CSR (2005 Women's Cross Country Outlook)

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR AUG. 31, 2005
(Editor's Note: Final Fall Sports Preview in a Seven-Team Series)

Calvin Women's Cross Country 2005 Preview

The Calvin women's cross country team will enter the 2005 season looking to
get back on top of the heap of the MIAA standings.

In 2004, Calvin's streak of 16 consecutive MIAA titles came to an end as the
Knights were dethroned by rival Hope. The championship streak had been the
longest active streak in MIAA women's athletics history.

So can the Knights get back on top this fall? Head coach Nancy Meyer thinks so
yet still points to Hope as the favorite.

"Until someone finishes ahead of Hope, they're still the favorite," said
Meyer. "They have several runners who were in the top 10 returning which will
make them tough to beat."

Nevertheless, Meyer feels that her team has the pieces to make a run for the
league's top spot. "Our primary goal is to win the MIAA title," said
Meyer. "We have a good group returning and a large freshmen class. If we can
fit the pieces together and remain relatively injury free, we could have a very
good team."

Two factors point to an optimistic outlook for the Knights. The first factor
is the large incoming freshman class. The second factor is the return of senior
standout Camille Medema (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS).

According to Meyer, the freshmen group includes 14 individuals which actually
exceeds Calvin's 2004 roster size by one.

"We had a very small team last year," said Meyer. "We weren't able to
get our pack running together because we had such a small group and I think
that hurt our morale at times. Our freshmen class will take care of our depth
issues immediately."

A two-time first team All-MIAA selection in cross country, Medema missed the
2004 cross country season studying in Honduras. Medema returned in time for the
spring semester and put together a sizzling track and field campaign, winning
MIAA titles in both the 800 and 1,500 meter runs while breaking an 11-year old
Calvin record in the 800 meters (2:12.79). She later qualified for the NCAA III
Track and Field Championships in the 800 meters and just missed advancing out
of the preliminary heats.

"Camille gained a lot of confidence from her track season last spring,"
said Meyer. "She is at the top of her game and should be one of our top
runners this fall. She is also turning into a strong team leader and that will
be very important to how our team develops."

Calvin also returns its top two finishers from a year ago in juniors Lindsay
(Kroonenberg) Rooney (Denver, CO/Denver Christian HS) and Lydia Singer
(Wilmington, DE/Hillcrest Academy). Rooney took second at the 2004 MIAA
Championships and earned a spot on the All-MIAA first team. Singer also landed
a spot on the All-MIAA first team after finishing ninth at the MIAA
Championships. Singer continued on to record a terrific track and field
campaign, winning the MIAA title in the 3,000 meter steeplechase and qualifying
for the NCAA III Track and Field Championships in the event.

The Knights also return four individuals that earned All-MIAA second team
accolades during the 2004 cross country season as Laura Holtrop (Derwood,
MD/Chapelgate Christian Academy), Melissa VandenBerg (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids
Christian HS) and Jenny Zylstra (Lombard, IL/Timothy Christian HS) were all so
honored. Holtrop, VandenBerg and Hofman are currently juniors while Zylstra is
a sophomore.

Holtrop was 13th at the 2004 MIAA Cross Country Championships and later took
second in the 5,000 meter run at the 2005 MIAA Track and Field Championships.
As a freshman in 2003, Holtrop took 15th at the MIAA Cross Country
Championships and landed a spot on the All-MIAA first team. VandenBerg took
19th at the league cross country meet last fall and then added a second place
finish in the 10,000 meters at the league track and field championships. Hofman
and Zylstra both fought through injuries last year but still managed to post
some individual success. Hofman was 26th at the league cross country
championships while Zylstra was 21st.

Other returning letterwinners include senior Tracy Dykstra (Hudsonville/Unity
Christian HS) and sophomores Christina Overbeck (Seattle, WA/Bellevue Christian
HS) and Laura Sizemore (Sheboygan, WI/Sheboygan County Christian HS).

Freshmen to watch include Kelly Edwards (Grand Blanc/Grand Blanc HS), Kristin
Haagsma (Grand Rapids/South Christian HS), Sarah Rooks (Holland/Holland
Christian HS), Laura Jackson (Decatur, Illinois/St. Theresa) and Jessica Miller
(Colorado Springs, CO/The Classical Academy).

Calvin opens its 2005 campaign on September 17 when it competes at the
Parkside Invitational in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The Knights will then host an MIAA
jamboree on September 24. Running well at the MIAA jamboree will be a key
according to Meyer.

"I think it's very important to put together a strong team performance at
the MIAA jamboree," said Meyer. "Last year Hope ran extremely well at the
MIAA jamboree and that set the tone for the rest of the conference season."

Calvin will also compete at the prestigious Notre Dame Invitational on
September 30 and will then journey to the Michigan Intercollegiates October 7
with Oakland University serving as host. The Knights will also compete at the
Wisconsin-Oshkosh Invitational October 15. The MIAA Championships are scheduled
for October 29 with Kalamazoo serving as host. The NCAA III Regionals are
slated for November 12 in Cincinnati, Ohio, with Wilmington serving as host.
The NCAA III Cross Country Championships are slated for the following week on
November 19 in Delaware, Ohio. Ohio Wesleyan University will host the national
meet.

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Wed Aug 31 14:00:57 2005