CSR (Calvin Track and Field Teams Receive USTCA Academic Honors)

OCTOBER 14, 2005

Calvin Track and Field Teams Receive Academic Honors From USTCA

The Calvin men's and women's track and field teams have again achieved
academic and athletic excellence.

For the fifth straight year, both teams have received the all-academic team
award from the United States Track and Field Coaches Association (USTCA).
Overall, a combined 43 teams earned the all-academic team award from the USTCA.
Joining Calvin from the MIAA on the team list was the Albion women's team.

Teams were eligible for the for honor if they had a minimum of 14 members who
participated in the 2005 outdoor season and recorded a minimum 3.100 (4.00
scale) cumulative grade point average as a group. The Calvin women's track and
field team posted a 3.60 cumulative grade point average while the Calvin men's
track and field team posted a combined grade point average of 3.24.

In addition, a record 19 Calvin track and field athletes have received
individual all-academic accolades from the USTCA. To qualify individually, a
student-athlete needed to have recorded a minimum cumulative grade point
average of 3.25 and participated in the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field
Championships or met an NCAA III provisional or automatic qualifying standard.

Of the 19 Calvin athletes, 11 are from the women's team which gained national
runner-up honors at the 2005 NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
With 19 individuals on the USTCA all-academic list, Calvin posted the highest
combined total of any NCAA Division III school.

Individuals from the Calvin women's track and field team that received
all-academic recognition were seniors seniors Laura Hamilton (Downers Grove,
IL/Timothy Christian HS) and Lisa Nanninga (Grand Rapids Christian HS); juniors
Christine Hendricks (Cincinnati, OH/Turpin HS), Camille Medema (Grand
Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS), Missy Smith (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids
Christian HS) and Kim Vanderzee (Shoreline, WA); sophomores Kelly Zwier
(Kalamazoo/Kalamazoo Christian HS), Lisa Winkle (/Grand Rapids/South Christian
HS), Lydia Singer (Wilmington, DE/Hillcrest Academy) and Katie VanderLaan
(Grand Rapids Christian HS) and freshman Sarah Wittingen (East Grand
Rapids/East Grand Rapids HS). Eight of the individuals landed NCAA III
All-America honors at the national meet with Hamilton doing so in both the 400
meter hurdles and 4x400 meter relay. Hendricks was an All-American in the
heptathlon, Vanderzee in the high jump, Smith in the pole vault, Nanninga in
the shot put and Winkle, Wittingen and VanderLaan in the 4x400 meter relay.

On the men's side, Calvin individuals that earned the award include seniors
Reuben Sportel (Caledonia/South Christian HS), Kris Koster (Grand Rapids/Grand
Rapids Christian HS), Aaron Iverson (Radnor, OH/Buckeye Valley HS), Jeff
Engbers (Whitsinville, MA/Whitinsville Christian HS), juniors Nate Meckes (Bay
City/Westland Lutheran HS), Justin Grasmeyer (Norwalk, CA/Valley Christian HS)
and freshmen Joel Baker (Kalamazoo/Kalamazoo Christian HS) and Jared Cok
(Bozeman, MT/Manhattan Christian HS). Four of the eight individuals landed
NCAA III All-America honors at the national meet. Koster and Meckes were both
two-time All-Americans at the national meet with Koster fifth in the 10,000
meters and fourth in the 5,000 meters while Meckes took second in the discus
and fourth in the shot put. Grasmeyer was also an All-American in the discus
with an eighth place finish while Engbers took sixth in the 1,500 meters for an
All-America berth. Behind the All-America efforts, the Calvin men's track
and field team took sixth place as a team.

Both Calvin track and field teams were led by head coach Dr. Jong-Il Kim - a
four-time USTCA Division III Coach of the Year.

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Fri Oct 14 13:43:12 2005