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SEPT. 18, 2026, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – It was a busy Friday for Grand Rapids Community College athletics, with the Raiders competing across three sports and producing several standout performances.

The No. 4-ranked women's cross country team recorded its best team finish of the season, both soccer teams earned victories at home against Alpena Community College, and the GRCC softball team remained perfect in fall ball with a pair of shutout victories over Grace Christian University.

No. 4 Women's Cross Country Finishes Second at Lansing CC Invitational

The No. 4-ranked GRCC women's cross country team turned in its best team finish of the season, placing second out of 13 teams at the Lansing Community College Invitational with 102 points.

Wayne State University won the team competition with 19 points. The field featured 109 total runners, with eight of the 13 full teams representing junior colleges and the other five coming from four-year institutions.

Freshman Mackenzie Conner once again led the Raiders, finishing seventh overall in 19:45. It marked the third consecutive race in which Conner has been GRCC's top finisher.

GRCC's remaining finishers included:

• Mackenzie Baldrica — 21st, 20:51.9
• Vivian Idziak — 22nd, 20:51.9
• Leah Williams — 35th, 21:46
• Kailey Mann — 37th, 22:02
• Kadie Norman — 43rd, 22:18
• Suzannah Dipiazza — 50th, 22:38
• Glorious Yarsiah — 98th, 28:51

The GRCC men's team competed with just four runners, making the team ineligible for a team score, but all four Raiders recorded individual finishes among a field of 115 runners.

Sophomore Brady Morrow led GRCC with a 20th-place finish in 27:36. Sophomore Corey Jones finished 50th in 29:31, followed by freshman Alex Minani in 69th at 30:37 and freshman Jacob Creager in 87th at 32:40.

Both GRCC cross country teams will next compete at the MCCAA Western Conference Championship, hosted by GRCC at the Gainey Athletic Complex on Oct. 2.

Women's Soccer Wins Fourth Straight

The GRCC women's soccer team continued its strong start to the season, earning its fourth consecutive victory with an 11-0 win over Alpena Community College.

GRCC improved to 4-1-1 on the season.

Alpena played the entire match with just seven players due to a lack of available players. The Raiders took advantage early, scoring all 11 of their goals in the first half while holding the Lumberjacks without a shot.

With GRCC leading by at least eight goals, the second half was called at the 70-minute mark. The Raiders focused on maintaining possession during the second half rather than continuing to attack the goal.

Valerie Rosas led the offensive explosion with four goals, giving her five goals this season, while also adding an assist. Hayley Conrad recorded her first three goals of the season to complete a hat trick.

Other GRCC goals came from Izabeth Terpstra, her second of the season; Nadia Perez, her team-leading eighth goal; Emily Meyers, her first of the season; and Taylor Wetherbee, also her first of the season.

The Raiders will have a significant conference matchup on Wednesday, Sept. 23, when they host Kellogg Community College with the outright conference lead on the line.

Men's Soccer Rolls to 6-0 Shutout

The GRCC men's soccer team also took care of business against Alpena, earning a convincing 6-0 victory to improve to 3-2-2 on the season.

The Raiders dominated statistically, recording 30 shots, including 22 on goal, while limiting Alpena to just four shots and two shots on goal.

The victory also produced a milestone for the GRCC program, as it marked the first three-goalkeeper combined shutout in program history. Ramon Lujano-Salto played the entire first half, while Dylan Hudson and Zander Daley split time in the second half.

GRCC wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Irvin Hernandez-Cisneros scored in the first minute to give the Raiders an early lead. It was his third goal of the season, and he later added an assist.

Oscar Loyo-Sanchez added his first goal of the season in the 22nd minute, while Manuel Dipres scored in the 39th minute for his team-leading fifth goal of the year.

David Pontarelli scored twice, finding the net in the 54th and 74th minutes for his first two goals of the season. Andrew Lewis capped the scoring with his first goal of the year in the 84th minute.

GRCC returns to action at home on Sept. 23 against Owens Community College.

Softball Remains Perfect in Fall Ball

The GRCC softball team stayed unbeaten in fall-ball competition, improving to 6-0 after sweeping Grace Christian University by scores of 13-0 and 17-0 at home.

The Raiders combined for 30 runs and 29 hits across the two games while committing just one error.

In the opening game, 10 different GRCC players contributed to the team's 16-hit attack. Freshman Josie Manning led the way with three hits.

Caitlyn Horvath, Ella Showers, Kellsie Dieterle and Abbie Critchett each added two hits, with Critchett delivering a grand slam in the sixth inning.

The pitching trio of Kayla Milarch, Tia Schone and Megan Lillie combined for five strikeouts while allowing just four hits.

GRCC continued its offensive surge in the second game, exploding for 13 hits while playing error-free defense. Schone and Lillie combined to allow just one hit and recorded five strikeouts.

Critchett, Milarch and Presley Chamberlain each collected two hits. Critchett added another home run, giving her two homers and eight RBIs on the day.

The Raiders will look to continue their perfect fall-ball record on Sunday, when they host the Grand Valley State University club team for games at 10 a.m. and noon.

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Interested in supporting GRCC Athletics?  All donations can be done through GRCC Athletic's Scholarship Fund and can specify what scholarship fund the gift is going to, such as the Hofmann scholarship. If you have any questions on how to support Athletics at Grand Rapids Community College, contact the Athletic Department via phone at (616) 234-3883 or email grccathletics@grcc.edu. Any support is appreciated and goes towards assisting our student-athlete scholarship funds.