Calvin College - Sports Information - History of Women Athletes

History of Women Athletes

Softball	Basketball	Cross Country
Golf	Soccer	Swimming & Diving
Tennis	Track & Field	Volleyball

See the MIAA website for Calvin's league history since joining the MIAA. For each sport there are listings of past MIAA champions, past All-MIAA honorees and more. See Calvin College men's athletics histories.

A Brief History of Calvin Basketball -- Coming soon.

A Brief History of Calvin Cross Country -- Calvin College has one of the MIAA's most successful cross country programs for women. Since the sport became a league offering in 1981, Calvin has earned a record 13 MIAA titles, all of which have come since 1988 (a string of 13 in-a-row). The school also has the MIAA's best-ever finish at the NCAA Division III National Championships with National Championships in both 1998 and 1999 and National Runner-up berths in 1992, 1993 and 1994! Calvin also has been a dominant force at the NCAA Great Lakes regional level. All-Americans have been produced in bunches since the late 1980s, including a pair of four-time All-Americans in Amy Kuipers and Betsy Haverkamp. In addition Renae Bluekamp was the NCAA National Champion in 1993. Calvin runners also have sparkled academically with 2001 graduate Sarah Gritter leading the pack as a four-time Academic All-American.

A Brief History of Calvin Golf -- Calvin has now competed in women's golf for a full decade. The sport became an official MIAA offering in 1991 and Calvin had a women's golf squad already that first year. In fact, Calvin finished second in the league in 1991! The transition to women's golf came at a time when most league schools, including Calvin, phased out their varsity field hockey programs. Field hockey had been an MIAA sport from 1968 to 1990. In fact, when field hockey came to an end, Calvin had won six straight league titles. Prior to 1991 golf had never been a Calvin women's sport, not even at the club level. Kim Bartman, an All-MIAA selection in 1991, is one of Calvin's top female golfers during the past decade.

A Brief History of Calvin Soccer -- Calvin entered a new age in 1988 as the women's soccer program moved from a club sport to varsity status and put together a 9-5 season. In 1989 the MIAA made women's soccer a varsity sport and Calvin finished second in the league, the first in a string of three straight league runner-up berths. The 1995 season proved to be a breakthrough season as the Knights went 17-0-1 overall and won the MIAA title with an 11-0-1 record. That was the first in a string of three straight league titles.Calvin was 19-2-1 overall in 1997 and and earned its first NCAA III Tournament bid. Calvin has had one MIAA MVP, Kristin Penzotti in 1994, and owns the league's second-best winning percentage and second-best wins total.

A Brief History of Calvin Softball -- Coming soon.

A Brief History of Calvin Swimming and Diving -- Coming soon.

A Brief History of Calvin Tennis -- Coming soon.

A Brief History of Calvin Track and Field -- Coming soon.

A Brief History of Calvin Volleyball -- The Calvin women's volleyball team has enjoyed success since its inception. Calvin has won nine MIAA outright or shared titles, including six in the 1980s and three in the 1990s. The most recent such league crown came in 1999. Calvin also won 32 straight MIAA matches between 1984 and 1987. Calvin was NCAA National Runner-Up in 1986 and was fourth in the nation in 1984 and 1992. Since the MIAA instituted volleyball as a varsity sport in 1978, Calvin has the MIAA's top league winning percentage. Calvin also has had 10 MIAA MVPs in women's volleyball, including 1999 and 2000 MVP Rhonda Volkers, also an AVCA All-American. In 1986 Julie Dykstra earned All-America honors and was joined on the first team by teammate Leah Calsbeek.