Fwd: CKSR (Breanna Verkaik and Jordan Brink Receive MIAA Basketball MVP Honors)

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Subject: CKSR (Breanna Verkaik and Jordan Brink Receive MIAA Basketball MVP Honors)
From: Jeffrey Febus <jfebus@calvin.edu>
To: "Calvin-sports@calvin.edu" <Calvin-sports@calvin.edu>
CC: null
CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR MARCH 3, 2015

Breanna Verkaik and Jordan Brink Receive MIAA Basketball MVP Honors
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin forward Breanna Verkaik, who led the Knights to the MIAA championship, the conference tournament championship and the first unbeaten regular season in school history, has been named the MIAA's Most Valuable Player in the vote of the league's coaches.
A senior from Holland (Holland Christian HS), Verkaik averaged 14.2 points per game in league play and ranked among the MIAA top five in six statistical categories, including 3-point shooting percentage (first), free throw percentage (second), field goal percentage (fourth), assists (fifth) and scoring (fifth). She becomes the second member of her family to earn MIAA women's basketball Most Valuable Player honors, joining her older sister, Carissa, who became the first player in MIAA history to win four consecutive MVP awards in 2010-13 for Calvin.
In addition, Verkaik has been named to the All-MIAA first team for the second straight year. She is joined on the All-MIAA first team by teammate Kayla Engelhard.
Hailing from Unionville, Michigan, and a graduate of Saginaw Valley Lutheran High School, Engelhard is being recognized as an All-MIAA performer for the second straight season. The senior guard was second on Calvin's squad in scoring with a 12.1 point-per-game average against league opponents.
Engelhard led the Knights in steals and was second in assists, and midway through the season, she cracked 1000 points to become just the 14th player in Calvin women's basketball history to do so. Engelhard was named the MIAA Player of the Week once during the conference season.
Ranked sixth nationally, the Knights are currently 27-0 overall and went 16-0 in conference play. Calvin then defeated Olivet and Hope in the MIAA Tournament, claiming the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The regular season conference title was Calvin's 15th in women's basketball, the highest total in the MIAA.
Calvin will host Baldwin-Wallace in a first round NCAA III Tournament game Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
BREANNA VERKAIK AUDIO INTERVIEW: http://static.psbin.com/x/y/o0rjeuwn9k49hk/BreannaVerkaikMVP.mp3

MEN'S BASKETBALL

FREELAND, Mich. - The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association has announced its 2015 All-MIAA men's basketball team.
Calvin guard Jordan Brink, who led the Knights to the MIAA championship and hit the game-winning shot with time running out Saturday to give Calvin the MIAA tournament championship, has been named the conference's Most Valuable Player.
A senior from Dyer, Ind. (Illiana Christian HS), Brink has averaged an MIAA-high 18.8 points per game this season in overall games. In conference play, Brink ranked third in scoring (16.2), second in 3-point shooting percentage (.441), and fourth in assists and free throw shooting (.883). He also last week was named to the Division III men's basketball Academic All-America second team by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
In the second game of the season, Brink became the 23rd Knight to reach the 1000 point mark for a career. The senior was named the MIAA Player of the Week three times during the season. Brink is being honored as an All-MIAA performer for the second straight year.
Brink's teammate, Calvin senior Tyler Dykstra, was named the recipient of the first MIAA men's basketball Defensive Player of the Year honor and was also named to the All-MIAA second team for the second straight year.
A native of Zeeland, Michigan, and a graduate of Holland Christian High School. The senior forward was second in the MIAA with 19 total blocks and seventh in rebounding at 5.4 boards-per-game, and was often called upon to guard the opposing team's best offensive player, whether in the post or on the perimeter.

Calvin captured the MIAA regular season title with a 12-2 conference mark. The Knights then claimed the MIAA Tournament crown last week, defeating Alma 73-65 and Hope 70-69. The Knights are 21-6 overall and headed to the NCAA III Tournament for the third consecutive year.
Calvin will face Oswego State Friday at 5:30 p.m. in a first round game on the campus of Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio.
JORDAN BRINK AUDIO INTERVIEW: http://static.psbin.com/g/g/exvua9gd8e6zca/JordanBrink.mp3