and made its first-ever GLIAC Tournament Championship game appearance.
“When we recruit kids, we talk about doing things that have never been done, and this group really was able to buy into that, and they were able to prove it. We took some really good steps this year,” said head coach Andy McCaslin. “It’s a lot of the leadership from the seniors, and how they handle themselves and how they just prepare every single day. So, really proud of this group and what they’ve been able to accomplish.”
The close of volleyball’s campaign on Nov. 16 marked the team’s eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid and eighth-straight advancement to regional semifinals or better. The team has made 23 total regional semifinal appearances in its history. It also finished its regular season as GLIAC Champions for a fifth consecutive year with a perfect 16-0 league mark.
“Looking back on it, I’m sure we’re going to feel like it was a really great season. We did so many things. We won a lot of good games against good teams,” said head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm. “Certainly, I feel like we’re one of the top teams in the nation, and this group of players has put together a really outstanding body of work. The whole season has been one small improvement after another.”