Laker Athletics Gears Up for Great Lake State Weekend & 11th Annual Women’s Walk

Laker Athletics Gears Up for Great Lake State Weekend & 11th Annual Women’s Walk

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. -- The 11th Annual Women's Walk to benefit Lake Superior State University Women's Athletics will be held this Saturday, Oct. 12 at 4:00 p.m. on the LSSU campus. The event will coincide with Great Lake State Weekend. 

Great Lake State Weekend (GLSW) is LSSU's Homecoming Weekend for students, alumni, families and the Sault Ste. Marie community.  This year's weekend will include a pair of home volleyball games, the 11th Annual Women's Walk, a Laker Tailgate on Saturday, and a hockey series against the No. 2 Denver Pioneers at the Taffy Abel Arena. 

The women's volleyball team will open the athletic events during the weekend with a 4:00 p.m. match against Wisconsin-Parkside on Friday, Oct. 11 in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium. The Lakers will compete again at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12  in a match against Purdue Northwest.

The undefeated men's hockey team will also host two games during Great Lake State Weekend as they take on the No. 2 ranked Denver Pioneers. The first game is set for a 7:30 p.m. start on Friday night while the Saturday game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. During the second intermission of Friday's game, there will be a special on-ice ceremony to honor the 2019 Lake Superior State Alumni Award Recipients. 

During the last ten years, the Women's Walk has raised over $385,000 to benefit each of the university's six women's sports teams. Athletes from the Lake State volleyball, basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, and track and field teams sell raffle tickets to raise funds for their respective teams, allowing them the means to compete at the NCAA Division II level.

This year's Women's Walk kicks off with a social in the Cisler Center's Ontario Michigan Room and includes hors d'oeuvres, a cash bar, raffle baskets and alumni/student-athlete networking. LSSU Professor Dr. Madan Saluja is the event's featured speaker and will also serve as the grand marshal of the Women's Walk. As part of GLSW, a statue dedication for the contributions that Dr. Saluja has made to the LSSU community will take place prior to the social, at 3:00 p.m. in Considine Hall. Lake Superior State Athletic Director Dr. David Paitson, Women's Basketball Head Coach Brandon Lokken and women's basketball student-athlete Abigail Ostman will also speak at the event. The social is open to the public and free of charge, but donations to the cause are encouraged.

"Women's Walk is one of my favorite Lake State traditions. Here at LSSU we have some tremendous female athletes that not only do great in their sports but also the classroom and the community," said Lokken. "This event brings great attention to all of the female athletes and their efforts while helping to raise money and promote growth of our sports. It is awesome to have this event correspond with GLSW and we look forward to seeing all the families, alumni, and fans in attendance."

Following the Women's Walk social, participants will join together for a ceremonial walk throughout campus from the Cisler Center to the Laker Tailgate outside of the Norris Center prior to Lake State hockey facing off against the University of Denver. The tailgate will include a heated tent, food, drinks, and games. All ages are welcome and the tailgate is open to the public. 

Women's Walk raffle tickets are $20 per ticket and will be available for purchase during both hockey games as well at the social. The drawings for the $1,000 grand prize and the $500 second prize will take place during Saturday's hockey game.

Individuals interested in purchasing raffle tickets or making a donation to any of the teams can contact athletics@lssu.edu. 

For a complete list of GLSW activities, go to lssu.edu/glsw.

For more information on Laker athletics, visit lssulakers.com

To purchase tickets, click here or call 906-635-2601. 

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