Brad Iciek passed for two touchdowns and P.T. Gates ran for two scores to lift Grand Valley State to a 41-27 win over Carson-Newman in an NCAA Division II national semifinal game Saturday.
Iciek threw to Ryan Bass for 7 yards and Blake Smolen for 29 yards. Gates' scoring runs were for 3 and 27 yards. Justin Trumble kicked two field goals.
Jacob McGuckin had a 25-yard touchdown return on an interception for the Lakers (13-1).
Buck Wakefield scored all four touchdowns for Carson-Newman (11-3), three on rushes and one on a kickoff return.
Carson-Newman is a member of the South Atlantic Conference and fields sixteen varsity teams in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II competition. Men's varsity sports at Carson-Newman are: Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Tennis, and Track & Field.Wrestling will no longer be offered due to budget cuts. Women's sports are: Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Track & Field, and Volleyball
The college's athletic facilities include Burke-Tarr Stadium, Ken Sparks Athletic Complex, McCown Field, the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex, six tennis courts, a softball complex, Holt Fieldhouse, and Butler-Blanc Gymnasium. Head football coach Ken Sparks who is a graduate of the school and has been coaching the team since 1980 ranks fourth in most wins among active NCAA coaches.
In 2007, the C-N baseball team won the South Atlantic Conference Tournament after defeating Tusculum College twice in one day. The team planned to travel to Tampa, Florida, to compete in the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament.
