CSR (Meckes 16th in Discus at USTAF Championships/Calvin Grad Gets First-Hand Look at NBA Finals)

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR JUNE 23, 2005

MECKES 16th IN DISCUS AT USTAF CHAMPIONSHIPS

CARSON, CA - Competing in a field of 18 competitors, Calvin senior Nate Meckes
placed 16th in the discus Thursday night at the United States Outdoor Track and
Field Championships held at the Home Depot Center, just south of Los Angeles.
A native of Bay City and a graduate of Westland Lutheran High School, Meckes
was 16th with a throw of 168-9, well short of the winning mark of 211- 9
recorded by Ian Waltz. Carl Brown, a former training partner and the top seed
in the event, took third with a throw of 202-8.

Meckes entered the meet with a seeded throw of 194-10 but threw far short of
his personal best. "He just wasn't able to catch a good throw," said
Calvin throwing coach Norm Zylstra. "That happens from time to time. His
warm-ups were perfect. His preparation was right on. It just didn't come
together in the meet."

Meckes was one of two NCAA Division III competitors in the discus field as Dan
Austin of Williams College finished 10th with a throw of 187-11.

According to Zylstra, Thursday night's experience was nothing but a positive
for Meckes. "He may not have thrown as well as he would liked to but this
experience was tremendous for Nate," said Zylstra. "He was able to
experience the pressure of a meet at an even higher level and get a first-hand
look at what he needs to do in order to take the next step up. He'll be able
to pocket this competition as valuable experience down the road."

Thursday marked the first day of competition at the USTAF Championships. One
night prior, the meet was marred by the death of a 77-year old volunteer
official in a throwing accident. For more on the story, visit the ESPN web
site at: http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/news/story?id=2092734

For the official USTAF response to the tragedy, please visit the USTAF web
site at: http://www.usatf.org/news/view.aspx?DUid=USATF_2005_06_23_09_39_19

CALVIN GRADUATE GETS FIRST-HAND LOOK AT NBA FINALS

On Thursday night, the San Antonio Spurs closed out a hard-fought seven-game
series over the Detroit Pistons with an 81-74 game seven victory. A recent
Calvin College graduate was able to get a first-hand look at all seven games
along with a former anchor for Grand Rapids NBC affiliate WOOD-TV 8. For more
on the story, please visit the Grand Rapids Press web site to read a column
written by Brian VanOchten at:
http://www.mlive.com/sports/grpress/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/111927873016010.xml

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Fri Jun 24 00:44:03 2005