GVSU's Tafler To Receive NCAA Top VIII Award

This release courtesy of Tim Nott and the GVSU Sports Information Department

Indianapolis, Ind. -- Grand Valley State senior soccer player Katy
Tafler has been selected by the NCAA Honors Committee as one of eight
outstanding student-athletes for their athletics success, academic
achievement and community service as recipients of the 2009 NCAA Top
VIII Award. Tafler is Grand Valley State's first-ever Top VIII
recipient. The NCAA Top VIII Award will be presented at the NCAA Honors
Celebration at the Newseum, The Interactive Museum of News in downtown
Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009.

Tafler has garnered numerous awards during her illustrious career at
Grand Valley State. She is a two-time Daktronics, Inc. Division II
Player of the Year (2006, '07) and a three-time all-american. She has
earned Daktronics, Inc. First Team All-American status in each of the
last three years and was an National Soccer Coaches Association of
America (NSCAA) Second Team All-American this year after being an NSCAA
First Team All-American the previous two years. In both 2006 and 2007,
Tafler was named to the NSCAA Division II Final Four All-Tournament
team.

"Katy Tafler is very deserving of The NCAA Top VIII Award, which is
one of the most prestigious awards given by the NCAA," said Tim Selgo,
Grand Valley State Director of Athletics.  "Katy committed herself to
being the best student-athlete she could be and is very deserving of
this award for her performance in the classroom as well as on the soccer
field. She has been an outstanding representative of Grand Valley State
and Laker Athletics."

Tafler is the only Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
player in history to record at least 40 goals and 40 assists in her
career, and is just the 17th player to do so in Division II history. In
her career, she ranks third in goals with 114 and third in points with
269. Tafler's point totals are both conference and school records as
well. She has been named to the NSCAA Midwest Region First Team all four
of her years at GVSU, and she has been a Daktronics, Inc. Midwest Region
First Team honoree for the past three seasons. In each of the past three
seasons, she has been selected as the Daktronics, Inc. Midwest Region
Player of the Year. She has been a four-time All-GLIAC First-Team
honoree and was chosen as the conference's Offensive Player of the
Year for the past three seasons. During her freshman year, she was
selected as the GLIAC Freshman of the Year.

Tafler led the Lakers in both goals and points for the fourth
consecutive season during 2008. She finished the 2008 season with 20
goals, 13 assists and 53 points, marking her fourth straight year with
at least 20 goals. She holds the Grand Valley State single-season record
for goals with 36 in 2007. Her 85 points from the 2007 season are also a
school single-season record. Those single-season marks are both tied for
sixth in Division II history. She led the Lakers in assists with 13 in
both 2007 and 2008 and is tied for the school record with 41 assists in
her career. She led Division II in both points per game and goals per
game during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. At one point, she scored a goal
in 11 consecutive matches from Sept. 2, 2007 to Oct. 14, 2007, which is
tied for fifth in Division II history.

Tafler now joins a select few of individuals to receive the award.  A list of some of the prominent winners in the past are listed below:

2007 - Catherine Osterman (Softball, University of Texas)
- Four-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Year
- Three-time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year
- Olympic champion

2005 - Demeco Ryans (Football, University of Alabama)
- All-American
- 2006 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year

2004 - Eli Manning (Football, University of Mississippi)
- All-American
- #1 NFL Draft pick
- Super Bowl champion

2001 - Drew Brees (Football, Purdue University)
- All-American
- Big 10 Player of the Year
- NFL Pro Bowler

2000 - Chad Pennington (Football, Marshall University)
- All-American
- MAC Player of the Year

1998 - Peyton Manning (Football, University of Tennessee)
- All-American
- #1 NFL Draft pick
- NFL MVP
- Super Bowl champion
- NFL Pro Bowler

1996 - Rebecca Lobo (Women's Basketball, University of Connecticut)
- National Player of the Year
- Multiple All-American
- WNBA player

1988 - David Robinson (Men's Basketball, U.S. Naval Academy)
- All-American
- Naismith and Wooden Award winner
- #1 NBA Draft pick
- NBA MVP
- Olympic Champion
- One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history

1983 - John Elway (Football, University of Stanford)
- All-American
- #1 NFL Draft pick
- NFL MVP
- Super Bowl champion