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THE DAILY SPORTS UPDATE

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR MAY 10, 2008

Track and Field Teams Close Out North Central Dr. Keeler Invitational In Style

MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD

NAPERVILLE, IL -- The Calvin men's and women's track and field teams closed out competition at the two-day North Central Dr. Keeler Invitational with a fantastic flourish Friday night. One of the biggest highlights of the meet was the school record performance of junior Lauren Bergstrom (Rochester, MN) who turned in an NCAA III automatic qualifying time of 4:31.04 in the 1500 meters breaking the previous Calvin record of 4:31.79 turned in by Sarah Gritter in 1999. Bergstrom now owns the 800 and 1500 meter records, having reset both marks this spring. Freshman Alison Tuuk (Grand Rapids Christian HS) also turned in a career-best time of 4:44.63 in the 1500 meter run.

Senior Sarah Wittingen (East Grand Rapids HS) also had a huge night, winning the 400 meter hurdles with a season-best and NCAA III automatic qualifying time of 1:00.30 that currently ranks as the top time in Division III women's track and field this spring. Wittingen also won the 100 meter hurdles with an NCAA III provisional qualifying time of 14.57.

In the 400 meters, sophomore Heather Koning (Kalamazoo Christian HS) took first place with an NCAA III provisional qualifying time of 57.24. Freshman Rachel Boerner () also took fifth with a season-best time of 58.94 while junior Kristen VanSickel (Pittsburgh, PA) was seventh in 59.47.

Calvin's 4x400 meter relay team of Bergstrom, VanSickel, Koning and Wittingen also took first with a time of 3:51.63.

In the 3,000 meter steeplechase, sophomore Elizabeth Smit (Kirkland, WA) took second with a career-best and NCAA III provisional qualifying time of 10:50.77. Junior Clah Schlabach (St. Michaels, AZ) also had a provisional qualifying time of 11:00.85 while junior Anne Fennema (Brookfield, WI) had a career-best time of 11:22.86 and sophomore Nicole Farr () a career-best time of 11:27.19.

In the triple jump, junior Julie Bratt (Lynden, WA) was third with a leap of 36-6 3/4.

On the men's side, Calvin had a monster effort in the 3,000 meter steeplechase with junior Nate DeHaan (South Christian HS) leading the way with a first place and NCAA III provisional qualifying time of 9:10.49, lopping nearly seven seconds off his previous best time. DeHaan was one of three Calvin runners to post provisional qualifying times in the event as sophomore George Visser had a provisional qualifying time of 9:19.11 and senior Dan VandenAkker (South Christian HS) a provisional qualifying time of 9:20.63.

In the 400 meters, senior Jared Cok (Bozeman, MT) took second with a career-best and NCAA III provisonal qualifying time of 48.00. Senior teammate Joel Baker (Kalamazoo Christian HS) was second in the 200 meters with a season-best time of 22.08.

Baker and Cok were then joined by junior Brad Stroner (Lakewood-Lake Odessa HS) and sophomore Zach VanderLaan (Holt Central Lutheran HS) to clock an NCAA III provisional qualifying and season-best time of 3:16.10 in the 4x400 meter relay.

Both Calvin track and field teams will return to North Central College next week to compete in the North Central Gregory Invitational, attempting to qualifying individuals for the national meet scheduled for May 22-24 at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Jeff Febus Sports Information Director Calvin College (616) 526-6169 Office (616) 526-8551 Fax

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR MAY 9, 2008

Baseball Wins MIAA Title, Headed to NCAA Tournament

INTERVIEWS WITH COACH JOHN SPARKS AND SENIOR CATCHER KYLE FLETCHER WILL BE AVAILABLE AT CALVIN.EDU/SPORTS LATER TONIGHT

BASEBALL (written by Bruce Van Baren '09)

KALAMAZOO- Freshmen pitchers Peter Steiner (Chicago, IL/Glenbrook South) and Keith Spoelstra (Oakland, NJ/Eastern Christian) delivered in two pressure packed games at Woodworth Field to give Calvin its first MIAA Championship since 2002.

The Knights earned a share of the league title with Adrian (22-6 MIAA, 30-10) winning game one 9-2 and took the title outright with a 2-0 win in game two. Calvin also receives the MIAA's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament which will begin on Wednesday. The tournament matchups will be announced late Sunday night.

"We would have taken [the league title] anyway we could have, but this is certainly a lot sweeter," said first year coach John Sparks, drenched by his team after the final out. "I could be knee deep in water and still be feeling good right now." (For the full interview check out calvin.edu/sports).

"This is kind of one of those things that is going to sink in in a couple days, couple weeks from now," said senior catcher Kyle Fletcher (Fort Wayne, IN/ Concordia Lutheran) who went 3 for 8 with three RBIs. "This is just unreal to actually come out and with [the league championship] when years past we obviously haven't had much success."

The league title is Calvin's eighth and comes on the heels of a fourth place finish a year ago and a 13-22 overall record. Calvin also added to its single-season record in wins and finishes the regular season with a 32-8 record. Adrian lost its final regular season and league game to last place Alma (8-20 MIAA, 12-28) to open the door for the Knights to take the league title outright.

"We were pretty stunned they lost the last game," said Fletcher. "But boy it definitely opened the door for us and we took advantage winning the last nine games of the year." The winning streak dates back to April 30.

"It's a tribute to these guys," said Sparks. "They're the ones who have done it all year and bought in to what we're trying to do here and it's just a tribute to them. For me it still has to take kind of a week to sink in a little bit, but these guys have been great and I'm really proud of them."

Steiner (8-0) matched senior Nate Pocock (Wayland, MA/Wayland) for the team lead in wins and moves to second in the record books for wins in a single season. Steiner struck out three and scattered six hits, allowing only one earned run to go the distance in game one.

Spoelstra (5-1) was electric in game two, striking out eight, including two in the seventh inning and went the distance for his fourth complete game and second shutout. Spoelstra pitched most of the game with only a one run lead.

"I couldn't be more proud of those two guys, they both threw great," said Sparks. "I thought Keith especially in the second game got out of some tough situations, we didn't support him very well offensively, but he hung in there and threw very well."

"Keith came out and pitched one of the best games of the year, just unbelievable," said Fletcher who caught the second game. "He had his curve ball and fastball going, it was just great."

The Hornets jumped ahead in game one, scoring a run in the first inning. But Calvin batted around in the second inning, scoring five runs as Kalamazoo committed three of their five errors in the game. Sophomore second baseman Kyle Gurzyinski (Ludington/Ludington) and junior center fielder Drew Johnson (Boise, ID/Mountain View) had RBI singles and Johnson scored as Junior left fielder Jacob Vriesman (Denver, CO/Denver Christian) reached on an error. Fletcher had a two-out, two run double after back to back errors should have ended the inning. The Knights added a run in the fourth inning and then three more in the fifth.

In the second game, senior Alex Marcus (Willmar, MN/Willmar) doubled home junior third baseman Jason May who walked to give the Knights the only run they need in the second inning. Fletcher singled home Vriesman in the seventh to tack on the insurance run.

"It was big to pick up that second run in the top of the seventh," said Sparks. "That gave us at least a little bit of a cushion and in the first game I thought we hit the ball very well. Clutch hitting has been the key for us and that continued today."

Calvin's destination and opponent will be released Sunday night, but the first-round game will be Wednesday. Calvin has made three trips to the NCAA tournament, advancing in 1984, 2000 and 2002. Calvin is 0-6 in NCAA tournament play.

FINAL MIAA BASEBALL STANDINGS

Calvin 23-5 Adrian 22-6 Olivet 15-13 Hope 13-15 Tri-State 12-16 Albion 11-17 Kalamazoo 8-20 Alma 8-20

Jeff Febus Sports Information Director Calvin College (616) 526-6169 Office (616) 526-8551 Fax

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR MAY 9, 2008 (PART ONE)

Distance Runners Post NCAA III Provisional Qualifying Times at North Central; Track and Field Teams Sit High In Division III Power Rankings

MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD

NAPERVILLE, IL -- A collection of Calvin men's and women's track and field runners posted NCAA III provisional qualifying times late Thursday night at the North Central College Dr. Keeler Invitational.

On the men's side, Calvin posted three strong provisional qualifying times in the 10,000 meter run. Leading the way was junior Jed Christiansen (Greenville, PA) with a first place time of 30:30.89 followed by senior Tim Finnegan (Los Alamos, NM) in second (30:38.59) and junior Erik VanKampen (Elmhurst, IL) in third (30:38.61). In the men's 5,000 meters, senior Tad Hulst (Zeeland HS) turned in a season-best and NCAA III provisional qualifying time of 14:46.89.

In the women's 10,000 meters, freshman Jessica Koster (Grand Rapids Christian HS) took third with a career-best and NCAA III provisional qualifying time of 36:12.78. In the women's 5,000 meters, senior Christina Overbeck (Seattle, WA) took first with a season-best and NCAA III provisional qualifying time of 17:17.40. Junior Jessi Hale (Rehoboth, NM) also took fourth with a time of 18:01.76.

A group of Calvin throwers also competed on Friday. In the men's hammer throw, senior Ryan Jensen (Northview HS) took second with a throw of 170-9 while freshman teammate Ken Echtinaw (Caledonia HS) was third in the discus with a throw of 149-11. On the women's side, sophomore Leigha Oberle (Grand Rapids Christian HS) took third in the discus (132-10) with senior teammate Rachel VanderWiele (Holland Christian HS) taking fifth (124-6).

Action continues at the Dr. Keeler Invitational today with a large group of Calvin athletes scheduled to compete.

TRACK AND FIELD TEAMS SIT HIGH IN DIVISION THREE POWER RANKINGS

The Calvin men's and women's track and field teams continue to be ranked high in the most recent set of Division III Power rankings released by the United States Track and Field Coaches Association.

The power rankings have been released since 1999 and reflect the strength of a track and field team in head-to-head dual meet competition.

The power rankings are tabulated by a cumulative point system. To submit a team for ranking, a school must submit two individuals in each event that is used in a head-to-head dual meet. In submitting an entry, the best time or performance of the year for the individual is submitted. An individual may not be listed in more than three individual events in the final weekly team entry.

In the latest Division III power rankings, the Calvin women's track and field team is ranked second with 294.26 points, up two spots and nearly six points from its fourth place score of the previous week. Washington University of St. Louis is the top-ranked team for the third straight week. The Bears have a first place point total of 295.44.

On the men's side, Calvin is ranked 16th with a score of 299.47 points. Augustana is the nation's top-ranked team with a score of 337.37 points.

The most recent set of Division III Power Rankings can be found on-line at: http://www.d3rankings.us/2008/Week.aspx?key=10.

Jeff Febus Sports Information Director Calvin College (616) 526-6169 Office (616) 526-8551 Fax

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR MAY 8, 2008

Baseball Takes Two From Kalamazoo

BASEBALL (written by Drew DeVries '08) Calvin 5, Kalamazoo 1 Calvin 9, Kalamazoo 3

GRAND RAPIDS - Calvin pulled itself two games closer to an outright MIAA conference title this afternoon and set a single season record for wins in a season with a pair of victories over the visiting Hornets of Kalamazoo. The Knights won the first game behind a strong outing on the mound from junior Nate Pocock (Wayland, MA/Wayland) and used timely hitting from their lineup in the second game to complete the doubleheader sweep. Calvin remains one game behind league leading Adrian and with two conference games remaining against Kalamazoo tomorrow, the Knights can claim the MIAA title.

Today's contest also celebrated senior day in which seven Calvin seniors played in their final home games. The seniors were Mike Stob (Caledonia/South Christian), Todd La Forest (Clio/Clio), Kyle Fletcher (Fort Wayne, IN/Concordia Lutheran), Pieter Groot (Uxbridge, MA/Whitinsville Christian), Alex Marcus (Willmar, MN/Willmar Sr.), Scott Larsen (Hastings/Hastings), and Brad Brummel (Byron Center/South Christian).

The Knights got on the board first in game one when they scored a run in the second inning. After Chris Blacklidge (Comstock Park/Comstock Park) walked and then reached second on a fielder's choice, back to back wild pitches sent Blacklidge around to score.

In the third inning, Pocock faced his only trouble of the game. After giving up a run, Pocock loaded the bases with only one out. But Pocock was able to get himself out of the jam when he struck out the next batter and got a groundout to second base for the third out. Pocock finished the game allowing only two hits and one earned run while putting the Hornets down in order five of his seven innings pitched. He fanned eight Hornet batters and pitched what Calvin head coach John Sparks claimed to be one of his best games all season.

"Nate pitched really well; probably one of his better games all year," said Sparks. "He was able to put the ball right where he wanted it and was able to get a lot of easy outs. I was really proud of the way he pitched today."

After scoring another run in the third inning to reclaim the lead off a Fletcher RBI single, Calvin's bats came alive in the sixth inning. The Knights added three insurance runs in the inning with the help of four Kalamazoo errors. Drew Johnson (Boise, ID/Mountain View) came up with a key double that knocked in Jason May (Chicago/Walter Lutheran). Marcus also came around to score on a throwing error during the play. Jacob Vriesman added another run to Calvin's run total when he singled in Johnson.

With the win, Pocock improved his record to 8-1 on the year.

Kyle Cousins (Holland/Holland Christian) was on the mound for the seond game and was given early run support as Calvin again scored first crossing the plate twice in the second inning. Brummel singled Marcus in for the first run of the game and then Johnson executed the safety squeeze play that sent Marcus in to score.

But Cousins began to struggle in the third inning when a couple of hits and a wild pitch lead to three Kalamazoo runs and just like that, Calvin found itself trailing 3-2. But the Knights didn't stay behind long when their offense woke up again in the fourth inning. Johnson scored on a wild pitch and Fletcher ripped a single through the left side to score Kyle Gurzynski (Ludington/Ludington). Blacklidged doubled to left center to give the Knights their 5-3 lead.

It was in the sixth inning where Sparks felt his team really came alive. Calvin got some big hits from its seniors Fletcher and Marcus. Fletcher opened up the scoring for the inning after belting a single to center field that scored two runs. Marcus then came up later in the inning and blasted a double over the center fielder's head to send in another run. When the Hornets finally got out of the inning, the Knights had tallied four more runs en route to its 9-3 game two victory.

"Alex had a big hit that inning and so did Fletcher," said Sparks. "I thought in that game, we finally hit the ball the way we're capable of."

Despite a few rough patches for Cousins, he was able to get himself out of some jams and collected his seventh win of the season. "Kyle was able to get us out of some tough spots," said Sparks. "He kept us in the game and gave us a chance to go ahead. So I have to give him a lot of credit for the way he pitched."

Cousins went six innings giving up three runs off three hits while striking out two. He strengthened his record to 7-1 on the season. Freshman Adam VanOpstall (Grandville/Calvin Christian) closed out the seventh inning and ended the game with a strikeout.

With two games remaining on their schedule, the Knights control their own destiny that by winning both games at Kalamazoo tomorrow, they outright win the league crown. "This is kind of what we have been working for all season," said Sparks. "It feels nice to have a shot at winning the title. We're just going to have to play well tomorrow and take it one game at a time."

The Knights (30-8 overall, 21-5 MIAA) will take on the Hornets tomorrow to close out the regular season. The twinbill is scheduled to begin at 2:00 in Kalamazoo.

MIAA BASEBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 5-8-08 GAMES

Adrian 22-6 Calvin 21-5 Olivet 15-13 Hope 13-15 Tri-State 12-16 Albion 11-17 Kalamazoo 8-18 Alma 8-20

Jeff Febus Sports Information Director Calvin College (616) 526-6169 Office (616) 526-8551 Fax

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR MAY 7, 2008

Julie Bratt Does It Again/ Intrigue Added to MIAA Baseball Race

MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD

For the second time this spring, Calvin College junior Julie Bratt has reset the Calvin women's triple jump record. Bratt did it again on Wednesday night at the Aquinas College Twilight Invitational with a leap of 37-10 3/4, breaking her previous school record of 37-5 3/4 set at the Wheaton Twilight Invitational on April 18. Bratt's jump on Thursday was an NCAA III provisional qualifying mark, currently placing her 15th on the national list.

Bratt's jump highlighted Calvin's efforts Wednesday night. Another highlight came in the women's 4x400 meter relay as juniors Lauren Bergstrom and Kristen Van Sickel along with sophomore Heather Koning and senior Sarah Wittingen took first place with an NCAA III provisional qualifying time of 3:50.43. Junior Brooke Robertson also had a big night, clocking season best times in the 100 meter hurdles (15.64) and 400 meter hurdles (1:06.33). Freshman Rachel Boerner also had a big PR in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 1:06.76. Other notables for the Calvin women included freshman Bethany Beachum taking second in the 100 meters (12.87) and fourth in the 200 meters with a season-best time of 26.41. Koning also won the 400 meters (57.39) while senior Jenny Zylstra won the 5000 meters with a season-best time of 19:07.53. In the women's discus, senior Rachel VanderWiele had a career-best throw of 130-8 in the discus while junior Ashley Glover had a career-best toss of 133-9 in th! e hammer throw. In addition, freshman Kim Wigboldy won the javelin with a throw of 108-11.

On the men's side, senior Jared Cok won the 400 meters (48.71) and then anchored Calvin's 4x400 meter relay team to a season-best time of 3:17.10. Cock was joined on the relay by sophomore Zach VanderLaan, junior Brad Stroner and senior Joel Baker. Freshman Eric Michel won the pole vault (14-5 1/4) while freshman Dave Busscher was fifth, with a season-best vault of 13-5 1/4.

In addition, Nate DeJong had a season-best jump of 41-10 1/2 in the triple jump while Tim Buiten had a season-best throw of 155-9 in the triple jump.

Both Calvin teams are back in action tomorrow night at the Dr. Keeler Invitational hosted by North Central College.

INTRIGUE ADDED TO MIAA BASEBALL RACE

The Alma College baseball team did Calvin a big favor on Wednesday night by defeating Adrian 5-4 in the second game of a doubleheader. Adrian finishes the MIAA season with a league record of 22-6. At 19-5, Calvin can now win the MIAA title outright if it can sweep a four-game series with Kalamazoo. Winning three of four games would give Calvin a share of the final league title while anything less would give Adrian the league title outright.

Calvin was scheduled to travel Kalamazoo in a doubleheader on Wednesday but the twinbill was postpoined because of rain and will be made up on Friday at 2:00 p.m. at Kalamazoo. The Calvin-Kalamazoo series will now begin tomorrow at Calvin with a doubleheder slated to start at 2:00 p.m.

MIAA BASEBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 5-7-08 GAMES

Adrian 22-6 Calvin 19-5 Olivet 14-12 Hope 12-14 Tri-State 12-16 Albion 11-17 Kalamazoo 8-16 Alma 8-20

Jeff Febus Sports Information Director Calvin College (616) 526-6169 Office (616) 526-8551 Fax