GVSU's Irie Dennis Named NSCAA Division II Women's Soccer "Player of the Year"

Release courtesy of the GVSU Sports Information Department

Kansas City, Kan. - Grand Valley State's Irie Dennis became the first women's soccer player in the program's history to be named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Women's NCAA Division II National Player of the Year. All National Players of the Year will be recognized at the annual All-America Luncheon, to be held in Philadelphia, Pa., on Jan. 16 as part of the 2010 NSCAA Convention.

Dennis helped the Lakers to an undefeated season and their first NCAA national championship. She recorded two assists in the NCAA semifinal match in the 3-2 overtime win over Saint Rose on Dec. 3, 2009. Dennis finished her senior year with seven goals and eight assists for 22 points, while starting all 26 of GVSU's games, playing a total of 1614 minutes. She recorded eight multi-point games in the 2009 season and played a season-high 97 minutes in the NCAA Regional Finals match against Northern Kentucky on Nov. 20.

"Receiving the National Player of the Year is a great honor for Irie Dennis and certainly is a great cap to an already impressive career. Irie has been a great example of the balance we strive to achieve here at Grand Valley State University," said GVSU head women's soccer coach David DiIanni. "She has a 3.5 grade point average and was instrumental in helping her team win a National Championship. For the University and her soccer family I want to say congratulations on a much deserved award."

This season, Dennis was named to the All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) First Team and was named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year. She earned Daktronics Division II Midwest Region First Team and Daktronics All-America Honorable Mention honors. The New Albany, Ohio native, was selected to the NSCAA All-America First Team and was nominated as a candidate for the 2009-10 Division II Athlete of the Year.

Dennis has also been honored for her work in the classroom, as she was named to the Second Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV Team in 2009. She has been an Academic All-GLIAC selection all three years that she has been eligible and has been named to the GVSU Dean's List four times. Dennis has compiled a grade-point average of 3.62 in Advertising and Public Relations during her tenure at Grand Valley State.

During her time at GVSU, the Lakers advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament every year and played their way to the national championship in 2006 and winning it in 2009. The team has compiled an astounding 84-4-6 record during her four years, coming out to a winning percentage of .926, making her senior class the most successful senior class in the program's history. In the GLIAC, Dennis and the Lakers have put together a record of 42-1-1 for a winning percentage of .966. The team also put together an unbeaten streak of 62 regular season games and 27 unbeaten conference matches dating back to the 2006 season.

In her career Dennis is sixth in school history with 92 points and 31 goals, and is fifth with 30 assists. She has notched 12 game-winning goals and has played in 91 games for 4583 minutes. In her career Dennis has recorded 28 multi-point games and placed 108 of her 181 shots on goal for a shot on goal percentage of .596.