BIG RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – It was a trip of a lifetime for several Ferris State University football players as they were a part of the “College Athlete Day” at the White House in Washington D.C. There were 23 FSU student-athletes that went with head coach Tony Annese and Associate Athletics Director Rob Bentley on the one-day less-than-24-hour trip.

“This honor is amazing and it’s once in a lifetime experience for all of us. This is an incredible opportunity for our guys to be here. It’s an honor not only for us, but also for Ferris State University and the Big Rapids community,” said Annese.

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The White House honored national championship programs from NCAA Division I, II, and III with nearly 50 championship teams from across the country representing more than 1,000 student-athletes. This was the first-time for this kind of event at the White House.

Senior defensive end Olalere Oladipo says, “This is a blessing. I’m at a historical building and never in a million years did I believe I would be here. I am so happy that I get to represent my school. When this happened, I called my family back home and told them. It’s a blessing.”

Helping with the trip was Associate A.D. Bentley. He spoke to Michigan’s Big Show and said, “We flew out of Grand Rapids to Chicago and then to D.C. and it was really and outstanding experience for our guys and a once in a lifetime trip to celebrate a national championship. We also had the chance to explore some of the other sites in D.C. It was a long trip home, though, after some flight delays we got back home at 4:00 a.m. It was a long day but well worth it for the guys on our team.”

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to all the student-athletes as President Joe Biden had to cancel at the last minute. Each school had one student behind stage to appear with the Vice President and FSU’s choice was Oladipo who was an Academic All-American first-team selection.

FSU won back-to-back NCAA Division II National Championships going 14-1 and are 28-1 over the past two seasons. They enter the 2023 season as the No. 1 team in the Lindy’s Magazine Preseason Poll.