SEPTEMBER 13, 2004
Calvin Track and Field Teams Receive Academic Honors From USTCA
The Calvin men's and women's track and field teams have again achieved academic and athletic excellence.
For the fourth straight year, both teams have received the all-academic team award from the United States Track and Field Coaches Association (USTCA). Overall, a combined 46 teams earned the all-academic team award from the USTCA. Joining Calvin from the MIAA on the team list was the Adrian women's team.
Teams were eligible for the for honor if they had a minimum of 14 members who participated in the 2004 outdoor season and recorded a minimum 3.100 (4.00 scale) cumulative grade point average as a group. The Calvin women's track and field team posted a 3.41 cumulative grade point average while the Calvin men's track and field team posted a combined grade point average of 3.24.
In addition, a record 18 Calvin track and field athletes have received individual all-academic accolades from the USTCA. To qualify individually, a student-athlete needed to have recorded a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and participated in the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships or met an NCAA III provisional or automatic qualifying standard.
Of the 18 Calvin athletes, 10 are from the women's team which gained national runner-up honors at the 2004 NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. With 18 individuals on the USTCA all-academic list, Calvin posted the highest combined total of any NCAA Division III school.
Individuals from the Calvin women's track and field team that received all-academic recognition were seniors Jessie Lair (Southfield Christian HS) and Jodi VerMeulen (Holland Christian HS); juniors Laura Hamilton (Downers Grove, IL/Timothy Christian HS) and Lisa Nanninga (Grand Rapids Christian HS); sophomores Christine Hendricks (Cincinnati, OH/Turpin HS) and Kim Vanderzee (Shoreline, WA) and freshmen Lisa Winkle (South Christian HS), Lauren Colyn (Kalamazoo Christian HS) and Katie VanderLaan (Grand Rapids Christian HS). Five of the individuals landed NCAA III All-America honors at the national meet led by Hamilton who was third in the 400 meter hurdles and a member of Calvin's fifth place 4x100 and third place 4x400 meter relay teams. Winkle was also a member of both All-America relay teams while VanderLaan was a member of Calvin's 4x400 meter relay quartet. Vanderzee and Nanninga were both All-Americans in field events with Vanderzee taking second in the high jump and !
Nanninga seventh in the shot put.
On the men's side, seniors Henrik Kok (Lynden, WA/Lynden Christian HS), Matt Edwards (Grand Blanc/Grand Blanc HS), Kyle Carrick (Tokyo, Japan), Tim Avery (Rochester, NY/Chilli-Gates HS); juniors Aaron Iverson (Radnor, OH) and Jeff Engbers (Whitinsville, MA/Whitinsville Christian HS) and sophomore Justin Grasmeyer (Norwalk, CA/Valley Christian HS). Two of the individuals landed NCAA III All-America honors at the national meet with Edwards taking fifth in the 10,000 meters and Grasmeyer seventh in the discus.
Both Calvin track and field teams were led by head coach Dr. Jong-Il Kim * a three-time USTCA Division III Coach of the Year.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Mon Sep 13 22:50:08 2004
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