GRAND VALLEY STATE — Grand Valley State women's basketball has won back-to-back NCAA Division II national championships, defeating Indiana University of Pennsylvania 72-49 on Saturday in Pittsburgh.

The victory marked the Lakers' third national title in program history, joining 2006 and 2025 on the podium. GVSU became just the seventh Division II program to win consecutive national championships, following Cal Poly Pomona (2001-02), Lubbock Christian (2019-21), and others.

Dominant Performance

The top-seeded Lakers (36-1) controlled the game from start to finish, building a 17-8 lead after the first quarter and a 41-24 advantage at halftime. They held IUP to just 31.1 percent shooting and 10-of-12 from three-point range.

"We talked about being focused, and I thought we were focused right from the start," GVSU head coach Mike Williams said. "I thought defensively, we did a great job trying to stay in front of them and not give them easy looks on the perimeter. When they got deep in the paint, we came over late just to try to bother them, tip their shot."

GVSU shot 62.2 percent from the field and drained 5-of-13 from beyond the arc.

Senior Leadership Delivers

The graduating class of five seniors made their final statement: Nicole Kamin, Lexi Plitzuweit, Molly Anderson, Avery Zeinstra, and Paige VanStee.

Paige VanStee led the Lakers with 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting, adding nine rebounds, three steals, and three blocks. The Middleville native, who graduated from Thornapple Kellogg High School, was named to the all-tournament team.

"It is so special. It is such a blessing to be in this position with these girls," Kamin said. "There have been so many emotions throughout this whole week. We knew this was our last game (as seniors) and we just put it all out there."

Nicole Kamin scored 18 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. She was named the NCAA Tournament MVP after her three-pointer with 1:19 remaining sealed the victory.

MacKenzie Bisballe added 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting, seven rebounds, and a team-high five blocks.

In the second half, GVSU extended its lead to 58-35. VanStee hit a three-pointer to make it 51-29, and Kamin followed with five straight points to put the game out of reach.

IUP rallied to cut the deficit to 14 points (43-29), but the Lakers never trailed after that point and pulled away for the 25-point victory.

Historic Achievement

Williams, in his 11th year as head coach, becomes one of six coaches in Division II history with three national championships. He guided GVSU to titles in 2025 and 2026, after serving as an assistant coach during the team's 2006 championship run.

"There really wasn't a lot of pressure. Like, we didn't feel pressure that we had to repeat or anything like that, but just to see this group come together and these senior leaders – I can't say enough about the job they've done this year – and just to see how much this team really, really loves each other, it's amazing," Williams said.

The graduating class leaves GVSU as winners of five GLIAC regular season titles, four conference tournament titles, three Midwest Regional crowns, three trips to the Final Four, and two national championships.

"We knew we were pretty good early in the year, but it was never talked about once, and it was really just never brought up about winning the national championship," Williams said. "I never heard it; never heard from parents; I never heard from anybody. It was just like, 'Yeah, you're good and go ahead and do your best and keep moving along,' and so that was pretty cool."

GVSU defeated its last three tournament opponents by an average of 33 points per game and held each team to season-low point totals. The Lakers shot 62.2 percent overall in the championship game, their best offensive performance during the six-game tournament run.

Opponent Highlights

IUP (31-4) was led by Teresa Maggio, who scored 20 points and was named to the all-tournament team. All-American forward Nyshae' Weaver was held to just eight points on 2-of-14 shooting, including 2-of-12 from three-point range.

The Crimson Hawks advanced to the championship game for the first time in program history under coach Craig Carey.

Legacy Left Behind

The five graduating seniors have etched their names into GVSU and Division II basketball history. Their collective achievements include multiple GLIAC titles, regional championships, and national championships.

VanStee, who started all 33 games this season, finished with 926 points for her career. Kamin added 724 points in 33 games. Bisballe scored 599 points in 28 games. Anderson tallied 518 points in 31 games. Plitzuweit contributed 461 points in 29 games.

The Lakers will be remembered for their dominance throughout the tournament and their ability to win under pressure. They defeated Northwood in the regional final, then beat Carson-Newman in the Elite Eight, Alabama-Huntsville in the Final Four, and Indiana (PA) for the national championship.

"I can't describe it. I knew I wasn't going to go out on a loss. We were going to do anything to get it done," VanStee said after the victory.

The 2026 championship game marked GVSU's second straight title and third overall under Mike Williams. The program has now won every championship match it has played in, establishing itself as one of the premier Division II basketball programs in the nation.

Sources

• GVSU women's basketball wins National Championship for the 2nd year in a row - https://www.wzzm13.com/article/sports/local-sports/gvsu-womens-basketball-national-championship-game/69-012ade99-6471-458c-85b3-ecbb6db8940a
• BACK TO BACK GVSU women's basketball repeats as NCAA Division II national champions - https://hollandsentinel.com/story/sports/college/2026/03/28/gvsu-womens-basketball-beats-iup-for-ncaa-division-ii-championship/89186820007
• Grand Valley State repeats as Division II women's basketball national champs - https://www.mlive.com/sports/2026/03/grand-valley-state-repeats-as-division-ii-womens-basketball-national-champs.html
• Grand Valley State wins second straight Division II title - https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/48332886/grand-valley-state-wins-second-straight-division-ii-title