April 8, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College’s women’s basketball team is headed to the NJCAA DII District C Championship after a comfortable win over a strong Oakland Community College team on Thursday. The softball team, however, struggled, losing the first game of a doubleheader. The nightcap was postponed because of the late afternoon storm. The women’s hoops team is headed to Ursuline College in Ohio on Saturday for the district finals after topping Oakland 71-52. The Raiders are expected to play Bryant and Stratton College. GRCC jumped out in front after the first quarter and never looked back. The team dominated in the third, outscoring Oakland 24 points to eight. Jayla Bibbs led the team in scoring with 26 points and 16 rebounds. Shonyah Hawkins had 20 points and five boards. Olivia Koetje posted 11 points. The win puts GRCC’s season record to 11-3. Oakland’s season ends with an impressive 12-3 record. The softball team lost 9-2 to Muskegon Community College at home in Grand Rapids. The Raiders were limited to five hits, two from Brooklynne Siewertsen, two from Taylor Cross and one from Alexis Nguyen.   GRCC was trailing 2-0 when the storms arrived in the top of the second inning. The team is 2-7 on the season and is back in action Friday at home against Lake Michigan College.

April 8, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Rakim may be “God MC” and widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled artists in hip-hop, but it wasn’t easy to get his voice heard as the art form developed in New York. “New York was hip-hop; the city was the core of hip-hop,” he told an audience in-person and online during this week’s Grand Rapids Community College Diversity Lecture Series. “On Long Island, I was on the outside looking in…I had to be rough enough to break New York from Long Island.” One half of the golden era of hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he spoke about his influences, artistry, and determination during a wide-ranging discussion moderated by Bakari Kitwana, a 2020 Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellow at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. The discussion is now available for viewing here. The evening included guest performances by PJ DA DJ and the Collec7ive, a Grand Rapids hip-hop group powered by community partner, MuseGR. Rakim discussed his book, “Sweat the Technique: Revelations on Creativity from the Lyrical Genius,” which he co-authored with Kitwana. Part memoir, part writing guide, the book offers insight into how Rakim thinks about words, music, writing, and rhyming as it teaches writers of all levels how to hone their craft. It is also a glimpse into Rakim’s private life, with personal stories that celebrate the influences that shaped his development. Eric B. and Rakim’s 1987 release “Paid in Full” was listed in Rolling Stone magazine’s Top 500 Albums of All Time The Diversity Lecture Series provides GRCC stakeholders and community members with access to society’s most prolific scholars, thought-leaders, activists, and innovative artists. Overseen by ODEI, the series aims to connect members of the community with people that hold a compelling interest in shaping a culture of inclusion and social justice. “A core principle of culturally competent services or curriculum is to amplify the life experiences of the students we serve and support,” McNeely Cobham said. “Focusing on art and artistic expression as a framework for navigating the beautiful struggle of life was timely, impactful, and important.” GRCC offers learners of all ages opportunities to gain credits for degrees or transfer and in-demand career skills leading to rewarding careers. GRCC was established in 1914 – Michigan’s first community college -- and offers affordable classes on weekdays, evenings, Saturdays and online at locations throughout Kent and Ottawa counties.

April 8, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College baseball players will be taking the field at Lake Michigan Credit Union Ballpark – home of the West Michigan Whitecaps – for a special game celebrating the college and its impact on the region. The team is planning a doubleheader against a top opponent, Kellogg Community College, on Friday, April 16, with games at 2 and 4:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free. “We are partners with Kellogg CC in education, but friendly rivals on the diamond,” said Dr. Bill Pink, GRCC president. “We’re proud to highlight our student-athletes and community college sports in a fun, safe environment – and to cheer on the Raiders!” The health and safety of spectators and participants is a top priority. GRCC is strictly following safety state and local health authority protocols at LMCU Ballpark, formerly known as Fifth Third Ballpark.  Attendance will be limited to 2,500 spectators – far below the ballpark’s 9,000-person capacity. All attendees will be required to have their temperature checked, wear a face covering, and respect social distancing guidelines. The games also will be live streamed on the Internet by Michigan Sports Radio at MichiganSportsRadio.com . “KCC and GRCC are aligned when it comes to our commitment to students, and we are grateful for the opportunity to play our Raider friends in Grand Rapids, but the competitor in me can’t help but say, ‘Go Bruins!’” said Dr. Adrien Bennings, president of Kellogg Community College. GRCC’s baseball team has a storied tradition, with five national championships, 19 regional championships and 30 conference championships, and is off to a strong start in 2021, with a 10-5 record. Legendary GRCC Coach Tom Hofmann, who passed away last year, led his team to nearly 700 wins, served as an assistant coach on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team and was inducted into the Community College Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1988 and into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. KCC is ranked No. 8 in the nation in Division 2 by the National Junior College Athletic Association. The team finished seventh in the 2019 NJCAA D2 World Series, and won the Michigan Community College Athletic Association state and conference championships. “We’re thrilled to provide this experience for baseball players, who couldn’t play last season because of the pandemic,” GRCC Interim Athletic Director David Selmon said. “This is also a chance for high school students to see high quality of community college athletics.” Selmon said he appreciates the partnership with the West Michigan Whitecaps, a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Detroit Tigers, playing in the new High-A Central League.  

April 7, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - GRCC Workforce Training programs provide in-demand skills leading to rewarding careers. Each Wednesday we’ll meet students who are heading down an educational pathway and changing their lives by earning occupational certificates. Do you have what it takes to really make a life change? Sam Thomet does! Thomet is a GRCC alum and earned a degree in exercise science from Grand Valley State University. But he took an incredible chance and changed the trajectory of his career. He was working at Hope Network as a rehab technician helping patients become more self-sufficient when he felt he needed a change. His started thinking maybe healthcare was not the career path for him. As Thomet started thinking about what he wanted for his future, he remembered his grandfather and father welding on the family farm. He had a talk with his dad and went for it! He enrolled in the GRCC Job Training Welding program in February and hasn’t looked back. “There were a couple of things that just made welding seem like a good fit for me,” he said. “I really like the instant gratification of making a good weld. I also have discovered my personal strengths and weaknesses and even though, I like people, I’m happier working more independently.” Thomet said GRCC’s 18-week program was attractive because he was able to quickly get the skills he needed.   “I am looking forward to getting to work and finding out what type of career will develop,” he said. “It’s likely that I will come back to GRCC for additional education once I know specifically the direction I want to take my new welding career. I’m looking forward to my future!” The GRCC Job Training Welding program has a reputation for graduates succeeding. The accelerated program focuses on entry level skills such as cutting, brazing and welding of various metal components to more advanced tasks such as MiG and TIG welding using aluminum and stainless steel. This training provides students with an understanding of metallurgy, welding equipment maintenance and American Welding Society standards. Additionally, training focuses on important competencies in print reading, basic shop math, measurement tools and effective communication with others using today's welding terminology. Anyone interested in gaining career skills through GRCC Workforce Training can connect via email at workforcetraining@grcc.edu, and by phone at (616) 234-3800. Additional information is at grcc.edu/programs/job-workforce-training.

April 6, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College men’s basketball team continues to come so close to victory, only to see an elusive win slip away on the final shot. The GRCC Raiders lost 68-66 to the Oakland Community College Raiders in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Great Lakes District A Quarterfinal game. The defeat ends GRCC's season. Oakland gained possession with the game tied and just three seconds on the clock, with a layup slipping through the net and sending OCC to the next round of the competition. Darien Banks led GRCC in scoring, with 27 points. Isaac Anderson had 13 points, four assists, and 10 rebounds. Richard Major had seven points. GRCC is now 5-9 on the season after dropping two games, and 4-4 in conference competition.

April 6, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – One game was a pitchers’ duel and one was a slugfest, but both were losses for the Grand Rapids Community College baseball team. After reeling off 10 straight wins, the Raiders are in a bit of a slump, dropping back-to-back doubleheaders. GRCC fell behind early in the first game of Tuesday’s twin bill against Lansing Community College and couldn’t come back, suffering a 3-2 loss. Lansing, playing at home, took the lead on a home run by catcher Robert Cavin in the second inning. The pitching was strong on both sides. LCC pitchers struck out 11, while GRCC sat down seven. Kolby Dewhirst pitched Lansing to victory, surrendering two runs on seven hits over six and a third innings, striking out eight and walking none. Keegan Spomer took the loss for GRCC. The righty allowed one hit and three runs over three and two-thirds innings, striking out five. The Raiders mounted a comeback in the seventh inning, with Ryan Dykstra and Jake Paganelli each launching the ball over the fence, but could not get on top. GRCC racked up eight hits in the game. Fernando Calderon and Caleb Englesman each collected two hits. Dykstra continued power the offense in the night cap, driving in half of the team’s eight runs in the 12-8 defeat. Dykstra drove in runs on a double in the first and a single in the fourth and a home run in the sixth. GRCC lost despite out-hitting Lansing 13 to 11. LCC took the lead in the second inning when Shane Juday homered on the first pitch of the at-bat, scoring two runs. The team took the lead for good with three runs in the third inning when Ethan Collick homered on a 1-2 count, scoring two runs and Maxwell Hecht hit a solo homer. The Raiders put up three runs in the sixth inning. Payton Tamm was the winning pitcher for Lansing, going two and a third innings, allowing four runs on four hits and striking out three.  Caden Van De Burg took the loss for GRCC, lasting two-thirds of an inning, allowing three runs on two hits. Grand Rapids Community College socked one home run on the day. Dykstra had a long ball in the sixth inning. Grand Rapids Community College totaled 13 hits.  Dykstra, Aaron West, and Paganelli each collected multiple hits for the Raiders. GRCC’s record drops to 10-5 after the doubleheader defeats. The team is back at home on Friday with a doubleheader at home against Muskegon Community College. Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved.

April 6, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Five Grand Rapids Community College volleyball players were honored Tuesday by the Michigan Community College Athletic Association for success in a challenging, shortened season, delayed months by the pandemic. The Raiders finished the season with an 8-5 overall record, a second-place conference finish and a runner-up finish in the National Junior College Athletic Association DII District Tournament. In honors determined by conference coaches, Kylie Oberlin and Gabi Kitley earned First Team All-Conference honors as well as All-MCCAA/Region. Annie Holesinger was named Second Team All-Conference, as well as All-MCCAA/Region. Kailey Carmean and Kara Hecht were named Honorable Mention All-Conference and Hecht was named to the All-Freshman team. Oberlin put together an impressive sophomore campaign as a middle blocker. After being named Honorable Mention All-Conference as a freshman, the Fruitport native played in all 13 matches and led the team in kills with 124, paired with a team-high hitting percentage of .293. Oberlin also led the team in total blocks with 29 and points per set, 3.5. Kitley, of Grand Ledge, played in 12 matches and finished second on the team in hitting efficiency with .261, third on the team in kills with 113, and third in blocks with 21. Holesinger, a Rockford native, played in all 13 matches and finished second in kills with 118, second in blocks with 27, and third in hitting efficiency, with .180. Carmean, also from Fruitport, was one of just three Raiders to play in all 45 sets. She led the team in assists with 348, was second in service aces with 17, and third in digs, with 88. Hecht, a freshman from Zeeland, also played in all 45 sets and was second in digs with 114, second in digs per set with 2.53, fourth in service aces with 12, and fourth in kills with 89.  

April 5, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College’s cross country teams will have new coaches – familiar faces who were part of the staff last year when both times finished in the national top 10 and three student-athletes earning All-American status. Matt Sicilia, who oversaw both the men’s and women’s teams, is stepping down from coaching to spend time with his family. Assistant Coach Garrett Lacey has been named head coach of the men’s team, and Assistant Coach Sharon Becker will be head coach of the women’s team. “Coach Sicilia did an outstanding job building the GRCC program into a national power,” Interim Athletic Director David Selmon said. “He’ll be missed, and we wish him well. We’re also excited to have two excellent coaches who are able to assume lead roles and keep the program headed in the right direction.” Sicilia said his daughter will be involved in high school sports and his son in middle school sports next year, and he wants to spend more time with his family and attend his children’s events. “Starting the program at GRCC and building a culture of mutual support and hard work, as well as bringing our program into national prominence, is something that I am extremely proud of,” Sicilia said. “Seeing so many runners achieve success that they didn’t believe was possible is so rewarding. I’m thankful for this experience, as it will help me when I get back into coaching later in life. The team is in great hands with Garrett and Sharon taking over. I have all the belief in the world that they will continue the program’s success for years to come!” Sicilia guided the GRCC program for seven seasons and was named National Junior College Athletic Association Coach of the Year last year. Lacey attended Carson City-Crystal High School where he was a four-time All-State runner, and holds two school records. Lacy was the head coach of the cross country team and assistant coach for the track and field team at Cedar Springs High School between 2014 and 2019.  "I plan to build on the success that Coach Sicilia has had over the past seven years of this program's restart, and continue the traditions and cultures that he has established while also bringing my own unique set of skills to the position,” he said. Lacy said cross country is a team sport, where no individual is above the goals of the team. He also plans on having a family atmosphere and support for everyone involved. “The cross country program is booming, and we aim to be a program that regularly competes for conference, regional, and national championships,” he said. “We have a great recruiting class coming in, probably the best in our program's history. Coupled with the runners we have returning from this past year's team that placed 9th in the country at the NJCAA D2 national meet, we see no reason why we can't be a podium team -- in the top three -- at our national meet at the end of next fall." Becker has been on the GRCC coaching staff for five seasons. She started running to school on Grand Rapids’ West Side as a child as a means to get to and from school. She was a successful runner in high school and was a member of the Central Michigan University cross country and track and field teams. Becker said she “pleased, grateful and excited” to become head coach of the women’s team, and looks forward to growing the team from the seeds Sicilia planted. “Some of the things I have learned from Matt Sicilia is that being a coach is not just about the running, training, or a constant of drudgery and work,” she said. “Coaching – teamwork -- is about creating culture, building relationships, sharing the same goals, overcoming differences and obstacles, and focusing on the process rather than the end outcomes.” Becker said she plans to train student-athletes to the best of their abilities while also cultivating team camaraderie -- and have a little fun. “My passion for coaching was cultivated because there were coaches in my life who took time to coach me when I was young,” she said. “My high school and college coaches were important mentors that helped me with so much more than only training me to run faster. Coaches like Larry Fisher, James Schaff, and Keela Yount helped me grow to be a better person -- even though I took it for granted when I was young.”  The women’s team last fall finished fourth in the nation, with Audrey Meyering earning NJCAA and Coaches Association All-American honors, and Kiah Becker earning Coaches Association honors. The men’s team claimed ninth place in the nation, with Josh Kipkoech earning First-Team All-American honors. The success at the National Champions capped off a season where the Raiders dominated regional and conference competition. Both teams won the Michigan Community College Athletic Association and NJCAA DII, Region XII titles, the first since the rebirth of the program in 2014.      

April 5, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Start at GRCC and go anywhere. Every former student has a story to tell about how GRCC gave them the education and opportunity to be successful. We’re sharing some of those stories, and want to hear yours! While pursuing a bachelor’s degree in sports management at St. Cloud State University, CJ Breen finds himself tapping the lessons and skills he learned at GRCC. Breen came to GRCC after a long search for the perfect place to learn while playing baseball. “After visiting tens of community colleges from Illinois to Tennessee, nothing compared to the feel of the campus GRCC offers,” he said. “The campus is comparable to any four-year institution in the state.” Breen played infield for the Raiders while pursuing an Associate of General Studies and earning a spot on the 2019 NJCAA All-Academic Third Team. He credits his time at GRCC with teaching him time-management skills and the importance of making academics a priority. “My academic success has opened up many doors that I never thought possible,” he said, “and that’s why I strive to be an advocate for student athletes to do their best while in the classroom. Treat every course like it was your job and the professors like the boss of the company.” Breen, who hopes to eventually work in college athletics, has had the chance to see sports from many angles during his time at St. Cloud and Niagara universities. He has worked in athletics marketing as an intern with College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts and as a camera operator for ESPN broadcasts. While working with the athletic director at the University of Tennessee-Martin, he sat in on meetings about fall sports during the pandemic. “I have a passion and understanding of what it’s like to be in those student athletes’ shoes,” Breen said, “and I want to be in a position to better those athletes’ futures on and off the field.” Let GRCC help you start your story. The first chapter starts at grcc.edu/apply . And tell us your story here: grcc.edu/communications/shareyourgrccstory

April 3, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College baseball team’s win streak was snapped Saturday, with a pair of losses to Lake Michigan College. The Red Hawks won the first game 8-6, then poured on the offense in the second game, winning 13-4. GRCC stayed in the first game until the end, but the Red Hawks Varsity pulled away late, when Jonah Sibley drew a walk and forced in a tie-breaking run. Both teams collected 11 hits. The Raiders tied the game in the bottom of the seventh inning when Aaron West drove in a run on a ground out. Caleb Schmitt led the Lake Michigan College, allowing three hits and no runs over two innings, striking out two and walking none. Keegan Spomer took the loss, giving up two walks. Caleb Englesman, Payton Young, and Sam Schmitt each collected multiple hits for GRCC, with Englesman getting three hits in four at-bats. In the nightcap, GRCC let the game slip away early and couldn't recover in the 13-4 loss. The Raiders struggled to put runs on the board and had a tough time defensively. Will Roberts earned the victory on the pitcher's mound for Lake Michigan, going five and a third innings, allowing four runs on four hits and striking out four.  Clayton Bixby threw one and two-thirds innings in relief out of the bullpen. Englesman took the loss for GRCC, going two innings, allowing five runs on six hits, striking out one and walking none. West led GRCC with two hits in four at bats. The 10-4 Raiders are next in action on Tuesday on the road against Lansing Community College.