MATT VANDER ROEST (Ann Arbor/Ann Arbor Huron HS) - a senior, Vander Roest will be making his second appearance at the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He will compete in the 10,000 meters where he is seeded fifth (29:43.17) and the 5,000 meters where he is seeded 20th (14:30.85). Vander Roest was the MIAA champion in the 5,000 meters this spring and was named to the All-MIAA track and field team for the second straight year.

DAN KERR (Petoskey/Petoskey HS) - A senior Kerr will be making his third appearance at the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Kerr will again compete in the 10,000 meters where he is seeded third (29:39.99). A year ago, Kerr was an All-American in the 10,000 meters, finishing fifth. He also placed 14th in the 5,000 meters. At the 2011 NCAA III Outdoor Championships, he placed 14th in the 10,000 meters.

GREG WHITTLE (Galesburg, IL/Galesburg HS) - A senior, Whittle will be making his third appearance at the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He will compete in the 1500 meters where he is seeded 11th (3:49.92). At the 2011 NCAA III Indoor Track and Field Championships, Whittle earned national runner-up honors in the mile run for the first All-America berth of his collegiate career. He then took fourth in the 1500 meters at the 2011 NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Last year he finished 11th in the same race at the NCAA III Championships. Whittle was the MIAA champion this spring in the 1,500 meters and earned a spot on the All-MIAA team.

SAM KERK (Hartland, WI/Lake Country Lutheran HS) - A junior Kerk will be making his first trip to the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He will compete in the 1,500 meters where he is seeded 12th (3:50.21) and the 5,000 meters where he is seeded 11th (14:25.29).

STEVEN HAAGSMA (Grandville, MI/Calvin Christian HS) – Haagsma will be making his first appearance at the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He will compete in the 3,000 meter steeplechase where he is seeded 18th (9:08.16). Haagsma was the MIAA runner-up in the steeplechase earlier this month.

WOMEN’S TEAM

ALYSSA ORAM (Cheboygan/Home Schooled) – A junior, Oram will be making her first appearance at the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She will compete in the 3,000 meter steeplechase where she is seeded 21st (11:06.74). Oram was the MIAA runner-up in the steeplechase earlier this month at the MIAA Field Day hosted by Hope College.

ALYSSA PENNING - (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) - A senior, Penning will be making her third appearance at the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She will compete in the steeplechase where she is seeded 3rd (10:37.26). A year ago she was an All-American in the event, placing fifth. In 2011, she placed 11th. Penning was the MIAA champion in the steeplechase this spring for the second straight year and once again landed a spot on the All-MIAA team.

NICOLE MICHMERHUIZEN (Holland/Holland Christian HS) - A junior, Michmerhuizen is making her second trip to the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She will compete in the 10,000 meters where she is the top seed (34:09.96) and in the 5,000 meters where she is seeded sixth (16:55.03). Last year she placed 20th in the 10K and 19th in the 5K. At the NCAA III Indoor Track and Field Championships this past March at North Central College, she was the national runner-up in the 5,000 meters. Michmerhuizen was the MIAA champion this spring in the 5,000 meters and earned a spot on the All-MIAA team.

A native of Holland and a graduate of Holland Christian High School, Van Putten put together a record-breaking year for the Calvin baseball team this spring.

Van Putten batted .426 this spring for the Knights while playing a stellar centerfield. Van Putten’s final season average of .426 is the third-highest single-season average in Calvin history, surpassed only by the .442 average of Ken Stuursma in 1987 and the .463 mark of T. J. Cummings in 1994. His season total of 63 hits is also a new Calvin single-season record as is his season total of 23 stolen bases. Van Putten now has 44 career stolen bases and is the Calvin career record holder in that category as well. In addition, his 41 runs scored this spring is the second-highest single-season total in Calvin baseball history. Finally, his total of 85 total bases is also second on the Calvin single-season list.

Van Putten helped the Calvin baseball team finish fourth in the MIAA baseball regular season standings and gain its first-ever berth in the four-team MIAA Tournament.

ABCA Division III All-Mideast Region Teams

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.

On the women’s side, junior Alyssa Oram (Cheboygan/Home Schooled) had a career-best time of 11:06.74 in the steeplechase that will place her on the bubble for NCAA III Championships consideration.

Other notables from the meet included:
*Senior Job Christiansen (New Ipswich, NH/Mascenic Regional HS) winning the men’s 10,000 meters (31:39.65).

*Sophomore Calvin Kuyers (Lansing/Lansing Christian HS) recording a time of 54.64 in the men’s 400 meter hurdles.

*Senior Kaylea Brase (Lino Lakes, MN/Centennial HS) recording a time of 4:38.34 in the women’s 1,500 meters.

*Sophomore Sarah Danner (Watkins Glen, NY/Charles Dickerson HS) taking fourth in the women’s 10K with a time of 38:24.99 while senior Hannah Kregel (Iowa City, IA/Iowa City HS) had a career-best time of 39:18.52 in the event.

*Sophomore Paige McGahan (Brighton/Brighton HS) clocking a career-best time of 11:36.92 in the women’s steeplechase.

*Senior Carissa Verkaik (Holland/Holland Christian HS) tying for second in the high jump (5-4 1/4).

*In a meet held at Augustana College Friday, senior Aaron Meckes (Bay City/Saginaw Valley Lutheran HS) had a season-best throw of 159-9 in the men’s discus.

Calvin athletes will now await for the NCAA III field to be announced Sunday morning.

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).
DAN KERR

Dan Kerr Audio Interview

A graduate of Petoskey High School, Dan Kerr has been a four-year member of the Calvin men’s cross country and men’s track and field teams.  During his time at Calvin, Kerr was a four-time first team All-MIAA selection in cross country, a two-time MIAA MVP in cross country and a two-time All-MIAA selection in track and field.

In addition, he was an NCAA III Cross Country All-American in 2011, finishing 21st at the NCAA III Championships and later garnered All-America accolades in track and field, finishing fifth in the 10,000 meters at the 2012 NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

This past fall, Kerr was named the MIAA’s Most Valuable Runner in men’s cross country for the second straight year after taking first place at the MIAA Championships. He then landed a spot on the Great Lakes All-Region team for a third straight year after placing second at the Great Lakes Regional meet. He later finished 46th individually at the NCAA III Championships in a remarkable comeback. Early in the race, Kerr tripped and fell to the back of the pack. Kerr was able to regroup and work his way past nearly 200 runners to finish just out of the top 35 which would have meant a second straight All-America berth. His finish helped Calvin place second as a team in the final team standings. At the conference and regional level, Kerr was a part of four MIAA and four Great Lakes Regional title teams.

In track and field, Kerr was a member of three MIAA championship teams. He was the MIAA champion in the 10,000 meters in both 2011 and 2012. He was a national qualifier for the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2011 and 2012 in the 10,000 meters and also qualified in the 5,000 meters in 2012. He is currently ranked third nationally in the 10,000 meters with a time of 29.39.99 that he recorded at the Hillsdale Gina Relays last month.

In the classroom, Kerr is set to graduate tomorrow with a degree in exercise science. A regular member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll and Calvin Dean’s List, Kerr was a first team Capital One Academic All-American in 2012. Next fall, he plans to attend graduate school at Wake Forest University, pursuing a master’s degree in exercise science.

Kerr is the son of Ken and Nance Kerr.

LIZZIE KAMP

Lizzie Kamp Audio Interview

A graduate of Chicago Christian High School, Lizzie Kamp has been a four-year member of the Calvin women’s volleyball team. She is the second member of her family to receive the Kay Tiemersma Award as her sister Rebecca was Calvin’s Tiemersma Award recipient last spring.

During Lizzie Kamp’s four-year tenure with the Calvin women’s volleyball team, the Knights compiled an overall won-loss record of 126-15 that included three MIAA titles, two regional crowns and one national championship.

As a freshman in 2009, Kamp was named the AVCA Division III Great Lakes Regional Freshman of the Year and was selected to the AVCA Great Lakes All-Region team. She also received AVCA Division III Honorable Mention All-America honors. In 2010, she was a member of the All-MIAA first team, the Great Lakes All-Region team and a Division III All-America honorable mention honoree. She also played a key role on Calvin’s team that captured the 2010 NCAA III National Championship.

In 2011, she helped Calvin reached the Great Lakes Regional finals for the second straight year. She was named to the All-MIAA first team, the Great Lakes All-Region team and to the AVCA Division III All-America second team. In addition, she was named a second team Capital One Academic All-American.

As a senior this fall, she was a captain on a Calvin team that advanced all the way to the NCAA III Championship finals. She was again a first team All-MIAA selection and the MIAA’s Most Valuable Player. She was then named to the AVCA Division III Great Lakes All-Region team and was later named to the AVCA Division III All-America first team. She culminated the season by receiving AVCA Division III National Player of the Year honors, becoming the second member of her family to receive the prestigious honor. Her older sister Rebecca received the same award in 2011. At the NCAA III Finals at Hope College, Lizzie was named to the all-tournament team.

In addition, she was later named to the Capital One Academic All-America first team and was named the Division III Capital One Academic All-American of the Year in women’s volleyball – again, joining her older sister Rebecca who received the same honors in 2011.

Lizzie Kamp is majoring in accounting and will return to complete her degree requirements next fall. This summer, she will serve as an intern with the accounting firm Plante Moran in Chicago. Next fall, she will also serve as a student assistant coach with the Calvin women’s volleyball team.

Lizzie Kamp is the daughter of Burt and Lori Kamp.

CARISSA VERKAIK

Carissa Verkaik Audio Interview

A graduate of Holland Christian High School, Carissa Verkaik has been a four-year member of the Calvin women’s basketball and women’s track and field teams.

During her four years at Calvin, Verkaik has been a member of three MIAA championship teams in women’s basketball and four in women’s track and field team. Over the course of her four-year Calvin women’s basketball career, the Knights produced a won-loss record of 100-16. During that run, Calvin captured MIAA regular season titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Knights also advanced to the NCAA III Tournament four consecutive years (2010-2013) which included a trip to the national quarterfinals in 2012.

Verkaik was a four-time first team All-MIAA selection in women’s basketball – one of only three in MIAA women’s basketball history to do so. She was also named the MIAA’s Most Valuable Player four consecutive years, becoming the first in MIAA women’s basketball history to accomplish the feat. She finished her career as the MIAA’s career scoring leader with 1,219 points in conference games. As a freshman in 2010, she established an MIAA single-game scoring record with 46 points in a win over Adrian.

In overall games, she concluded her Calvin career as the school’s all-time leader in points (2,236), rebounds (1,071) and blocked shots (440). She is now currently ranked third on the all-time NCAA III women’s basketball list in blocked shots and is 14th on the career list in points.

She was a four-time D3hoops.com All-American and was the D3hoops.com Freshman of the Year in 2010 and the D3hoops.com Player of the Year in 2013. In addition, she was named the National Player of the Year by Women’s Division III News in both 2012 and 2013 and was a finalist for the State Farm Division III National Player of the Year award in 2012 and 2013. She was named a State Farm Division III All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association in both 2012 and 2013. She was later named the recipient of the prestigious Jostens Trophy for women’s basketball which honors individuals for achievements in athletics, academics and in the community.

In track and field, Verkaik has been a three-time MIAA champion in the high jump and a three-time All-MIAA selection. She has also qualified for the NCAA III Championships twice in the high jump.

This past Monday night, she was honored as the Michigan Female College Athlete of the Year by the Detroit Athletic Club.

Verkaik will graduate from Calvin tomorrow with a degree in education. She has been a consistent member of the Calvin Dean’s List and the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. In 2012, she was named to the Capital One Academic All-America third team in women’s basketball. This past March, she was named to the Capital One Academic All-America first team in women’s basketball and was subsequently named the Division III Capital One Academic All-American of the Year.  Verkaik is currently pursuing a career in education and may also seek a position in coaching.

Carissa Verkaik is the daughter of Mike and Dawn Verkaik.

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).

“We were hoping for a better result but we did achieve our goal of getting back to nationals,” said Calvin men’s golf coach Brian Bolt. “To make the national tournament twice in three years is a nice statement for our program and will give our teams in the future something to shoot for.”

Transylvania and the University of Texas-Tyler currently are tied for first place heading into the final two rounds of competition.

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.

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.

“We got off to a bit of a rough start,” said Calvin men’s golf coach Brian Bolt. “Some of that may have been the wind and some of that may have been nerves. We played much better on our second nine but by then, much of the damage had been done. Our goal is to go out tomorrow and improve our score. That’s our focus at this point.”

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

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.

Calvin is one of 41 teams competing at the four-day event. After Wednesday’s 18-hole round, the 41-team field will be pared down to 15.

Calvin earned an automatic bid to the NCAA III Tournament by winning the 54-hole MIAA spring tournament last month, finishing five strokes ahead of Adrian. Calvin will be making its second appearance in the last three years at the NCAA III Championships. In 2010, Calvin competed but did not advance beyond the second day of competition.

THE CALVIN COLLEGE LINEUP

Ben Kuiper (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS)
*Member of 2012 Ping Great Lakes All-Region team
*2012 MIAA scoring average of 75.6
Medalist during 3rd MIAA Fall Tournament in 2012
*2011 & 2012 1st team All-MIAA
*Medalist at 2012 Furniture City Classic
*2011 MIAA scoring average of 74.6
*2011 MIAA Most Valuable Golfer
*2010 MIAA Scoring Average of 76.9
*2011 Vic Cuiss All-Tournament Team Selection
*2009 MIAA Season Scoring Average of 79.1

Dave Sarkipato (Kalamazoo/Kalamazoo Christian HS)
*Two-time medalist during 2013 MIAA Spring Tournament competition
*Medalist during 4th MIAA Fall Tournament in 2012
*2nd Team All-MIAA selection in 2011 & 2012
*2012 MIAA Scoring Average of 76.7
*2011 MIAA Scoring Average of 77.2
*2010 MIAA Scoring Average of 77.1
*2009 MIAA Scoring Average of 77.1

Jake Hoogstrate (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS)
*Moved into Calvin starting lineup at mid-point of 2012 MIAA fall season.
*Led Calvin at fourth MIAA Jamboree of 2012 fall season with round of 72.
*Led Calvin at eighth and final MIAA Jamboree of 2012 fall season with round of 79.
*Took second at 2012 Furniture City Classic

Mark Allen (Oconomoc, WI/Lake Country Lutheran HS)
*Moved into Calvin starting lineup at second MIAA Jamboree of 2012 fall season, finishing sixth with round of 74.
*Tied for second at fourth MIAA Jamboree of 2012 fall season with round of 75.

James Van Noord (Troy/Troy Athens HS)
*Moved into Calvin starting lineup as freshman during fall 2011 season.
*Took second at 2012 Bill Gettig Invitational hosted by Trine University.
*Posted 2012 MIAA fall scoring average of 77.5.
*Shared MIAA medalist honors at second MIAA Jamboree during 2012 fall season with round of 72.

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.