CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR MAY 26, 2007
CALVIN WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD TEAM 2nd AT NCAA III CHAMPIONSHIPS/MEN 26th;
DAY THREE REPORT
(written by Jeff Febus and Bruce VanBaren)
Oshkosh, Wis – For the fourth time in school history and for the third time in
the last four years, the Calvin women’s track and field team has earned a
national runner-up finish. Under the direction of head coach Jong-il Kim, the
Knights took second at the 2007 NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships
with 44.5 points. It marks the seventh top-four national finish in Calvin
women’s track and field history.
The host Titans of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh captured their third
national title in the last four years with a team total of 57 points.
With just four events left in the meet, Calvin actually appeared poised to
challenge for national title as the Knights have moved into first place with
38.5 points after a second place finish by junior Sarah Wittingen (East Grand
Rapids HS) and senior Megann VanderVliet (Oakville, ON) sitting in second place
in the shot put with just one round of throws left. But then the meet took a
dramatic swing in favor of the Titans as Oshkosh freshman Kayla Sharpee moved
up into second with a big throw of 45-2 ¼ and Oshkosh senior Nadine Pieske
followed with a first place time of 24.72 in the 200 meters just moments later.
The pair of finishes vaulted Wisconsin-Oshkosh back into first place with a
total of 51 points, affectively sealing the meet for the Titans.
“Our women’s team competed very well and for a moment, it looked like we might
have a chance to win (the national title),” said Kim. “But they
(Wisconsin-Oshkosh) came up with some key performances when they needed to and
I congratulate them on their performance. But I am also very proud of my
women’s team. A second place team finish is a great accomplishment and our
entire team and coaching staff played a role in finishing where we did.”
Saturday’s competition took place in driving rains and cool temperatures,
forcing athletes to adjust to the conditions. “We had rain in two of the three
days of competition and I think that had an affect on teams at this meet,” said
Kim. “Some teams were able to weather the conditions but others suffered
injuries to their athletes. At a national meet, you have to expect changing
weather conditions and adjust as best as you can.”
On the men’s side, Calvin finished 26th with 11 points, adding another
All-America berth on Saturday as senior Todd Schuster (Denver, CO) took third
in the 800 meters with a time of 1:53.59. Wisconsin-LaCrosse took the national
title on the men’s side with a dominating total of 99 points, 65 points ahead
of second place Cortland State of New York.
Schuster’s finish is the best in MIAA men’s track and field history in the 800
meters and is also Calvin’s first All-America performance in the event on the
men’s side since 1992. In the race, Schuster moved from near the back of the
pack to the outside in the final turn and then moved past several competitors
down the final stretch and nearly came away with the win, finishing just behind
Jeff Zodda of the College of New Jersey (1:53.53) and national champion Jimmy
O’Brien of Ohio Northern (1:53.16).
“The pace for the 800 was slow and that was to my advantage because I had quite
a bit of kick left,” said Schuster. “At a national race, you usually want to
get out strong because it is difficult to kick down the best 800 meter runners
in the country but yesterday I used the same tactics in the prelims so I
thought I would try the same thing today. It worked out great and coming down
the stretch, I was going for the win. But I’m also ecstatic with my place. I
had a huge crowd of Calvin supporters cheering me on and I can’t tell you how
good that made me feel during and after the race.”
The Calvin women’s team came up with five All-America performances on Saturday
to finish the three-day competition with a total of 10 AWittingen helped lead the way on Saturday with a sixth place finish in the 100
meter hurdles (14.99) and a second place finish in the 400 meter hurdles
(59.96). She also ran a leg on Calvin’s fourth place 4x400 meter relay team
that clocked in with a time of 3:46.98….The relay also included senior Lisa
Winkle (South Christian HS) and freshmen Jourdan Johnson (Gales Ferry,
CT/Nedyard HS) and Heather Koning (Kalamazoo Christian HS). Wittingen’s time in
the 400 meter hurdles was a school record by nearly a full second, breaking her
previous record of 60.64. Wittingen was edged for the national title by Fawn
Dorr of Cortland State who took first place in a time of 59.50.
“I wasn’t concerned about my individual finish as much as I was concerned about
picking up points and helping our team finish high,” said Wittingen. “I have an
amazing group of teammates and coaches and they all gave me a big lift today
and I was happy to give back as much as I was able.”
Winkle also gave back in the final race of her remarkable Calvin athletic
career. With just 150 meters left in the 4x400 meter relay and Winkle running
the anchor leg, Calvin sat in sixth place, needing at least a fifth place
finish in the event to move into second place in the final team standings.
Winkle then dug down, found one last burst of energy and moved past two
competitors into fourth place, nearly edging a runner from Wisconsin-Oshkosh
for third.
“I knew we needed at least a fifth place finish to move up into second and I
wanted to go out on as high of a note as possible,” said Winkle after the meet
with her back tightly wrapped in ice. “This is the third national runner-up
team that I have been a part of and I’m sure it is something that I will look
back on later and appreciate even more. Calvin has an amazing track and field
program and I’m just glad to have been a part of it.”
Earlier in the meet, Winkle repeated as an All-American in the 400 meters with
a fifth place time of 55.82. Along with her All-America performance in the long
jump and relay this week, Winkle finishes her Calvin track and field career as
a 10-time All-American including a four-time All-American individually.
Senior Megann Vander Vliet followed up Thursday’s fourth place All-American
performance in the discus throw with her second All-American performance of the
2007 nationals placing fifth in the shot put. VanderVliet will finish her
career as a four time All-American, three times in the shot put and one time in
the discus. Along with Katie Corner, she is the only individual in Calvin and
MIAA women’s track and field history to earn All-America awards in the discus
and shot put in the same meet.
Just as the rains turned into a downpour, VanderVliet launched a season best
throw of 44-7, over three feet further than her previous two throws, moving her
into second place after the first flight of the trials. After the second
flight of trials, Vander Vliet was still in second place heading into the
finals.
“I tried to block everything out and thought what happens, happens,” said
Vander Vliet. “My hands and neck were wet and I’m not sure how it happened,
but I heard the crowd cheer [when it landed] and I knew it was alright.”
In the finals while throwing in standing water in the throwing ring, Vander
Vliet was unable to improve on her distance of 44-7. Loras College senior Dana
Klemm separated herself from the competition on her second throw with a monster
distance of 47-6 ½. Klemm’s throw moved her past Williams College senior Alex
Phillips who set the bar high early when her throw, only the second overall,
landed a distance of 44-9 ½. On their final throws, Wisconsin River Falls
junior Krista Hasselquist and Wisconsin Oshkosh freshman Kayla Sharpee each
threw 45-2 ¼ dropping Vander Vliet to fifth. Vander Vliet threw seventh out of
the nine finalists and on her final throw she reached a distance of 44-2 ½.
“I’m thrilled being an All-American again,” said Vander Vliet. “It’s kind of
bittersweet thinking maybe the weather could have been better and then I could
have done better, but it’s a season best and I have to be happy with it.”
Vander Vliet was seeded ninth in the shot put with a distance of 44-6.
VanderVliet was an All-American in the shot put for the third straight year,
finishing third at the 2005 NCAA III Championships and seventh at the 2006
national meet. She was also the MIAA Champion in the shot put and discus this
spring and landed a spot on the All-MIAA team for a third straight year. In
addition, she was named the MIAA's Most Outstanding Field Event Performer.
In her two events, discus and shot put, VanderVliet amassed nine total points
for Calvin.
Senior Kristen Kalb (Stow, Ohio/ Stow Munroe Falls) came up with a career best
performance in the javelin throw, but was just seven inches shy of the finals.
On her first two throws Kalb threw low line drives that fell shy of 100 feet,
well short of her average mark. However, on her third and final throw, Kalb
reached back and threw a career high distance of 133-2.
University of La Verne senior Veronica Andrews took the ninth and last
qualifying position for the finals with a distance of 133-9 which came on her
second throw in the first flight. Kalb threw in the second flight and came up
just short of Andrew’s mark and the finals, despite her career best mark.
Kalb was seeded 17th with a distance of 131-4 which came at the last chance
meet at North Central College last week. Earlier this spring, Kalb was the
MIAA champion in the javelin (130-9) and earned a spot on the All- MIAA team.
A senior, Kalb is only in her second season in the javelin. Kalb was a first
team All- American in volleyball this past fall.
Central College (IA) senior Alicia Whisner was the national champion setting a
new J.J. Keller field record with a mark of 153-9. The final All-American
distance in eighth place was 135-11, 1-9 further than Kalb’s career best throw.
In the 5000 meter run, junior Christina Overbeck (Seattle, Washington/ Bellevue
Christian) started strong, but was involved in a tangle with seven laps
remaining that caused her and three other runners to hit the wet track hard.
Overbeck quickly recovered and regained seventh place, but she never appeared
the same and the front pack eventually separated from her. Overbeck finished
in 12th with a time of 17:32.00.
Overbeck was seeded sixth with a time of 16:59.88. A year ago, Overbeck
qualified for the national meet in the 10,000 meters and finished 13th. This
fall, Overbeck earned All-America cross country honors, finishing sixth at the
NCAA III Championships. This spring, Overbeck defended her MIAA champion in the
10,000 meters and landed a spot on the All-MIAA team for the second straight
year.
In the 5000 meter run, sophomore Jed Christiansen (Greenville, Pennsylvania/
Greenville) stuck with the pack throughout the first half of the race. But
with four laps to go, the top eight All-Americans separated themselves from the
pack. Christiansen finished fourteenth with a time of 14:58.51 in 14th place.
Christiansen was seeded 11th with a time of 14:32.29. A year ago, Christiansen
competed in the both the 10,000 meters (16th) and 5,000 meters (10th) at the
national meet. Christiansen is also a two-time All-MIAA selection in track and
field.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sat May 26 19:39:47 2007
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