CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR November 10, 2001
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
THREE RIVERS ¯ Calvin College men's cross country coach Brian Diemer is often fond of saying that a "good cross country runner is like a hungry horse that can smell the hay in the barn."
On Saturday, the nationally-ranked Calvin men's and women's cross country teams ran with a hunger not previously displayed this fall as the women rolled to a first place score of 26 points while the men took first with a score of 28 points.
With their first place performances, both Calvin teams advance to the NCAA III Championships next Saturday in Rock Island, Illinois. Ranked second in the latest NCAA III national poll, the Calvin women's cross country team claimed its 13th consecutive Great Lakes Regional crown with Saturday's performance. On the men's side, the sixth-ranked and defending national champion Calvin men's cross country team captured its sixth straight Great Lakes Regional title including its 13th in the last 15 years.
The Calvin men took first place behind a dominant 1-2-3-4 finish with senior Dan Hoekstra of Kalamazoo Christian High School winning the regional individual title for the second straight year. Hoekstra clocked in with a blazing time of 25:16 and was followed by freshman Brian Maat of Holland Christian High School who took second in 25:20. Calvin senior Joel Klooster (Chatham, ON) was close behind with a third place time of 25:24 while senior Justin Pfruender (Midland) was fourth in 25:28. Senior David Ritsema (Denver, CO) was Calvin's fifth man, placing 18th with a time of 26:15 while sophomore Tim Avery (Rochester, NY) was 42nd in 26:56 and sophomore Kris Koster (Grand Rapids Christian) 50th in 27:03 to round out Calvin's finishers.
Hoekstra, Maat, Klooster, Pfruender and Ritsema were all named to the Great Lakes All-Region team.
Mount Union and DePauw also earned team berths to next week's national meet as Mount Union was second with 72 points and DePauw third with 138 points.
"The guys can really smell the hay in the barn," said Diemer after the race with a big smile on his face. "We talked about that metaphor again yesterday and our team really took it to heart. We've had our ups-and-downs as a team this year but over the last month, we've really solidified. As a result, we've built a wave of momentum and put ourselves in position to do some big things next week at the national meet."
The performance by the Calvin women's cross country team was equally as impressive as the Knights placed five runners in the top-10 and seven in the top-20. Senior Erinn Boot of Kalamazoo Christian High School came through with another splendid effort for the Knights, taking second in 18:09 while junior Rachel Baber (Brandon, WI) was third in 18:11 and sophomore Jessie Lair (West Bloomfield, WI) fifth in 18:20. Seniors Lindsay Carrier (Tri-unity Christian High School) and Laura Medema (Grand Rapids Christian) also delivered a pair of clutch performances as Carrier was sixth in 18:25 and Medema 10th in 18:38. The race was the first in a month for Carrier who had been sidelined by an injury. Medema also had been slowed with an injury prior to Saturday's performance. Rounding out Calvin's finishers were freshman Ashley Berner (Littleton, CO) in 16th place (18:53) and sophomore Sarah Hastings (Traverse City) in 20th place (18:59).
All seven Calvin individuals were named to the Great Lakes All-Region team. Baldwin-Wallace and Mount Union also earned team berths to next week's national meet as Baldwin-Wallace took second with 83 points while Mount Union was third with 158 points. Anderson sophomore Lisa Nicholson took the individual regional title for the second straight year as she clocked in with a first place time of 17:54.
"I'm extremely pleased and encouraged by our performance today," said Calvin women's cross country Nancy Meyer. "A year ago we struggled to win the regional meet but today we ran with confidence and worked together in beautiful fashion. This race was a big confidence booster for next week, particularly for Lindsay Carrier and Laura Medema who have fought off injuries the past month. I think the most encouraging part of of today was that even though we had an oustanding team performance, we still have room for improvement next week."
The Calvin men's cross country team will be making its 17th appearance at the NCAA III Championships next Saturday ¯ the 11th highest total in NCAA III men's cross country history. The Calvin women's cross country team will be making its 13th appearance at the NCAA III Championships next Saturday ¯ the sixth highest total in NCAA III womenm's cross country history.
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