CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR June 1, 2006
SEVEN CALVIN ATHLETES RECEIVE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT IV HONORS IN CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK AND FIELD DIVISION
The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV teams in the men's/women's cross country/track and field divisions have been released and seven Calvin athletes have been so honored. Named to the men's team in the college division from Calvin are seniors Harrison Jorritsma, Justin Grasmeyer and Nate Meckes.
On the women's side, seniors Missy Smith and Christine Hendricks have been named to the academic all-district first team while junior Lisa Winkle and sophomore Sarah Wittingen have been named to the second team.
Jorritsma, Grasmeyer and Meckes along with Smith and Hendricks now advance to their respective national ballots and are eligible for Academic All-America consideration.
The college division of the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America program includes NCAA II, NCAA III and NAIA schools. The Academic All-District and All-America teams are selected by the College Sports Information Director's Association of America (CoSIDA). To be eligible for nomination, an individual must be a starter or a key reserve with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20.
Jorritsma is from Beamsville, Ontario and is a graduate of Smithville District Christian High School. He carries a 4.0 grade point average while majoring in accounting. This past fall on the Calvin men's cross country team, Jorritsma was named to the All-MIAA first team and to the Great Lakes All-Region team, finishing second at the MIAA Championships and 12th at the Great Lakes Regional meet. He then picked up All-America accolades at the NCAA III Championships, finishing in 35th place.
This spring, Jorritsma earned a spot on the All-MIAA track and field team after winning a league title in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. He then qualified for the NCAA III Track and Field Championships in the 10,000 meters where he finished 11th. Jorritsma will return to Calvin in the fall and will use his final season of cross country eligibility.
Grasmeyer is from Norwalk, California. He is a graduate of Valley Christian High School. A biology major, Grasmeyer was recently graduated from Calvin while carrying a 3.62 grade point average. In the fall, Grasmeyer will begin studies at the Los Angeles School of Chiropractic.
In the throwing ring, Grasmeyer was a two-time All-American in the discus, placing seventh in the event in 2004 at the NCAA III Championships and eighth in 2005. In addition, he was a two-time All-MIAA selection in track and field and captured the league title in the discus in 2004.
Meckes is making his second straight appearance on the all-district team. He was recently graduated from Calvin with a double-major of psychology and physical education while carrying a 3.43 grade point average.
At Calvin, Meckes was a five-time track and field All-American, earning the award three times in the shot put and twice in the discus. He was the national runner-up in the discus in 2005 and the national runner-up in the shot put this past weekend at the NCAA III Track and Field Championships. During his career, Meckes was also a four-time All-MIAA choice and a three-time Great Lakes Regional Athlete of the Year selection. In addition, he was named the MIAA's Most Outstanding Field Event Performer three times in his career. Meckes is the MIAA and Calvin record holder in both the shot put and discus.
Smith is from Ada and is a graduate of Grand Rapids Christian High School. She is making her third straight appearance on the all-district first team. Smith was recently graduated from Calvin with a double-major of German and Asian Studies while carrying a minor in art history. She carried a 3.92 grade point average and will attend the the University of California at Berkley's graduate school of architecture. Smith spent a portion of her academic career studying overseas in southeast Asia. During her studies overseas, Smith helped design an orphanage in the country of India.
In track and field, Smith was a three-time All-American in the pole vault including a four-time (outdoor) national qualifier in the event. She placed fourth at the 2004 NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the pole vault, fifth in 2005 and third this past weekend.
A four-time All-MIAA selection in track and field, Smith was also three-time MIAA champion in the pole vault and is the league and Calvin record holder in the event.
Hendricks is from Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a graduate of Turpin High School. Hendricks recently concluded her track and field career as a three-time All-American in the heptathlon, finishing eighth at the 2003 NCAA III Championships, third in 2005 and then first at the 2006 NCAA III Championships last weekend with an NCAA III Championships record point total of 5,012 points. Hendricks is the eighth individual national champion in Calvin women's track and field history.
Hendricks was a four-time All-MIAA selection in track and field, a three-time league champion in the javelin and a two-time MIAA Most Valuable Field Event Performer choice. She was also named the Great Lakes Region Field Event Athlete of the Year last weekend at the NCAA III Track and Field Championships.
Hendricks was recently named the recipient of Calvin's Kay Tiemersma Award * given to the top senior female student-athlete at the college. A two-sport standout at Calvin, Hendricks was also a four-year member of the Calvin volleyball team and an honorable mention Division III All-American this fall.
Hendricks was graduated from Calvin last month with a degree in mathematics while carrying a 3.68 grade point average. She is currently pursuing a career in actuarial science and is employed by the Auto Owners Insurance Group in Lansing.
Winkle is from Grand Rapids and is a graduate of South Christian High School. She carries a 3.95 grade point average with a double major of mathematics and secondary education.
Winkle captured All-America accolades four times last weekend at the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, finishing seventh in the long jump, fourth in the 400 meters and running on the anchor leg on Calvin's eighth place 4x100 meter relay team and on Calvin's fourth place 4x400 meter relay squad. A three-time national qualifier, Winkle has now earned All-America honors seven times in her collegiate track and field career.
Winkle is a two-time All-MIAA choice in track and field and a two-time league champion in the long jump. She also took home a league title in the 400 meters this past month.
Wittingen is from East Grand Rapids and is a graduate of East Grand Rapids High School. She carries a 4.0 grade point average while carrying majors of biochemistry and speech pathology.
At the NCAA III Championships last weekend, Wittingen was a part of three All-America performances as she took sixth in the 400 meter hurdles and was a part of Calvin's 4x100 and 4x400 meter relay teams. A two-time national qualifier, Wittingen was also a member of Calvin's 4x400 meter relay team that took fourth at the 2005 NCAA III Championships, giving her four All-America certificates in her collegiate running career.
Last month, Wittingen was named the MIAA's Most Outstanding Runner after winning the 100 meter hurdles and 400 meter hurdles. She is the MIAA record holder (14.53) and Calvin record holder (14.32) in the 100 meter hurdles and is a two-time All-MIAA selection.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Thu Jun 1 00:22:03 2006
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