CALVIN TRACK AND FIELD NCAA III CHAMPIONSHIPS REPORT FOR MAY 27, 2005
WAVERLY, IA * A strong day of shot put performances helped propel the Calvin men’s and women’s track and field teams near the top of the standings at the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Wartburg College.
With one day of competition left, the Calvin men are in second place in the men’s team standings with 21 points while the Calvin women are in third place in the women’s team standings with 22 points. Wisconsin-LaCrosse leads the men’s standings with 27.5 points while Wisconsin-Oshkosh leads the women’s standings with 27 points.
In the women’s shot put competition Friday afternoon, Calvin picked up nine points in the team standings behind All-America performances from sophomore Megann VanderVliet (Oakville, ON) and senior Lisa Nanninga (Grand Rapids Christian HS) as VanderVliet was third (46-4 ¾) and Nanninga sixth (45-4 ½). Wisconsin-Oshkosh also picked up a pair of All-America performances in the shot put as defending champion Robyn Jarocki took first place (48-5) and junior Danielle Rankin seventh (44-6 ¾) but the Knights remained within striking distance of the Titans in the fight for first place in the team standings.
VanderVliet’s third place throw was a career-best and it could not have come at a better time according to Calvin throwing coach Norm Zylstra. “Megann had a career day and I’m thrilled for her,” said Zylstra. “I’m also very proud of Lisa Nanninga. She finished her career as a two-time All-American in the shot put and as one of the best throwers in the history of our conference. She has meant a lot to our team and we will miss her very much next year.”
On the men’s side, Calvin also picked up an All-America spot in the shot put as junior Nate Meckes (Bay City/Westland Lutheran HS) took fourth place with a throw of 57-9 to land his second All-America certificate of the weekend and the fourth of his career.
“I’m happy for Nate. He had a great two days of competition,” said Zylstra. “I know he was hoping to do a little better in the shot put but there’s nothing to feel bad about when you take fourth place in the nation. He’s had a fabulous season and we look forward to bigger and better things next spring.”
In the women’s competition, Calvin produced four All-America performances on Friday as the Knights also scored in the heptathlon in the high jump.
Junior Christine Hendricks of Cincinnati, Ohio picked up the All-America berth in the heptathlon. Hendricks completed the seven-event, two day competition in third place with a total of 4,818 points, a personal improvement of over 300 points and just 35 points away from breaking the school record established by national champion Annie VanderLaan in 2003. Jovia Chadwick of Williams College won the heptathlon with a total of 4,931 points. For Hendricks, it marked her second All-American performance in the heptathlon; she finished in eighth place in the 2003 National Meet.
Hendricks said she felt good coming into day two, entering the day in second place. “I felt great coming into today (Friday) because I had done so well yesterday. I was also more nervous because of my standing, but I knew I had a chance to help the team.”
Starting off the day in the long jump, Hendricks had a long jump of 16-9 ¾ feet, earning 592 points. In the Javelin competition following, Hendricks used a throw of 119-4 feet to propel herself into first place temporarily, earning 598 points to take the lead by 14 points with one event left.
Hendricks was happy to be in first, but knew she had one of her toughest events left in the 800 meter-run. “It felt good to be in first, but realistically I knew I would drop down because I can’t beat the fastest girls in the race, but in terms of position, it was positive to be in the lead.”
Hendricks turned in an 800 meter time of 2:28.94, a personal best in the race, earning her 706 points, and wound up in her final position of third place, where she earns the team six points. “I am amazed at how well I ended up; I never thought I would get third after finishing ninth last year. To have personal bests in five events at the National Meet is amazing, I am glad I could help the team out.”
Hendricks felt good about finishing her third National Heptathlon. “A lot of the athletes here know each other from previous years and other meets, so it is an experience to go through all the events together, it is unlike any other event. I am so thrilled right now though, when I started yesterday I wanted to do well, but this is beyond what I expected, and it has been a lot of fun.”
Kim Vanderzee of Seattle, Washington finished in a three-way tie for fifth place in the high jump competition, her second straight year earning All-American honors. Vanderzee made her first two heights easily, and was unable to get over the 5-7 bar, giving her a final height of 5-5 for the competition. Christyn Schumann of Trinity University in Texas won the event with a jump of 5-9 ¼, making her a two-time champion. Vanderzee earned three points for the team with her tie for fifth.
Vanderzee, who finished second at last years meet, was not disappointed with fifth. “I was happy to help the team out and get some points. Obviously I wish I could have made the height, but finishing fifth is still good, especially in this field. I have made that jump before his year, but it just didn’t happen today, I don’t know if it was nerves or my form, but I can’t be disappointed with my finish.”
Also competing for the Calvin women on Friday was sophomore Lydia Singer (Wilmington, DE) who took 14th place (11:33.64). In Friday preliminary heats, senior Sue Abbring (Schereville, IN/Illiana Christian HS) advanced to Saturday’s championship final in the 400 meters as she won her heat with a time of 56.34. Abbring will also compete in the 200 meters on Saturday and anchor Calvin’s 4x400 meter relay team. Freshman Sarah Wittingen (East Grand Rapids HS) and sophomore Lisa Winkle (South Christian HS) just missed making the finals in the 100 meter hurdles and 400 meters respectively as both individuals took ninth place in the Friday prelims. Wittingen clocked a season-best time of 14.62 in the 100 meter hurdles but missed the finals by one-hundreth of a second. Winkle also clocked a season-best time of 57.23 in the 400 meters but missed the finals by nearly a half-second. Also competing for Calvin on Friday but not advancing to the finals was junior Camille Medema (Grand!
Rapids Christian HS) as she posted a time of 2:15.39 in the prelims of the 800 meters.
Scheduled to compete for the Calvin women on Saturday are Abbring in the 200 and 400 meters, senior Laura Hamilton (Downers Grove, IL) in the 400 meter hurdles and Abbring, Hamilton, Wittingen and Winkle in the 4x400 meter relay.
The defending national champion Wisconsin-Oshkosh women’s team has just three athletes competing on Saturday but all three individuals are competing in the hammer throw with the Titans holding the second, fifth and sixth seeds in the throwing event. A year ago, Wisconsin-Oshkosh edged Calvin for the national outdoor track and field title, finishing 2.67 points ahead of the Knights in the final women’s team standings.
Scheduled to compete for the Calvin men on Saturday are senior Jeff Engbers (Whitinsville, MA) in the 1500 meters and senior Kris Koster (Grand Rapids Christian HS) and sophomore Tim Finnegan (Los Alamos, NM) in the 5,000 meters.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Fri May 27 21:05:39 2005
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