Armstrong is among GLIAC Commissioner's Award recipients

SAULT STE. MARIE - The fairy-tale ending occurred at the beginning of the season for Lake Superior State basketball player Jaclyn Armstrong, but she made the most of every minute of her senior campaign. 

"The experience was about more than our record," said Armstrong, who was one of 12 Winter 2009 GLIAC Commissioner's Award recipients honored by the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference this week. "It's part of a maturing process. I'm starting to see the bigger picture. The things beyond immediate wins and losses are what I gained from this year. Those will make it worth it in the end."

Armstrong is the first LSSU athlete to receive a GLIAC Commissioner's Award, which was established three years ago. The five other female winners were basketball players Katie Cezat (Division II women's basketball player of the year) of Hillsdale, Megan Starnes of Northwood and Katie Wysocky of Michigan Tech, and swimmers Ashley St. Andrew of Wayne State and Jenna Thayer of Grand Valley State. Male winners were swimmers Cauli Bedran and James Ekelberry of Wayne State, Greg Jarvis of Indianapolis and Sean McGraw of Ashland, and indoor track athletes Thomas Buxton of Tiffin and Steve Genther of Saginaw Valley State.

Armstrong, whose fistful of awards in 2008-09 included All-GLIAC First Team and ESPN "The Magazine" Academic All-America Second Team, is quick to say that the highlight of her final season was the Lakers' season-opening tournament win at Walt Disney World. The Lakers were 3-0 with upsets over two nationally-ranked teams. Armstrong was named to the all-tournament team, while senior Alyssa VanderWal was the tournament's most-valuable player.

"When I look back on the season and think about the Disney Tournament, I want to cry," Armstrong said. "I would do that over again in a second - for so many reasons. It's sad that that happened at the beginning of the season, but those are memories I will never forget."

The Disney Tournament was the start of LSSU's six-game win streak. LSSU was 10-15 the rest of the way. The Lakers qualified for the GLIAC Tournament after coming up short of a bid in 2007-08, but they fought inconsistency during the last three months of the season.

"I had fun," Armstrong said. "First of all, I matured a lot. My junior season was a struggle. I overcame a lot of things that helped me personally and cleared the way for me to have a successful senior year. Adversity helped me deal with things."

The 6-0 center from Haslett, Mich., averaged 11.7 points per game as a junior. With VanderWal healthy and senior Annie Dykhouse playing a solid back-up role, Armstrong proved to be a complete player in 2008-09. She averaged 17.7 points per game to finish second in the league in scoring behind Cezat. She earned two GLIAC Player of the Week honors.

"I wouldn't say I was having fun my junior season," Armstrong said. "The effort I was putting in was not what I was getting out of it. A lot of that was mental barriers that I learned to overcome."

Armstrong prepared well for her final season and was willing to accept whatever fate came her way. She refused to dwell on wins, losses, missed shots and bad bounces.

"This was my last season whether it was successful or not," she said. "I tried to have as much fun as I possibly could. I wanted to make the most of the time I was given and the people I was with.

"When you are a younger player, you really do focus on ‘Wow, we lost this game.' You sulk that you didn't make a shot. When you're a senior, you realize that it's not really what this experience is about. It's the friends you make and the lessons you can apply to your life. I learned a lot of life lessons that I will carry with me."

Armstrong, VanderWal and Dykhouse enjoyed a very close bond considering they often competed against each other for playing time. As a unit, they averaged 30.8 points and 15.9 rebounds per game.

"Most people would think there would be resentment," Armstrong said. "We all wanted the best for each other and to see each other excel."

Armstrong added that she wouldn't have made it without the support of her parents, Guy and Cheryl.

"They complement each other very well," she said. "My mom has the positive attitude, is motivational and happy all the time. My dad is the voice of reason. He tells me what I need to hear even when I don't want to hear it. I know who to go to depending upon the situation."

Armstrong, an exercise science major with a 3.909 grade point average, has been accepted to the University of Michigan's graduate program in nutritional studies. She is also hoping to hear from Colorado State.

She will take fond memories of LSSU along with her as she continues her personal journey.

"From Day 1, which was my official visit here, the thing that made Lake State stand out was the quality people who work and live here," Armstrong said. "That's why I decided to come here and stay here. That's what I will remember. I met some outstanding people. This community is so kind, so welcoming. The people I go to school with and my teammates are so great. Part of that is being at a smaller university where you can get to know more people. That's what I wanted...People you don't even know come up and talk to you. I love how involved everyone is."

Complete GLIAC Commissioner's Award Release