CSR (Calvin X-Country Teams Roll To First Place Finishes at MIAA Jamboree)

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT (PART ONE) FOR SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2005

CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS ROLL TO FIRST PLACE FINISHES AT MIAA JAMBOREE

GRAND RAPIDS -- The nationally-ranked Calvin men's and women's cross country teams cashed in on the home-course advantage, placing first in both the men's (8k) and women's (5k) races at the MIAA Jamboree hosted by Calvin Saturday at the Gainey Athletic Complex.

On the women's side, 11th-ranked Calvin placed four runners in the top five and had seven runners finish in the top 13 spots.

Senior Camille Medema (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian) led the way, finishing first with a time of 18:43. Junior Lydia Singer (Wilmington, DE/Hillcrest Academy) came in third at 19:03, fourth was junior Laura Holtrop (Rockville, MD/Chapelgate Christian Academy) who finished in 19:04, followed by senior Lindsay Rooney (Denver, CO/Denver Christian) in fifth with a time of 19:05.

Calvin's fifth finisher, freshman Calah Schlabach (St. Michaels, AZ/St. Michaels) finished in ninth place in 19:23. Sophomore Christina Overbeck (Seattle, WA/Bellevue Christian) finished 11th overall in 19:28, and freshman Emily Arkus (Tinley Park, IL/Victor J. Andrew) was 13th with a time of 19:41.

Calvin's overall score was 22 points, leading Hope (61 points) by almost 40 points. Kalamazoo placed fourth with 116 points though Tieneke Vanlonkhuyzen placed second overall in 18:57.

Coach Nancy Meyer said, "We came in confident of a great showing, but knew we also had to actually do it."

Calvin is a deeper, livelier team than it was just a year ago. "The freshmen make a huge difference for us this year. New runners bring not only talent but depth to the team. The freshmen are like a breath of fresh air. Emily Arkus ran a great race today, as well as Calah Schlabach, Laura Jackson, and Kelly Edwards. We had lots of PRs today."

The top-ranked Calvin men also seem to be a different team this year as over half of the runners are freshmen. Coach Al Hoekstra said, "Many people thought this would be a re-building year for us. We're extremely proud of how the guys came together. We really have a possibility of doing well at Nationals again."

Calvin swept to a perfect score of 15 points, finishing 39 points ahead of second place Hope (54 points). The Knights swept the top five spots and placed seven runners in the top ten * new faces but not a new outcome.

Junior Tim Finnegan (Los Alamos, NM/Home School) proved again to be Calvin's number one runner, finishing in 24:50. Senior Harrison Jorritsma (Beamsville, ON/Smithville District Christian) finished in a close second, 24:57. Third was freshman Jedidiah Christiansen (Greenville, PA/Greenville) with a time of 25:06, followed by sophomore Jonathan Gries (King of Prussia, PA/ Upper Merion) in fourth in 25:14. Sophomore Tad Hulst (Zeeland/Zeeland) finished fifth with a time of 25:17. Eight and ninth were senior Tyler Zwagerman (Holland/Holland Christian) and sophomore Bill Reynolds (Newtown Square, PA/Delaware County Christian) with times of 25:39 and 25:47, respectively.

Coach Brian Diemer said, "I figured that Finnegan and Jorritsma would work together during the race. Harrison has worked incredibly hard and things are starting to click for him. He is going to be a big time player. He has a great base and an incredible desire. But not to take anything away from Finnegan. He is very talented and wants to be a challenge at Nationals. Together, they give us a very strong one-two punch up front."

Hoekstra also praised freshman Jed Christiansen. "Jed Christiansen has tremendous talent. He is mentally and physically beyond being a freshman," said Hoekstra. "He and the other freshmen are running really well and will only improve as they learn."

The Jamboree was the first MIAA race for Calvin, who will see the conference opponents again on October 29 in Kalamazoo at the MIAA Championships. The MIAA Jamboree is worth one-third of the final league standings with the MIAA Championships making of the remaining two-thirds.

Women's Results

Calvin, 22
Hope, 61
Albion, 74
Kalamazoo, 116
Saint Mary's, 163
Olivet, 170
Alma, 183
Adrian, 227
Tri-State, 257

Men's Results

Calvin, 15
Hope, 54
Albion, 73
Kalamazoo, 129
Alma, 146
Tri-State, 163
Olivet, 204
Adrian

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sat Sep 24 18:14:05 2005