CSR (Men's Cross Country 2nd at NCAA III Championships/Women 17th)

CROSS COUNTRY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS REPORT FOR NOV. 19, 2005
(Written by Colin McWhertor '08)

CALVIN MEN NIPPED BY UW-LACROSSE FOR NATIONAL TITLE

DELAWARE, OH*Two-time defending national champion Calvin finished second at the National Meet on Saturday afternoon. The University of Wisconsin LaCrosse took first overall with a team score of 94 points. Calvin was second with 117 team points, right in front of Haverford College, who was third overall with 118 points.

Calvin placed three runners in the top 35, gaining recognition as All-Americans. Finishing third overall was junior Tim Finnegan (Los Alamos, NM) with a time of 25:28.9. The winning runner was Neal Holtschulte from Williams College, who finished in a time of 25:13.8. Freshman Jed Christensen (Greenville, PA) and junior Harrison Jorritsma (Beamsville, ON) finished second and third for Calvin with a matching time of 27:20.7, good for 34th and 35th overall respectively. Coach Al Hoekstra liked what he saw from his top three. "Anytime you are an All-American, you have to be proud. These guys worked their tails off to get here and they put it all out there today."

Finishing out Calvin's top seven was sophomore Jon Gries (King of Prussia, PA) at 56th overall and a time of 26:49.2; sophomore Bill Reynolds (Newtown Square, PA) at 73rd overall and a time of 26:57.9; senior Tyler Zwagerman (Holland Christian) was 82nd at 27:03.6; and sophomore Tad Hulst (Zeeland HS) finished in 118th with a time of 27:25.9.

Hoekstra was proud of the team to pull out a top-three finish. "Being in the top three in the country is an honor, we are proud of this team. We are so young, and to come this far is exciting. We were beaten by a very experienced LaCrosse team, their seniors really wanted it. We didn't leave anything out there today; we gave it all we had."

Coach Brian Diemer was pleased to have a chance in the end, "I am very proud, they put themselves in a position to win it during the last mile. LaCrosse was very strong at the end, and that was the difference, but we were there, and you have to like that."

Finnegan, the MIAA Most Valuable Runner and winner of the Great Lakes Regional, can now add a third Cross Country All-American title to his name. His coaches liked how he approached his race. "Tim ran a brilliant race", said Diemer. "He was patient and waited for his spots; he put himself in a good position and finished in a good spot."

The meet was hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University, and the course was filled with rolling hills and turns. Rain over the previous few days created a sloppy course that cause more than a few spills. The sun was shining bright all day, and the races were moved back an hour to accommodate the grounds crew working on parts of the course. "The course was tough, but it didn't decide the races. This is nationals, so you expect a tough course", said Hoekstra.

Both coaches are excited what the experience from this year will do for the future. "This was a great experience for these guys; finishing second is great for how young we are." Diemer said. The team will return its top five finishers from this year including six of its top seven.

Calvin's second place finish on Saturday continued Calvin's string of top-four (trophy) national finishes which began with a second place finish in 1998. Since then, the Knights have finished second four times (1998, 2001, 2002, 2005), fourth once (1999) and first three times (2000, 2003 & 2004). No other Division III men's cross country team has produced a better combined set of national finishes in that eight-year span.

CALVIN WOMEN FINISH 17th

DELAWARE, OH*Calvin finished in 17th place in its return to the NCAA III National Meet with 419 points as a team. After a one year hiatus, Calvin reclaimed its spot among the top teams in the country. "It feels good to be back," said Coach Nancy Meyer, "It wasn't fun missing last year. It was good to reclaim the MIAA and get back to Nationals."

Winning the race overall was Hailey Harren, a junior from Gustavus Adolphus, with a time of 21:51.9. Geneseo State of New York captured the team title with a score of 88 points.

Junior Lydia Singer (Jos, Nigeria) was Calvin's top runner, placing 68th overall with a time 23:34.6, finishing off a successful season in which she claimed the MIAA Most Valuable Runner award. Finishing in 110th was sophomore Christina Overbeck (Seattle, WA) with a time of 24:08.5. Senior Lindsay Rooney (Denver, CO) was Calvin's third runner, finishing in 130th place with a time of 24:23.0. Freshman Calah Schlabach (St. Michael's, AZ) came in with a time of 24:28.3, in 142nd place. Junior Laura Holtrop (Derwood, MD) was 171st at 24:48.6. Senior Camille Medema (GR Christian) was in 187th with a time of 25:02.7, and freshman Kelly Edwards (Grand Blanc HS) rounded out Calvin's runners in 209th with a time of 26:11.6.

Coach Meyer was pleased with the team effort. "I felt that if we had gotten top 15 it would be fantastic, so 17th is a good place. We are a young team, so getting here and competing with all these great runners is an experience for our ladies. We made a good leap this year as a program, going from 15th in regionals to 17th in nationals is a great move, I am pleased with this team, and we'll bring most of them back next year."

Rooney, the only graduating senior on the team, finished her Calvin career well according to Meyer. "Lindsay finished on a great note. The field was tough and she gave it her all. She has been a great team member."

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sat Nov 19 21:21:23 2005