Back-to-back: GVSU basketball repeats as national champions

BY Thomas Chavez
Image credit - Emily Riddle

Mar 28, 2026

The Grand Valley women's basketball team won its third Division II National Championship on Saturday, March 28. The Lakers defeated Indiana University of Pennsylvania 72-49. The title game victory gave the Lakers a second consecutive championship.

Senior Paige VanStee led the team in scoring with 25 points, followed by senior Nicole Kamin and sophomore MacKenzie Bisbale with 18 points each. The Lakers defense dominated the contest with eight steals and 13 blocks.

Grand Valley finished the season with a 36-1 record, including a repeat GLIAC Tournament Championship and Midwest Regional title. En route to the championship game, the top-seeded Lakers defeated Carson-Newman in the Elite Eight and Alabama-Huntsville in the Final Four.

Members of the GVSU women’s basketball team react from the bench during the NCAA Division II National Championship on March 28 at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh.

Nicole Kamin drives to the basket for a layup during the national championship on March 28 at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

In a season of repeats, Lakers' Head Coach Mike Williams won his second consecutive Division II National Coach of the Year Award. VanStee and Bisballe both earned All-American honors this season as well.

Grand Valley is the first Division II program to win back-to-back championships since Lubbock-Christian University accomplished the feat in 2021. All three of the Lakers' national titles have come in the 21st century: 2006, 2025 and 2026.

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