May 19, 2004
CALVIN ANNOUNCES ITS HIGHEST ATHLETIC AWARDS
Calvin College has announced the 2004 recipients of its highest athletic honors: the Beré Memorial Award and the Kay Tiemersma Athletic Award.
Tim Avery of Rochester, New York, is this year's Beré Memorial Award winner, while Katie Corner of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is the winner of the Tiemersma Award.
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 male coaches and the members of the Athletics Committee. 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. The winner is selected by the coaches of the school's men's sports and an Athletics Committee made up of students and non-physical education department faculty members.
This is the 30th 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 selected by the coaches of the school's women's sports and an Athletics Committee made up of students and non-physical education department faculty members.
Individual bios of this year's winners appear on the Calvin web site at: http://www.calvin.edu/sports/releases/2003_04/bertiem.htm
A copy of a memorable speech given by Avery at a banquet honoring the 2003 national championship Calvin men's cross country team also appears on the Calvin web site at: http://www.calvin.edu/sports/mxc/avery.htm
Tim Avery
Tim Avery hails from Rochester, New York and is a graduate of Gates-Chili High School. At Calvin, Avery has been a four-year member of the men's cross country team and the men's track and field team. During his collegiate career, Avery has received All-MIAA honors five times, earning the award three times in cross country and twice in track and field. As a cross country athlete, Avery has never been on a team that has finished lower than second in the nation as the Knights captured the national title during his freshman year of 2000 and then took second in 2001 and 2002 before winning the national title again this fall. Avery was a key member of all four teams as he ran in Calvin's top-seven all four years at the NCAA III Cross Country Championships. Avery's best individual national finish came this past November as he placed 15th individually to garner NCAA III All-America accolades. Avery was one of six Calvin All-Americans at the national meet as the Knights became !
the first school in NCAA III men's cross country history to accomplish the feat.
In addition, Avery has been a part of four Great Lakes Region championship teams in cross country. His best finish at the MIAA Championships came in 2002 when he finished second. His best finish at a Great Lakes Regional meet came this past November as he took fourth place, helping the Knights gain a perfect score of 15 points.
Avery has also had a standout track and field career, highlighted by an MIAA title in the 5,000 meters earlier this month. Avery has posted NCAA III provisional qualifying times in the 10,000 and 5,000 meter runs this spring and is bidding to make his first trip to the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Combined, Avery has been a member of eight MIAA championship teams * four each in cross country and in track and field.
Avery will be graduated from Calvin this Saturday with a major in English and secondary education and a minor in physical education. He carries a 3.81 grade point average and has been a seven-time member of the Calvin Dean's List and a three-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. He has also received CoSIDA Academic All-District first team honors in 2003 and second team accolades in 2002. He has also been a four-time member of the Cross Country Coaches All-Academic team.
At Calvin, Avery has also served as a Young Life leader in the Caledonia Public School system and has been active as a Young Life summer camp leader in the state of Minnesota. He also taught three mini-courses at Calvin's 2003 Youth Festival of Faith and Writing and was a member of the Calvin "Writer's Guild" for three years. In addition, he has been an active member of Calvin's Student Athletic Advisory Council the past three years.
Avery is the son of Ken and Corrine Avery of Rochester, New York.
Katie Corner
Katie Corner is from Grand Rapids and is a graduate of Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School. During her time at Calvin, Corner has been a four-year member of the track and field team as well as a two-year member of the women's basketball team. As a track and field athlete, Corner has established herself as one of the top female throwers in NCAA Division III Track and Field.
At Calvin, Corner has qualified for the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships three times in the discus and has earned All-America honors twice. A three-time All-MIAA selection in track and field, Corner is also a three-time MIAA champion in the discus. In 2003, she was named the MIAA's Most Outstanding Field Performer. She currently owns the MIAA record in the discus and is the Calvin record holder in the discus and hammer throw.
Corner's first NCAA III All-America berth came at the 2002 national meet as she took fifth place in the discus. At the 2003 national meet, she earned national runner-up honors with a throw of 158-2, just three inches out of first place. She was also a national qualifier in the shot put and despite entering the meet as the 20th seed, went on to finish 11th.
This spring, Corner has the top discus throw in NCAA III women's track and field with a mark of 167-1 which she posted at the Len Paddock Invitational hosted by the University of Michigan May 7. Corner's throw allowed her to take first place by more than 10 feet over second place finisher Melissa Bickett of the University of Michigan. Bickett was the Big 10 champion in the discus this past weekend and was an NCAA Division I All-American in the event last year. Corner's throw of 167-1 is also the fifth-best all-time in NCAA III women's track and field.
Corner will compete at the NCAA III Championships May 27-29 at Millikin University in the discus and will likely compete in the shot put as she is a provisional qualifier in the event and currently sits 12th on the national list.
In addition, she has been a captain of the women's track and field team the last two years and has been a member of four MIAA championship teams.
During her first two years at Calvin, she was a member of the varsity basketball team and was a starter at the power forward position during her sophomore year. Over the last two years, she has served as the coach of the Catholic Central High School girl's basketball team.
She has also served as the head age-group throwing coach for the Grand Rapids Track and Field Club the last three summers and been an active member of the Calvin Student Athletic Advisory Council, often leading volunteer service projects in the Grand Rapids community.
Corner is a secondary education and history major with a minor in political science. She will walk with Calvin's graduating class this Saturday (May 22) but will return to school in the fall to complete her student teaching assignment at Jenison High School.
Corner is the daughter of Tim and Janis Corner of Grand Rapids.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Wed May 19 13:56:22 2004
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