Men's Tennis 2008 Preview
(written by Drew DeVries '08)

CCurrently ranked 21st in the nation and 4th in the Central Region Rankings, the men’s tennis team will once again be led by head coach John Ross. Entering his fifth year as Calvin’s tennis coach, Ross will be looking for his team to repeat some of the success it shared last season. Last year, Ross coached his team to its first NCAA Division III Tournament berth after establishing a school record 18 victories and a second place finish in the MIAA. To get back to that kind of success, Ross knows it all starts with finishing out matches.

“Our goals this year are to finish out our matches,” said Ross. “We want to win those third set matches and tiebreakers. The biggest area we want to improve on is our consistency. We want to finish those matches and win them.”

Ross feels his team has the talents and abilities to do just that. With a team of only eight players, five are experienced juniors and seniors who have been there before. “We have a team of veterans,” said Ross. “We’re going to have all juniors and seniors in our 1-4 singles and 1-2 doubles. Everyone has worked hard in the offseason to get to the next level.”

One of those players is senior Ricky Tilton (Gap, PA / Lancaster Christian). Last year, he was named to the All-MIAA first team after compiling a 16-8 record at No. 1 singles. Tilton, along with fellow senior Mike Goorhouse (Holland/Holland Christian) will be who Ross looks to for leadership.

“Tilton and Goorhouse have been great leaders,” said Ross. “They have proven themselves already a lot this year and I know that they will serve as great leaders for this team.”

Also expected to work hard and improve upon last year’s stellar performance is junior Marcus Zeilstra (Oak Brook, IL / Timothy Christian). Zeilstra was also named to the All-MIAA first team as he finished with 16-5 record at No. 2 singles and along with Tilton at No. 1 doubles, assembled an 18-6 mark.

The other veterans on this year’s roster are juniors Steve DeMaagd (Grandville/Calvin Chrisitan), Andrew Rescorla (Zionsville, IN/Zionsville Community), and Nick Steenstra (Allendale/Unity Christian). They will compete to fill the 3-4 singles spots and the No. 2 doubles slot.

Calvin’s 2008 roster will also feature some incoming freshmen that Ross is excited about. “We’ve got good freshmen this year,” he said. “I’m going to expect them to play well because they had great high school careers. I’m expecting them to continue off that success all four years that they’re here at Calvin, including this season.”

The freshmen Ross is referring to are Matthew and Andrew De Vlieger (Grand Rapids/Northpointe Christian) and Roland Eldridge (Charlotte, NC/South Mecklenburg). They will be expected to step it up and raise their game right alongside the veterans.

The 2008 season is already underway as the Knights opened at a tournament featuring Aquinas, Hope, and Grand Rapids Community College over the weekend of February 15-16. Calvin took home second place results and then dropped a 5-4 decision a week later to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. With the season already started, Ross is still keeping his goals in mind. “My goal is for a top two conference finish along with staying in the top ten rankings of the Central Region,” he said.

Ross knows, however, that a top conference finish will be tough as usual. With Kalamazoo having won the league title dating back to 1938, it’s going to take a lot for the Knights to de-throne the Hornets.

“Kalamazoo is still head and shoulders above everyone else,” said Ross. “We are going to have to improve a lot to beat them because they are still playing at a very high level. With that, it’s going to be a hard fight for second place between us, Albion, and Hope.”

Calvin will have a little more time to prepare for its conference matches and will be able to gain some needed experience during its spring break trip to Orlando, Florida. The Knights will face five schools over their spring break week including tough matches between Wheaton and Vassar. But Ross’ goals for their spring break trip remain in line with his goals for this season.

“We have the same goals for this trip and that is to finish out our matches and play consistently to win,” said Ross. “We’ll be able to gain some match experience and keep improving on our fitness and team unity. There’s going to be nine guys and myself in a house down in Florida which we will be able to really come together as a team. It’s always one of the most enjoyable experiences for me.”

After the Knights return, they will have a week before resuming play against Wabash College on March 22. Conference play opens April 2 when Calvin will travel to battle Tri-State.

The regular season will wrap up the weekend of April 25-26 at the MIAA Championships hosted by Kalamazoo College.

Women's Tennis 2008 Preview

With a roster consisting of five freshmen and five sophomores, the Calvin women’s tennis team will enter the 2008 season with youthful enthusiasm.

Now in his eighth year at the helm of the Calvin women’s tennis program, head coach Jerry Bergsma is also optimistic about Calvin’s chances for the upcoming year.

“We’re young but we are also talented,” said Bergsma who is 73-49 at the helm of the Calvin women’s tennis program. “There is a sense of excitement with this team.”

A year ago, Calvin posted an overall record of 9-12 and a conference mark of 4-4. The Knights then suffered a 5-4 decision to rival Hope in the third place match of the MIAA Tournament, leaving the Knights in a tie for fourth place in the final MIAA standings.

Calvin’s goal is to improve upon last year’s conference finish. “It won’t be easy,” said Bergsma. “The top half of our league will be very tough once again. I think Kalamazoo and Albion will be the teams to beat and Hope and Saint Mary’s will also be very good.”

Calvin does return its No. 1 singles player from last year in sophomore Elisabeth Geenen (Holland/Holland Christian HS). Geenen was 10-11 a year ago in singles play and landed a spot on the All-MIAA second team.

Geenen may move down a flight or two this year because of a group of talented first year players. “We have quality depth this year,” said Bergsma. “If Elisabeth Geenen plays down a few flights this spring, than it will mean that our team is that much stronger because Elisabeth is an excellent player.”

Geenen is one of five returning letterwinners as sophomores Kelsey Bushhouse (Wheaton, IL/Wheaton North HS), Rachel DeGroot (Lombard, IL/Timothy Christian HS), Rachel Strikwerda (Holland/Holland Christian HS) and Jill VanVeen (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS).

Newcomers to the squad include freshmen Abbie Belford (Batavia, IL/Batavia HS), Melissa Oosterhouse (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS), Kaitlin Spoelhof (Holland/Holland Christian HS), Michelle Busscher (Whitehall/Western Michigan Christian HS) and Christina Stavro (Bellflower, CA/Valley Christian HS).

“I really like the makeup of this team,” said Bergsma. “This group really gets along together and supports one another. I think we’re in for a fun season.”

Prior to its spring trip to Florida, Calvin will take on regionally-ranked Carthage (WI) and Division II Ferris State. While in Florida, the Knights will face nationally-ranked Coe College (IA) and regionally-ranked Connecticut College.

Other non-conference opponents of note include Wheaton (IL), Olivet Nazarene, Grand Valley State and Aquinas. Calvin’s conference opener will take place on March 18 when the Knights host Alma.

The MIAA Tournament is scheduled to be held April 25 and 26 at Albion College.

2008 Calvin Baseball Outlook
(written by Drew DeVries '08)

Calvin College baseball this season will be under the direction of first year head coach John Sparks. Sparks will be inheriting a team that finished fourth in the MIAA last season after establishing a 15-13 conference mark and 15-22 overall record. The Knights, however, ended the season strong and with some momentum by winning 15 of its final 24 games and will be returning some of their key players. But more than anything, Sparks is excited to get to know his team as he prepares for the 2008 season. “This is a work in progress,” he said. “As a coaching staff, we’re trying to get to know our team and all the players. We had a short fall season and now we’re looking to be able to get better on a daily basis.”

As Sparks is getting to know his team, he is seeing a lot of potential. “We have the potential to hit the ball well,” he said. “We’re going to need work in some areas but we have a number of returning players and with that, have quite a bit of experience coming back.”

Calvin will be returning some seniors who will be able to hit the ball well. One of those players is Kyle Fletcher (Fort Wayne, IN/Concordia Lutheran). Fletcher led the Knights last season with his bat hitting .354 while knocking in 30 runs and was awarded All-MIAA First team honors. He will split time behind the plate at catcher with fellow senior Pieter Groot (Uxbridge, MA/Whitinsville Christian).

Also receiving conference accolades last year was Alex Marcus (Willmar, MN/Willmar Sr.) who will anchor Calvin’s outfield as a senior this season. Marcus hit .330 with 20 runs batted in and received second team honors.

“I’m going to look to my seniors to lead this team,” said Sparks. “With that, I’m going to expect a lot out of Marcus, Fletcher, and Groot this year.”

The Knights also will be returning some experience on the mound. Junior Todd LaForest (Clio/Clio) led all pitchers last season with a 3.53 earned run average and a 5-1 record. Senior Scott Larsen (Hastings/Hastings) and juniors Kyle Cousins (Holland/Holland Christian) and Nate Pocock (Wayland, MA/Wayland) will also be expected to contribute. “These guys are all going to be our starters,” said Sparks. “I am going to expect them to step it up and pitch well for us.”

Rounding out the rest of the pitchers for the Knights this year will be sophomores Rob Kool (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian), Chad Epker (Winthrop Harbor, IL/Zion-Benton), and Zach Van Dyke (Lombard, IL/Timothy Christian). The Knights will also feature some incoming freshman pitchers competing for innings in Elijah Jenson (Ypsilanti, MI), Keith Spoelstra (New Jersey/Eastern Christian), Peter Steiner (Glenbrook South, IL), and Jeff Groenewold (IL/Timothy Christian) who will also be looking for some work in the infield.

The infield is where Sparks has some questions and said that a lot of players will be competing for positions. Junior Jacob Vriesman (Denver, CO/Colorado Christian) and sophomore Matt Schepel (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian) will be returning to the infield this year after solid 2007 seasons. Vriesman was named to the All-MIAA second team at shortstop as he was sixth in the conference in hits with 34 and 26 runs scored while Schepel received second team honors at third base. Schepel finished sixth in the league in runs batted in with 22 and a .481 on-base percentage.

Junior utility man Chris Blacklidge (Comstock Park/Comstock Park) will also look to fill infield needs coming off a .337 season at the plate in 2007 after being named to the all conference first team. Tied with Marcus, Blacklidge led the MIAA in doubles with 8. But Sparks is still waiting for a lot of his questions to be answered and played out.

“I think the infield has its questions marks,” said Sparks. “Hopefully they will be answered when we get more time to practice. Four or five guys are competing for middle positions and we got a couple guys going for third and first base. I saw some good things in our fall season but also saw things we need to work on. Hopefully through these guys competing with each other, we’ll get some answers.”

The other infielders competing for playing time will be sophomores Kyle Gurzynski (Ludington/Ludington), Jason May (Chicago/Walther Lutheran), Van Dyke, and Kool. Calvin has one incoming freshman hoping to land a position in Andrew Bosma (Holland/Holland Christian).

Along with Marcus in the outfield, senior Mike Stob (Caledonia/South Christian), sophomores Andrew Johnson (Boise, ID/Mountain View), Tim Jelsema (Grandville/Calvin Christian), and Chris Dykstra (Hudsonville/Unity Christian) will provide some experience.

Senior Brad Brummel (Byron Center/South Christian) could also be looking for some time in the outfield as a utility man who appeared in 21 games last season.

Calvin will head to Arizona again to kick-off its 2008 season over spring break starting March 8 in the Greater Phoenix Invitational. The Knights will play nine games and look to get a sense of where they are as a team. “I hope for our team to get two things out of this trip,” said Sparks. “The first is that hopefully we can come together as a team and gel as a team. The second is that we can see a marked improvement from the first game to the last game. I’m not worried about wins and losses. I’m more concerned about improving and preparing ourselves for conference play when we get back.”

Conference play when they get back will start on March 22 which will be a doubleheader at Kalamazoo. The Knights will first play one game in between against Aquinas and will only play two more non conference games against Grand Valley State and Rochester College. While Sparks wants his team to be prepared and ready for conference play, he’s not quite sure where he sees his team standing against the rest of the MIAA.

“I haven’t seen an MIAA game yet,” said Sparks. “But with having the majority of last year’s team, we hope to be competitive with the upper tier of the league. We’ll have to get better on a daily basis and take steps to improve offensively and defensively. I’m interested to see how we’ll respond and play against the rest of the conference.”

Softball 2008 Preview (written by Drew DeVries)

FThe Calvin women’s softball team will be led by first year head coach Emily Bustrum this season. The Knights ended with an overall 11-19 record and a 7-9 sixth place conference finish in 2007. Poised and in position for an MIAA tournament berth in the final week and a half of the regular season last year, the Knights lost their momentum dropping five of their final six games. Getting back in position for a tournament berth is one of Bustrum’s long term goals.

“One of our goals will be to get back to the conference tournament,” said Bustrum. “We missed out last year and we would like to get back to that point.”

But reaching the conference tournament takes a back seat to what Bustrum states is the most important goal for her team this year. “Overall, we want to keep God at the forefront and remember that we have this opportunity to play because of him,” she said. “Leading by our Christianity on and off the field is very important.”

The role of Calvin’s seniors this season will play a big role in leading by example both on the field and off of it. Cori VanKoevering (Hudsonville/Unity Christian), Samantha Ehlert (Rockford/Rockford), and Jalean Makedonsky (Imlay City/Imlay City) are the seniors on this year’s squad.

“Our seniors this year have stepped up huge so far,” said Bustrum. “They are our three captains and are out there to get the job done. Their job is to support the girls on this team and get everyone focused. They have been an integral part of our preseason in day to day overall leadership and commitment.”

With those three seniors comes what Bustrum feels is her team’s greatest strength: defense. “We’re going to have a solid defense,” she said. “Girls have been diving on the floor while backhanding balls. Defense is going to be our strong suit because I’ve seen them make some errors, but then they come right back and try harder.”

Bustrum feels good about her strong defense in the infield with VanKoevering at first base, Makedonsky at second, junior Loren Scarbrough (Antioch, IL/Antioch Community) at shortstop, and Brittany Moriarity (Muskegon/Mona Shores) at third. Ehlert will take over the majority of the catcher duties but will also be joined by sophomore Whisper Miller (Hersey, MI/Reed City). Freshman Michelle Vandenberg (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian) will also be vying for infield playing time.

Junior Kristin Folkerts (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian) will handle most of Calvin’s pitching. Also joining the rotation will be freshman Emily Whitman (Ludington/Ludington) and sophomore utility player Amanda Johnson (Grand Rapids/North Pointe Christian).

In the outfield, Bustrum is expecting a lot of speed. “We are going to have a ton of speed and youth in our outfield,” she said. “We’re going to have some freshmen getting a lot of quality time out there. I’ll be looking for a lot of young leaders to take over and step up to add to our defensive threat.”

A pair of freshmen will be competing for playing time in the outfield in Malissa VanRooyen (Beamsville, ON/Smithville District Christian) and Jaqueline Kirkman (Oregon, OH). The Knights will also feature sophomores Jennie Heidman (Grand Rapids/South Christian), Jackie Paauw (Grand Rapids/Calvin Christian), and utility player Kendra Ettema (Imlay City/Wesleyan Christian Academy) who could see some time in the outfield. They will be joined by junior Jenn Vanden Akker (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian) and senior Ehlert who might also play some outfield when she is not catching.

In addition to Calvin’s defensive strengths, Bustrum also feels her team’s speed on defense will correlate to its speed on offense. “We will have a lot of speed and that could do some damage on the bases,” she said. “We just need to get people on base and use smart base running.”

With Calvin’s strengths in defense and speed on the bases come some areas Bustrum would like to improve upon. Bustrum wants to emphasize playing a full seven inning game. “I don’t want us to have it where we play two or three flawless innings but then stop playing,” she said. “We have to play seven innings of softball and be able to hold our leads and finish games. We’ll have to play all seven innings every game if we want to come out on top in the conference.”

Coming out on top in the conference will be a difficult task, as it usually is. Bustrum knows heading into conference play that Alma always plays tough along with Hope College. But Bustrum still feels that getting a top four finish in the conference is a very attainable goal.

The Knights will kickoff the 2008 season in Tuscon, Arizona this year during spring break beginning on March 8. Calvin will play 12 games over the week and try to get a feel for what its team holds in abilities. “It will be great to get outside and play on some dirt and grass to see what kind of ability our team has,” said Bustrum. “We’ll play some ball and begin finalizing lineups and batting orders. Our week in Arizona will also give our girls a heads up for the rules and expectations we’ll have for this season.”

Calvin will then open up conference play when Tri-State pays Calvin a visit on April 2. Calvin will also play non conference opponents Saint Mary’s, North Central, Aquinas, Grand Rapids Community College, and Case Western Reserve. The Knights will also participate in the Illinois Wesleyan Tournament in Bloomington, IL over the weekend of April 11 and 12.

Bustrum knows the season can become long and wear on her team which is why she stresses the importance of team unity. “We want to stay unitized as a team because the season can get long and we might endure losing streaks,” she said. “But if we stay together as a team and confront issues going on throughout the entire season, we can have a good year.”

Men's Track & Field 2008 Preview

Calvin will be seeking to extend its current MIAA Championship streak of 14 straight league crowns. Under the direction of head coach Dr. Jong-Il Kim, the Knights return seven All-MIAA performers from last year's team that captured an MIAA title and finished 26th at the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Returning All-MIAA athletes include seniors Joel Baker (Kalamazoo/Kalamazoo Christian HS), Jared Cok (Bozeman, MT/Manhattan Christian HS) Tad Hulst (Zeeland/Zeeland HS), Ryan Jensen (Grand Rapids/Northview HS) and Jon Gries (King of Prussia, PA/Upper Merion HS), juniors Erik VanKampen (Elmhurst, IL/Timothy Christian HS), Nate DeHaan (Byron Center/South Christian HS) and Jed Christiansen (Greenville, PA/Greenville HS).

In addition, Calvin returns senior Tim Finnegan (Los Alamos, NM) and junior Michael Buist (Grand Rapids/Calvin Christian HS) who were named to the All-MIAA team in 2006.

Baker and Cok will lead Calvin’s sprinters. Baker is the defending MIAA champion in the 200 and 400 meters while Cok was the runner-up in the 400 meters and a fourth place finisher in the 200 meters at the MIAA Championships.

Hulst, Gries, VanKampen, DeHaan, Christiansen and Finnegan will pace Calvin’s distance crew. Hulst was the league runner-up in the 1,500 meters last year and placed third in the 800 meters. Christiansen was third in the 1,500 meters and the league runner-up in the 5,000 meters. VanKampen is the defending MIAA champion in the 10,000 meters while DeHaan is the defending league champion in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Finnegan is a three-time All-American in track and field that saw his 2007 season ended prematurely by injury. Gries is the defending MIAA champion in the 5,000 meters and will be looking to qualify for his first national meet in track and field this spring.

Jensen is the defending MIAA champion in the discus and was also the league runner-up in the shot put last spring. He also just missed qualifying for the NCAA III Championships in the hammer throw. Like Finnegan, Buist was beset by injury in 2007. In 2006, he captured the league title in the high jump and later earned NCAA III All-America honors in the event with a fourth place finish.

Other returning letterwinners include Dave Dornbos (Grand Rapids/Mayer Lutheran HS), Dan VandenAkker (Grand Rapids/South Christian HS) and Brian Wilmarth (Chatham, IL/Greenwood HS), juniors Michael Dirkse (Downers Grove, IL/Timothy Christian HS), Joe Holtrop (Wyoming/Calvin Christian HS), Sawyer Koops (Dolores, CO/Lexington Christian HS), Matt Logan (Fort Wayne, IN/Concordia Lutheran HS), Brian Odegaard (Afton, MN/Stillwater Area HS), Andrew Stutzman (Kutztown, PA/Kutztown HS), Brad Stroner (Woodland/Lakewood HS) and sophomores Tim Buiten (Gallup, NM/Rehoboth Christian HS), Ryan Buteyn (Lansing, IL/Illiana Christian HS), Nate DeJong (Wheaton, IL/Timothy Christian HS), Jonathon DeRuiter (Bellingham, WA/Mount Vernon Christian HS), Aaron Goodman (Milwaukee, WI/Milwaukee Lutheran HS), Kyle Mast (Holland/Holland Christian HS), Todd Mitchell (Burnsville, MN/Lakeville HS), Nate Musch (Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor Huron HS), Dan Quemada (Grand Rapids/Forest Hills Northern HS), Caleb Rottman (Fargo, ND/Park Christian HS), Zach VanderLaan (Lansing/Holt Central Lutheran HS), Ben VanWyk (Elk Rapids/Elk Rapids HS), Cory Velgersdyk (Bloomington, MN/Thomas Jefferson HS) and George Visser (Winfield, IL/Community HS).

Calvin is scheduled to open its season on March 8 at the Hendrix, Invitational before spending a week in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The Knights will also compete in early season invitationals hosted by Wheaton, Aquinas and Ferris State.   

The MIAA schedule will feature a change this spring as an early season jamboree and a season ending MIAA Championship competition will serve as the lone league events. In previous years, the league schedule featured a series of conference dual meets leading up to the MIAA Championships.

The NCAA III Championships are again scheduled to be hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The national meet will be held May 22-24.

Women's Track & Field 2008 Preview

The The Calvin women’s track and field team will be seeking its 19th consecutive MIAA title this spring. The Knights will also look to make an impact nationally after posting five consecutive top 10 national finishes including second place finishes three out of the last four years.

Calvin returns seven individuals that received All-MIAA distinction in 2007 in seniors Christina Overbeck (Seattle, WA/Bellevue Christian HS), Sarah Wittingen (East Grand Rapids/East Grand Rapids HS), junior Calah Schlabach (St. Michaels, AZ/St. Michaels HS), juniors Lauren Bergstrom (Rochester, MN/Century HS), Julie Bratt (Lynden, WA/Lynden Christian HS) and sophomores Jourdan Johnson (Gales Ferry, CT/Nedyard School) and Heather Koning (Kalamazoo/Kalamazoo Christian HS).

Wittingen is a two-time MIAA Most Outstanding Runner of the Year recipient. Wittingen is the two-time defending MIAA champion in both the 100 meter hurdles and 400 meter hurdles. She holds the MIAA record in both events with a time of 14.28 in the 100 meter hurdles and a time of 1:01.37 in the 400 meter hurdles. She was an NCAA III (outdoor) All-American in both events last spring, placing second in the 400 meter hurdles with a school record time of 59.96 and sixth in the 100 meter hurdles. Over the course of her career, Wittingen has received All-America accolades seven times.

Overbeck is the defending MIAA champion in the 10,000 meters. She is a three-time national qualifier and was an All-American in the 10,000 meters last year, placing fifth at the NCAA III Championships.

Schlabach is the defending MIAA champion in the 5,000 meters and is a two-time national qualifier in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Bergstrom is the defending MIAA champion in the 800 meters and 1,500 meters. She is a two-time All-American as a member of Calvin’s 4x400 meter relay teams. She is also a two-time national qualifier in the 800 meters.

Bratt is the two-time defending MIAA champion in the triple jump while Johnson and Koning are both coming off of standout freshmen campaigns that saw that receive All-America honors as members of Calvin’s fourth place 4x400 meter relay team last May. Koning was the MIAA runner-up in the 400 meters last year while Johnson took third in both the 100 and 200 meter dashes.

Junior thrower Ashley Glover (Grand Rapids/Northview HS) also returns. Glover was a member of the All-MIAA team in 2006. At the 2007 MIAA Championships, she was third in the shot put and won the exhibition hammer throw competition.

Glover will be part of a strong group of throwers that includes senior javelin/discus thrower Rachel VanderWiele (Saugutuck/Holland Christian HS), junior javelin thrower Annika Krygsman (Northbridge, MA/Whitinsville Christian HS) and sophomore discus thrower Leigha Oberle (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) among its returning letterwinners.

Calvin’s distance/middle-distance group has a plethora of returning veterans. In addition to Overbeck and Schlabach, the Knights return seniors Jenny Zylstra (Lombard, IL/Timothy Christian HS) and Lynn Marsh (North Vernon, IN/Jennings HS), juniors Kelly Edwards (Grand Blanc/Grand Blanc HS), Anne Fennema (Brookfield, WI/Milwaukee Lutheran HS), Kristin Haagsma (Grand Rapids/South Christian HS), Jesi Hale (Gallup, NM/Gallup HS), Laura Jackson (Decatur, IL/St. Teresa HS), Val Nydam (Uxbridge, MA/Whitinsville Christian HS) and sophomores Elizabeth Smit (Kirkland, WA/Bellevue Christian HS), Libby Howell (Holland/Holland Christian HS), Nicole Farr (Warrenville, IL/Warrenville South HS) and Sarah Dugan (Freeland/Freeland HS) all return.

The Knights also welcome a pair of newcomers in its junior class as sprinter Kristen VanSickel (Pittsburgh, PA/Trinity Christian HS) is a transfer from Westminster University and hurdler Brooke Robertson (Saginaw/Saginaw Valley Lutheran HS) is out for the first time as a collegiate athlete.

Other returning letterwinners to watch include sophomores Carla Lindemulder (Lansing, IL/Illiana Christian HS), Casey Herman (Libertyville, IL/Libertyville HS) and Joy Leach (Charlottsville, VA/Charlottsville HS) in the pole vault and sophomore Amanda Leese (Charlevoix/Central Lake HS) in the jumps.

The Knights also welcome in a large and talented freshmen class of athletes which should make an impact in several different events.

Calvin is scheduled to open its season on March 8 at the Hendrix, Invitational before spending a week in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The Knights will also compete in early season invitationals hosted by Wheaton, Aquinas and Ferris State.   

The MIAA schedule will feature a change this spring as an early season jamboree and a season ending MIAA Championship competition will serve as the lone league events. In previous years, the league schedule featured a series of conference dual meets leading up to the MIAA Championships. The MIAA Jamboree will be held at Alma on April 12. Alma will also host the MIAA Championships May 1 and 2.

The NCAA III Championships are again scheduled to be hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The national meet will be held May 22-24.