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Nicole Michmerhuizen Captures National Title in Women’s 10,000 Meters at NCAA III Championships
Thursday, May 23, 2013
NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships Site
(Photos by Mark Dannenhauer)
LA CROSSE, WISC. - The Calvin men’s and women’s track and field teams produced a dynamic first day of competition at the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday. Junior Nicole Michmerhuizen (Holland/Holland Christian HS) highlighted the day by winning the national title in the 10,000 meters. Calvin also produced a pair of All-America performances in the men’s 10,000 meters as seniors Dan Kerr (Petoskey, Mich.) and Matt Vander Roest (Ann Arbor/Ann Arbor Huron HS) were third and eighth respectively. In addition, senior Greg Whittle advanced to the the finals in the men’s 1,500 meters while senior Alyssa Penning (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) did the same in the women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase. The title by Michmerhuizen was the 12th individual national title in outdoor track and field by a Calvin women’s track and field athlete. Michmerhuizen is the first to do so in the 10,000 meters however and she did so with vigor Thursday evening as she led from start-to-finish.
Calvin Track and Field Teams Prepare for NCAA III Championships
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
NCAA III Championships Website
(Photo by Bret Otte at NCAA III Championships Banquet)
Eight members of the Calvin track and field program are preparing for NCAA III Championships competition this week at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Representing the men’s team are seniors Dan Kerr (10,000 meters), Matt VanderRoest (10,000 meters and 5,000 meters), and Greg Whittle (1,500 meters), junior Sam Kerk (5,000 meters and 1,500 meters) and sophomore Steven Haagsma (steeplechase). Representing the women’s team are senior Alyssa Penning (steeplechase) and juniors Alyssa Oram (steeplechase) and Nicole Michmerhuizen (10,000 meters and 5,000 meters). Events scheduled for Thursday for Calvin competitors include the men’s and women’s 10,000 meter runs, the prelims of the men’s and women’s steeplechase and the men’s 1,500 meter prelims.
NCAA III TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS LINKS
Mlive.com Calvin College Track & Field Preview
Division III Championships Preview by USTFCCCA
Calvin Sending Eight Athletes to NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Sunday, May 19, 2013
UW-LA CROSSE NCAA III Championships Site
The Calvin men’s and women’s track and field teams will send a combined eight athletes to the upcoming NCAA III Track and Field Championships including three from its women’s team and five from its men’s team. The following is a look at the individuals that will represent the Calvin track and field program at the NCAA III Track and Field Championships this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (May 23-25) at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Representing the Calvin women will be senior Alyssa Penning and juniors Alyssa Oram and Nicole Michmerhuizen. Representing the Calvin men will be seniors Dan Kerr, Matt VanderRoest and Greg Whittle along with junior Sam Kerk and sophomore Steven Haagsma.
Calvin Track & Field Athletes Compete at North Central College Gregory Invitational
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Calvin’s track and field athletes received their final opportunities to improve their performances for NCAA III Championship qualification at last-chance meets this weekend in the state of Illinois. At the Gregory Invitational Friday night, sophomore Steven Haagsma (Grandville/Calvin Christian HS) highlighted the meet for Calvin by placing third in the 3,000 meter steeplechase with a career-best time of 9:08.16. The time was a career-best by nearly five seconds and marked the fourth straight steeplechase that he has run a personal-best. His time places him 18th on the national list and should lock him into a qualifying spot for the NCAA III Track and Field Championships next week at the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse. If Haagsma qualifies, it will mark the sixth consecutive year that a member of the Calvin men’s track and field team has qualified for nationals in the event.
Calvin Announces Recipients of 2013 Bere’/Tiemersma Awards
Friday, May 17, 2013
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan—Calvin College has announced the 2013 recipients of its highest honors for men’s and women’s athletics: the Beré Memorial Award and the Kay Tiemersma Athletic Award. Dan Kerr of Petoskey, Michigan, is this year’s Beré Memorial Award winner while the women’s side features co-recipients in Lizzie Kamp of Orland Park, Illinois, and Carissa Verkaik of Holland, Michigan. The Beré Memorial Award has been presented annually by Calvin since 1951. The Beré honors the top senior male student-athlete, based on athletic ability, scholastic rank, character and leadership, and is selected by the school’s varsity coaches, its athletics administrators and its faculty athletic representatives.
It is given in memory of Joe Beré, a Calvin student who was killed in a 1949 auto accident on his way to watch a Calvin basketball game. This is the 39th year that Calvin has given the Tiemersma award—presented annually to the top senior female student-athlete. The award honors Kay Tiemersma, the first woman physical education 
teacher in the member schools of the Christian Schools International organization, and a pioneer in women’s sports. Its presentation is based on athletic ability, scholastic standing, and character and leadership. The winner is also selected by the school’s varsity coaches, its athletics administrators and its faculty athletic representatives. This year marks just the fourth time in school history that the Tiemersma Award has featured co-recipients. Other years with co-recipients include 1990 (Amber Blankespoor & Stephanie Rhind), 1993 (Becky Konyndyk and Betsy Wilgenburg) and 2007 (Lisa Winkle and Becky Weima).
Carissa Verkaik Audio Interview
Calvin Track and Field Teams Climb in USTFCCCA Division III Top 25 Rankings
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
USTFCCCA Division III Top 25 Rankings
The Calvin men’s and women’s track and field teams continue to rise in the national rankings. In the latest set of Division III Top 25 polls conducted by the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association of America, the Calvin men’s track and field team is now ranked 14th while the Calvin women’s team is ranked 22nd. The move to 14th by the Calvin men’s team marks an improvement of 14 spots as the Knights were ranked 28th a week ago. On the women’s side, Calvin was ranked 29th last week, marking an improvement of seven spots. Both teams are sending athletes to the North Central College Gregory Invitational this weekend in Naperville, Illinois, with the hope of qualifying more athletes for the NCAA III Championships the following weekend at the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse.
Calvin Distance Runners Cruise at North Central Dr. Keeler Invite
Saturday, May 11, 2013
A group of Calvin distance runners made their case for trips to the NCAA III Championships clear this weekend. Although NCAA Division III track and field no longer uses an automatic qualifying time/mark system, senior Greg Whittle along with juniors Sam Kerk and Nicole Michmerhuizen virtually sealed spots to the upcoming national meet with strong weekend performances at last-chance meets. On Thursday night at the Dr. Keeler Invitational hosted by North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, Michmerhuizen (Holland/Holland Christian HS) took second in the 5,000 meters with a time of 16:55.03. Her time is the sixth-best in Division III this spring and should cement her a spot to the national meet in the event. Michmerhuizen already owns the nation’s best time in the 10,000 meters (34:09.96). On the men’s side, Whittle (Galesburg, IL/Galesburg HS) and Kerk (Hartland, WI/Lake Country Lutheran HS) had huge performances Friday night at the Dr. Keeler Invitational in the 1,500 meters with Whittle taking second with a time of 3:49.92 while Kerk was third in 3:50.21. The time by Whittle is the sixth-best time in Division III this spring and is the second-fastest in Calvin men’s track and field history. Kerk joins David Sydow and John Lumkes as the only three individuals in Calvin men’s track and field history to run sub-3:50.00 times in the event.
Erik Holstege Cracks 6,000-Point Plateau in Decathlon at Hillsdale Charger Classic
Thursday, May 09, 2013
HILLSDALE - Calvin College sophomore Erik Holstege completed a stellar two days of competition in the decathlon Thursday afternoon at the Hillsdale Charger Classic. Competing in his second-ever decathlon, Holstege (Kewsick, VA/Monticello HS) recorded a career-best score of 6,074 points. The point total eclipses his previous career best of 5,422 points established at a last-chance meet at Grand Valley State last spring. Holstege’s total of 6,074 points puts him 25th on the NCAA Division III qualifying list. Holstege had several career-best efforts in the two-day, 10-event competition. In the 100 meters, he had a career-best time of 11.35 while also ripping off a career-best time of 15.28 in the 110 high hurdles. In the field events, he had a long jump of 22 feet, a high jump of 6-0, a pole vault of 10-8, a javelin throw of 123-4, a shot put throw of 34-8 and a discus heave of 110-3. He also ran 52.85 in the 400 meters and 5:11.36 in the 1,500 meters. His time in the 400 meters came on his second race in the event. In a bizarre turn of events, the timing system failed in his initial 400 meter race. Hand times had Holstege at around 51.5. Needing a fully automated time in the 400 meters to officially post a score in the event, Holstege was given a three-hour wait before running again. In his second race, he clocked in at 52.85.
First Calvin C Club Awards Knight Takes Place at Calvin Wednesday Night
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
Calvin Game Day Photo Gallery on Facebook
The first-ever Calvin C Club Awards ceremony was held on Wednesday night inside Van Noord Arena. The following is a list of the award recipients:
BREAKTHROUGH TEAM OF THE YEAR - Men’s Tennis
RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE - Nicole Michmerhuizen - women’s track and field, 10,000 meters
ROLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Bryan Powell, men’s basketball
PLAY OF THE YEAR - Danielle Carter, women’s soccer - game winning OT goal vs Hope in MIAA Tournament
MALE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR - Taylor Pruis, men’s soccer
FEMALE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR - Michaela Rookus, women’s swimming & diving
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Nick Holtrop, men’s soccer
FEMALE ATHLETE(S) OF THE YEAR - Lizzie Kamp, volleyball & Carissa Verkaik, basketball & track & field
EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE IN AN INDIVIDUAL EVENT - Elisabeth Counsell, women’s swimming & diving
GAME OF THE YEAR - Calvin men’s basketball MIAA Tournament final win over Hope
KAY TIEMERSMA AWARD WINNER(S) - Lizzie Kamp & Carissa Verkaik
BERE’ MEMORIAL AWARD WINNER - Dan Kerr, men’s cross country & track & field
The MIAA Commissioner’s Cup trophy was also unveiled at the ceremony.
Calvin Women’s Track and Field Team Has Eight Members Land on All-MIAA Team
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
The All-MIAA women’s track and field team has been announced and eight members of the MIAA champion Calvin women’s track and field squad have received all-conference honors. Named to the All-MIAA team from Calvin are seniors Carissa Verkaik, Kaylea Brase, Alyssa Penning, juniors Lauren Madden, Julie Busscher, Nicole Michmerhuizen, Hilary Banning and Olivia Butler. The Calvin women’s track and field team captured the outright MIAA title by taking first place at both the MIAA Jamboree and MIAA Field Day this spring. The title was Calvin’s fourth under fourth-year head coach Bret Otte and the 24th consecutive in program history. The championship streak of 24 titles is the longest active championship streak in MIAA women’s athletics history.
