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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
First Calvin C Club Awards Knight Takes Place at Calvin Wednesday Night
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
Calvin Game Day Photo Gallery on Facebook
The first-ever Calvin C Club Awards ceremony was held on Wednesday night inside Van Noord Arena. The following is a list of the award recipients:
BREAKTHROUGH TEAM OF THE YEAR - Men’s Tennis
RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE - Nicole Michmerhuizen - women’s track and field, 10,000 meters
ROLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Bryan Powell, men’s basketball
PLAY OF THE YEAR - Danielle Carter, women’s soccer - game winning OT goal vs Hope in MIAA Tournament
MALE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR - Taylor Pruis, men’s soccer
FEMALE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR - Michaela Rookus, women’s swimming & diving
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Nick Holtrop, men’s soccer
FEMALE ATHLETE(S) OF THE YEAR - Lizzie Kamp, volleyball & Carissa Verkaik, basketball & track & field
EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE IN AN INDIVIDUAL EVENT - Elisabeth Counsell, women’s swimming & diving
GAME OF THE YEAR - Calvin men’s basketball MIAA Tournament final win over Hope
KAY TIEMERSMA AWARD WINNER(S) - Lizzie Kamp & Carissa Verkaik
BERE’ MEMORIAL AWARD WINNER - Dan Kerr, men’s cross country & track & field
The MIAA Commissioner’s Cup trophy was also unveiled at the ceremony.
Calvin College Wins MIAA Commissioner’s Cup!!!
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
For the first time since the 1999-2000 academic year, Calvin College has won the outright MIAA Commissioner’s Cup. Calvin finished the year with 216 points, finishing ahead of rival Hope which earned 205 points. At the conclusion of the 2007-08 year, Calvin and Hope shared the Commissioner’s Cup as the two schools tied for first place. Hope had since won the last four outright titles. The MIAA Commissioner’s Cup award is based on the cumulative performance of each member school in the league’s 20 sports for men and women. The final Commissioner’s Cup standings is determined on the basis of each college’s standings in eight of 10 sports for men and eight of 10 sports for women. The Commissioner’s Cup (All-Sports Award) has been presented since 1934-35. Hope has won the award 34 times, followed by Kalamazoo 15, Albion 14, Calvin 9 and Alma 5. In addition, Calvin took first place in the MIAA Men’s All-Sports standings with 102 points, finishing ahead of Hope which tallied 93. Calvin also took first place in the MIAA Women’s All-Sports standings with 114 points, edging Hope by two points. The 2012-13 academic year was an historic one for the Calvin athletics program as it captured an MIAA record 12 conference titles including 10 that were outright league crowns. Calvin competes in 19 of the 20 MIAA-sponsored sports. The Knights do not compete in football.
Carissa Verkaik Named Michigan Female College Athlete of Year by Detroit Athletic Club
Monday, May 06, 2013
Calvin College senior Carissa Verkaik will head to Detroit next week. This afternoon, the two-sport standout was named the recipient of the 2013 Michigan Female College Athlete of the Year by the Detroit Athletic Club (DAC). A native of Holland and a graduate of Holland Christian High School, Verkaik is the third individual in Calvin athletics history to receive the award. Lisa Winkle (basketball, track & field) was the inaugural DAC Female College Athlete of the Year in 2006 with Becky Weima (swimming) receiving the same honor in 2007. The honors, recognizing both academic and athletic excellence, will be presented during this year’s 17th Annual DAC Athletic Awards at 7 p.m. on May 13 at the DAC. The event continues the Club’s tradition of supporting athletics in the community and will benefit the Foundation’s mission. A total of six female and six male high school nominees as well as one female and one male college athlete are selected each year.
Carissa Verkaik Is a Repeat Selection on BCAM Academic All-State Team
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
BCAM Academic All-State Women's College Basketball Team
Carissa Verkaik has added another honor to her Calvin College awards case. Verkaik was recently named to the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM) Academic All-State team for the second straight year. She was joined on the BCAM Academic All-State Collegiate Division team by Karli Harris of Davenport University, Liz Ellis of Hope College, Niki DiGuilio of Central Michigan University Talisha Bridges of Wayne State University. The 6’2 senior center earned her fourth consecutive MIAA Player of the Year award and was named the DIII Player of the Year. Carissa averaged 20 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 blocks while leading her team to a 23-4 overall and 15-1 MIAA record. She scored over 2,000 points in her career. The Elementary Education major will graduate with a 3.76 GPA and was a Capital One Academic All-American.
Calvin in Ninth Place in Learfield Director’s Cup Standings Through Winter Sports Season
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Learfield Director's Cup Standings Through Winter Season
The winter sports season was recently completed for NCAA Division III athletics and the latest set of Learfield Director’s Cup standings for Division III have been announced. Calvin is ranked ninth in the latest set of standings with 508 points. The Knights garnered 199.5 points during the recent winter sports season. The Learfield Director’sCup is based on points earned by teams that compete in NCAA Championship events and is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) to the best overall collegiate athletics program in the country. The Learfield Director’s Cup race is held at the NCAA I, II and III levels and also for NAIA institutions. Scoring points for Calvin during the winter season were the Calvin women’s basketball team (25 points), men’s basketball (64 points), women’s indoor track and field (47.5 points) and women’s swimming and diving team (63 points). During the fall sports season, Calvin produced 308.5 points as its men’s and women’s soccer teams, volleyball team and men’s and women’s cross country team all scored points. Calvin has now had nine of its 21 varsity sports teams score points in the Director’s Cup chase. The competition will conclude at the end of the spring sports season with a final set of standings set to be released in June.
Calvin C Club to Hold First-Ever Calvin Athletics Awards Night May 8
Thursday, April 11, 2013
In Calvin athletics, what was the best play of the year? Who were the male and female newcomers of the year? What was the most exceptional performance in an individual event? Come to the arena on May 8 to find out. On Wednesday, May 8, at 7 p.m. in the Van Noord Arena, the Calvin C Club welcomes student-athletes, coaches and fans of the Knights to an evening of celebrating Calvin athletics. There will be desserts and refreshments, trophy displays, a “Year in Review” video and the presentation of 13 awards, culminating in the Tiemersma and Beré Awards for female and male athlete of the year. Registration for current Calvin student-athletes is available through their coaches, and registration for all others is available online now! Cost is just $10 for guests (reduced to $5 for current students and C Club members). Business attire is desired.
Don’t miss this historic first-ever night of Calvin athletic awards—RSVP by May 1!
If you have event-related questions, please e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call (616) 526-6507.
Women’s Basketball Team Claims NCAA III Statistics Titles - Finishes Ranked in Final Top 25 Polls
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The final NCAA III statistics for women’s basketball are in the books and Calvin has come out on top in two team statistical categories. Calvin finished as the national leader in field goal percentage, connecting on 46.5 percent of its field goal attempts throughout the year. The Knights also led the nation in assists per-game, averaging 18.4 assists-per-contest. Calvin also finished fifth in blocked shots per-game (6.4), sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.12) and seventh in scoring margin (23.3). Individually, senior Carissa Verkaik finished fifth nationally in field goal percentage (.580) and sixth in blocked shots per-game (3.33). In addition, the two final national polls have come out and Calvin is ranked 12th in one national poll and 14th in another. Calvin is ranked 12th in the final WBCA Division III Coaches poll of the year and 14th in the final D3hoops.com Top 25 poll.
Carissa Verkaik Repeats as Women’s DIII News Player of the Year
Monday, March 18, 2013
BEAVERTON, ORre. — Calvin College senior center Carissa Verkaik has been named the 2013 Women’s DIII News Player of the Year. It’s the second straight season she has earned the honor. Verkaik led the Knights to a 23-4 overall record and a bid in the NCAA tournament. She averaged 20 points and 9.2 rebounds and shot 58 percent from the floor. Her season highs included a 37-point performance against Adrian and 17 rebounds in a win over Thomas More. She was named Player of the Year in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association for the fourth straight season. Verkaik headlines the 2013 WDIIIN All-American team, where she was joined on the first team by Sam Barber of Wisconsin Stevens Point, Sarah Collins of Babson, Jill Woerner from Catholic University and Simpson’s Kate Nielsen. WDIIIN has named a Player of the Year every season since 1994. This past weekend, Verkaik was named the D3hoops.com Player of the Year and recipient of the prestigious Jostens Trophy.
Carissa Verkaik Named D3hoops.com National Player of the Year
Saturday, March 16, 2013
2013 D3hoops.com All-America Women's Basketball Teams
The awards continue to roll in for Calvin senior Carissa Verkaik. On Saturday afternoon, the Holland native was named the D3hoops.com National Player of the Year. The announcement was made at the NCAA III Women’s Basketball finals Saturday afternoon at Hope College by D3hoops.com’s Pat Coleman. In addition, Verkaik has been named to the D3hoops.com All-America first team, marking the third straight year she has done so. She was also a third team D3hoops.com All-American in 2010. It concludes an eventful week for Verkaik who was named the recipient of the Jostens Trophy on Friday, a State Farm Division III All-American on Thursday as well as a finalist for the State Farm Division III Player of the Year Award (set to be announced on April 8). She was also named the D3hoops.com Great Lakes Regional Player of the Year earlier in the week.
