The GLIAC Winter 2022 Commissioner's Award recipients were announced by the league office on Thursday, March 7. The awards are presented after the fall, winter and spring athletic seasons to six female and six male student-athletes that excel both in the classroom and in competition. Four student-athletes from Grand Valley State were recognized for both their academic and athletic accomplishments this year. Emily Spitzley of women's basketball, Elli Kimes of women's indoor track and field, and Myles Kerner and Mac Mitchell from men's indoor track and field were all GLIAC standouts and this winter's recipients of the GLIAC Commissioner's Award.  

Emily Spitzley helped lead the Lakers to the second most wins in program history with a 31-3 finish and their 2021-22 season concluding in the NCAA DII Elite Eight Semifinals in Birmingham, Alabama. Spitzley was a First Team All-GLIAC honoree and was selected to the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament Team after scoring a career high 28 points in the win over No. 5 Drury in the regional semifinals and defeating No. 18 Walsh in the regional championship. Spitzley was also named GLIAC Player of the Week after shooting 4-4 from three in the win over Michigan Tech, including the game-tying three at the buzzer to send the game into OT.

"Emily is driven, hardworking, and accomplishes the things she sets out to do," said head coach Mike Williams, "It's no surprise that she is a high achiever both athletically and academically." 

Spitzley is a three-time GLIAC All-Academic Excellence recipient, two-time First Team All-GLIAC recipient, two-year starter, and two-year leading scorer for the Lakers, and has a career record of 102-16 (.864 winning percentage) as a player at GVSU. She was the leading scorer for the Lakers this season, scoring 456 and averaging 13.4 points per game. She shot a team high 41% from three and led the Lakers in threes made this season (68). Spitzley averaged 3.9 rebounds per game and finished the season with 34 assists, 31 steals, and blocked 12 shots.

Elli Kimes made her seventh NCAA DII Track and Field Championships appearance at the 2022 Indoor meet where she finished second with a height of 4.15m in pole vault.  Kimes won her eighth GLIAC Championship at the 2022 GLIAC Indoor Championships clearing a height of 4.10m. She finished first amongst all college athletes during the regular season at all five meets, and achieved an NCAA DII provisional mark five times in the regular season. She finished the regular season ranked second in DII and first in the GLIAC.

"Ellianne is a very hard worker on the runway and in the classroom," said associate head coach Lou Andreadis. 

Kimes is an eight time GLIAC pole vault champion, and earned her sixth USTFCCCA All-American First-Team honors in the 2022 indoor season. Kimes also earned her third straight winter GLIAC Commissioner's Award. Academically, Kimes finished the Fall semester with a 3.84 gpa earning GLIAC Academic Excellence honors.  She has earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors every season since the Indoor 2018 season. She was named the NCAA Division II Women's Indoor Track and Field National Scholar Field Athlete of the Year in 2021. 

Myles Kerner set a Grand Valley State record in the men's shot put at the GVSU Big Meet - Friday putting a distance of 19.29m. He finished fifth at the 2022 NCAA DII Indoor Track and Field Championships putting 18.23m and added four points to the Men's National Championship victory. Kerner also competed at Nationals in weight throw finishing ninth with a distance of 19.37m. He was awarded USTFCCCA First-Team All-American honors in shot put, and Second-Team All-American honors in weight throw.

"This award is a great credit to the type of work ethic and self motivation that Myles brings to his academics and athletics each and everyday," said assistant coach - throws Matt Conly. "He is the type of leader and young man that every program is after."

At the 2022 GLIAC Indoor Championships, he won the shot put event with a distance of 19.12m, and placed fourth in weight throw with a distance of 19.35m. He was named the 2022 GLIAC Field Athlete of the Meet, and was a two-time GLIAC Athlete of the Week in the 2022 indoor season. Kerner threw a personal-best distance of 19.90m in weight throw at the Bill Clinger Classic finishing first. He ended the regular season nationally ranked third in shot put and 10th in weight throw. In the classroom, Kerner has earned a cumulative 3.74 GPA and was awarded 2022 GLIAC Academic Excellence honors. 

Mac Mitchell won his third consecutive GLIAC Championships in the men's triple jump at the 2022 GLIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships with a personal-best distance of 14.33m. He was awarded 2022 USTFCCCA All-Region honors for being within the top five in the Midwest Region.

"Mac has left his mark on our program by working tirelessly over the last four years in the classroom and on the track," said assistant coach - jumps Steve Jones.  "While his passion to excel as a student-athlete continually inspires his teammates."

Mitchell placed second among all DII athletes at the GVSU Big Meet jumping 14.00m. He placed first amongst all GLIAC athletes at the GVSU Holiday Open reaching a distance of 13.92m. Mitchell also claimed first at the GVSU Bill Clinger Classic with a distance of 13.63m.  Academically, Mitchell has a cumulative 3.81 GPA and has earned GLIAC All-Academic Excellence honors in 2022, 2021, and 2020.