UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced the recipients of the Winter 2020-21 GLIAC Commissioner's Awards on Wednesday, with the list including four Saginaw Valley State University student-athletes.
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 on the fields of play. All grade-point averages are based on a 4.0 scale.
For the Cardinals, men's soccer defender Robbie Baker earned the honor for the fall season, while SVSU diver Libby Caird took made the list of honorees for the winter. The Cardinal track & field team took two honors for the spring, with Sam Black and Lauren Huebner being named GLIAC Commissioner's Award winners.
Robbie Baker:
Robbie Baker led the outstanding defense of the Saginaw Valley State University men's soccer team as the Cardinals shut down the conference for a perfect regular-season record and the GLIAC Championship. He added one goal on offense and helped limit the SVSU opponents to just seven total goals in 2021. He was named All-GLIAC First Team and the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year. Last month Baker was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team.
Libby Caird:
Libby Caird concluded her 2020-21 season with an impressive run at the GLIAC Championships and the NCAA National Meet. Caird finished second in the 1-meter and third in the 3-meter at the GLIAC Championships. Earned two All-American honorable mentions at the NCAA DII Championships with a ninth-place finish in the 1-meter and 12th in the 3-meter. She is the SVSU record holder in the 1- and 3-meter diving events and is a fourth-time NCAA All-American. Last week, Carid was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team.
Sam Black:
Sam Black concluded the 2021 athletic calendar for the Cardinals with a historic finish to his outstanding career. Black won the 2021 NCAA DII National title in the outdoor men's decathlon. After only competing in a handful of events throughout the season, Black was able to close his time as a Cardinal as a champion. He is the SVSU record holder in the decathlon and was a participant in the US Olympic Team trials earlier this summer. Black is a three-time NCAA All-American and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team earlier this month.
Lauren Huebner:
Lauren Huebner secured three NCAA DII All-American awards at the Outdoor National Championships for the Cardinals. She was a Member of the National Champion SVSU 4x400 relay team. Huebner's senior year also included GLIAC Champion in the 4x100 relay, 400-meter hurdles, 4x400 relay. Was third in the javelin throw and fourth in the long jump at the GLIAC Championships. Won the heptathlon at the Tiffin Invite with 5,171 points, hitting the provisional NCAA standard. Huebner has five total NCAA All-American honors, including the 2019 Heptathlon National Title.
