CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR FEB. 28, 2007
CALVIN CROSS COUNTRY TEAM RECEIVE ALL-ACADEMIC HONORS FROM USTFCA;
MEN'S TEAM NAMED ALL-ACADEMIC CROSS COUNTRY TEAM OF THE YEAR
Calvin College was the class of Division III cross country last fall,
winning the NCAA men's team championship by a large margin.
The Knights excelled in class, too, compiling a cumulative team grade
point average for 3.430. By meeting both challenges, Calvin is the 2006
NCAA Division III All-Academic Men's Cross Country Team of the Year as
named by the United States Track and Field Coaches Association of America.
The All-Academic Men's Cross Country Team of the Year is awarded to the
highest-finishing school at the NCAA Division III Championships that
meets All-Academic team qualifications (a minimum 3.1 cumulative GPA).
Pomona-Pitzer senior Will Leer, a senior majoring in mathematics, is the
Division III All-Academic Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year. The
announcements were made Monday by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross
Country Coaches Association.
The All-Academic Athlete of the Year is awarded to the highest finisher
at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships who meets the
minimum qualifications for All-Academic individual honors (3.5
cumulative GPA).
Leer, the seventh-place finisher at the 2006 NCAA Division III Men's
Cross Country Championships in West Chester, Ohio, has a 3.527 GPA.
Calvin won the NCAA men's team championship with 37 points, far in front
of runner-up New York University (92 points). Calvin had three runners
earn All-Academic individual honors – sophomore Erik VanKampen (Elmhurst,
IL),
senior Harrison Jorritsma (Beamsville, ON) and junior Jon Gries (King of
Prussia, PA).
All three Calvin runners picked up All-America honors at the national meet
with Gries finishing 12th, Jorritsma placing 16th and VanKampen taking 17th.
To be honored as an All-Academic Cross Country Team, Division III
schools needed a cumulative team GPA of at least 3.1. Eighty-six men's
teams earned All-Academic Team honors.
To earn Division III All-Academic individual honors, runners had to
maintain a cumulative GPA of at 3.5 or higher and compete at an NCAA
III Regional meet. A total of 108 student-athletes earned Division III
All-Academic Men's Cross Country honors.
On the women’s side, Calvin also earned All-Academic honors from the USTFCA,
posting an impressive 3.61 grade point average. A remarkable total of 112
Division III women's cross country teams earned All-Academic Team honors.
Eastern Mennonite University's women's cross country team had the highest
cumulative team GPA (3.760).Calvin also had five runners receive individual
All-Academic honors. The Calvin runners that received the award were senior
Lydia Singer (Wilmington, DE), senior Camille Medema (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand
Rapids Christian HS), sophomore Kelly Edwards (Grand Blanc), senior Laura
Holtrop (Derwood, MD) and sophomore Calah Schlabach (St. Michaels, AZ). As a
team, Calvin finished third at the NCAA III Championships. Singer and Medema
both posted All-America finishes with Medema taking 13th and Singer 20th.
A total of 185 student-athletes earned Division III All-Academic Women's Cross
Country individual honors.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Wed Feb 28 16:50:25 2007
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