CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR APRIL 30, 2007
Men's Tennis Team Receives Bid to NCAA III Tournament;
Track and Field Teams Close Out MIAA Dual Meet Campaigns - Colyn Breaks High
Jump Record
MEN'S TENNIS
For the first time since 1996, the Calvin men's tennis team has received a bid
to the NCAA III Tournament. The Knights learned they were one of 41 teams
selected to the tournament set to begin this weekend. Calvin (17-5) will face
Ohio Athletic Conference champion Ohio Northern University (14-7) in a first
round match on Friday in a five-team regional at Kalamazoo College. The
Calvin/Ohio Northern winner will face top-seeded Washington University of St.
Louis (18-4) in a second round match on Saturday. Kalamazoo (16-10) will face
Kenyon College (19-5) in the other second round match on Saturday.
Calvin is one of three MIAA teams to receive "independent" bids to the NCAA
III Tournament as Albion also received a bid along with Calvin and Kalamazoo.
Albion will participate in a five-team regional at DePauw University.
Independent bids are awarded to independent teams or to teams from conferences
without automatic qualifying spots. The MIAA did not have an automatic bid to
the NCAA III Tournament as it did not have seven schools participating in men's
tennis that full members of the NCAA. The MIAA had seven schools participating
in men's tennis this year but Tri-State is in its final year of NCAA III
provisional membership, leaving the league with just six full members schools
that offer men's tennis.
Calvin's first round opponent - Ohio Northern University - earned an automatic
bid to the NCAA III Tournament by sharing the OAC regular season title and then
winning its conference tournament crown. Calvin and Ohio Northern have played
two common opponents this year in Aquinas and the College of Wooster. Ohio
Northern fell to both opponents, losing 8-1 to Aquinas and 5-4 to the College
of Wooster. Calvin was defeated by Aquinas 5-4 but defeated the College of
Wooster 5-2.
Calvin recently finished second in the final MIAA standings, taking second
during the dual match season at 5-1 and then finishing second at the MIAA
Tournament last weekend, falling 7-2 to Kalamazoo in the MIAA Tournament
Championship finals.
Under the direction of head coach John Ross, the Knights have already
established a single-season Calvin record for victories.
In its previous trip to the NCAA III Tournament in 1996, Calvin was defeated
by Wheaton College (IL) 4-0 in a regional held at Ripon College (WI). The
Calvin/Wheaton NCAA III Tournament match was shortened due to rain and was
played in a pro-sets format. One of the members of that 1996 Calvin team was
freshman Tim Volkema, a graduate of Holland Christian High School. Younger
brother Dan Volkema is a senior on this year's Calvin team. Their father Mike
Volkema is a volunteer assistant coach with the Calvin men's tennis team and is
a Calvin alumn.
The full NCAA III Tournament bracket can be found on the NCAA web site at:
http://www.ncaasports.com/tennis/mens/brackets/viewable/straight64_dyn/2007/DIII
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
GRAND RAPIDS -- A 16-year old Calvin women's track and field record is no
longer. In an MIAA triangular with Alma and Adrian Monday afternoon at Calvin's
Zuidema Field, senior Lauren Colyn (Kalamazoo Christian HS) shattered a Calvin
high jump record that had been set in 1991. Colyn cleared the bar at 5-8 on her
second attempt Monday afternoon, breaking the previous Calvin record of 5-7 3/4
set by Christy Visser in 1991. The record by Visser was the oldest remaining
mark in the Calvin women's track and field books. Colyn's jump is an NCAA III
automatic qualifying mark and matches the best jump in NCAA III outdoor track
and field this spring.
Colyn will be making her third trip to the NCAA III Championships as she
prevoiusly qualified as a freshman in 2004 and as a junior in 2006. The Calvin
women's track and field team has now posted nine NCAA III automatic qualifying
performances this spring.
Colyn's high jump helped Calvin defeat Adrian 123-11 and Alma 112-61 as the
Knights closed out the MIAA dual meet season with a 6-0 record. The Knights
have now won 89 consecutive MIAA dual meets, stretching all the way back to
1989.
Junior Sarah Wittingen (East Grand Rapids HS) also had a big day in the 100
meter hurdles, taking first place with an NCAA III provisional qualifying time
of 14.62. Running in her first 100 meter dash of the season, Calvin senior Lisa
Winkle (South Christian HS) had a first place time of 12.74, cracking Calvin's
all-time top 10 list in the event.
On the men's side, Calvin finished its MIAA dual meet season at 4-1-1,
defeating Adrian 120-52 and Alma 109-78. Junior Ryan Jensen (Northview HS) was
a double-winner for the Knights, taking first place in the shot put (13.36
meters) and discus (44.68 meters). Freshman Corey Velgersdyk (Bloomington, MN)
also had a strong afternoon, winning the long jump (6.27 meters) and taking
second in the triple jump (12.46 meters).
Full meet results of Monday's competition can be found on-line at:
http://www.calvin.edu/sports/mtrckfld/Results07/AdrianAlmaCalvinResults4-30-07.htm
Calvin will now prepare to host the MIAA Field Day on Thursday and Friday (May
3 & 4). A full schedule of events can be found on-line at:
http://www.calvin.edu/sports/mtrckfld/MIAAschedule.pdf
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Mon Apr 30 22:03:18 2007
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.8 : Mon Apr 30 2007 - 22:03:18 EDT