Calvin Sending Eight Athletes to NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Sunday, May 19, 2013
UW-LACROSSE 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-Lacrosse. 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 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 & 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.
Brian Diemer Named USTFCCCA Division III Great Lakes Assistant Men’s T & F Coach of Year
Friday, May 17, 2013
USTFCCCA Regional Awards Announcement
For the third time this academic year, Calvin College distance coach Brian Diemer has receive Regional Coach of the Year honors from the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association. The most recent announcement came today as Diemer was named the Division III Great Lakes Regional Assistant Coach of the Year in outdoor men’s track and field. This past March, Diemer was named the Division III Great Lakes Regional Coach of the Year for women’s indoor track and field. Last November he was named the Division III Great Lakes Regional Coach of the Year for men’s cross country. This spring, Diemer led five men under 15:00 in the 5000 meters this season and another five under 32:00 in the 10k. Three of his athletes were champions this year in the MIAA and his squad claimed 88 points total in the league meet. Nationally, Dan Kerr is in the nation’s top three in the 10,000 meters. Diemer is in his 27th year at the school.
Calvin Men’s Golf Team Finishes 30th at NCAA III Championships
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
DESTIN, FL - The Calvin men’s golf team saw its season come to a close on the second day of competition at the NCAA III Championships as the Knights fired a score of 321 Wednesday afternoon. The 321 score was a repeat of a Tuesday’s performance that also saw the Knights shoot 321. The two-day total of 642 strokes leaves Calvin in 30th place in a field of 41 teams. The top 15 teams through Wednesday advance to Thursday and Friday. Calvin’s top finisher was senior Ben Kuiper (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) who had back-to-back rounds of 77 for a two-day total of 154. Sophomore James Van Noord (Troy/Troy Athens HS) had a solid second day, firing a round of 77 to go with a first day round of 81 for a two-day total of 158. Senior Dave Sarkipato (Kalamazoo/Kalamazoo Christian HS) was next with an 81 after shooting 82 on Tuesday (163 total) while junior Mark Allen (Oconomowoc, WI/Lake Country Lutheran HS) had an 81-86 (167) and junior Jake Hoogstrate (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) an 87-86 (163).
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 Men’s Golf Team in 27th Place Through Day One of NCAA III Championships Competition
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
DESTIN, FL - The Calvin men’s golf team had an up-and-down day on the first day of competition at the NCAA III Championships held at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. As a team, Calvin carded a score of 321 that leaves the Knights in 27th place heading into Wednesday’s competition. Calvin will need to move up to 15th place in order to make the cut for the final two rounds scheduled for Thursday and Friday. Guilford College is in 15th place with a team score of 307 strokes. Starting on the back nine of the links portion of the golf resort, Calvin struggled through its first nine holes but picked up momentum through its final nine holes of play. Senior Ben Kuiper (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) led Calvin with a round of 77 while sophomore James Van Noord (Troy/Troy Athens H) and junior Mark Allen (Oconomowoc, WI/Lake Country Lutheran HS) had rounds of 81 while senior Dave Sarkipato (Kalamazoo/Kalamazoo Christian HS) had an 82 and junior Jake Hoogstrate (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) an 87. Host Methodist leads with a team score of 290. Jeff Wells of Methodist had the top first day score with a round of 69. Calvin is scheduled to tee off on Wednesday morning at 8:20 a.m. on the Raven Course of the complex and will be joined by golfers from St. John Fisher and Rutgers-Camden. Calvin is making its second appearance in the last three years at the NCAA III Championships. In 2011, Calvin finished 26th at the national finals.
Live Results for Wednesday Competition
Calvin Men’s Golf Team Prepares to Compete at NCAA III Championships
Sunday, May 12, 2013
NCAA III Men's Golf Championships Site
DESTIN, FL - The Calvin men’s golf team will make it second appearance in the NCAA III Tournament this week. Led by head coach Brian Bolt, the Knights will begin play on Tuesday afternoon at 12:50 p.m. Competing for the Calvin men’s golf team will be seniors Ben Kuiper (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) and Dave Sarkipato (Kalamazoo/Kalamazoo Christian HS), juniors Jake Hoogstrate (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) and Mark Allen (Oconomowoc, WI/Lake Country Lutheran HS) and sophomore James Van Noord (Troy/Troy Athens HS). Competition will take place at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Destin, Florida. Methodist University (NC) will serve as host. Calvin will open play on Tuesday afternoon and will be joined by teams from St. John Fisher and Rutgers-Camden. On Wednesday, Calvin will tee off with the same three teams beginning at 8:20 a.m.
Lina Avila Named to NFCA Division III All-Central Region Second Team
Saturday, May 11, 2013
2013 NFCA Division III All-Region Softball Teams
For the second consecutive year, Calvin College junior Lina Avila has been named to the National Fast-Pitch Coaches Association Division III All-Central Region second team in softball. A native of Lakewood, California, Avila finished the 2013 season with a .400 batting average with six home runs and 29 runs batted in. Avila also collected six doubles and a triple for a slugging percentage of .689. Avila is also Calvin’s career leader in home runs with 25. Avila split time between first base and the pitcher’s circle. As a pitcher this spring, she was 7-6 overall with a 3.23 earned run average, striking out 31 batters in 73.2 innings of work. Defensively, Avila also posted a .986 fielding percentage. Calvin finished the year with an overall record of 17-13, marking its first winning campaign since 2005. The Knights also posted an 8-8 conference mark that was good for sixth place in the league standings.
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.
