CSR (Men's Cross Country Team Prepares for NCAA III Championships)

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 17, 2004

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY TEAM PREPARES FOR NCAA III CHAMPIONSHIPS

The hunting season is officially open for the Calvin men's cross country
team.

But instead of hunting deer like many of the outdoorsmen throughout the state
of Michigan, the Knights will be hunting a second straight national
championship this coming Saturday.

For the second straight year, the Calvin men's cross country team will head
into the NCAA III Championships as the number-one ranked team and favorite to
capture the national title.

Saturday's NCAA III Championships will be hosted by the University of
Wisconsin-Eau Claire with the men's race scheduled to begin at noon (EST).

Details on a potential RealAudio broadcast through the Calvin web site will be
announced tomorrow.

Calvin has been the top-ranked team in every Division III Top 25 poll this
year. In this week's poll, the Knights again received a unanimous eight
first place votes.

Repeating as a national champion will be more difficult than many realize
however as several other men's cross country teams are expected to be in the
hunt for a national title on Saturday.

Calvin has been ranked number-one throughout the season but this past Saturday
at the Great Lakes Regional meet, the Knights stumbled a bit despite posting a
first place score of 33 points that allowed them to capture their ninth
straight Great Lakes Regional crown.

Calvin will be making its 20th team appearance at the NCAA III Championships
which ranks sixth on the all-time NCAA III men's cross country list.

A bottle neck start in the opening half-mile scrambled Calvin's runners
initially and the Knights were unable to fully piece their full pack together
the rest of the way.
Calvin still managed to take five of the top 11 spots but the performance was
a far different than its 2003 regional meet when the Knights swept the top five
spots, en route to a perfect score of 15 points.

"This was definitely a wakeup call and I think it comes at the perfect time,"
said Calvin men's cross country coach Brian Diemer. "It was a reminder to our
team that nothing will be given to us next week no matter where we are ranked
or what we have done in the past."

Leading the way for Calvin was senior Hendrik Kok (Lynden, WA) who took fourth
with a time of 24:27. He was followed by senior Jeff Engbers (Whitinsville, MA)
in fifth (24:38); sophomore Tim Finnegan (Rehoboth, NM) in sixth (24:41);
junior Andy Yazzie (Rehoboth, NM) in seventh (24:52) and freshman Bill Reynolds
(Newtown Square, PA) in 11th (24:59).

Rounding out Calvin's finishers were senior David Haagsma (South Christian HS)
in 15th (25:09) and sophomore Ben Hammer (Williamsburg) in 18th (25:12).

All seven Calvin runners were named to the Great Lakes All-Region team.

"We didn't have our best race of the year but at the same time, I think we
underestimated the talent that was in the regional field," said Al Hoekstra
who shares the coaching duties with Brian Diemer. "There were some runners
that weren't healthy last year that ran very well this past Saturday. They
kind of snuck up on us and provided a wakeup call to our guys that there are
plenty of teams out there who are capable of winning the national meet this
coming weekend."

Among the teams expected to be in the hunt with Calvin are second-ranked
Wisconsin-LaCrosse, third-ranked North Central (IL) and fourth ranked Haverford
(PA).

A year ago, Wisconsin-LaCrosse took fourth at the national meet with a team
score of 163 points. Wisconsin-LaCrosse captured the national title in 2001
and is looking to build on the momentum of a first place score of 73 points at
the rugged Midwest Regional this past Saturday. Wisconsin-LaCrosse will be
making its 21st trip to the national meet which ranks fourth on the all-time
NCAA III men's cross country list.

A team never to be overlooked is 12-time national champion North Central
College. Under the direction of legendary coach Al Carius, the Cardinals have
finished in the top four at the national meet an amazing 30 times in the last
31 years. North Central will be making its 32nd trip to the national meet
which leads all NCAA III schools. At the 2003 national meet, North Central
took third with a team score of 155 points. The Cardinals were also second
behind Wisconsin-LaCrosse at the Midwest Regional meet on Saturday with a team
score of 99 points.

Haverford is another team to watch. The Fords took 14th at the 2003 NCAA III
Championships. This past Saturday, Haverford captured its 14th NCAA III
Mideast Regional title in the last 18 years with an impressive first place
score of 53 points. Haverford will be making its 22nd trip to the national
meet which ranks third on the all-time NCAA III men's cross country list.

Representing the Calvin men's cross country team on Saturday will be seniors
Hendrik Kok, Dave Haagsma, Jeff Engbers, Andy Yazzie, sophomores Tim Finnegan
and Ben Hammer and freshman Bill Reynolds.

Kok, Haagsma, Engbers and Finnegan are national meet veterans with Kok and
Haagsma making their third straight trips to nationals while Engbers and
Finnegan are making their second straight trips to the national meet. Yazzie,
Hammer and Reynolds will be competing at the NCAA III Cross Country
Championships for the first time.

Kok is from Lynden, Washington and is a graduate of Lynden Christian High
School. A two-time NCAA Cross Country All-American, Kok took ninth at the 2002
national meet and eighth in 2003. Kok is also a three-time NCAA III
All-American in track and field and a two-time Great Lakes Regional Athlete of
the Year in men's cross country.

Haagsma is from Grand Rapids and is a graduate of South Christian High School.
 Haagsma was 49th at the 2002 national meet and seventh at the 2003 meet,
leading a group of six Calvin All-Americans (top-35 finishes). Haagsma is a
two-time MIAA MVP in cross country and also a two-time All-American in track
and field.

Engbers is from Whitinsville, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of Whitinsville
Christian High School. Engbers made his first trip to the national meet in
2003, finishing 131st. He also served as Calvin's alternate at the 2002 NCAA
III Championships.

Finnegan is from Los Alamos, New Mexico. Finnegan made a big impact in his
first trip to the national meet, placing 16th individually to gain an
All-America berth. The Finnegan finish was the second-best by a freshman
runner in the race.

Although he is making his first trip to the cross country championships,
Yazzie is no stranger to national meet competition as he is a two-time national
qualifier for the NCAA III Track and Field Championships in the 3,000 meter
steeplechase. A native of Rehoboth, New Mexico and a graduate of Rehoboth
Christian High School, Yazzie was an NCAA III All-American in the steeplechase
with a seventh place finish at the 2003 national meet.

Hammer is from Williamsburg and is a graduate of Elk Rapids High School.
Reynolds is from Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Delaware
County Christian High School.

In addition, junior Harrison Jorritsma will serve as Calvin's alternate this
weekend and will travel to Eau Claire. Jorritsma is from Beamsville, Ontario.
He is a graduate of Ontario Christian High School.

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Wed Nov 17 16:27:32 2004