"CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR MAY 6, 2016
Track and Field Teams Capture MIAA Titles;
Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader From Kalamazoo
MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
OLIVET, Mich. - The Calvin men's track and field team claimed its 22nd MIAA title in the last 23 years in grand style on Friday at the MIAA Track and Field Championships at Olivet College.
Calvin posted a first place score of 232.5 points, finishing 72.5 points ahead of second place Hope.
The MIAA title is Calvin's 28th in the last 30 years including its league-leading 41st overall.
Calvin took first place in four events but flashed stellar depth throughout the day to pull away for the win.
Sophomore Ethan Valentine (Mason, Oh./William Mason HS) had a historic day for the Knights, winning the 400 meters in a school and MIAA record time of 47.32. The time places Valentine second on the current NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field performance list. It shattered the previous Calvin record of 47.46 set by legendary Calvin track and field athlete Phil Sikkenga in 2001. It also surpasses the MIAA record of 47.97 set by Tyler Bourdo of Trine in 2013.
Valentine's day was far from over however after winning the 400 meters in record fashion. He continued on to place second in the 200 meters in a time of 22.31.
Less than an hour later, he put together an anchor leg in the 4x400 meter relay that will echo through the ages of Calvin track and field. With a lineup featuring three sophomores and one freshman, Calvin's 4x400 meter relay entered the race seeded fourth. Sophomore Marcus James (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) opened the relay with a strong start that left the Knights fighting for third. Freshman James Jeninga (Brookfield, Wisc./Milwaukee Lutheran HS) kept the relay running right behind Adrian's third place squad and sophomore Noah Buteyn (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) took the handoff from Jeninga and quickly moved into third. Heading into the final leg, Calvin remained in third behind teams from Trine and Hope. Buteyn finished his leg with a handoff to Valentine who began nearly 20 meters behind the relay teams from Trine and Hope. Chewing up the track, Valentine dug into the deficit and caught the team from Trine at the final turn. With the crowd screaming, Valentine caught the Hope anchor leg with 25 meters to go. Running step-by-step, the two rivals jostled for the win. With a final lean at the line, Valentined nipped the Hope anchor leg for the win, as the Knight relay clocked in with a time of 3:18.33, eight-hundreths of a second ahead of Hope's team.
Valentine's final split came in at at a blazing 46.70 seconds.
"It was an absolute amazing race, certainly a race that no-one will forget who watched it in person," said Calvin head track and field coach Bret Otte. "That race was emblamatic of the fight and spirit that our team had over the two days of competition. Our guys just raised each other up time and time again. I am just tremendously proud of my team."
Calvin sealed the team championship in the 5,000 meter run as the Knights took the top four spots led by junior Zach Nowicki (Comstock Park/Calvin Christian HS) who won the race with a time of 15:00.90. Sophomore Andrew Philipose (Mount Prospect, Il./John Hersey HS) was second (15:17.86), senior Ethan Anderson (Stillwater, MN/Stillwater Area HS) third (15:38.32) and freshman Jamison Koeman (Whitinsville, Mass./Whitinsville Christian HS) fourth (15:41.51).
In the 1500 meters, senior Jeff Meitler (New Berlin, Wisc./Milwaukee Lutheran HS) took home a win in a time of 3:59.18. Junior Nathan VanHaitsma (Olympia, Wash./Olympia HS) was third (4:03.80) and senior Matt Oram (Toledo, Oh./Toledo Christian HS) fourth (4:04.68).
Calvin went 2-4-6 in the steeplechase with senior Bret Habura (Washingtonville, NY/Washingtonville HS) taking second in 9:39.24, senior Andre Otte (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) placing fourth (9:39.91) and sophomore Matthew Boelens (Bolton, Mass./Nashoba Regional HS) sixth (9:47.63).
In the 110 high hurdles, Calvin had three individuals scoring led by sophomore Chase Rohrer (Ludington/Ludington HS) who placed fourth (16.09), sophomore Jeremiah Stout (Escondido, Ca./Escondido Calvin Christian HS) placing sixth (16.20) and freshman Alex Williams (Mequon, Wisc./Homestead HS) placing eighth (16.42).
Rohrer achieved a career-best time of 55.25 in the 400 meter hurdles that was good for second place. Senior Joel Ooms (DeMotte, Ind./Illiana Christian HS) was third in a career-best time of 56.34.
James added a sixth place time of 50.57 in the 400 meters. Jeninga placed second in the 800 meters (1:57.12) while sophomore Hendrik VerMeulen (Bright's Grove, Ont./St. Patrick's Secondary School) was seventh (1:59.04).
In the field events, junior Jeiel Burrell (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) was third in the high jump (6-2 3/4) and freshman Lee Barents (Redlands, Ca./Arrowhead Christian Academy) third in the triple jump (43-8 1/2).
Calvin scored twice in the discus with freshman Brendan VanHouten (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) placing third (140-6) and senior Eric Jipping (Canton/Plymouth Christian HS) taking eighth (126-9).
Senior David Dadzie (Accra, Ghana/Ghana International School) was second in the hammer throw (157-8) while VanHouten was eighth (130-10).
FINAL MIAA FIELD DAY TEAM STANDINGS
Calvin 232.50 points
Hope 160 points
Trine 140.5 points
Adrian 93 points
Albion 75 points
Alma 48 points
Olivet 26 points
WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
OLIVET, Mich. – The Calvin women's track & field won the MIAA Field Day at Olivet on Friday afternoon. The Knights won their 27th-straight MIAA title with a two day score of 268.5 points, ahead of second-place Hope with 178.5 points. The streak is the longest winning streak in MIAA women's athletics history. The Knights won three events on Friday and four events during the two-day competition.
Track and Field Teams Capture MIAA Titles;
Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader From Kalamazoo
MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
OLIVET, Mich. - The Calvin men's track and field team claimed its 22nd MIAA title in the last 23 years in grand style on Friday at the MIAA Track and Field Championships at Olivet College.
Calvin posted a first place score of 232.5 points, finishing 72.5 points ahead of second place Hope.
The MIAA title is Calvin's 28th in the last 30 years including its league-leading 41st overall.
Calvin took first place in four events but flashed stellar depth throughout the day to pull away for the win.
Sophomore Ethan Valentine (Mason, Oh./William Mason HS) had a historic day for the Knights, winning the 400 meters in a school and MIAA record time of 47.32. The time places Valentine second on the current NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field performance list. It shattered the previous Calvin record of 47.46 set by legendary Calvin track and field athlete Phil Sikkenga in 2001. It also surpasses the MIAA record of 47.97 set by Tyler Bourdo of Trine in 2013.
Valentine's day was far from over however after winning the 400 meters in record fashion. He continued on to place second in the 200 meters in a time of 22.31.
Less than an hour later, he put together an anchor leg in the 4x400 meter relay that will echo through the ages of Calvin track and field. With a lineup featuring three sophomores and one freshman, Calvin's 4x400 meter relay entered the race seeded fourth. Sophomore Marcus James (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) opened the relay with a strong start that left the Knights fighting for third. Freshman James Jeninga (Brookfield, Wisc./Milwaukee Lutheran HS) kept the relay running right behind Adrian's third place squad and sophomore Noah Buteyn (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) took the handoff from Jeninga and quickly moved into third. Heading into the final leg, Calvin remained in third behind teams from Trine and Hope. Buteyn finished his leg with a handoff to Valentine who began nearly 20 meters behind the relay teams from Trine and Hope. Chewing up the track, Valentine dug into the deficit and caught the team from Trine at the final turn. With the crowd screaming, Valentine caught the Hope anchor leg with 25 meters to go. Running step-by-step, the two rivals jostled for the win. With a final lean at the line, Valentined nipped the Hope anchor leg for the win, as the Knight relay clocked in with a time of 3:18.33, eight-hundreths of a second ahead of Hope's team.
Valentine's final split came in at at a blazing 46.70 seconds.
"It was an absolute amazing race, certainly a race that no-one will forget who watched it in person," said Calvin head track and field coach Bret Otte. "That race was emblamatic of the fight and spirit that our team had over the two days of competition. Our guys just raised each other up time and time again. I am just tremendously proud of my team."
Calvin sealed the team championship in the 5,000 meter run as the Knights took the top four spots led by junior Zach Nowicki (Comstock Park/Calvin Christian HS) who won the race with a time of 15:00.90. Sophomore Andrew Philipose (Mount Prospect, Il./John Hersey HS) was second (15:17.86), senior Ethan Anderson (Stillwater, MN/Stillwater Area HS) third (15:38.32) and freshman Jamison Koeman (Whitinsville, Mass./Whitinsville Christian HS) fourth (15:41.51).
In the 1500 meters, senior Jeff Meitler (New Berlin, Wisc./Milwaukee Lutheran HS) took home a win in a time of 3:59.18. Junior Nathan VanHaitsma (Olympia, Wash./Olympia HS) was third (4:03.80) and senior Matt Oram (Toledo, Oh./Toledo Christian HS) fourth (4:04.68).
Calvin went 2-4-6 in the steeplechase with senior Bret Habura (Washingtonville, NY/Washingtonville HS) taking second in 9:39.24, senior Andre Otte (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) placing fourth (9:39.91) and sophomore Matthew Boelens (Bolton, Mass./Nashoba Regional HS) sixth (9:47.63).
In the 110 high hurdles, Calvin had three individuals scoring led by sophomore Chase Rohrer (Ludington/Ludington HS) who placed fourth (16.09), sophomore Jeremiah Stout (Escondido, Ca./Escondido Calvin Christian HS) placing sixth (16.20) and freshman Alex Williams (Mequon, Wisc./Homestead HS) placing eighth (16.42).
Rohrer achieved a career-best time of 55.25 in the 400 meter hurdles that was good for second place. Senior Joel Ooms (DeMotte, Ind./Illiana Christian HS) was third in a career-best time of 56.34.
James added a sixth place time of 50.57 in the 400 meters. Jeninga placed second in the 800 meters (1:57.12) while sophomore Hendrik VerMeulen (Bright's Grove, Ont./St. Patrick's Secondary School) was seventh (1:59.04).
In the field events, junior Jeiel Burrell (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) was third in the high jump (6-2 3/4) and freshman Lee Barents (Redlands, Ca./Arrowhead Christian Academy) third in the triple jump (43-8 1/2).
Calvin scored twice in the discus with freshman Brendan VanHouten (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) placing third (140-6) and senior Eric Jipping (Canton/Plymouth Christian HS) taking eighth (126-9).
Senior David Dadzie (Accra, Ghana/Ghana International School) was second in the hammer throw (157-8) while VanHouten was eighth (130-10).
FINAL MIAA FIELD DAY TEAM STANDINGS
Calvin 232.50 points
Hope 160 points
Trine 140.5 points
Adrian 93 points
Albion 75 points
Alma 48 points
Olivet 26 points
WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
OLIVET, Mich. – The Calvin women's track & field won the MIAA Field Day at Olivet on Friday afternoon. The Knights won their 27th-straight MIAA title with a two day score of 268.5 points, ahead of second-place Hope with 178.5 points. The streak is the longest winning streak in MIAA women's athletics history. The Knights won three events on Friday and four events during the two-day competition.
"We started off with a big day one," said head coach Bret Otte. "The league responded as well, they were also having some great performances. You never can predict how these things will go. We also had some ups and downs in day two. I am just very happy for the team, they accomplished some great things as a team."
The Knights started the day taking the four best jumps in the triple jump. Sophomore Jenna Dyksen (Hawthorne, NJ/Hawthorne HS) won with a season-best jump of 11.23 meters. Freshman Madison Orth (Soldotna, Alsk/Cook Inlet Academy) took second at 10.74 meters, junior Carissa Weis (Mount Prospect, Il./Mount Prospect HS) in third at 10.74 and senior Ayooluwa Ayoola (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) in fourth place at 10.55 meters.
In the shot put, sophomore Bethany Love (Kentwood/East Kentwood HS) took second place with a throw of 13.17 meters. Her throw is the 18th-best this season in Division III, she also broke the school record in the hammer on Thursday. Senior Stacie Mead (Grand Rapids/Forest Hills Eastern HS) finished just behind in third place with a season-best throw of 12.12 meters. Junior Michaela Meckes (Bay City/Saginaw Valley Lutheran HS) finished in sixth place at 11.00 and senior Nicole Joseph (Grand Rapids/Catholic Central HS) in eighth place with a season-best throw of 10.44 meters.
Junior Carissa Weis (Mount Prospect, Il./Mount Prospect HS) scored for Calvin in the javelin throw, finishing in sixth place at 28.55 meters.
Calvin had three of the five fastest times in the 3000 meter steeplechase on Friday. Junior Autumn Vonk (Zeeland/Zeeland West HS) finished in a second place and career-best time of 11:55.40. In third place was senior Lora Huizingh (Byron Center/South Christian HS) at 11:58.15, her best time at Calvin College. Sophomore Marissa McGahan (Brighton/Brighton HS) took fifth place at 12:15.27.
The Knights finished the 4x100 meter relay in second place. The team of Jenna Dyksen, sophomore Anita VanderMeulen (Ann Arbor/Ann Arbor Skyline HS), freshman Selvi Bunce and senior Maria Steblay (Eden Prairie, MN/Eden Prairie HS) recorded a 49.37 finish.
Calvin had three of the best times in the 1500 meter run at Olivet. Freshman Katherine Diekema (Kenmore, Wash./Inglemoor HS) tallied a second-place finish at 4:41.33. Senior McKenzie Diemer chalked up a fourth-place finish at 4:46.41, for her best time of the season. In fifth place was sophomore Caroline Boss at 4:50.45.
Jenna Dyksen finished second in the 100 meter hurdles with a season-best time 15.01. Maria Steblay was close behind in third place with a career-best time of 15.33. In eighth place was Madison Orth at 17.19.
The Knights picked up nine points in the 400 meter dash on Friday. Anita VanderMeulen crossed the finish in fourth place with a season-best time of 1:00.08 and Selvi Bunce followed in fourth place at 1:00.18, a career-best.
In the 800 meter run, Caroline Boss (Charlexoix/Charlexois HS) finished in second place with a season-best time of 2:18.16. McKenzie Diemer (Caledonia/South Christian HS) took fifth place at 2:23.73 and freshman Lindsey Fox was in sixth place at 2:25.11, a career record.
The Knights had the two-fastest times in the 400 meter hurdles. Jenna Dyksen won with a time of 1:03.09. Her first-place finish is her career-best and is the 14th-best in NCAA Division III. Senior Kally Verkaik had a career-best time in second place at 1:03.99.
Maria Steblay recorded a third-place finish in the 200 meter dash with a career-time of 26.54.
Senior Lauren Strohbehn (Stillwater, MN/St. Croix Preparatory HS) was victorious in the 5000 meter run on Friday afternoon. Strohbehn clocked in a winning-time of 17:26.41. Sophomore Megan Murray finished in sixth place at 18:52.84.
The Knights finished the day taking second in the 4x400 meter relay. The team of Selvi Bunce (Savage, MN/Burnsville HS), Anita VanderMeulen, Maria Steblay and Kally Verkaik (Holland/Holland Christian HS) crossed the line at 3:59.37.
FINAL MIAA FIELD DAY TEAM SCORES
Calvin 268.5 points
Hope 178.5 points
Adrian 105 points
Albion 85 points
Alma 59 points
Trine 48 points
Olivet 32 points
BASEBALL
Calvin 3, Kalamazoo 2
Calvin 10, Kalamazoo 4
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Calvin baseball team extended its winning streak to six with a doubleheader sweep at Kalamazoo Friday afternoon. Calvin took the opener 3-2 and then took the nightcap 10-4.
The Knights are 16-22 overall and 12-14 in the MIAA heading into a season-ending doubleheader with Kalamazoo on Saturday set to begin at 1 p.m. at Calvin Field.
In game one, junior Colton Wolfe (Eaton Rapids/Eaton Rapids HS) belted a pair of home runs including a solo shot in the top of the seventh that gave Calvin a 3-2 lead. His go-ahead homer was his 12th of the season and the 19th of his career, moving him into a tie for first place on the Calvin career list with Matt Schepel.
Calvin senior Kyle Wasserberger (Spring Lake/Spring Lake HS) tossed a scoreless frame in the bottom of the seventh to gain his second save of the year.
Freshman Spencer Yahrmarkt (Sanford/Meridian HS) went the first 5.2 innings against Kalamazoo ace Ryan Orr. Yahrmarkt was steady, giving up just two runs and striking out three. Freshman Clay Francisco (Delton/Thornapple-Kellogg HS) came on in the bottom of the sixth with the Hornets threatening to break open a 2-2 game. Francisco was able to get out of a bases-loaded jam however with an inning-ending strikeout.
Wolfe then belted a two-out solo homer to left in the seventh to stake Calvin to the 3-2 lead. Wolfe crushed his first home run of the game back in the fifth after freshman Jonathan Keane (Brookfield, Wisc./Brookfield Central HS) had doubled. The two-run shot gave Calvin a 2-1 lead before the Hornets came back to tie the game with a run in the bottom of the fifth.
In game two, Keane (4-3) went six innings to gain the win. Keane struck out four and walked only one while scattering eight hits.
Freshman Logan Walker (Imlay City/Lapeer East HS) tossed two shutout innings of relief. Trailing 10-2, Kalamazoo scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth and had the bases-loaded before Wasserberger came to the rescue again. A line drive double-play with the bases full got the Knights two quick outs. Wasserberger got the final out of the game a batter later on a line drive to centerfielder Ryan Stewart to complete the doubleheader sweep.
Calvin led 4-2 after six innings but broke the game open with three runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth.
Sophomore Nick Steigenga (Mahwah, NJ/Eastern Christian HS) went 3-for-5 for Calvin in the win and scored a pair of runs. Sophomore shortstop Nate DeZwaan (Holland/Holland Christian HS) also went 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored. Junior Mike Kempton (Edwardsburg/Edwardsburg HS) had two hits and drove in three runs. Freshman Steven Dogger (Holland/Holland Calvary HS) also had two hits and a run batted in.
Saturday's twinbill will feature a Calvin Senior Day Salute as the Knights honor seniors Kyle Wasserberger, Matt Poolman and Jordan VanderWall who will be playing in their final collegiate baseball games.
MIAA BASEBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 5-7-16 GAMES
Adrian 23-3
Hope 16-9
Alma 16-10
Kalamazoo 15-11
Trine 14-14
Calvin 12-14
Albion 7-20
Olivet 2-24
"
FINAL MIAA FIELD DAY TEAM SCORES
Calvin 268.5 points
Hope 178.5 points
Adrian 105 points
Albion 85 points
Alma 59 points
Trine 48 points
Olivet 32 points
BASEBALL
Calvin 3, Kalamazoo 2
Calvin 10, Kalamazoo 4
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Calvin baseball team extended its winning streak to six with a doubleheader sweep at Kalamazoo Friday afternoon. Calvin took the opener 3-2 and then took the nightcap 10-4.
The Knights are 16-22 overall and 12-14 in the MIAA heading into a season-ending doubleheader with Kalamazoo on Saturday set to begin at 1 p.m. at Calvin Field.
In game one, junior Colton Wolfe (Eaton Rapids/Eaton Rapids HS) belted a pair of home runs including a solo shot in the top of the seventh that gave Calvin a 3-2 lead. His go-ahead homer was his 12th of the season and the 19th of his career, moving him into a tie for first place on the Calvin career list with Matt Schepel.
Calvin senior Kyle Wasserberger (Spring Lake/Spring Lake HS) tossed a scoreless frame in the bottom of the seventh to gain his second save of the year.
Freshman Spencer Yahrmarkt (Sanford/Meridian HS) went the first 5.2 innings against Kalamazoo ace Ryan Orr. Yahrmarkt was steady, giving up just two runs and striking out three. Freshman Clay Francisco (Delton/Thornapple-Kellogg HS) came on in the bottom of the sixth with the Hornets threatening to break open a 2-2 game. Francisco was able to get out of a bases-loaded jam however with an inning-ending strikeout.
Wolfe then belted a two-out solo homer to left in the seventh to stake Calvin to the 3-2 lead. Wolfe crushed his first home run of the game back in the fifth after freshman Jonathan Keane (Brookfield, Wisc./Brookfield Central HS) had doubled. The two-run shot gave Calvin a 2-1 lead before the Hornets came back to tie the game with a run in the bottom of the fifth.
In game two, Keane (4-3) went six innings to gain the win. Keane struck out four and walked only one while scattering eight hits.
Freshman Logan Walker (Imlay City/Lapeer East HS) tossed two shutout innings of relief. Trailing 10-2, Kalamazoo scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth and had the bases-loaded before Wasserberger came to the rescue again. A line drive double-play with the bases full got the Knights two quick outs. Wasserberger got the final out of the game a batter later on a line drive to centerfielder Ryan Stewart to complete the doubleheader sweep.
Calvin led 4-2 after six innings but broke the game open with three runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth.
Sophomore Nick Steigenga (Mahwah, NJ/Eastern Christian HS) went 3-for-5 for Calvin in the win and scored a pair of runs. Sophomore shortstop Nate DeZwaan (Holland/Holland Christian HS) also went 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored. Junior Mike Kempton (Edwardsburg/Edwardsburg HS) had two hits and drove in three runs. Freshman Steven Dogger (Holland/Holland Calvary HS) also had two hits and a run batted in.
Saturday's twinbill will feature a Calvin Senior Day Salute as the Knights honor seniors Kyle Wasserberger, Matt Poolman and Jordan VanderWall who will be playing in their final collegiate baseball games.
MIAA BASEBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 5-7-16 GAMES
Adrian 23-3
Hope 16-9
Alma 16-10
Kalamazoo 15-11
Trine 14-14
Calvin 12-14
Albion 7-20
Olivet 2-24
"
