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Calvin Lands 123 Scholar-Athletes on MIAA Academic Honor Roll
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
2011-12 MIAA Academic Honor Roll
The 2011-12 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Academic - Honor Roll has been announced by Commissioner David Neilson and 123 Calvin scholar-athletes have been named to the list. The honor roll recognizes scholar-athletes who achieve a minimum 3.5 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) for the entire 2010-11 academic year. A student needed to have won a varsity letter in a sport to be eligible. The MIAA Academic Honor Roll program was initiated in 1990 to recognize students at MIAA member colleges who excel both in athletics and in the classroom.
Women’s Basketball Team Finishes 11th in WBCA Top 25 Academic Honor Roll List
Saturday, July 21, 2012
The Calvin women’s basketball team finished as one of the top teams in Division III this past spring and now the Knights have finished as one of the top academic squads as well.Under the direction of head coach John Ross, the Knights have received the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Top 25 Academic Honor Roll Award. The Knights finished 11th amongst all Division III schools with a team GPA of 3.518. The honor comes on the heels of a 2011-12 season that saw the Calvin women’s basketball team reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA III Tournament and finish with an overall record of 28-2.
Calvin Finishes 24th in Final Learfield Director’s Cup Division III Standings
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Final Directors Cup Division III Standings for 2011-12
For the 17th consecutive year, Calvin has posted a top 25 finish in the final NCAA III Learfield Sports Directors Cup standings, finishing 24th in the nation in Division III in 2011-12 with a total of 483.50 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. Combined, nine of Calvin’s 19 sports teams scored Directors Cup points during the 2011-12 academic year.
Carissa Verkaik Named to BCAM Women’s College Academic All-State Team
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
BCAM Academic All-State College Team
Calvin College junior Carissa Verkaik has been named to the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM) College Academic All-State team. A native of Holland and a graduate of Holland Christian High School, Verkaik is receiving BCAM Academic All-State honors for the first time. The 2011-12 MIAA Player of the Year, Verkaik averaged 19 points and 8.9 rebounds during her junior season. This past season, Verkaik was named to the Capital One Division III Academic All-American 3rd team. She has also been a two-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. Verkaik carries a 3.67 GPA and is majoring in elementary education. Other members of the BCAM Academic All-State Women’s College Team include Maria Blazejewski of Lake Superior State, Patty Rewa of Albion, Melissa Veltkamp of Cornerstone and Bethany Watterworth of Oakland.
Artist on the court
Sunday, April 01, 2012
When senior Courtney Kurncz came to Calvin as a freshman in the fall of 2008, the women’s basketball team was coming off a 15-9 season, a down year for the Knights over the past decade. In her first year, Calvin went 16-10. The next year, they were 24-5. Last year, the Knights went 25-5. This year, Calvin captured an outright MIAA regular season title and an MIAA tournament crown while carrying a 25-1 record into the NCAA III Tournament. Calvin has continued to improve over her career, and what perfect timing for a senior.
Carissa Verkaik Named Women’s DIII News Player of the Year
Monday, March 19, 2012
Women's DIII News All-America Teams
BEAVERTON, Ore. — Calvin College junior center Carissa Verkaik has been named the 2012 Women’s DIII News Player of the Year, the publication announced in its April issue.Verkaik led the Knights to a 28-2 overall record while scoring 19.2 points, grabbing 8.8 rebounds and shooting better than 56 percent from the floor per game. She accumulated 13 double-double performances this year, including a 35-point, 12-rebound game against Siena Heights and a 15-point, 19-rebound effort against rival Hope. She earned Player of the Year honors in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Verkaik headlines the 2012 WDIIIN All-American team, where she was joined on the first team by Illinois Wesleyan guard Olivia Lett, Babson’s Nicole Wurdeman, Chicago’s Morgan Herrick and Amherst senior Caroline Stedman. WDIIIN has named a Player of the Year every season since 1994.
Carissa Verkaik Named to D3hoops.com All-America First Team
Saturday, March 17, 2012
2012 D3hoops.com All-America Women's Basketball Teams
For the third straight year, Calvin College junior Carissa Verkaik has been named a D3hoops.com All-American. Verkaik has been named to the D3hoops.com All-America first team. She was also a first team selection in 2011 and a third team choice in 2010. Verkaik has a growing collection of post-season honors as she was named a Division III State Farm All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association last night and a finalist for the State Farm/WBCA Division III Player of the Year award. Last week, she was named the D3hoops.com Great Lakes Region Player of the Year. She has also been named a Capital One Academic All-American this winter and was a finalist for the Josten’s Trophy. She averaged 19.2 points and 8.8 rebounds a game this year for the Knights while also blocking 128 shots, setting a new Calvin single-season record.
Carissa Verkaik Named State Farm/WBCA All-American - Named Finalist for Player of the Year Award
Friday, March 16, 2012
2012 State Farm/WBCA Division III All-America Teams
Calvin College junior Carissa Verkaik has been named a State Farm Division III All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. In addition, she has been named one of two finalists for the State Farm/WBCA Division III Player of the Year Award. Verkaik and Amherst senior guard Caroline Stedman are the two finalists. The winner will be announced during the second annual WBCA Awards Show on Monday, April 2, in Denver. This event is part of the WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four. A native of Holland and a graduate of Holland Christian High School, Verkaik averaged 19.2 points and 8.8 rebounds a game this year. She also blocked 128 shots, establishing a new Calvin single-season record.
Carissa Verkaik Named D3hoops.com Great Lakes Region Player of the Year
Monday, March 12, 2012
D3hoops.com Great Lakes All-Region Women's Basketball Team
For the second straight year, Calvin College junior Carissa Verkaik has been named the D3hoops.com Great Lakes Region Player of the Year. A native of Holland and a graduate of Holland Christian High School, Verkaik has also been named to the D3hoops.com Great Lakes All-Region first team for the third straight year. This year, Verkaik averaged 19.2 points and 8.8 rebounds a game. She also blocked 128 shots, establishing a new Calvin single-season record. In addition, she tallied 13 double-doubles and connected on 56.8 percent of her field goal attempts, 86.0 percent of her free throw attempts and 40.5 percent of her three-point attempts. She was also named the MIAA’s Most Valuable Player for the third straight year.
Calvin Falls to St. Thomas 83-72 in Overtime in National Quarterfinals
Saturday, March 10, 2012
CHICAGO, IL - The Calvin women’s basketball season came to an end Saturday in a national quarterfinal game as the Knights suffered an 83-72 overtime defeat to St. Thomas. Calvin concludes its season with an overall record of 28-2. Calvin trailed 30-25 at halftime and then fell behind 36-25 in the opening minutes of the second half. Calvin battled back to tie the game at 69-69 and had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation but a last-second three-pointer by Courtney Kurncz was in-and-out at the buzzer. In overtime, St. Thomas (30-1) outscored Calvin 14-3 to pull away for the win. St. Thomas will face Illinois Wesleyan in a national semifinal game next Friday. Calvin was making its third appearance in the national quarterfinals but like its prior appearances in 2005 and 2007, came up one win shy of the Final Four. Calvin was led in defeat by junior Carissa Verkaik with 25 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. Verkaik finished the season with 128 blocked shots, establishing a new Calvin single-season record, surpassing the previous record of 124. Senior Courtney Kurncz was one of three Calvin seniors who played in their final collegiate game Saturday night. Kurncz had 10 points and four assists. Seniors Jill Thomas and Leah Mattson also played in their final games Saturday night. Calvin shot 45.6 percent overall but committed 26 turnovers. St. Thomas shot 49.1 percent and was led by Taylor Young with 25 points while Maggie Weiers had 16.
