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Carissa Verkaik Named Recipient of MIAA’s Sheila Wallace Kovalchik Scholar-Athlete Award
Friday, June 14, 2013
ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Awards by the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association to the outstanding senior athletes from its member schools during the 2012-13 academic year have been announced by Commissioner David Neilson. Cory Schmidt of Hope College has received the Albert L. Deal Scholar-Athlete Award, while Carissa Verkaik of Calvin College has been presented the Sheila Wallace Kovalchik Scholar-Athlete Award. The awards recognize senior class athletes who have excelled in academics and athletics, as well as displayed outstanding leadership in their respective communities. The awards honor two former MIAA commissioners, Albert Deal (1971-91) and Sheila Wallace Kovalchik (1991-2002). Verkaik is the seventh individual from Calvin to receive the Kovalchik Award as Annie VanderLaan (2003), Christine Hendricks (2006), Lisa Winkle (2007), Sarah Wittingen (2008), Melissa Oosterhouse (2011) and Rebecca Kamp (2012) were all previously so honored.
Calvin Finishes 15th in Final Division III Learfield Director’s Cup Standings
Thursday, June 06, 2013
Final Director's Cup Standings
For the 18th consecutive year, Calvin has posted a top 25 finish in the final NCAA III Learfield Sports Directors Cup standings, finishing 15th in the nation in Division III in 2012-13 with a total of 651.0 points. Calvin is one of only six schools in the country to finish in the top 25 every year that the competition has been held at the NCAA III level.Joining Calvin in that elite group are Williams, Mass., Amherst, Mass., Middlebury, Vt., the State University of New York at Cortland and Emory, Ga. Williams won the title as the best athletics program in the nation in Division III by winning with a score of 1,273.75 points. The Cup is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and Learfield Sports to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country, and is based on points earned by teams that compete in NCAA Championship events.
Knight Performs Double Duty
Sunday, June 02, 2013
By Lynn Bolt Rosendale
Julia Hilbrands doesn’t like to quit things once she’s started. “I’m a very driven person,” she said. That personality trait is exactly why Hilbrands has found herself in a key role for two highly ranked programs at Calvin—volleyball and basketball. At one time both NCAA III teams were ranked No. 1 in the country, and Hilbrands was technically a member of both.
Storied Career Ends for Calvin’s Top Scorer
Sunday, June 02, 2013
By Mark DeHaan ‘15
The past four years of Calvin women’s basketball have been among the most successful in the history of the program. With a senior class that posted a 100-16 overall record, four trips to the NCAA Tournament and three MIAA championships, the past four years have been something special for the Knights on the hardwood. And while all of this has been done with a very special six-member senior class, senior Carissa Verkaik stands out. The all-time Calvin career leader in points, with 2,236; rebounds, with 1,071; and blocked shots, with 440, Verkaik was named the MIAA MVP all four years of her career, becoming the first player in MIAA women’s basketball history to be so honored four consecutive years. Verkaik is also the MIAA career leader in points in conference games, posting 1,219 points in 64 career MIAA contests.
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
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 College Wins MIAA Commissioner’s Cup!!!
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
For the first time since the 1999-2000 academic year, Calvin College has won the outright MIAA Commissioner’s Cup. Calvin finished the year with 216 points, finishing ahead of rival Hope which earned 205 points. At the conclusion of the 2007-08 year, Calvin and Hope shared the Commissioner’s Cup as the two schools tied for first place. Hope had since won the last four outright titles. The MIAA Commissioner’s Cup award is based on the cumulative performance of each member school in the league’s 20 sports for men and women. The final Commissioner’s Cup standings is determined on the basis of each college’s standings in eight of 10 sports for men and eight of 10 sports for women. The Commissioner’s Cup (All-Sports Award) has been presented since 1934-35. Hope has won the award 34 times, followed by Kalamazoo 15, Albion 14, Calvin 9 and Alma 5. In addition, Calvin took first place in the MIAA Men’s All-Sports standings with 102 points, finishing ahead of Hope which tallied 93. Calvin also took first place in the MIAA Women’s All-Sports standings with 114 points, edging Hope by two points. The 2012-13 academic year was an historic one for the Calvin athletics program as it captured an MIAA record 12 conference titles including 10 that were outright league crowns. Calvin competes in 19 of the 20 MIAA-sponsored sports. The Knights do not compete in football.
Carissa Verkaik Named Michigan Female College Athlete of Year by Detroit Athletic Club
Monday, May 06, 2013
Calvin College senior Carissa Verkaik will head to Detroit next week. This afternoon, the two-sport standout was named the recipient of the 2013 Michigan Female College Athlete of the Year by the Detroit Athletic Club (DAC). A native of Holland and a graduate of Holland Christian High School, Verkaik is the third individual in Calvin athletics history to receive the award. Lisa Winkle (basketball, track & field) was the inaugural DAC Female College Athlete of the Year in 2006 with Becky Weima (swimming) receiving the same honor in 2007. The honors, recognizing both academic and athletic excellence, will be presented during this year’s 17th Annual DAC Athletic Awards at 7 p.m. on May 13 at the DAC. The event continues the Club’s tradition of supporting athletics in the community and will benefit the Foundation’s mission. A total of six female and six male high school nominees as well as one female and one male college athlete are selected each year.
Carissa Verkaik Is a Repeat Selection on BCAM Academic All-State Team
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
BCAM Academic All-State Women's College Basketball Team
Carissa Verkaik has added another honor to her Calvin College awards case. Verkaik was recently named to the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM) Academic All-State team for the second straight year. She was joined on the BCAM Academic All-State Collegiate Division team by Karli Harris of Davenport University, Liz Ellis of Hope College, Niki DiGuilio of Central Michigan University Talisha Bridges of Wayne State University. The 6’2 senior center earned her fourth consecutive MIAA Player of the Year award and was named the DIII Player of the Year. Carissa averaged 20 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 blocks while leading her team to a 23-4 overall and 15-1 MIAA record. She scored over 2,000 points in her career. The Elementary Education major will graduate with a 3.76 GPA and was a Capital One Academic All-American.
Calvin in Ninth Place in Learfield Director’s Cup Standings Through Winter Sports Season
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Learfield Director's Cup Standings Through Winter Season
The winter sports season was recently completed for NCAA Division III athletics and the latest set of Learfield Director’s Cup standings for Division III have been announced. Calvin is ranked ninth in the latest set of standings with 508 points. The Knights garnered 199.5 points during the recent winter sports season. The Learfield Director’sCup is based on points earned by teams that compete in NCAA Championship events and is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) to the best overall collegiate athletics program in the country. The Learfield Director’s Cup race is held at the NCAA I, II and III levels and also for NAIA institutions. Scoring points for Calvin during the winter season were the Calvin women’s basketball team (25 points), men’s basketball (64 points), women’s indoor track and field (47.5 points) and women’s swimming and diving team (63 points). During the fall sports season, Calvin produced 308.5 points as its men’s and women’s soccer teams, volleyball team and men’s and women’s cross country team all scored points. Calvin has now had nine of its 21 varsity sports teams score points in the Director’s Cup chase. The competition will conclude at the end of the spring sports season with a final set of standings set to be released in June.
