Ryan Verhelst - Football
Saginaw Valley State junior cornerback Ryan Verhelst (Holland, Mich. / West Ottawa HS) had a career high performance in the team's 14-9 victory over regionally-ranked Tiffin University on Saturday, Oct. 28.
Verhelst, who is a junior eligibility-wise but went through the senior day pregame ceremony, provided the crowd with an exciting match up against the Dragons in his final outing at Wickes Stadium. He recorded a career-high nine tackles and contributed two interceptions and a pass breakup as well, stopping two key Tiffin drives in SVSU territory, including one late in the fourth quarter when the Dragons were driving. Verhelst now has five interceptions for the season, which is the top in the GLIAC. Verhelst earned his first GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week for this past weekend's win.
Saginaw Valley hits the road for the final two games of the 2017 season, beginning on Saturday (Nov. 5) at Northwood University for the annual Axe Bowl game. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. at Northwood's Hantz Stadium.
Wilhelmina Francisco – Women's Swim and Dive
SVSU senior Wilhelmina Francisco (Chelsea, Mich.) competed well with the swim and dive team this past weekend at Findlay.
Francisco notched a couple NCAA Dive-in Meet qualifying totals in the diving events. She had 256.50 points in the 1 meter event and a mark of 269.30 points in the 3 meter event.
The teams pick up action on Sunday (Nov. 5), as they host strong GLIAC opponent in Northern Michigan University. Action begins at 11:00 a.m. at the Gerstacker Regional Aquatic Center.